5/1     Who is Obama going to nominate to replace Souter?
        \_ Obama said he would seek a nominee with a "sharp and independent
           mind and a record of excellence and integrity. I will seek someone
           who understands justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or
           footnote in a case book. It is also about how our laws affect the
           daily realities of people's lives."
           So much for interpreting the Constitution.
           \_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Constitution
               \_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_spaghetti_monster
               \_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design
                  \_ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

5/1     Happy Illegal Alien Day!

5/1     I heard so much feminist propaganda growing up I kinda thought PMS
        was kin of a joke, or just caused by cramps or something.  I was
        completely wrong.  I swear, every month, a few days before her
        period starts, it's crazy time at my house.  It's unbelievable.
        Anything, or even nothing, will set her off on some crazy emotional
        bender.
        \_ Good I'm not the only one. My world is a (*#&@(*$@ 2-3 days
           out of a month. I really hate it. Sometimes I just want to
           kill myself. Actually I just want to kill myself now. I do
           nothing, and she bitches. I do something, and she bitches. It's
           non-stop bullshit. This is torture.
        \_ Yes, I notice my normally calm and even-tempered girlfriend
           gets edgy and temperamental on that cycle, too.  Not so bad
           as your woman, though.
           \_ My girlfriend normally has a fiery temper, but around that
              time it gets worse and she gets mean, too. She doesn't take
              birth control pills. Are those supposed to help? I am
              curious if either of your girlfriends take them.
              \_ BC pills stop the PMS, but also tend to dampen overall
                 sexual desire, in my observations.
        \_ i made a student cry in class yesterday and i suspect this is
           why since i barely said anything critical.
        \_ I make it a point of knowing my wife's menstrual cycle so I can
           avoid unnecessary drama and conflict. Of course, it also helps
           not to stop midfight and say something dumb like, oh, you're
           having PMS right now, aren't you? Don't ever, ever do that.
           \_ i disagree. sometimes my girlfriend forgets she's pms'ing
              and asking/reminding can illustrate the irrationality of
              an argument and help diffuse it. use with caution.
              \_ I shoulda put a YMMV in there. Agreed with the caution
                 part.
        \_ Every smart man knows that the best time to avoid conflict is
           to do some manly project in the garage. Women hate garages.
           Garages smell and are a site for women's sore eyes. Oh and
                        ignorant statement supported by  _/
                        incorrect use of colloquialism.
           after hiring people for a while, I no longer hire women. Drama
           and unpredictability reduce productivity. Call me a sexist and
           what not, but it's something effective managers know about but
           can't talk about because it's just unPC these days.
           \_ You're an idiot and a sexist, and if your identity and
              practices ever get out, you're putting your company at risk
              for discriminatory hiring practices.
              \_ Actually, I think you're probably an idiot too. He's an
                 idiot for sure, but first and foremost he's a troll.
                 \_ Yay, you're contributing!

5/1     Europe Explained:
        http://www.swiss-miss.com/2009/05/europe-explained.html
        \_ Can't read some of the smaller print.  What's it saying about
           Bosnia, Albania, etc?
           \_ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3510/3192055736_5d3e9ca1f0_o.jpg

5/1     http://tinyurl.com/c83tl4         (link fixed, sorry. forbes)
        Obama administration screws DC school kids. (in his defense, it is
        not clear that he really knows what the Sec. of Edu is doing, that
        he had anything to do with holding up study till after the vote, etc.
        Still, it seems that my hope that Obama may pull an "Only Nixon can
        go to China" on our broken EDU system, is way in vain.
        \_ Link is wrong.
        \_ Forbes + voucher op eds = untrustworthy data
           \_ the study they are referencing was done by the Dept. of Edu.
              Think they have a pro-voucher bias? -top
              \_ A less biased article:
                 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040302987.html
                 Students from the lowest-performing schools didn't
                 improve reading skills with vouchers.  There was no difference
                 in math skills.
                 The expected behavior with vouchers is that kids with
                 supportive parents who have some money will use the
                 vouchers--of course you're going to get cherry-picking
                 effects.  That doesn't mean it's a good idea.  -tom
                 \_ The Swedes have vouchers but no cherry picking:
                    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/3717744.stm
                    \_ "However she does point to reports from the
                       Swedish National Agency for Education which
                       warn that it is mostly better-educated,
                       middle-class parents who take advantage of the
                       right to choose schools. "  (From the same
                       article).
                       Plus, Sweden does not allow private schools to
                       charge more than the voucher cost.  It's not an
                       analagous system.  -tom
                       \_ I don't see how that fact that better-educated
                           middle class parents excercise a choice
                           outside the state system more than others is
                           a condemnation of the program.  If it works
                           it works, and people have the option to use it.
                           It might be relevant to ask why other parents
                           aren't using the system. I see no reason
                           in the Swedish system that everyone couldn't
                           use it.
                           \_ I'm not saying it's inherently a bad idea,
                              I'm just pointing out that there are
                              cherry-picking effects, so you can't just
                              compare the test scores.
                              If the US voucher system were implemented
                              like Sweden's, it might make sense.  But
                              when private schools charge 2-3 times what
                              it costs to educate a kid in public school
                              (what happened to the great efficiency of
                              private industry, anyway?), vouchers don't
                              provide real choice to the students who
                              need it; they just pull money away from the
                              schools which need it most and give it to
                              wealthy private institutions.  -tom