Love goes to building on fire (and five other random thoughts)

I spent four years in lovely Sackville, NB when I was at Mount A, trying to learn something about political science and economics. I also lived a pretty interesting and fulfilling life, as most every student in Sackville does. Part of this was hitting the Snack Shop every Tuesday for $1 LB subs and burgers and the Tim's on the way to class. Alas, no more. The oldest wood building in Sackville went up in flames on Friday. Wolfe Wylie has great local coverage, and demonstrates why aspiring journalists with blogs are the place to go for detailed local news. Send some positive thougths out to all the dwellers and proprietors picking up the pieces.

Random Thoughts

ONE: Jim Johnson is a great political philosopher at the University of Rochester. He also keeps a great blog on photography and political philosophy. It will serve you well to add him to your blog roll. Jim's one of twenty world class political scientists in a department of twenty. Among them is this guy, who taught me that random variables are neither random nor variable. In exchange I taught him how to paddle a kayak.

TWO: Cherniak contends that David Orchard will endorse Stephane Dion tomorrow. This will be an interesting test of Dion's mettle. He will certianly play up their genuine and shared concerns about the environment. But the big question is whether Dion will feign any agreement with Orchard on his economic pet peeves. My breath is held.

THREE: These two people are absolutely amazing. Around the world in 19 days! Forget Ewan MacGregor and his accompanying crew. These two blasted 19000 miles in less than three weeks.

FOUR: As some of the people closest to me get older and pass on into their final years I have more and more trouble wrapping my head around that stage of life. This song is a masterful treatment of it.

FIVE: I would trade a finger to write one paragraph as well as Coetzee. Life and Times, Boyhood, Youth, Slow Man, and now Waiting for the Barbarians. Let me know if anyone can arrange a deal.