Author: Newley

Wired reports that MIT now puts all of their course materials–“every lecture, every handout, every quiz”–online for free. And students around the world are taking advantage of the project.

Jack Handey writes: “Something clicked in my head, and in my gut or maybe my uterus.”

“How the Devil Uses the Liberal Media to Manipulate Society.” No word on whether or not that compelling screed was penned by the Alabama “Ten Commandments Judge” or one of his supporters.

Checking in on Ecuador
The international relations analysts at newley.com, enjoying the luxuries of American life and simultaneously suffering pangs of nostalgia for dear sweet Ecuador, read with interest that about a thousand Indians and union workers marched through Quito yesterday. They were protesting Ecuadorian prez Lucio Gutierrez’s economic policies, which include higher taxes meant to satisfy the IMF.

NarcoNews.com’s Luis Gomez argues that Gutierrez’s problems with Ecuador’s indigenous population are due to his ties to America: “Ecuador�s Guti�rrez, Washington�s new puppet, splits with the Pachakutik Movement.”

In other news from latitude zero, the perpetually volatile Tungurahua volcano, outside Banos, began belching ash and gas last night.

Gary on Philosophy and the Problem of Evil

Mr. BUSEY: … your shadow, the dark side. C.G. Hume writes about it, in terms of the fact that every one of us has a dark side. And my dark side, my shadow, my lower companion is now in the back room blowing up balloons for kids’ parties.

More hilarious, weird quotes at Gary Busey: madman or prophet?

Lima, Peru is now the home of South America’s first Starbucks.

China is becoming infested with giant gerbils.

And closer to home, the Energy Department will lead a “sweeping investigation” to figure out why New York and much of the upper midwest lost power last week.

When the lights went out in the Big Apple, the TV news networks went nuts with their coverage, and even Newsweek devoted a special issue to the blackout.

I’m sure it was a pain in the ass, but c’mon. People were without lights and AC for a while. Big deal. If all those media types weren’t based in New York, the story wouldn’t have been nearly as big. As The Onion put it in a recent faux headline, “Blackout Survivors Tell Stories Of Harrowing Inconvenience.”

And this time I’ll be here for a month.

Had a great time in DC. Saw lots of friends. Ate lots of good food. Drank lots of good drinks. And now I’m back in SC and getting ready to start working. Not sure what I’ll be doing yet, but I’m exploring a few options.

So I’m somewhat settled now: I’ll be here until mid-September, when I’ll return to Ecuador (after a quick trip to Bolivia) to teach again.

In South Carolina, as I’ve reported, rather crappy avocados go for $1.50. In Boston, where they’re just as sub-par, they’re closer to two bucks. (While in Ecuador you can get four good ones for a dollar.)

But here, in our nation’s fine capitol, I cannot believe I’m about to type this, but a decent avocado, albeit a nice, ripe, plump, organically-grown one, will set you back $2.67 at your local Whole Foods. Astounding, really. At this rate, I’ll need to max out my credit card to prepare my signature guacamole. I wonder how much limes cost here…

I’m leaving for Washington this morning. Will be there until Sunday. Postings for the next few days will probably be limited.

But I leave you with two items:

1) the George W. Bush “Elite Force Aviator” 12-inch action figure! Get yours today!

2) Here’s a less-noted part of the infamous Jeremy Shockey article.

I’m back in SC.

Thoughts on my Boston sojourn expressed as a list of things for which I have a newfound love:

—TiVo
—Spikes’s Junkyard Dogs
—“Vegas: Battle of the Buffets”
–NBC’s “The Restaurant”
–MTV’s “Made”
—Satanicide, a hilarious 80’s hair metal spoof band.

I’d been out of the country for 7 months. And from a pop culture standpoint, I made up for a lot of lost time over the last 5 days.