I know Peter Salovey, and I’m not a huge fan. But today I actually feel sorry for the fellow because listening to this pathetic bull crap and managing not to laugh is no common feat:

“Because the administration has been unwilling to properly address institutional racism and interpersonal racism at Yale, Next Yale has spent hours organizing, at great expense to our health and grades, to fight for a University where we feel safe,” one of the student leaders read from a prepared statement to Salovey.

This is from a letter that student protesters read out to Yale ‘ s president Salovey.

A serious question, though. How is it possible for people not to understand that they undermine their entire message with “great expense to health and grades”? That they lose all credibility as serious organizers with this idiotic phrase? These are Yale students, they can’t be completely dumb. They have Internet, television, I’m sure they can’t be oblivious to the attention directed to them and to how this “great expense” sounds when delivered by a bunch of very rich kids who have known no hardship in their lives.

What’s really frustrating is that, underneath Halloween costumes, safe places, and great health expenses, there is an important cause here, begging to be addressed. But these rich people can’t be trusted not to mess up even something this obvious.

And please don’t tell me this is all because they are young. I was 18 once, and I was not a complete idiot. One can be 18 and still manage to stand upright and not topple over.

Something horrible is happening in France right now. Several coordinated terror attacks seem to be under way. France is restricting domestic travel and closing the country’s borders:

Police officials in France on Friday reported a shootout in a Paris restaurant, a nearby music hall, and an explosion in a bar near a Paris stadium. At least 26 people have been killed, police say. An AP source says at least 35 are dead and 100 are being held hostage.

French President Francois Hollande has ordered France’s borders closed in response to the attacks.

“We don’t know where this menace is coming from, but they are terrorists.” Hollande said and that “any means necessary” will be used to neutralize terrorists.

Let’s share links and information in this thread. To my French readers, je suis désolée. What a horrible tragedy.

What’s great about the Mizzou protests is that they really freaked out the administrators. Here is an excerpt from a long and rambling statement by our university’s president:

“Ibrought together our three chief diversity officers for amuch­ needed conversation to think about some big strategies that could help us be more effective in advancing diversity and inclusivity values.”

It’s the same university, by the way, that hired a token Native American for the crappiest teaching job on campus and sends out HR people with brochures on how to evaluate the job candidates’ race in a way that would be less noticeable. But hey, we had a much needed conversation about thinking about being more effective about advancing diversity. Yippee.

So here is the response to our question of which country was the only one that agreed to accept European Jews to save them from Hitler in 1938:

The Dominican Republic.

Congratulations to reader niedermen who provided the right answer.

Unfortunately, the reasons for the DR’s welcoming stance vis-à-vis Jews were not warm and fuzzy. The Dominicans were in the grip of their long-time obsession of needing to distinguish themselves from the “really black” Haitians who share the Hispaniola island with them. The Dominican authorities believed that the presence of white European Jews would civilize the country enough to distinguish it from the “barbaric” and “uncultured” “really black” Haitians. 

What a disgrace on all sides, really.

It seems like we haven’t yet done enough to humiliate and push around welfare recipients. Not that there is that much welfare to receive but those fuckers need to pay for every little crumb we deign to throw them.

Public housing will now be smoke-free. I know that many people will get stuck on their typically American need to police smokers and won’t be able to absorb any further information or consider that this measure will necessitate intruding into people’s homes because they don’t deserve privacy if they have accepted public assistance.

But hey, it stands to reason. We have already invaded the bodies of welfare recipients with drug tests, policing of their shopping carts, controlling their physical and leisure authority, so why not this? Haven’t we bought the right to condescend to them and control them with our charity? What’s the point of even having public assistance if we can’t use it to turn its recipients into our private property?

P.S. Can I please be spared the boring lecture on the evils of smoking in the comments? The subject of the post is completely different, and if you are not seeing that, please discuss this with your therapist.

By the summer of 1938, it was clear to everyone that European Jews were in great danger. Led by the United States, representatives of 32 countries gathered in Evian-les-Baines in France to discuss what to do with the Jews who needed to emigrate. Only one of these countries agreed to take in European Jews.

Which country was it?

I know about this because I once supervised a research project about it.

And if you want an example of an actual and grievous violation of actual freedom of actual speech at Mizzou, here it is.

But nobody is talking about it and, instead, we are witnessing all sorts of dumbass freaking out that is based on complete misunderstanding of what freedom of speech even is.

Hey, has anybody been able to figure out what people mean when they propose establishing a no-fly zone in Syria?

Surely it can’t be about shooting down the Russian planes that fly over Syria. There’s zero logic in escalating like this over Syria when two seconds ago you were so terrified of provoking Russians that sending a couple of first aid kits to Ukraine looked like an intolerable risk bound to provoke poor little Russians to start a nuclear Armageddon.

Or is the talk of no fly zones just a way to hide behind Obama from the need to say something valuable on the subject of Syria?

The stupid leader of independence – minded Catalonians Artur Mas is so obsessed with his unhealthy need to be president of a country that he might just push the Spanish voters to come out for the horrible Popular Party in the next elections.

Spain is the unluckiest country ever. It just can’t get a break. Maybe this is the cosmic payment for producing the best literature in the world.

And. . . drumroll. . . I got my very first flu shot ever today.

Not that I believe in them, to be honest, but it’s a new experience, so why not?

Thanks go to everyone who recommended it.