Tufts Roundtable (Latest Comments)

Tyler - Craziest Republican of the Day: John Raese

Tyler — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:43:44 +0000

Do you read the responses to your blog posts or should I not bother wasting my time?

Tyler - The truth about Ayn Rand

Tyler — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 02:57:04 +0000

Do you believe that people are generally well intentioned, reasonably informed and should be largely free to make their own decisions, whether they fail or succeed? Or do you believe that people are stupid, gullible, selfish and cruel, thus necessitating the need for a large state to make all of the important decisions for us? That's the basic breakdown between the Randians and the Krugmanites.

Harry Binswanger - The truth about Ayn Rand

Harry Binswanger — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:09:43 +0000

Well, this much is true: if you like Paul Krugman, you'll hate Ayn Rand. Fortunately, many, such as I, have the reverse reaction. Read Atlas Shrugged and find out where you stand--for reason, heroic achievement, and your own life as your highest value--or for Paul Krugman.

Tyler - REFERENDUM 3 PASSES BY 1 VOTE

Tyler — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 21:36:23 +0000

For some reason, it keeps telling me there are 3 comments but I can only see 2.

Ard - REFERENDUM 3 PASSES BY 1 VOTE

Ard — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:21:58 +0000

Unfortunately Tyler, the marginalized communities argument is not that minorities are "not getting on senate" because of racism or discrimination, but because they feel alienated by the structure of the system. My understanding of their argument is that the system as it exists promotes institutional racism and bigotry in a way that is in their minds "unquantifiable." The argument is about values, and you are arguing against people that have set their minds on the goal of eradicating societal problems through social activism. Even if you do attempt to show that there is discrimination, they will use that evidence to show how shortsighted and ignorant you (and really all of us) are about issues of privilege and power.

Tyler - REFERENDUM 3 PASSES BY 1 VOTE

Tyler — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 21:09:12 +0000

Is there any way I can get access to the ECOM data for the past ten years? If so, I can finally prove whether or not there is statistically verifiable discrimination going on in the TCU Senate elections. The subjective feelings of a few people don't count as evidence. Until someone provides real hard evidence, the proponents of referendums 3 AND 4 have no case.

Michael - REFERENDUM 3 PASSES BY 1 VOTE

Michael — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 05:37:46 +0000

Well, not the highest number of abstentions on record -- though probably the highest number for a one-item ballot. Back in 2006, over 1/2 of voters abstained from a referendum b/c they just wanted to vote for TCU president.

Tyler - Is Christine O\'Donnell a criminal?

Tyler — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:20:55 +0000

O'Donnell is a complete fraud. Anyone who claims otherwise is just trying to cover their rear ends after this massive mistake. I'm surprised that Sarah Palin wasn't able to see right through her. Whoever introduced the two women did a grave disservice to both the people of Delaware and the former Alaska governor. If Palin wants to be taken seriously, she's going to have to do more background research on the candidates she chooses to endorse.

Tyler - What the Future Holds for the Millennial Generation

Tyler — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 05:58:24 +0000

"we experienced first-hand the result of a previous generation overcome with greed" To quote Milton Friedman, Is there some society you know that doesn’t run on greed? People have always been greedy, look at the pyramids. You don't think those were built by greedy Pharaohs? You can't blame a change on a constant.

jessica - Save people from starvation and from cholera. The Pakistan flood: Organisations to donate to

jessica — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:30:54 +0000

hu are you???????????????????????

emilly - Save people from starvation and from cholera. The Pakistan flood: Organisations to donate to

emilly — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:27:49 +0000

how do we find a story of pakistan in starvation

TJC - IN DEFENSE OF ISLAM

TJC — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:27:51 +0000

George Bush could not get through a speech on the global war on terrorism without using phrases like "Islam is a religion of peace" and "we are not at war with all Muslims, only the radicals". What makes Terry Jones so newsworthy is that hate crimes against Muslims have been so rare. Unlike in Europe where conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims have frequently resulted in violence, the United States has largely avoided these sorts of conflicts. 9/11 was such a shock to the American psyche precisely because terrorism is so rare in this country. As an open and tolerant society, it feels un-American for most people living in this country to blame an entire religion or ethnic group for the crimes of a few. The comparison between the modern backlash against this particular mosque is several orders of magnitude less disturbing than the Protocols of Zion or the pogroms of the Middle Ages. Comparing the two is like comparing Obamacare to Nazism. It's just absurd on the face of it. http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-c... As for widespread violence against Muslims, where's the proof? According to that link and using the higher estimate, 4 out of every 100,000 Muslims in America were the victims of a hate crime in 2008. In that same year, 5.4 out of every 100,000 Americans was murdered. So typical Americans face a greater threat from homicide than Muslims do from hate crimes. Obviously both of those numbers are still too high (zero would of course be preferable) but they do shine a little light on this crazy notion that Muslims are about to be rounded up and thrown into cattle cars in the United States.

Dyadya Zyama - IN DEFENSE OF ISLAM

Dyadya Zyama — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 01:50:25 +0000

While your article is beautifully written, it seems to be frought through with typical Leftist imaginings of hate and intolerance and "Islamophobia". Where have you heard of mosques being burned? Your word choice and tone suggest that this is a common occurance. This is decidedly not the case. The American media has put a lot of effort in avoiding drawing the very clear and very obvious connection between Islamist crimes and Islam. Recall the coverage of the shooting at Fort Hood. You support the building of the mosque. That is no big surprise since the scope of the dialogue has been succesfully stretched to include questions of the project's contitutionality. That is decidedly not what the debate is about. Imam Rauf has claimed that the center will foster healing and cohesion. It has demonstrably not achieved this objective, yet the project is being pursued. How is criticizing a failed project is Islamophobic? Conveniently, the voice of the American Muslim opposition to the mosque (and to the radicalization of the main-stream Islam in the USA) has been drowned out so as to label any opponent a bigot. Note also that there is already a mosque in the area which serves the needs of Manhattan's Muslims, and has not been protested. BTW: In the USA you're six times as likely to be the victim of a hate crime if you're a Jew than if you're a Muslim.

Greg Beach - Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: "Two Step"

Greg Beach — Wed, 8 Sep 2010 02:44:34 +0000

I think the problem is that the only album you have is Everyday. I'm quite the DMB fan and I would say that Everyday is one of their weak links. Since you seem into their live stuff, I would suggest you get your hands on the Live in Central Park album. Or, check out the Tufts Music Library for whatever DMB albums they have. I have a feeling you'll dig them more than what you've heard so far.

Greg Beach - The True Story of the Millenials

Greg Beach — Sun, 5 Sep 2010 18:07:39 +0000

True that, dude.

morgan lang - Photos of Animals Affected by Gulf Oil Spill

morgan lang — Wed, 1 Sep 2010 22:28:28 +0000

i cant belive this how did it happen?the people should be ashamed of what they did :( :'(

morgan lang - Photos of Animals Affected by Gulf Oil Spill

morgan lang — Wed, 1 Sep 2010 22:24:52 +0000

this is so sad :'(

Tyler - The True Story of the Millenials

Tyler — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:58:37 +0000

There's another trend that's dragging down our generation. Every year we spend proportionally more money on pensions and health care for the old and proportionately less money on education and basic infrastructure. As the national median age continues to rise, the imbalance will get worse. Old folks will fight tooth and nail for their benefits while children are incapable of defending themselves. Even as it stands now, ALL federal revenue is currently being absorbed by Medicare, Social Security, Defense and Interest on the national debt. EVERYTHING ELSE is being crowded out by the Big Four and we must borrow money from foreigners to pay for education, welfare, transportation, etc. In effect, we are stealing from the future in order to subsidize the past! You don't need to be an economist to know that's just not sustainable. Read this article. It's a great quick introduction to the problem. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnis... It's a war between the generations...and we're losing. BADLY. Most of us are completely unaware of how badly the older generations have screwed us over.

Scott - Concert review: Cynic at Slim\'s

Scott — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:01:34 +0000

I've met Paul as well, definitely one of the nicest pro musicians I've talked to.

Craniumous - Concert review: Cynic at Slim\'s

Craniumous — Thu, 5 Aug 2010 07:01:57 +0000

I saw Cynic last week, one of the best gigs I've been to in a long time. Totally dig their new stuff. Met Paul Masvidal after the show, he was signing CD's. He's a cool dude. Looking forward to their next CD.