Notre Diversity
We're five and a half weeks into the year, and you know what that means - another mandatory orientation session. Thankfully it's the last one. Today's topic of discussion was "diversity sensitivity awareness" or something to that effect. It was all rather pointless, as anyone who's ever been to a diversity sensitivity seminar/workshop/whatever can probably attest. The "highlight" of the session came when the lecturer wrote twelve categories on the chalkboard and asked for derogatory terms associated with each group ("What did I just say about ethnic slurs!" - SNL Celebrity Jeopardy). Strangely, "Asians" was not one of the groups listed. So in all, I learned next to nothing during the whole session except for a few additional slurs which I shouldn't use anyway. There's two hours I'll never see again.
On the plus side, Torts was a lot of fun today. We spent most of the class testing hypothetical situations against assumption of the risk. Afterwards I (along with several of my classmates) stayed after to continue the fun with Prof. Tidmarsh once class had ended. The CivPro review session was also very helpful, especially since our 2L guide dropped a few notes on what Prof. Bauer's exams are like. We also learned that Bauer has argued twice before the Supreme Court. On one case he lost the decision 9-0. To make matters worse, the opinion was written by his favorite Justice (Brennan), who cited a law review article in the decision written by none other than... Professor Bauer.
A few news tidbits: SpaceShipOne made another successful trip today, its first since making history (as the first privately financed vehicle to send a human into space) back in June. If its next flight (set for Oct. 4) is also successful, SpaceShipOne will win the X-Prize of $10 million. Which covers about half of what's been spent on the project.
Finally, here's a good reason to lock your door.
2 comments:
At least Fat Albert knew to go for the good stuff. It's always the smartest animals that survive the longest, and nobody survives without 2lbs. of mmmm, mmmmm, chocolate.
Niki is more right than she knows. As an expert on the North American black bear, let me toss out a few tidbits:
-Save humans, the NABB is the smartest land animal on the entire continent of North America; some scientist believe the only animals in the world smarter than the NABB are dolphins
-The bears nose is 3x more powerful than the average dog whose nose is 10x more powerful than a human nose. This means they can pick up scents up to 10miles away from its origination point.
-Although typically black, the NABB can range in color from blond, cinnamon, brown, dark brown, to black
-The average female weighs approx. 150-200lbs, while full-grown males typically weigh anywhere from 200-300lbs. A full-grown male standing on his hind legs can be well over 5 feet tall.
-The best way to defend oneself from a NABB is to make yourself look as large as possible and make a great deal of noise. 99% of NABB charges are bluff charges, so stand your ground and do not run away, but back away slowly. This advice is not to be confused with the defense techniques for a Grizzly Bear which typically includes "playing dead." The NABB is a scavenger meaning any meat food the bear eats he does not kill, but is dead already. Therefore the more convincing your "playing dead" routine, the more likely you are to be eaten by a NABB. Furthermore, NABBs are exceptionally gifted tree-climbers, unlike their Grizzly brethren, so don't bother climbing in efforts to escape.
-If you ever do find yourself attached by any type of bear, lay on yourback, cover your face and head with your arms, and bring your legs up towards your chest. If given the opportunity, kick your feet at the bear's head aiming for the most sensitive spot on his body, his nose.
If you want to know anything else about the NABB, just drop me an email at derek@derekwalden.com. Also, if you wants to hear my one claim to fame: the story of how I climbed 80 feet straight up to dislodge a 120lb NABB from a blue spruce, let me know. It's a great story.
And oh yeah, good job Alex for learning additional racial slurs at a tolerance seminar. Way to make your experience one that counts for something! Bravo! Three cheers to "We would have accepted bow-wow or rough. Ahh, rough; just the way your mother likes it Trebek."
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