Textbook Authors Eat Babies

The whole textbook industry, at least at the university level, is a big ugly scam. New editions come out every few years, usually with no substantial changes to the content. Law school books are particularly bad. But I think many law students, especially ones who have never had a job, almost enjoy overpaying for their books, kind of like they're practicing for after graduation when they'll have money to burn. Well, until that day comes, I don't have money to burn, and I was sickened by the price of books at our bookstore. Enjoy the following exchanged that took place over lunch during orientation.

ME: The books for our section cost $600 if you buy them at the bookstore.
OTHER GUY: That's really not bad. I've paid over 700 before.
ANOTHER GUY: Yeah, 600? That's pretty standard.

$600 for one semester's books is bad. Really bad. I've gotten mine for around $200, same books, just used and not from the blood-sucking bookstore. That is really not bad. Textbooks should be included in tuition and every professor who writes them should take a pay cut to pay for them. Dirty baby-eaters.

4.0

Tomorrow it begins. Orientation at University of Illinois College of Law.
Four. Point. Oh.

Goodbye, Japan

Today is my last full day in the land of cold noodles and hot sake. It should be super emotional, especially since I'm leaving my family behind, but they'll follow me in a couple weeks, and we'll all be back for New Year's probably. So, while my residence and daily routine will change, it's not like I'm leaving Japan forever. But I am sad to leave. I'm really dreading some aspects of American life, like born-again Christians and shop clerks with bad attitudes, things one never worries about here. But, I can get decent pizza and highways don't cost $10 an hour to drive.

Well, time to cancel my cell phone and zero out my bank account.

Sayonara

A challenge for creationists

There's a reason creation myths are called myths: They're myths! Stories. Not true. They were all made up at a time when people became self-aware and started to wonder about the universe, but hadn't the ability to answer the questions. From the "infancy of our humanity." And yes, this includes the story in your religion's special book, too. It's not special just because it's the one you happened to have learned in Friday/Saturday/Sunday/home school.

I have a challenge for you. Google the term "creation myths" and spend a good half-hour reading as many as you can, all the while keeping in mind that somewhere out there, there is (or at least was) someone or some many who believe the myth you're reading is true. I think you'll find that to be quite silly. Then, once you've got a taste for the goofy stories people fall for, go ahead and read the one you believe in one more time, and read it well. Notice any similarities?

This is what happens when creationism gets out of control:

Water collected after Noah's flood, it breached its earthen dam, and the water rushed in very quickly and carved out the canyon in a matter of weeks.

That's Mark Looy, Creation Musem co-founder, explaining how the Grand Canyon was created. Any 5th-grader worth his salt in science class knows this is a bunch of nonsense. Sigh. I can't write anymore about this. It gives me all kinds of bad feelings.