Hmm

PW Botha died

Represent

St Louis Named Most Dangerous City in United States

heh

More South Africa...

The BBC keeps posting articles about South Africa. I find this most exciting, as South Africa is now my favorite subject of research (after dear TEL, Erasmus Darwin, Subcommandante Marcos, H. L. Mencken, T. S. Eliot, Lucien Lucius Nunn, et al.) This latest article discusses the controversy surrouding the re-naming of Johannesburg (formally Jan Smuts) International Airport to OR Tambo International Airport.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6089028.stm

But all of the above people, even the most excellent Oliver Tambo, cannot compare to our own Breanna. Snaps, snaps. I can think of no more worthy heir to LL's glorious legacy of intellectual excellence and cooperation... Bravo!

I just sent out an email to the group about this, and I know more people will read that than this post, but I just wanted to say for the second time:

CONGRATULATIONS BREANNA for being one of only FOUR people admitted to CBTA this year.

You're basically my hero.

:-)

Wash U TASP Slogan

Dearest TASPers,
During my sojourn with the most excellent Ryan, Tracy, Spencer, and Breanna in Ithaca, we were questioned (coffee--> prostitution, genocide, and use of the passive voice) by the Cornell TASPers (who are quite outstanding as well) as to whether the Wash U TASP had a slogan/ catchphrase. (The Cornell TASPs' saying was Antony's cry of "Sir, Calm Down!") So, does the Wash U TASP have a catchphrase? Now that I am home, several suggestions spring to my mind, but I don't know if I can single out anyone saying. There were, after all, so many quotable quotes... Anyway, here are a few initial suggestions, but I'm sure there is something I've missed.

"Amandla ngawethu!"
"Revolt."
"Dahhhhhhling."
"Tyler Zoanni, where is your sense of fun?" (I believe that was Ryan's suggestion...)

Or maybe our "catchphrase" is actually wordless (cue Scream imitations)...

What are your thoughts on this matter, oh fearless fellow Danforth dwellers? I miss you all.
Toodle pip,
Alison

TGIF

I wrote segways in that last entry instead of segues.

I point this out not because I think grammatical corrections on blog entries are particularly relevant, but a) because I think it's kind of hilarious, and b) to emphasize the fact that I clearly should not be allowed to write things before 8 in the morning. It's bad for my health.

And now, in conclusion, a picture of me on a segway:



THE END.

Dancing Archbishops and TASPer Reunions: A brief synopsis of the life of Ryan

Top of the morning to you, my TASPers.

This is your dearest diabetic vegan, reporting live from the fertile lands of Colorado.

Life here is pretty good. It snowed on Tuesday, just in time for my return from Ithaca (more on that later). It's mostly melted now, and things are back to their usual between-seasons state of being (read: hot one day, freezing the next...that kind of madness).

Like everyone I'm sure, I've been very busy lately. School and work sap a significant amount of my time, and when they fall through clubs, an internship at the Denver Post, and the madness of college applications jump in to take their place. All in all, pretty crazy. More than ever I'm glad that I went to TASP this summer because I've discovered just how little sleep I can subsist on before retreating into insanity (although I guess whether or not I was sane at TASP remains to be seen).

Anyway, I realized I never wrote a proper update about PeaceJam, the conference of Nobel peace laureates I went to back in September. I suppose it's a little late for it now, so I'll just stick with the obvious and say the whole thing was incredible. We did conferences with the laureates, as well as attended public speeches by all of them. The only thing that was really lacking in the weekend were worthwhile people to spend it with. We were randomly divided into small groups between the events, and mine made me absurdly nostalgic for TASP. That is to say, we spent a good part of one break discussing how the Dali Lamma was boring because his english was hard to understand. To that I can say only, que en el mundo? (speaking of which, Spencer is going to El Salvador at the end of this week to see Gerardo! not fair) Anyhow, something you all would have especially appreciated was seeing Desmond Tutu dance. It was pretty hilarious stuff. Also, there was a group of students there from South Africa and they spoke Xhosa and did the clicks and everything. By the way, did you know that the click is notated in English with an exclamation point? I kind of like that. More words should have exclamation points in them. R!yan. Adds a little something extra, don't you think?

Alas. I digress. Enough on PeaceJam and the Professor Vinson speech click and all things South African. On to important points of news- CBTA interview weekend.

It. Was. Awesome.

That house is incredible. In some ways it's not very TASPy; I mean, you can actually speak with people beyond the ones you're living with.But in a lot of more important ways it very much is like TASP. Late night discussions and quirky senses of humor and an overload of intelligence. I loved it.

Also, I got a chance to meet a couple of Lynn's former TASPers who live in the house, and they clued me in to one of the great mysteries of our summer. Where did that fake Focus on the Family letter come from? Turns out Desiree, who's the UT '05 person from Pueblo, CO, sent it. All the mail in Pueblo is routed through Colorado Springs. Clever, no? But anyway, that means it wasn't actually from the Cornell kids like we thought. All they sent us was the rotting fish. Hmm.

Speaking of other TASPs, the seminar topics for next year were just posted. WashU is (for the 2nd time in three years) about the American City. Bob Hansman is one of the professors. I wonder what it would be like to be around him for six weeks. Pretty intense, I'm sure.

Anyway, enough of these tenuous segues into random topics. I think this entry has been sufficiently long and rambly. And school calls.

I hope you all are well, and remember, our cluster of nine-months-after-valentines-day birthdays are quickly approaching. I'm thinking we should celebrate with a dramatic recitation of a Bobby Kennedy speech.

Okay. That is all.

The end.
Really.

South African history returns to haunt us... again.

One can't seem to get away from the TASP seminar topic... The other day a segment on NPR discussed a group who are using basketball to bridge the gaping racial divides which still exist in South Africa. According to the segment, hardly any schools are desegregated, never mind integrated... (Shakes head sadly.)
Anyway, here is an article from the BBC which caught my eye and brought back many memories of the last week of seminar.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6062196.stm

I miss you all dreadfully. Little things, like this article, or perhaps a glimpse of The Scream, or a mention of El Salvador, can conjure up so many deliriously happy memories... I even smile when I see Nesbitt snuggled on my shelf. Alas.
T. E. Lawrence sends you all his fondest regards.

I kill animals and eat them.

I hope I got your attention. I don't kill animals. But, remember when I posted my last blog? That's ok...neither do I. I told you how I almost ran over Franklin. Yeah, I named him (him being the turtle I nearly killed) and I know I that's weird. I came this close to running o'er and killing another animal. Maybe I should stop speeding? Maybe I shouldn't be giving you this information. Twenty years from now when my divorce case is heard, I'm sure someone will call this evidence of mental instability. I just thought I'd direct the attention somewhere else. I'm reluctant to talk about how many cool and amazing things I've done. Mostly because I haven't done many cool and amazing things. Well, now that I think about it...thanks Tracy. Your donation was the first for my Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. I wound up raising over $500.00 for the American Cancer Society. The walk was this past Saturday. It was 5K, but it felt like 1. I had a fantastic time. Our school had homecoming on Oct. 14. The theme was "A Night to Treasure." Mina, you would be happy to know that Student Council's decision to have the theme "A Night to Treasure" was based on their obsession with Johnny Depp and Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Sadly, the decorations were more appealing than the dance. I had a good time, but not enough of a good time. The next day my parents celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary. Can you imagine spending 23 years with one human being and a bunch of annoying adolescents? I can't. Wait, why do I want to eventually get married and have more than 3 kids? Some things defy logic. AP English Lit is officially my most stressful class. We're reading Hamlet. My AP English Lit teacher assigned me the lead role. I was excited to play a Danish prince. Then, I wasn't so excited. We have to write notes on everything in Lit. We have a 500-word minimum a day for that class. I don't have time to write notes when I'm up in the front of the classroom reading my character's lines. Why did I start talking about this again? Oh yeah, I have a dull life. Thank you Ryan, I got the CDs and I listen to Freedom Songs incessantly. Yesterday I was flipping through channels and stumbled upon EYES on the PRIZE. I stopped immediately, left the channel on PBS for the rest of the evening and kept my eyes glued to the television. It was very nostalgic. Ok, I'm done. I promise, I will not torture you any longer.


Yep. I'm a liar. I have a few more things to say. Um...your three faaaaaaaaaaavvorite TASPers are celebrating their date of birth on November 20th. I don't know about the other two, but I expect gifts--many of them. Only joking, but it'd be nice. : )

Jews: Making the world a better place since circa 1800 B.C.E

I thought a picture of the best book in the world (well at least for right now) would make everybody's day brighter because it sure brightened mine. :D

Happy Birthday Lynn!

Woot for 21!!!
Best wishes to our red-headed, jewish-loving, often glaring factotum / babushka on this jubilant day of turning 21 and everything included in becoming that age, which I'm sure is nothing more than a few pieces of cake and some lovely wrapped presents.

37 Reasons Why My Blogs are < Ryan's Blogs

1. Hello this post is dedicated to Ryan (and Bre, but mostly Ryan)
2. I’m currently reading Great Expectations
3. Volleyball is going good, very time consuming though
4. I was recruited to dance team, and thus I am now on dance team
5. Fall Festival was on Friday (pretty much a rip-off-state fair held annually at my school)
6. NO, I don't know where I'm applying to college
7. Yesterday I bought new perfume (dumb I know, but I think I collect it...to each his own right?)
8. Ethics is my favorite class right now
9. Wait I mean Government
10. No Ethics definitely ethics
11. Maybe...okay I'll stop
12.Homecoming for us isn't until the 21st, I wasn't going to go, but now that I have a date I suppose I might show up...He's doesn't go to my school though which means that this year I'll have the pleasure of enduring TWO homecomings.
13. Aren't I Lucky?
14. You will all be happy to know, I am nominated for Most Contagious Laugh (senior superlatives)
15. For anyone looking to expand their musical horizons, Lupe Fiasco's new cd is "mad tight"
16. Filling out college applications/writing essays is the new gouging my eyes out…?
17. Tess D’Urbervilles is my new favorite book
18. Maybe
19. Yesterday I went to my friend's birthday party, it was pretty fun, and I am not extremely tired
20. I have a test in AP psychology tomorrow
21. This is starting to sound like mindless babble
22. Actually, this whole thing has been mindless babble
23. Quoting from another mediocre post of mine "I am not good at the whole blogging thing"
24. Reiterating for emphasis "I am not good at the whole blogging thing"
25. Congrats to all the TASPers who got interviews, you all deserved it
26. Did anyone actually read all these?
27. Does anyone read the blog?
28. I really like Christmastime
29. I can't vote in the Virginia senate race (missed it by 18 days)
30. Which makes me very angry, especially given the recent allegations against George Allen?
31. Has anyone been following the Virginia senate race?
32. It's pretty interesting.
33. Okay so this post is sufficiently lengthy, random, and pointless...
34. And Thus I Conclude With a Hearty Good Bye Good Riddance and Good Luck
35. Which probably does not make much sense?
36. But my grandmother always ends everything with that...
37. TTFN!

Love Kathryn