The Blogora | The Blog of The Rhetoric Society of America

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 22, 2006 - 8:26pm

Here's the video and the transcript. It's better than what the Prez has been saying lately (or ever); http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page9222.asp Are you persuaded now?

If Professors Acted Like Students

Submitted by Karen on March 22, 2006 - 8:46am

Very Funny: I feel, therefore I am Mar 21, 2006 by Mike S. Adams Good morning, students! I can see by the expressions on your faces that you are surprised to see me empty-handed this morning. After all, you took a test last class meeting and probably expected your results back today. But, don’t worry one little bit. I have a good reason for not grading your exams. I simply didn’t feel like doing it. Not once, during the first 41 years of my life did I ever entertain the notion of shirking my responsibilities simply because I “didn’t feel like” doing something. But that’s all changed this semester. Despite the fact that I am paid to give and grade exams, I have decided to follow a philosophy of life modeled by several of you this semester. And I’d like to thank you all before I explain how my new philosophy of life is going to affect you between now and the end of the semester. Read on: http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/mikeadams/2006/03/21/190628.html (If you are familiar with Mike Adams you'll be surprised to find only one disparaging reference to liberalism on campus)

Blaming the Media

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 21, 2006 - 9:40pm

Damn them. . . . Damn Cheney Damn Rumsfeld Damn Bush, with his insipid Preppy-cracker voice and frat-boy smirk Damn everyone who won't damn them: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11947276/

Hiring Patterns

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 21, 2006 - 9:36pm

The indispensable Lawrence Solum over at http://lsolum.blogspot.com/ is posting a list of entry level law hires on his blog. I really think this sort of data is helpful (the late lamented Lingua Franca used to do it for all fields, including Communication and English, although I'm not sure if Rhet/Comp figured in). Here's a provisional list: Texas A&M, Christopher Swift, Northwestern University University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Christian Lundberg, Northwestern University LSU, Nathan Crick, Pitt Georgia State, Jeff Bennett, Indiana

Another Kids' Page from a Government Agency

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 21, 2006 - 8:00pm

This one from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms: http://www.atf.gov/kids/kids_art_main.htm

ITMFA

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 21, 2006 - 6:50pm

http://www.impeachthemotherfuckeralready.com/

Spam du jour: and a little contest for our readers

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 21, 2006 - 1:35pm

An email I didn't want to open: "If you think your penis looks like a sponge," Which gets me to thinking (as I observe Adria wrestling with how to label her scholarly approach): How would: a post-structuralist a Freudian a Jungian and a Marxist complete the rest of this sentence???????

Wright on Approaches to Class Analysis

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 21, 2006 - 1:18pm

Here's a review of Erik Olin Wright's latest book (he's the foremost practitioner of Marxist empirical class analysis in US sociology). The review helpfully distinguishes Marxist, Weberian, and Durkheimian approaches to the issue: http://www.cjsonline.ca/reviews/classanalysis.html and the whole online journal has some excellent articles (including a review of a new book by Charles Tilly, the greatest theorist/historian of social movements *ever*).

Bardiac on Graduate Admissions in English

Submitted by Jim Aune on March 21, 2006 - 12:37pm

I always read blogs by literature scholars sort of the way I follow internal disputes among evangelical Christians--as a voyeur, vaguely titillated, but thankful to the Almighty I'm not one of them. Bardiac blog is having a discussion about graduate admissions to "top" lit programs: http://bardiac.blogspot.com/2006/03/grad-school-reality-check.html Here's the money shot, from an anonymous administrator in such a program: "MFA programs and Rhet/Comp programs are bursting at the seems. And I don't know why - the MFA is a degree that doesn't really help you get employed (although it's a hell of a lot of fun to get) and the rhet/comp degree dooms you to a life of freshman comp and getting pissed on by folks with Ph.D.s in literature, unless you get really lucky. I think a lot of schools are starting to limit the number of Ph.D. candidates they let into literature grad programs - all but the most oblivious have to realize that their students aren't getting jobs and that there are some moral/ethical concerns associated with taking the students' money, having them teach the courses you don't want to teach yourself, and then telling them 'sorry there are no jobs for you...'" To which I can only say: piss back, early and often. --I note the anonymity of both the main blogger and posters. I wonder if we should create offices on the Blogora for an anonymous grad student and an anonymous junior faculty member.

Ad Blames Cruise, Scientology for Woman's Death

Submitted by Karen on March 21, 2006 - 12:01pm

I hope Katie reads this... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11878503/