From the expanses of space to restricted mobility

Lisa Nowak, the jealous astronaut who was caught driving to Florida in a diaper to see her ex, recently got put on parole (including removing her ankle bracelet) but with restricted travel.

Brandeis Graduation 2007

Congratulations Class of 2007!

Norman Finkelstein's Distortions

Norman Finkelstein purports to be a scholar on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but even those whom he repeatedly cites in his work or calls his inspirations (e.g., historian Benny Morris and Robert Novick) call him a fraudulent historian and accuse him of distorting or selectively citing their work. His thesis is that the conflict and the solution are really SO SIMPLE (basically Israel has to do everything the biased UN and ICJ say) and that everything is Israel's fault. However, he often ignores or trivializes the problems of Palestinian terrorism or the repeated military attacks by Arab countries on Israel, which have nearly destroyed the state's existence. The conflict is so simple, he says, and most of the controvery is fabricated by people who want to draw attention from Israel, who is the real perpetrator of violence. Of course, he easily maintains this by dismissing anyone who doesn't agree with him as outside the fold of sane or legitimate scholarship, or lacking in moral values. He essentially rips out pages from the book of Middle East history, selectively ignoring the facts which are not convenient to his point of view, in order to support his ideas. His latest lecture at our campus was a two-hour or so Israel bashing session (sparing the Palestinians the rod) as well as personal attacks on our university and its president, as well as on other scholars in the field.
We must stand up and demand honest intellectual scholarship on this matter.

Digging Himself a Hole

Despite constant criticism, Gonzales continues to dig himself into a hole by maintaining his innocence and effectiveness as the A.G., then claims to not remember specific details and conversations important to the case against him. The public seems not to have confidence in him, but he thinks he can still be effective.

Don Imus Apologizes

Iran's Funny Man

The U.N. Security Council just announced a new, harsher set of sanctions on Iran. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad continues to say Iran will continue on its quest to acquire nuclear energy--for "civilian" uses, of course! The U.N. can continue to issue these sanctions, but Iran just won't listen--how can we take the U.N. seriously this way?

Bush and Chavez Slug it Out

Bush and Hugo Chavez both romp around South America, trying to garner support. Then Chavez launches insults at Bush and claims it's "nothing personal."