Keith Sharward comment-36301 2010-09-08T06:49:57Z 2010-09-08T06:49:57Z Great take, Michael. Very nicely written piece. Keith Sharward 2010-09-08T06:49:57Z Michael Althouse comment-36300 2010-09-08T06:15:46Z 2010-09-08T06:15:46Z This is not about casting judgement on either the student or the school (administration), it's about the difference between argumentation (a major component of any critical thinking curriculum) and force. In the big picture, the details of this whole affair do not amount to much, but it is a microcosm of any number of situations that do amount to much. Regardless of the student's intent or attitude, there was an opportunity for the school administration to take the intellectual high road and actually show this student how discourse in civilized society is supposed to work. The suspension could have been imposed anywhere within the interaction, but there was only one place to show this student the fallacy contained within his question. And that opportunity is now lost. Michael Althouse 2010-09-08T06:15:46Z Snoofy comment-36271 2010-09-07T23:38:41Z 2010-09-07T23:38:41Z It's very easy to sit back and judge the school or the student harshly. Somewhere in the middle of what we're hearing from both parties is what actually occurred. Tone of voice and body language no doubt influenced how this played out. Without a videotape of the incident, it is a stretch to find fault with either party. The actions of both the student and the administrator made this situation more than it is - a student expressing him/herself with clothing choices and an administrator reacting. It could have been handled more appropriately by both parties. Snoofy 2010-09-07T23:38:41Z Michael Althouse comment-36210 2010-09-06T21:42:50Z 2010-09-06T21:42:50Z I'm aware of this case. It points out quite clearly that the First Amendment protection we enjoy while in a public space is not extended in its entirety to the schools. I'd say that this case would constitute a gray area, as evidenced by some schools allowing the slogan while others do not. But that is not what this column is about anyway. Michael Althouse 2010-09-06T21:42:50Z Tony Sheppard comment-36209 2010-09-06T21:32:35Z 2010-09-06T21:32:35Z http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_v._Des_Moines_Independent_Community_School_District Tony Sheppard 2010-09-06T21:32:35Z Lindol French comment-34486 2010-08-08T17:16:09Z 2010-08-08T17:16:09Z bummer, but it made for a good article. Lindol French 2010-08-08T17:16:09Z Tony Sheppard comment-33066 2010-07-18T20:19:27Z 2010-07-18T20:19:27Z Not only is the distinction between dSLR lenses arbitrarily stupid, as you demonstrated, but the newest "point and shoots" have dSLR backside illuminated CMOS chips and/or good glass. The Canon s90 has am f1.8 lens and cameras as tiny and non-threatening looking as the Sony WX1 have extraordinarily good low light performance. Its big sibling, the HX1 matches that chip with some decent glass. And the Fuji HS10 has the BSI CMOS chip and a 30x optical zoom in a fixed lens "non-professional" format that would happily focus in on his nose hairs. Tony Sheppard 2010-07-18T20:19:27Z thsas comment-33060 2010-07-18T15:45:47Z 2010-07-18T15:45:47Z I agree with your opinion about the polical rantings. I think less of Steve Mller today than I did yesterday. I will not be purchasing his new album ,as I had planned on prior to his fan-abuse. I also did not appreciate the 45 minute late start or the venue allowing people to smoke pretty much wherever they wanted to. thsas 2010-07-18T15:45:47Z Michael Althouse comment-29970 2010-06-10T23:12:26Z 2010-06-10T23:12:26Z Indeed. Michael Althouse 2010-06-10T23:12:26Z bbbbmer comment-29880 2010-06-10T13:09:50Z 2010-06-10T13:09:50Z These observattions are not monolithic and there are all sorts of hybridizations... The negatives against Prop 16 and 17 caught the eyes of many... On the other hand, how on earth did an administration as corrupt as that of Bush and Cheney win a second term, disregarding vote manipulation in Ohio and Florida... ??? Or, the election of our current governor??? My take on it is perhaps a bit capricious, but the case can be made that some pretty stupid decisions are made by stupid voters, but once in a while, sometimes a great while, a glimmer of wisdom shines through... If only we could capture THAT magic and use it more universally... bbbbmer 2010-06-10T13:09:50Z Michael Althouse comment-29750 2010-06-09T15:18:20Z 2010-06-09T15:18:20Z If what you say is true, then we should have seen Props 16 and 17 both pass - they did not. Enough voters saw through the corporate manipulation of the initiative process (which is the exact opposite of its original intent) to reject these measure designed to benefit specific interests but disguised as measures to "give power to the people." Although it is true that the gazillionaires won their respective races in the Republican primary, they are now in a precarious position of trying to justify their personal expenditures to the entire state in the general election - an historically untenable position in California. Because political advertising is largely reliant on 30-second advertisments, arguments are most effectively made with an appeal to pathos, although they are usually portrayed as logical appeals and made by those who exploit their (presummed) credibilty. But even the most uninformed voter who is truly undecided grows weary of the relentless attacks and can't help but notice that something is just not right. PG&E outspent opponents to Prop 16 by at least two orders of magnitude - the measure ran virtually unopposed, yet it still went down in defeat. Those voters must have received their cues from somewhere - perhaps they came from PG&E itself. Michael Althouse 2010-06-09T15:18:20Z bbbbmer comment-29744 2010-06-09T11:15:13Z 2010-06-09T11:15:13Z I actually agree that most voters are, 1) ill-informed or not informed at all; and 2) easily swayed by manipulative and carefully crafted campaign statements and public pitches... But I also believe that this phenomenon is compounded during times of economic strife, which I believe is perhaps the most profound effector of electoral outcomes... Mostly Republicans and conservaDems depend on 'low information voters' to support policies and candidates presented in pretty pitchurs and speakin' and Orwellian twists of language by the likes of Frank Luntz, nationally, and Sacramento's own, Steve Maviglio, who has become perhaps the most ethically challenged political jerkoff in this city... Political manipulators also depend on economic tides and the angst they bring to such LIV's to marshall them into the pigpens of groups like the teabaggers and other faux-purpose groups of rather insidious origin. I believe this combination of LIV's and LIES is a toxic sludge of a politics richly endowed with corporate largesse and money, far greater than that of more people-interested unions that would, under consideration of reasonably prudent minds, represent the true economic and social interests of LIV's, but for the counter of corporate cash... Corporate cash and its political extension also depends on socialization of LIV's -- such as only obligatory education, relatively low income, a perception of the world molded by media hype and passively entertaining cultural definers, such as Foxnoise, or even more passific, avoiding 'news' altogether, only to absorb all the social and cultural depth of 'Dancing With The Stars' or 'Real Housewives'... that is, if they can afford their cable bill.... In so many ways this is a tragedy of people of modest means, even though many, if not most, people of modest means see through the obvious manipulation... But, the flip side of all of this, is how does one measure some quotient of LIV disqualification, and ultimate disqualify them from voting??? This touches on constitutional territory, and as a staunch constitutional believer, I believe there just isn't a way to move such people away from ignorance-based voting to a more considerate position before actually exercising their prerogatives intelligently... I believe this is the province of a less corrupted and more responsible media, to be more truthful in the exercise of election practices and information dispersement, and challenging any lies put forth with rigorous debate and collective good will... Any other means would amount to something other than constitutional democracy, and that would be bad... bbbbmer 2010-06-09T11:15:13Z Michael Althouse comment-28742 2010-06-01T18:31:45Z 2010-06-01T18:31:45Z I'm not so sure a Hagar/Wilsons duet (triet?) is such a great idea. Although Hagar and the Wilson sisters hail from basically the same era, they do so with a decidedly different focus musically. The pairing of the two bands is genius (I saw the Outlaws open for Iron Maiden once - bad idea), but there are vast stylistic differences between the two that I think are best left alone. Having said that, I certainly wouldn't head for the restrooms if they were to take the the stage together. Regarding Heart's guitar player, yes he was good, but so have the other five or six lead guitars that have played for the Wilson sisters over the years. Every member of Heart has changed over many times except Ann and Nancy Wilson - they are the heart of Heart. I mentioned the keyboardist only because she was one of the three band members that performed that particular rendition of "Alone," one without an electric guitar, bass or drums - it was stirring to say the least, which is saying something considering "Alone" is not exactly my favorite Heart song. You might have noticed that I didn't mention Sammy Hagar's band members either. When I saw him in 1980, Bill Church ("The electric Church") was on bass, Gary Pihl was lead guitar and Denny Carmassi was on drums. For many years that concert was the benchmark by which all others were measured - in some respects it still is. But even with that talent sharing the stage with him, Hagar was the show. Sunday night, this much had not changed. @ Casey - Thanks, it was good to see you there. All of you over at Sac Press are doing a great job. Michael Althouse 2010-06-01T18:31:45Z Casey Kirk comment-28739 2010-06-01T17:27:38Z 2010-06-01T17:27:38Z I have to agree with everything you said, they couldn't have chosen a better pairing. It was the second time I've seen Heart and first for Hagar and It was amazing to put it simply! Michael- wonderful review! You really captured the night for those not lucky enough to be there. Casey Kirk 2010-06-01T17:27:38Z kcwilsonii comment-28716 2010-06-01T09:36:35Z 2010-06-01T09:36:35Z They should have worked in a mixed song as an encore with Ann, Nancy and Sammy Hagar. The vocals would have been great. That was the 4th time I have seen Heart and to put it frankly they rocked the joint. A mention of Heart's lead guitar player is needed, Craig Bartok, who was on the money great the entire time with some exceptional guitar playing. I have never seen Sammy Hagar. He was equally as good, best couple moments for me was his slide guitar work and hearing Heavy Metal live. This was one of the best pairings of bands I have seem in a really long time. Great Concert. kcwilsonii 2010-06-01T09:36:35Z HonestAbe comment-21104 2010-01-22T17:38:37Z 2010-01-22T17:38:37Z It is a dull mind indeed that belittles the interests of others; moreover, an incurious mind is a fertile ground for the seeds of ignorance. HonestAbe 2010-01-22T17:38:37Z Nicholas Walsh comment-21065 2010-01-22T03:56:41Z 2010-01-22T03:56:41Z I love that you said print! Nicholas Walsh 2010-01-22T03:56:41Z JoshFernandez comment-20891 2010-01-20T07:06:06Z 2010-01-20T07:06:06Z No, I didn't read the whole thing. I stopped here: "clowns roamed the exhibit floor, entertaining young and old alike." JoshFernandez 2010-01-20T07:06:06Z Michael Althouse comment-20850 2010-01-20T02:58:46Z 2010-01-20T02:58:46Z Josh, May I call you Josh? Great. I took the liberty to go back over your comment history and it appears as though you have never posted a positive comment. It begs the question, why do you waste your time reading what you have variously termed, "retarded," "horribly written" and "boring" (twice) stories? Surely you have something better to do with your time. Coming in at a little less than 800 words, it should take the average reader no more than a few minutes to read this story and, like any good news story, the gist of the event can be found within the first two or three sentences. Those who are interested, i.e. those who are into motorcycles, interested in civic events or are looking for economic indicators, might find themselves compelled to read further. I am flattered, however, that you took the time to read my “too long” and “really boring” story - even more so that you bothered to comment on it. Those precious few minutes of your time are now forever mine. Thank you, Michael Althouse Michael Althouse 2010-01-20T02:58:46Z The Parrhesiac comment-20851 2010-01-20T02:36:25Z 2010-01-20T02:36:25Z Thanks...Crap, I missed that Casey I would have loved to have gone... The Parrhesiac 2010-01-20T02:36:25Z JoshFernandez comment-20845 2010-01-19T22:45:56Z 2010-01-19T22:45:56Z Why does Sac Press always print stories that are too long and really boring? JoshFernandez 2010-01-19T22:45:56Z Casey Kirk comment-20842 2010-01-19T21:50:00Z 2010-01-19T21:50:00Z We do everything we can to get both a preview as well as actual coverage of events. If you're interested in reading the preview about this event here is the link: http://sacramentopress.com/headline/20741/Easy_rider_bike_tour_rolls_into_town Casey Kirk 2010-01-19T21:50:00Z The Parrhesiac comment-20841 2010-01-19T21:35:50Z 2010-01-19T21:35:50Z Why does Sac Press always post about events AFTER they happen? The Parrhesiac 2010-01-19T21:35:50Z Che Perez comment-20833 2010-01-19T18:08:25Z 2010-01-19T18:08:25Z It's pretty amazing, we cut the radio budget back last year, and again this year. I won't divulge numbers, but what we've proved now two years in a row, is that we can increase attendance without much help from mainstream media. Gotta love it. Also, this year, the show expanded from only showcasing V-Twins to showcasing motorcycles in general, so if you went, that would explain some of the bikes that you didn't see last year. Che Perez 2010-01-19T18:08:25Z