Will changing demographics automatically change politics?

I hear this claim made quite a bit:
Political scientists have marveled at the distinctive attitudes of “millennials,” born roughly between 1982 and 2003. (Thus, a single generation seems to encompass both my daughter and many of my co-workers!) They are characterized above all by tolerance but also by cooperation, liberal political views, and respect for [...]

GT editorial on OSU’s expansion

I can’t quite decide if I like this piece or not.  On the one hand, there are parts I like:
We’d also urge OSU officials to make this process as transparent and public as possible. If we’re talking about the possible elimination of programs – and it’s clear that we are – the only thing that [...]

The Corvallis Gazette-Times and customer relations

A few days ago, I received an email from two people who work with Mid-Valley Voice, part of the website for the local papers:
This weekend we learned that MidValley Voice user account information was accessible for several days.
A list of usernames, passwords and email addresses was available in an obscure network known primarily to product [...]

I am normally not in favor of punitive justice…

…but I’m having an awfully hard time not thinking this is a good idea:
A civil trial is under way in the case of an Oregon State University fraternity member who shot a homeless man.
On Oct. 14, 2006, Dennis Sanderson, 41, was shot in the leg with a .22-caliber rifle behind the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity [...]

Sand Ridge rehires administrator who resigned in 2004

From the Lebanon Express:
Sand Ridge Charter Schools have a new principal, but he is no stranger to the two campuses.
John Leon was administrator at the school before, resigning in 2004.
He was hired Sept. 15, said director of operations Mary Northern.
Leon declined an interview with the Lebanon Express.
Interesting that he declined a interview.  I think that’s [...]

Sprenger should know better on taxes

Two legislative bills have been referred to the ballot for a special election in January 2010.  Both are tax increases – one on individuals and one on corporations.  Both are relatively small increases; the personal income  tax increase is marginal and only applies to people making above $250,000, and the corporate tax reforms, while a [...]

Somebody Buy Joe Lieberman a Puppy…. and then see what he does with it

From Nate Silver (I also stole the first half the title of the post from 538), a great post on the current state of health insurance reform in the Senate as it pertains to Joe Lieberman:
But while a Nelson or a Lincoln is liable to have a fairly rational set of concerns — basically, they [...]

I guess that’s it, then

After the meeting, Faculty Senate President Paul Doescher said the campus is divided about Ray’s vision of the future.
“There are some faculty that are embracing the change, there are some faculty that are skeptical, and there are some that are waiting and watching and debating this change. But ultimately it’s the president’s decision,” Doescher said.
- [...]

The dark side of OSU’s reorganization

From the Daily Barometer:
Over the course of roughly the last five months, a small group of people have been moving to realign OSU for the future. Whether in the hands of the committee commissioned by President Ray, or in the behind-the-scenes planning of senior administrators and a few select faculty, a vision has been set, [...]

Conservative astroturf ‘paper’ sues OSU, plus bonus OSU/Baro commentary

The Liberty
From the Gazette-Times:
CORVALLIS – The Oregon State University student group that publishes The Liberty, a conservative-leaning journal, has sued OSU officials, arguing that the university has discriminated against the journal by arbitrarily limiting the opportunities for its distribution.
And from the Daily Barometer:
During the 2009 winter term, OSU removed seven fixed distribution bins they said [...]

Yom Kippur, OSU and the GT

About a month ago, my friend Eric put up a post on Yom Kippur and OSU, pointing out that of all the OUS schools, only UO had chosen not to have classes on Yom Kippur (this year, the 28th of September), and that the statewide Provost’s Council had discussed the issue five years ago (see [...]

Jhumpa Lahiri

I just finished Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, and it’s a fantastic collection of short stories.  I highly recommend it.  I am posting on it, though, because of the passage that closes the book:
Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have [...]

Dinner

So I had dinner last night with some friends.  Preface:  I share a box of produce that I get weekly from the fine people at Gathering Together Farm.  With that box comes a short newsletter containing a few recipes using ingredients from the box.  So last night, we made two of them as part of [...]

Obama’s speech

The full text of it can be found here.
And shockingly, it’s pretty much vanilla.  The only things I noted were the use of examples – the names of the kids are not traditionally white names – and the emphasis on responsibility he places on the students.  But overall, as pretty much everyone knew it would [...]

Democrats make me want to start believing in social Darwinism…

UPDATE 9/5/09 @ 4 PM:  I am told the LCSD is taping the President’s speech and giving teachers an option to show it to their classes, but not offering teachers the option to show it live.  However, as far as I know, the Express isn’t covering this, nor has there been an explanation given as [...]