Happy Easter

Today is good Friday, and I'm in the Le Patourel Room, by myself, working on my thesis. So, I thought I'd say Happy Easter to all my blog readers (yes, both of you). Not only is it Good Friday today, it is also the full moon, and the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. So to celebrate, here's a song:

Barack Obama's camp furious at claim he is winning only because he is black - Times Online

Barack Obama's camp furious at claim he is winning only because he is black - Times Online: "Geraldine Ferraro, the Democrats’ 1984 vice-presidential nominee and a supporter of Hillary Clinton, triggered the latest campaign firestorm yesterday by saying Barack Obama had been successful only because he is black man."

I'd say this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

LEADERSHIP IS OBAMA'S BEST QUALITY

LEADERSHIP IS OBAMA'S BEST QUALITY - Yahoo! News:

Obama '08

I think Barack Obama is the best candidate for the presidency. I believe this to be true for many reasons, such as his leadership ability, his experience, his stance on important issues, and his message.

As far as leadership, he has eleven years experience as a congressional representative, eight years in the Illinois State Senate, and almost four in the US Senate. Hilary has only three years in the Senate (time spent as First Lady does not count as leadership experience). If you compare Obama’s record in the Senate to Clinton’s, Obama has passed more wide-ranging legislation with more support and co-signers than Clinton. The co-signers of Obama’s bills come from both political parties, while Clinton’s often don’t have any co-signers. For an analysis of Obama’s record v. Clinton’s, follow this link, or you can compare yourself by going to the Library of Congress website. The legislative records show that Obama has the ability to persuade others to work with him and support the causes he feels are important, such as health care, energy, voting, veterans, global warming, campaign finance, global poverty, nuclear proliferation and education. Hilary is divisive and if she were elected, she’d have to work harder to gain the support she needs to get things done. Her bills also tend to be focused exclusively on health care, which is a good cause, but Barack has enacted legislation on this issue and much more.

Before embarking on a career in politics, Barack Obama was a civil rights lawyer and a teacher of constitutional law. So I’m pretty sure Barack’s read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which is something I can’t say for sure about the current president. Much has been said about Obama’s lack of experience when it comes to National Security. However, considering his pre-congressional career, Obama must be against the use of torture to obtain information. Therefore, I think it’s safe to assume there will less chance of any scandals like Abu Ghraib happening under Obama’s leadership. Looking beyond matters of torture and national security, I think having a president who is a civil rights lawyer is a good thing.

Another thing that sets Obama apart from Clinton and McCain is that he’s been against the war in Iraq from the beginning. He said that the he’s not against all wars, just stupid wars, and declared that we should be focusing on Afghanistan rather than Iraq. Considering the current state of affairs, I think Barack Obama has shown better wisdom on this than McCain and Clinton.

When he was young, Obama spent some time living in Indonesia. As an American living abroad, I think this gives Obama with an advantage the other candidates don’t have. Being an American living abroad gives you a perspective on the world that you just can’t get living in the US. I think this makes Barack Obama more qualified in diplomatic matters. He knows how the rest of the world sees the US, and can do a better job at restoring the credibility and integrity that we’ve lost over the past seven years.

Furthermore, I like Obama’s message, ‘Yes we can’. It is so simple, yet so profound. It’s something we need to hear and is reminiscent of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. It’s a smart message that strikes the heart. Obama is offering positive change, not change for the sake of change, but well-reasoned change. McCain and Clinton are offering the same tired politics that lead to voter apathy. Obama has the charisma and intelligence to foster good will and accomplish improvements in our lives.

I’m not naïve and I don’t think things are magically going to change if Obama is elected, but I think if Obama becomes president, he would do more to improve things than any other candidate. Go Obama!

A Chorus of Millions

Yes We Can

Snow!

Marking Essays

I spent a good portion of this past weekend marking the final paper for a course I'm teaching. I don't know what happened between the previous paper and this last paper, but the quality of the writing deteriorated considerably. I failed three of the papers. They were really bad. I think part of the problem was that the questions were very vague. However, the students were instructed to answer the questions in reference to the entire course. Some students chose to discuss things that were never covered, and way off topic. Students were supposed to demonstrate in this paper that they had accomplished the main goals of the course, which consisted of gaining an understanding of world prehistory. One student wrote about two very historical events. Another student claimed that the archaeological record began about 5,000 years ago, even though we studied sites that were over 10,000 years old. One of the other main objective of the course was to learn how to use appropriate online resources. One sudent referenced the MySpace profile of Alexander the Great. Another student referenced the film 300.

My brain hurts.

Beam me up, Riff Raff (via the Bad Astronomer)

Dick Cheney in 1994 on Iraq

Pictures from Hungary

Neil Gaiman goes to Springfield

Student Evaluation Forms

I have an upcoming review meeting for one of the modules I tutored on this past year. In preparation I have been given the evaluation forms given to the students at the end of the term to assess the course. The course in question has no final exam. The marks/grades are based entirely upon two essays that the students submit. I share with you some of the students' thoughts on the module. In the comments section for assessment, this one student said: "An exam on this topic would be hellish + frightening." So I'm guessing this student would prefer that we keep the current method of assessment. Another evaluation form was filled out by a very keen student who wanted to extend the seminar and workshop time to two hours per session. Although I'd get paid more, I'm not sure I would agree to such a change. My favourite comment: "seminar leader Michael Garcia did a brilliant job."

Most of the evaluations were very positive and the students seemed to really enjoy the course. That makes me very happy and although I probably won't feel the same way in September, I am looking forward to teaching the course again. In the past I've had these grand ideas for how to approach the subject and make it interesting for the students, but sadly I feel that I don't implement a third of the ideas. What usually ends up happening is that I get so busy with my thesis or something else that I just review the material the night before the seminar, doing the minimal amount of preparation required. And I feel guilty about that because I know I can do more. I need to re-read these evaluation forms just before next term so that it will inspire me to put more effort into tutoring.

Durham

This past Saturday, Medieval Group had an excursion to Durham to see the Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture housed in the Monk's Dormitory. So at 9:45 I met a couple other medievalists and friends of medievalists at the train station for the journey. The train was crowded and I could tell that tourist season had began, as quite a few Americans were conspicuously present.

The weather was wonderful. We walked from the station up to the cathedral and lunched at the restaurant across from the treasury. We got there early in order to have time to look around the cathedral itself before going to see the sculptures.

Durham is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England. It was built with this wonderful orange sandstone. Construction on the present cathedral began in 1093 and it was finished after 40 years and most of the original structure is still intact. The main part of the cathedral is an excellent example of Romanesque architecture, and later additions, the Gallilee Chapel and Chapel of the Nine Altars, are built in the gothic style.

The cathedral is significant not only for its architectural beauty, but also because it is where the bones of St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede now rest. Cuthbert was originally buried at Lindisfarne and Bede at Jarrow, but during period of Viking attacks, their bones were moved and eventually both ended up at Durham. You can see Cuthbert's wooden coffin (made in 697 when he was dug up 11 years after his death and found to be incorrupt) in the treasury. It's amazing to see an intact wooden coffin from the seventh century. Pictures of the apostles and archangels decorate the coffin. Bede rests in the Gallilee chapel. I still get goosebumps every time I go to his tomb. His work is such a pivotal part of my research. Because of Bede we know so much about the early history of England. Yet, part of my thesis is critique of Bede and reconstructing what he is deliberately not telling us. In my mind I picture him as resembling Ian Holm.

The tour of the Monk's Dormitory was great. Instead of housing monks, it is now used as a library, the type I'd like to spend my time lounging in. The stone sculpture was fantastic. Catherine Karkov, one of the foremost experts on Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture, gave a talk about the artefacts we saw in the Monk's Dormitory.

So, I took pictures. Unfortunately photographs were not allowed inside the cathedral, but I did take pictures inside the Monk's Dormitory and around Durham. Go see for yourself:

Now we can look forward to pancake wars.

Modern-Day Martin Luther Nails 95 Comment Cards To IHOP Door

Prince William Fells Prince Willem-Alexander Of The Netherlands In Crucial Joust

Prince William Fells Prince Willem-Alexander Of The Netherlands In Crucial Joust

CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND—Magnanimous in victory, Prince William only demanded a 4.5 percent increase in durable-goods tariffs from the Dutch prince.

Think Progress » ‘Mission Accomplished’ By The Numbers

Think Progress » ‘Mission Accomplished’ By The Numbers

Ilkley Moor - Don't forget your hat!

Kat and I had a good Easter. Last Friday, we went over to Paul's (another crazy medievalist) for dinner. He cooked rabbit in Mexican chocolate sauce, utterly appropriate for Easter. I've forgotten what we did on Saturday. Sunday we went to Marianne's (yet another crazy medievalist, who has attained the title of doctor) house for nibbles, lawn games such as croquet, and an Easter egg hunt. Monday I worked on my thesis while Kat cleaned the house. Yesterday Kat and I went up to Ilkley for a nice hike on the moor. I didn't forget to wear a hat. I've posted photos from the hike to my Picasa photo album. Here's a link:

Ilkley

Speeding Portuguese priest prompts complaint to Pope | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Speeding Portuguese priest prompts complaint to Pope | Oddly Enough | Reuters

You must watch the trailer for The Tripper

The Tripper Official Trailer



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