A tumultuous to-do rages at Leiden University over a painting depicting six male former trustees huddled together smoking cigars. A few weeks ago, one wag – a professor attending a meeting in the faculty conference room where the whimsical, perhaps somewhat annoying, portrait hangs – suddenly got up and turned it around on the wall. Everyone in the room had a good laugh … and … cut!
But … no cigar. Anti-cancel-culturists called the joke a vicious gesture, while anti-puffing-patriarch forces said hey good idea bury the fuckers.
And so it as Kurt Vonnegut put it goes.
The president of the university (see my headline) decided the whole thing was a fine community-discussion opportunity plus let’s put it in context.
UD has a suggestion about the latter, which is why not hang a counterfactual in the same room depicting abstemious female trustees in a quilting circle.
‘A former Harvard admissions officer told a federal jury on Friday that the school’s ex-fencing coach, Peter Brand, “made the difference” in the admissions outcomes of a wealthy Maryland businessman’s two sons.
Brand, who was fired by Harvard in 2019, is facing trial alongside telecommunications executive Jie “Jack” Zhao for allegedly accepting more than $1.5 million in bribes to get Zhao’s sons into Harvard College as fencing recruits.
Prosecutors say Brand accepted an array of kickbacks from Zhao in exchange for getting his sons into Harvard. As part of the alleged scheme, Zhao purchased Brand’s home at a premium, made college tuition payments for Brand’s son, and covered the cost of Brand’s new sports car…
Jurors … heard on Friday from a Needham town employee who raised alarm when Zhao purchased Brand’s 1,364-square-foot home for almost twice its assessed value.
Chip Davis, the city’s former chief assessor, said the sale price was “very surprising.”
“Even if there’s a 5-10 percent change” between the assessed price and the sale price, “we go and inspect,” he said. “This was dramatically higher than that.”
After the sale, Davis said, he knocked on the door of Brand’s home for an in-person inspection. He found that the house’s condition suggested its value was “pretty close” to the 2015 assessed value of $549,300 — rather than the sale price of $989,500…
In his May 2016 notes, Davis was perplexed by the sale price, according to an exhibit shown to jurors Friday.
“Sold to buyer from Virginia for 990k??? Place is vintage 1960s in bad shape???” Davis wrote. “Makes no sense.”
In fall 2017, Zhao sold the home for $665,000, taking a 32 percent loss on the transaction. Davis returned for another visit triggered by the sale price. “Makes no sense,” he wrote again in his notes…
Zhao’s attorney suggested Zhao may not have known how to assess the house’s worth and noted property values in Needham change year to year.’
Political strategist and best-selling author Dick Morris told Newsmax Friday that he’s predicting a mass extinction event for Democrats in the November midterm elections.
“I’m predicting something more than a tsunami, more than a tidal wave, more than an earthquake,” Morris said during an appearance on Newsmax’s “American Agenda.” “Do you remember, in the history books, how the theory is that a meteorite hit the Earth right around where the Caribbean Sea is and that the resulting dust killed all the dinosaurs and made them extinct? Well, that’s the magnitude of what I think is going to happen.”
Host Bob Sellers said, “Typically tsunamis come when the party out of power has 170 seats or something like that,” pointing out that Republicans currently hold 212 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I think they may go up to 270,” Morris said. “I think they may pick up 60 seats. That’s why I likened it to that prehistoric event because what I think you’re really dealing with, to a certain extent, is the extinction of an entire generation of Democratic wannabees, Democratic candidates, where they’re basically going to lose their whole freshman and sophomore class.“
Russia proved too much for the man (too much for the man, he couldn’t take it) So he’s leaving a life he’s come to know, ooh (he said he’s going) He said he’s going off to find (going off to find) Ooh, ooh, ooh, what’s left of the world The world of the sane he knew not long ago
He’s leaving (leaving) On that midnight train to Georgia, yeah (leaving on the midnight train) Said he’s going off (going off to find) To a simpler place and time, oh yes, he is (whenever he takes that ride) (Guess who’s gonna be right by his side?)
And I’ll be with him (I know you will) On that midnight train to Georgia (leaving on a midnight train to Georgia, woo, woo) He’d rather live in that world (live in that world) Than live with Putin in ours (his world is nuts, his and his alone)
Once you start challenging library books, the firmament’s the limit. Provincial Keller TX has gotten TWO challenges of THE BIBLE, baby! Datz right. You don’t like Gender Queer; someone else happens not to like The Good Book. Hah! Both books get pulled. Plus purty much everything else in the library, I’d warrant. Eventually it’ll all go, and the state of utter ignorance the good folk of Keller seem to want for their kids will win the day. Good on ya, Keller.
Capturing the anti-semite/Christian nationalist vote is always a little tricky. Digitally enlarging your Jewish opponent’s nose on attack ads sounds smart, but may backfire. If only anti-semites notice it, fine; if everyone notices it, then Georgia gets a Senator with the… peculiar name of Ossoff, rather than the all-American, snub-nose, Perdue.
If you’re only running to represent some loser district most of whose voters are Thomas Sutpen before he made all his money — piece of cake. But if you’re talking the whole state, you may run into problems.
I mean, in the case at hand, Doug Mastriano’s gubernatorial race in Pennsylvania, Doug’s heartfelt religious bigotry has long found natural outlet on Mad Dog Andrew Torba’s Gab, the social media site that fascist pigs really dig; and now that Doug’s running for office, what could be more natural than taking it one step further, and hiring Torba for campaign advice? Martin Bormann to Doug’s Hitler kind of thing.
But oh no. Cancel culture strikes again, and Doug has had to end a long and meaningful relationship with Torba/Gab.
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Update: UD thanks Jeff for correcting her earlier Senator/Governor mix-up.
