evolution

say what you will about the bbc and their coverage of america’s antiterror policies, but this is a great idea.

the traditional stereotype of graduate students is that they are knee-jerk leftists.

why do i feel less sympathy instead of more for the leftist cause?

i’ve been asked why i am such a nut for all things pearl jam, when the politics i espouse and the politics they espouse seem to be diametrically opposite.

the answer is that i think some things are bigger than politics, and music is one of them for me. quite simply, i think they make great music. another reason is that, whatever their politics, they as entertainers are trying to make a dime responsibly - seeing that the prices for their shows are not out of sight, releasing their live shows at low cost - they actually seem to genuinely care about their fans, and that’s hard to find in this day and age. while it’s true that their politics and mine do not often agree, it seems that given the choice between doing something and doing nothing other than taking my money, they have chosen to do something, and i respect that.

the lawrence journal-world reports that the finalists’ designs for the kansas quarter have been submitted to the u.s. mint (full story). one of them makes reference to “the wizard of oz”, in which a kansas farm girl, played by judy garland, is knocked unconscious when a tornado strikes her aunt and uncle’s farm and has a strange dream while she is out.

personally, i think there are much more dignified ways to commemorate kansas in currency than that. it’s not that the movie is undignified or low-brow, i just don’t think that most kansans would choose a hollywood image to commemorate their state. also, i’m just plain tired of the association of kansas with that movie.

the chiefs lost to the cinncinati bengals in cinncinati, 24-19. defense and special teams did not have a great game, and the offense couldn’t seem to get on track until the fourth quarter. all that said, the chiefs nearly pulled it off in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns in the final seven minutes - and give credit to the bengals under first-year coach marvin lewis. the bengals played a solid game defensively, and got scores on a long pass play and a punt return. they are doing the little things that they didn’t do the past few years. also, they have something to play for - their division is weak, and their win coupled with a baltimore ravens loss puts the bengals in first place in their division.

i received the following (unsolicited) message just a few minutes ago:

Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 13:48:24 -0600
From: The Online Hydroponics Resource (hr@e-netsource.com)
To: j.d.
Subject: The Latest in Hydroponics

The Online Hydroponics Resource!

• Grow Systems
• Nutrients
• Organics
• Grow Media
• Lighting Systems
• Environmental Controls
• Propagation Supplies
• Books & Magazines
• Pumps
• Irrigation
• Knowledgable Growers

maybe someone is trying to tell me something.

the chiefs down the browns 41-20 in kansas city to go 9-0. players of the week:

• offensive: QB trent green lit up the browns–29-42 for 368 yards and three touchdowns. green has never looked better than he has in this season. remember - he was vermeil’s guy in st. louis before then-charger SS rodney harrison took his knee out in preseason. green’s back-up QB kurt warner came in and, well, you know the rest.
• defensive: how about LBs shawn barber and scott fujita–fujita, a second-year guy from cal with loads of speed, had 8 tackles; and barber, a free-agent signee from philadelphia, had 6 tackles and a sack.
• special teams: WR dante hall - 5 returns for 159 yards, including a 70+ yard return where he was tripped up 10 yards from his NFL-record fifth return touchdown.

chiefs travel to cinncinati to take on the now-scrappy bengals under first-year head coach marvin lewis. bengal WR chad johnson has guaranteed a victory for the bengals. the bengals actually have something to play for at 4-5; with a couple of wins they can be in contention in the weak AFC north division. however, if green comes out the way he has the last couple of games, he will shred the bengals’ defense; also the bengals are 25th against the run after week 10. tell nick buoniconti, bob griese, and don shula to keep their champagne iced another week. chiefs, 38-21.

trober informs me that i haven’t updated in a while, and as i look at the date, i notice that he is right.

trober wonders whether i’m doing okay. the short answer is “i’m hanging on by a thread”. i wondered whether i was in over my head when i came to purdue to study mathematics, and right now i have to say the jury is out on that one. some parts of this semester have not gone well, and i hope that won’t jeopardize my future here. there’s a possibility it might.

however, i have six weeks to fix it. hopefully, that will be enough, because i don’t know what i’ll do if it isn’t.

by the way, trober gets a phone call.