Affecting one's legacy...

I've been reading lately about President Bush wanting to ensure (and some have used the word "salvage") his legacy via various actions he's taking late in his second term, and it occurred to me that this behavior, this hind-sighted goal, sounds surprisingly familiar.

I teach writing at the university level and my syllabus discusses, among many other things, extra credit. Simply because this topic arises so often led to my need to address it at the semester's outset. Prior to including this in my syllabus, the subject of extra credit was broached toward the end of a semester when some students suddenly (if 16 weeks can be thought of as "sudden") realized their grades might not be what they'd hoped. In fact, I've actually had students tell me, "I had hoped for an 'A'," which I always love hearing because there are a few things I hope for as well, but many more for which I work.

Anyway, as a result of this seemingly surprising development they often ask, "Can I get any extra credit?" My response to them is usually something along the lines of, "Rather than thinking of extra credit after the fact, think instead in terms credit before the fact: in other words, do appropriate work when it counts and receive appropriate credit for that effort."

Perhaps President Bush might have benefited from reading my syllabus sometime in late 2000, so he wouldn't have to worry about extra credit now.

Slazenger's golf ball ads are stupid!

I'm a golfer, but I will never buy a Slazenger golf ball simply because the advertising is so incredibly stupid.

"Made to be pounded?" Are you kidding me? Is that all you could come up with?

A bleeding golf ball might have seemed like a good idea when you were sitting in the conference room with your marketing department and ad company, but it sure doesn't seem like a good idea now.

Here's an idea: try not smoking that fattie before your next marketing meeting. Perhaps the decisions you make won't suck so bad. Sure hope you didn't spend too much money on this ad campaign.

Oops... silly me... of course you didn't.

Slazenger: Made to be avoided!

Deja vu all over again...

Here we go again.

Yet another national election cycle and yet another case of the Democratic candidates tearing each other down to the point that no matter which of them gets the nod for the fall, it will be impossible to overcome the Republican candidate.

Then they'll spend the next four years pointing fingers at one another.

Why do the Democrats do this over and over again? It's pathological. It's insane.

Dear John Daly...

You're much better as a golfer than you are as a drinker.

Golf is not causing you to lose associates. Golf is not affecting your ability to concentrate. Golf has never caused you to miss out on something important in your personal life or professional life. Golf is not giving you the shakes. Golf does not have 150 calories per can. Golf has never caused you to be unable to get out of bed in the morning because of a hangover. Golf is not enlarging your liver or your gut. Golf is not going to kill you.

Dear John Daly... please turn this around.

Please.

Eliot Mess...

...is the new Untouchable.

It's amazing how seemingly smart people do incredibly dumb things.

The higher the pedestal, the farther the fall, I guess.

Note to similar future morons: please don't make your wives stand next to you while you humiliate them.

Snorting vodka?

This is all I'm going to say: are you freaking kidding me!?!?

There would be no point in saying anything more.

Hey Tripp...

...when your golf coach said, "Shoot more birdies," that's not what he meant.

I sure hope what you're saying about this incident is the truth. Otherwise, the black eye you just gave the game of golf will take years to fade away.

And forget the game of golf: if this incident did happen, then you might need to change your name from Tripp to Stumble-and-Fall.

So long Bret...

You completely pissed me off every time you made a big play against my favorite 49ers, and there were many of these, but I always loved watching you play.

Few on that field had more fun.

Thank you.

Spring forward...

What a great time of year.

The artificiality of the daylight savings time date (this year, March 9th) signals the reality of a fresh new season. The gray of winter makes way for the color of spring.

The old gives in to the new.

Cold turns to warm.

Dark to light.

We're done falling back. Let's spring forward.

Handicapping March 4th primaries...

Obama will take Texas and Vermont (and maybe Rhode Island).

Clinton will take Ohio and maybe Rhode Island.

Clinton will stay in the race.

McCain will take it all, but it'll be closer in Texas than he'll like.

But hey... I could be wrong!

Twenty under par...

Lorena Ochoa finished 20 under par, with her nearest competitor, Annika Sorenstam, 11 strokes back.

Yikes.

Watch out LPGA.

Republicans and term limits...

I've recently been trying to figure out why conservative Republicans (and the right-wingnut talk-show hosts who "carry their water") are so against term limits and campaign finance reform.

In doing this research I came across this report. It's fascinating reading regarding the irony of who wants term limits and who doesn't (who is actually making term limits seem like a good idea).

The argument against campaign finance reform seems to be a free-speech issue.

Opponents believe that spending money on a campaign is tantamount to expression, to free speech. People "vote" with their dollars by contributing to their favored candidates; in doing so their individual voices are heard; they have a right to be heard.

Makes perfect sense to me.

What I disagree with is the argument as it applies to organizational contributions, that corporations/organizations can expect the same rights afforded to individuals (what is called, euphemistically, "corporate personhood"). But the truth is, corporations, unions, and other "interested" organizations aren't individuals, aren't real people, per se, so they can't expect to have or to enjoy the rights of an individual, of a real person.

Yes, the employees of corporations are tax-paying voters --- are individuals by any definition of the term --- but the corporations for which they work aren't, so corporations/organizations simply can't expect the same free-speech treatment afforded individuals.

To me it's this simple. (Although this would suggest otherwise.)

As a result, campaign finance reform would not affect the "rights" of corporations/organizations because these entities don't have these rights in the first place. But the individuals who work for these entities would still have their right to free-speech, to vote with their dollars for their candidates of choice, as the constitution clearly indicates they should.

Lorena is back!

Lorena Ochoa is playing in her first tournament of the 2008 LPGA season, and she seems as if she never stopped playing from last season. Thirteen under after two rounds? Yikes!

Either the Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore is an easy track or she's playing well.

I firmly believe it's the latter. There's little about Lorena's game that's lacking. After a couple of seasons of less-than-stellar performances and some late-round collapses, Lorena seems to have found her stride, and she is recently doing to her competition what Eldrick Woods has been doing to his for years: establishing a dominance that will one day equal --- and possibly rival --- Annika's over the last decade.

Couple Lorena's great golf with a great personality and a captivating smile, and she can't lose. She's a delight to watch play a game, which is, for us mortals at least, the most difficult game ever devised.

Mark my words...

With the passing of the father of the modern conservative movement, William F. Buckley, Jr., just watch: a phalanx of mealy-mouthed, light-weight, right-wing panderers will begin to invoke his name, will begin to tangentially link themselves, their causes, to and with him, and will begin to revise history.

Mr. Buckley was a truly great man, but many of the truly less-than great will illegitimately associate themselves with him, with his legacy.

Mark my words: this happened with Ron Reagan and it'll happen with Bill Buckley.

(No... I'm not saying Reagan was great; I'm saying his legacy has been co-opted and spun mercilessly.)

R.I.P. William F. Buckley Jr...

Agree with him or disagree with him, no one said what he said better. He absolutely defined the words erudite and debate.

The man was wonderful to read and wonderful to hear, and his sense of humor was always present, no matter how much he might disagree with someone.

When your argument was disassembled by Bill, you had been disassembled by the best.

We're only poorer for his absence.

P.S. Here is a good article about the current state of conservatism, a la the current administration.