A Few Good Links (vol. 14)

In follow-up to my last post--about having a lot less free time to write than I'd like--I have had a little free time for some browsing. I've collected a few interesting links, and as always wish I could actually write more thoughts about them. Instead, it's links dump time!

1. Apparently, student evaluations have been toned down a little bit in recent years:
   

   Cassian, on the other hand, according to the hymn of Prudentius (cf. Peristephanon, Hymn IX), was a teacher at Forum Cornelii (named after the dictator L. Cornelius Sulla – modern Imola). He was handed over (c. 300 according to 2001 MartRom) to his pupils who tortured him to death using their writing styluses (traditus est calamis ad mortem torquendus), made of iron, reeds or other pointy hard materials with which they would draw on wax tablets, etc. The MartRom adds a note that Cassian was given to his students to be killed because, “the weaker the hand, the more painful was the sentence of martyrdom.” Today, students torture their teachers to death with PDA styluses, laptop computers and MP3 players, not to mention execrable English – but I digress.

2. Why radical feminists are all insane--and are not the friends of women anywhere--is beyond me. But there is plenty of evidence for this thesis. Here is the latest round: a group of men in college have rendered bar-hopping women everywhere an invaluable service: they have created a nail polish which can be used to detect date rape roofie drugs. Naturally, those who hate the so-called rape culture  (and we should loath those who use date-rape drugs to have their way with unsuspecting women) are singing these young mens' praises from the rooftops. The feminist reaction to this is enthusiastic support right? Men taking some semblance of responsibility to help women to fight one particularly pernicious form of rape--that's what feminists have been urging men to do for a decade or more now, right? Apparently, not so much. The feminist line is apparently that this nail polish actually helps to contribute to rape culture. And they wonder why most men don't take their silly slut walks seriously.
   
3. Speaking of insanity, apparently the police in Philadelphia have started using a little known law to begin seizing the property (including homes) of people who have never been charged, let alone convicted, of any crimes:
   

   Under civil forfeiture, property owners do not have to be convicted of a crime, or even charged with one, to permanently lose their property. Instead, the government can forfeit a property if it’s found to “facilitate” a crime, no matter how tenuous the connection. So rather than sue the owner, in civil forfeiture proceedings, the government sues the property itself, leading to surreal case names like Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. The Real Property and Improvements Known as 2544 N. Colorado St. 

   In other words, thanks to civil forfeiture, the government punishes innocent people for the crimes other people might have committed.

   
   
4. A recent poll suggests that most Americans are insane in a different way:
   

   A whopping 68 percent of Americans think there should be a law that prohibits kids 9 and under from playing at the park unsupervised, despite the fact that most of them no doubt grew up doing just that. 

   What's more: 43 percent feel the same way about 12-year-olds. They would like to criminalize all pre-teenagers playing outside on their own (and, I guess, arrest their no-good parents).

5. My friend and former editor Dr. Trasancos has an interesting little post about Adler, Bohr, Padre Pio, and angels. Refreshing after the last three links, I hope.
   
6. I came across an interesting analysis of "pink" vs "blue" science fiction via John C. Wright. It's also a chance to read a short story by one of the living greats, Gene Wolfe, albeit not necessarily his greatest story.

That's it for now.