Campanastan

The World Turned Upside Down - Observations from My 2003 Vienna Report

I stumbled upon (euphemism for 'displacement behavior') something I wrote in my last Vienna Report in May 2003. I was in Vienna for a committee meeting at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in the United Nations complex. The comments by an IAEA Deputy Director General were quite fascinating, even in 2014. The emboldened remarks were added by me for this post. 

At a reception for our committee in the UN's restaurant one of the Agency's DDGs (Deputy Director-General) made an appearance among hoi polloi, and promptly launched into a lament about his new E-series Mercedes, which wasn't as good as his 5-series BMW, but cost more. Just as we were done commiserating with his misfortune, he launched into his analysis of why the world has been turned upside down, and we soon realized why this guy was a DDG and we were not. "A white man [Eminem] is the world's best rapper. A black man [Tiger Woods] is the world's best golfer. The Germans don't want war. The Italians want fiscal responsibility. The Poles ask the Germans to "contribute" to their military mission. The French think the Americans are arrogant." We all thought of a few things we could add ("Starbucks is in Vienna, across from the Hotel Sacher") but a forthright colleague said it best: "And an IAEA DDG buys a round of drinks." The DDG left after that, saying that he had to get his E-series from the shop.

The title of this post recalls Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown.

Wonder what that DDG is doing today?

To conclude, I'le tell you news that's right, Christmas was kil'd at Naseby fight:
Charity was slain at that same time, Jack Tell troth too, a friend of mine,
Likewise then did die, rost beef and shred pie,
Pig, Goose and Capon no quarter found.
Yet let's be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn'd upside down.
  ^{- Last verse, The World Turned Upside Down}

This Man is 70 Years Old; He's Looked Like This Since He Was 35

You go, Keith! 

Maybe he'll outlive me.

"I mean some doctor told me I had six months to live and I went to his funeral." - Keith Richards

How the IRS Made My Day: Scam 101 Goes Awry

The following exchange made my day at 8 AM today. A recorded message on my home landline with a female robo-voice told me to call the IRS immediately to avoid punitive actions. The return number had a DC area code (which doesn't mean the call came from DC).

I knew it was a scam but decided to return the call because I was curious. What follows is a close approximation to the conversation. The epithets are the exact ones the 'IRS agent' (who had a thick Indian accent) used.

ME: I'm calling about a recent message you left to call this number.

IRS: What is your phone number?

ME: 541-75.....

IRS (interrupting me, shouting): WHAT IS YOUR PHONE NUMBER???

ME (raised voice): I AM TRYING TO GIVE IT TO YOU...541-75.....

IRS: DON'T YELL AT ME, YOU MOTHERF***ER!!!

ME: I was trying to give you my number and you interrupted me.

IRS: MOTHERF***ER!

ME (chuckling): You're a liar - you're not the IRS!

IRS: YOU ARE A MOTHERF***ER!!!

ME (laughing): How's the weather in Bangalore?

 IRS: MOTHER....(click) 

I'm wondering waht the deal was. Was this a 'legitimate scam' (oxymoron) that went awry because the guy lost his temper or someone who gets off yelling epithets at a stranger.

There's likely one more unemployed phone boiler-room worker walking the streets in Bangalore (or some other place) today.

Can't wait until tomorrow morning. 

"Nature abhors a moron." -- H.L. Mencken

What If the Largest Countries Had the Largest Populations?

Interesting post from The Independent.

Read the whole story here. Click on the map to enlarge it.

"Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography." - Paul Rodriguez

Listen Up, Guys! James Brown Makes the Best Speech of His Life on Domestic Violence

James Brown makes a remarkabkle statement on domestic violence on 11 September 2014. Who would have imagined this before an NFL game, much less one involving the Pittsburgh Steelers (Ben Roethlisberger) and the Baltimore Ravens (Ray Rice)?

You go, James!

Guys, it's in our court.

 

"Our silence is deafening and deadly." - James Brown

A 9/11 Happy Ending! @ProfKeefe Finds the Folks in the Photo

E. Stringer Keefe has sent this photo around on Twitter every 9/11 in hopes of finding the owner. It was found in the rubble of the World Trade Center.

There is a happy ending to this story. Read here.

Amazing!

Thanks to Brian Jordan for bringing this to my attention.

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. " - Nathaniel Hawthorne 

Honduran Villagers and Mary Frances Get a Library!

After 35 years a professional librarian, why not?

Today, in the village of Monte Vista in Honduras, villagers dedicated a library in honor of Mary Frances. It is part of the kindergarten school building, and, like the school, serves six communities in the rugged region in the Municipio of Omoa. The library serves all but will focus on the children. 

The library was the villagers' idea. They know the importance of reading and knowledge and wanted their children to have a better education in a country where only a sixth-grade education is required and provided by the 'benevolent souls' in Tegucigalpa. Why give your citizens a high-school education when one half as much will do fine, thank you very much.

Amigo Rolando López will donate a computer or two. Wireless Internet? Perhaps that will come to pass.

The villagers donated 370 person-days and 95 mule-days (hauling stuff) in time to construct the library. The Ann Campana Judge Foundation used several hundred dollars left over from village water projects in the area to help purchase building materials. Mary Frances and I also made up the shortfall. 

A huge celebration and program was organized by librarian-teacher Maria del Carmen Ramirez (shown below with Rolando). Students sang, performed, and put on skits. Five hundred tamales were consumed!

Maria with performers. Patronato Melvin Chávez observes from the doorway.

The library is the right door. Below is the plaque for Mary Frances in the library. The translation:

Mary Frances Campana worked in libraries in the U.S. for 35 years. She held management and information research positions in government, public, university and corporate libraries. She taught library science skills in rural California libraries and set up a library for a Panamanian environmental organization. Mary Frances also holds a Masters degree in Spanish, with a specialization in Latin American literature.  Her favorite pastimes are supporting her husband Michael's work in water resources, reading and riding horses.

 When one man saw her picture, he said to me, 'Su hija es muy bonita' ('Your daughter is very beautiful'). I just smiled and said 'Si'. 

Great people, great library, great spouse!

"Reading maketh a full person; conference a ready person; and writing an exact person."  - apologies to Francis Bacon (who used the male gender)

Down the Drain? No Comment!

Down the drain?

From Banksy.

"Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it.” ― Banksy, Wall and Piece

Tomahawk Missile? You Mean the Boomerang Missile. Now, About Those Sanctions...

From The Week.

"Boomerang: what the Tomahawk missile is called after the Russian hackers." - Unknown

More Solid Science: How the Dinosaurs Died

From our friends at the Creation Research Society.

 Only kidding about the CRS!

Of course, all this happneed just a few thousand years ago.

"I'm saying, Come on, the global warming thing? How did the ice melt during the ice ages? Was the dinosaurs driving SUVs around back then?" - Larry the Cable Guy

Guitar Man, Circa 1989: Already Gone to the Hotel California to Read My Back Pages

Ah, the good ol' days - this must be 25 years old.....

Where was I and what was I playing? Click here. Or maybe it was this one. No wait - try this.

At the Hotel Hargis in La Jolla, CA. Photo by Sadie.

Dream on....

Tanya Tucker has a great version of Already Gone. When she says she's already gone, you KNOW she's outta there. 

One of the best lines anywhere:

"So often times it happens
That we live our lives in chains 
And we never even know we have the key."
   -- Already Gone by Jack Tempchin & Robb Strandlund

MY HRS LDY BELTD BD PRSNT ARRVD TDY!

My belated birthday present to my 'HRS LDY' ('horse lady') Mary Frances arrived today!

 

"A good listener is usually thinking about something else." - Frank Hubbard

Coal Lobby Warns: Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit & Solar Panels May Suck Sun Dark!

What a great way to start June! 

Where is T. Boone Pickens when you need him?

Here is the video's link.

 

"I looked at the Grand Canyon and I said, 'Wow, that looks like my job, and it's a national historic site.' " - John Harden, coal mine employee, October 2007

Cute Curvy Cat Tails

I suspect these cats would be aghast if they knew what their tails were doing!

“'Meow' means 'woof' in cat." - George Carlin

Is Water Hazardous to Your Health? Better Read This!

Would I lie? Besides, I found it on the Internet.

From I Fucking Love Science.

"Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water." - W.C. Fields

On Memorial Day, The Eagle Has Landed

I took this amazing photograph from Ken Reid's FB page. It's from the Minneapolis Star Tribune and was taken by amateur photographer Frank Glick at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN.

Here is the story.

 

The Diane Rehm Show today featured an interview with Wyl Hylton, author of the book, Vanished: he Sixty Year Search for the Missing Men of World War II.

Remember!

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." - Nathan Hale

More Goofy Google Maps: Geography of Kim Kardashian Fandom

Is this map accurate? Who cares - it's funny.

Curious about the strong support Mrs. Kanye West in the Southwest and Hawaii, with my former home state (for 17 years!) clocking in at number 1. Is it because Kim looks like a Latina? But she's also strong in my native state of New York and southern New England. Perhaps they think she's Italian-American?

At least my current home state checks in at number 48.

Whatever she is (Armenian-American, mainly), she's wealthy and famous. Must laugh all the way to the bank.

 

Then there is this from the New York Post:

"I'm into the mausoleum. Go hard or go home." - Kim Kardashian, commenting upon the afterlife)

All The Shades of Human Skin

So different but so similar.

From Tatyana Cheremnyh on LinkedIn.

“We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

USA Living Wage Calculator

From the folks at Accounting School Guide. Here is the original site where you can get a much larger view. It takes a while to load here.

Overview

Is it possible to work 60 hour weeks and still be unable to cover basic expenses? Making minimum wage as a parent of one, you will need to work closer to 70 hours in all fifty states (plus the District of Columbia) just to make ends meet. If I told you that $25.00 an hour full time in D.C. isn't enough for some demographics to make it, would you believe me? You should. Welcome to the age of the eroded middle class, and the decimated working class. Whether you're planning a move, or another child, seeing if a new wage is good, or just curious, check out the cost of living in America today, and see if you're making a living wage.

Using the Calculator

1. Adjust the slider at the bottom to match your wage.

2. On the left, select how many adults and children are in your household.

3. Select a state to see where you fall between a poverty wage and a living wage. 
- States that are brighter mean that you would earn closer to a living wage in that state. 
- States that are darker mean that you would earn closer to a poverty wage in that state. 
- The light blue triangle above the wage slider shows the minimum wage for that state. 
- The dark blue triangle below the wage slider shows the federal minimum wage. 
- The box above your wage listing shows how many hours a week you would have to work just to earn a living wage.

4. To see the nation divided into counties, click on “County View”. To see the nation divided into states, click on “State View”.

5. To zoom in on a particular state, first select the state then click on the plus sign that appears in the corner. 
- While zoomed in, you can click on individual counties to see their poverty/living wages. 
- To return to the national view, click anywhere outside of the state.

 

“A girl knows her limits, but a wise girl knows she has none.”  - Norma Jeane Mortenson (1926-1962)

Why Anal-Retentive People Should Be in Charge of Signage

Memo to Lakewood Springs Homeowners Association: put someone with anal retentive tendencies in charge of signage.

By the way, is 'anal retentive' hyphenated or not?

"Never think you've seen the last of anything." - Eudora Welty (quoted in The Boston Globe, via The Week)

Steven Seagal: Not Only a Great Actor, But Also a Musician to Match!

Who knew? Who cares?

He's 62 today. 

I hear he's about to release a version of Walk Away, Renée. Uh-huh.

Thanks to Alan McKay for enlightening me.  

“I am hoping that I can be known as a great writer and actor some day, rather than a sex symbol.” - Steven Seagal

Leah Learns to Speak Italian - With Her Hands, How Else?

Some of you may consider this to be disparaging towards Italians but my paternal grandparents came from southern Italy (Naples) so it's okay for me to post this video. Besides, how else does an Italian make a point during speech?

Looks like two-year-old Leah is getting the hang of it with her great-grandmother's mentoring. 

 

"The sin which is half-hidden is half-forgiven.' - Sicilian proverb 

Best Cat Video (Film Noir) Ever: Henri 2, Paw de Deux

This is wonderful - thanks to Shelia David.

Henri has his own WWW site - mais oui!

 

"Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose." - Garrison Keillor

'If It Fits, Here I Sits' - Part 2

More animals just sitting/sleeping...

'If It Fits, Here I Sits' - Part 1

Infographic: Internet Consumption Around the World

From the folks at International Business Degree Guide. The original is here.

Click to enlarge.

"Will the highways on the Internet become more few?" - George W. Bush

For Pi Day: A Dismal Pie Chart

The distribution of the USA's 2.4 million prisoners (click to enlarge or go here).

Read the entire article here from the Prison Policy Initiative.

Courtesy of The Week. 

"Jails and prisons are the complement of schools; so many less as you have of the latter, so many more must you have of the former." - Horace Mann

Hey, Idaho! Want Guns in the Classroom? Read This.

Idaho is considering a bill to allow guns on its university and college campuses (like my state, Oregon, already does). It has passed a House committee with a recommendation (11 - 3) for passage. 

Here is a NYT Op-Ed by Boise State University professor Greg Hampikian, 'When May I Shoot a Student?' Very good - required reading, in fact.

But the best argument against this measure came from someone I know who teaches in Idaho. He put it on his Facebook page a few days ago. I won't identify him to protect his privacy. 

I enjoy guns as much as the next person... in Idaho, that is. But guns do not belong in the college classrooms in which I teach. My classrooms are safe spaces for open-minds and a diversity of thoughts, experiences, and worldviews. Key words here: safe spaces. A student or even a faculty member who carries a gun into a classroom destroys this safe space by creating a unnecessary power dynamic and promoting a culture of fighting violence with violence. Please consider helping to keep guns out of my classrooms.

Safe space - I like that.

At times like this I think of Wayne LaPierre's memorable quote, 'The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.' The only thing wrong with that approach is how can you reliably discern the good guys from the bad guys? Two 'good guys' might mistake each other for 'bad guys' and shoot it out on the Quad.

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - 21st century version ......Can't wait.

"I want to applaud the Legislature’s courage. On a final note: I hope its members will consider my amendment for bulletproof office windows and faculty body armor in Boise State blue and orange."  - Greg Hampikian

Brazil and Canada: The Brain and Butt, Respectively, of the Americas?

Rotate the Western Hemisphere by 90 degrees to the right. So then Brazil is the brain and Canada is the....ooops! 

From KWHL Alaska's Rock via Joe Dellapenna.

 “Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.” - Confucius

Dale Hansen Unplugged: So Michael Sam is Gay?

Great commentary from Dale Hansen of WFAA in Dallas on Michael Sam. Pretty amazing!

From the Huffington Post.

 

I love this:

You beat a woman and drag her down a flight of stairs, pulling her hair out by the roots? You're the fourth guy taken in the NFL draft. You kill people while driving drunk? That guy's welcome. Players caught in hotel rooms with illegal drugs and prostitutes? We know they're welcome. Players accused of rape and pay the woman to go away? You lie to police, trying to cover up a murder? We're comfortable with that.

"You love another man? Well, now you've gone too far!" - Dale Hansen

Blast From the Past! 50 Years Ago Tonight - A Fab Four Souvenir!

Found this record jacket among my collection. Almost forgot about it.

Note the '9 Feb, 1964' scrawled at the top left and 'Beatle Mainiya' next to the Capitol logo.

 "We don't like their sound; groups with guitars are on the way out."-- A Decca Records executive in 1962, referring to The Beatles

What Country's Life Expectancy Does Your State Have?

Love this map from The Atlantic.

Guess I can move to Chile.

From Olga Khazan's article:

It’s worth noting that the life expectancy for certain groups within the U.S. can be much higher—or lower—than the norm. The life expectancy for African Americans is, on average, 3.8 years shorter than that of whites. Detroit has a life expectancy of just 77.6 years, but that city’s Asian Americans can expect to live 89.3 years.

But overall, the map reflects what we’d expect: People in southern states, which generally have lower incomes and higher obesity rates, tend to die sooner, and healthier, richer states tend to foster longevity.

Enjoy!

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." - Doug Larson

Berndnaut Smilde: Creating Clouds As Art

This picture is a cloud created by Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde (story here).

Pretty neat!

”The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” - Bertrand Russell (thanks to Faruck Morcos)

BBC Infographic: Far Future Timeline - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

Worried about the next 20 years? 50? 500? C'mon - think big! What about the next 1,000,000 years?

Here is BBC's far future timeline.

Click here for a bigger graphic.

Thanks to Jennifer Veilleux, who doesn't sweat the small stuff.

"Don't sweat the small stuff." - American saying

Oversized Loads: South Africa's Unknown Legacy

I've seen vehicles and drivers perform some amazing feats in developing regions - Middle East, Central America, etc. - but nothing like this. From Anthony Turton's FB page. 

This South African vehicle and driver take the cake (which is probably buried somewhere in that pile). And it's not even a full-sized truck! Imagine what the driver could have done with a Ford F-250!

My friends in developing areas are usually puzzled when I insist upon riding in the back of the pickup, assuming I can stand and look out over the cab. I have to explain that I cannot do it in the USA where it is illegal in most states. Then they understand all too well.

'Oversized Load' does not do this justice!

"Q: How many people can you fit in the bed of a Honduran pickup truck? A: One more." - Honduran joke

Best Wishes and Merry Christmas From Campanastan!

Best wishes to all friends of the President-For-Life and First-Lady-For-Life  - enjoy the holidays! Even those in Campanastan's 'Mountain Resort' are accorded this sentiment.

Even Galahad (aka G-had, the Pet-For-Life) is celebrating, and anxious to read his gift, The New Yorker Book of All-New Cat Cartoons. 

And the official tree:

"Jesus did not spend a great deal of time discoursing about the trinity or original sin or the incarnation, which have preoccupied later Christians. He went around doing good and being compassionate." - Karen Armstrong

Cats as Mentors to Inanimate Objects

Love this picture. Too bad it wasn't a real person.

Sure love these critters! 

"Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function." - Garrison Keillor

Delta Apologizes for 'H8GAYS' Confirmation Code

Jeff White's boarding pass caused a bit of consternation earlier this month. Fortunately, he realized this was a coincidence and didn't make a fuss.

Delta has apologized for the boo-boo. 

Moral: don't fly to Pensacola from Atlanta.

"Everyone is the age of their heart." - Guatemalan proverb

One Graph, One Life: Nelson Mandela

Hard to think one could do justice to Nelson Mandela's transformation of South Africa with such a simple graph but I think Dylan Matthews did a pretty good job.

Thanks to Ezra Klein.

“It always seems impossible until it's done.” - Nelson Mandela

Map: The 24 Regions of American English. Bonac on Long Island, Anyone?

Got this fascinating map (click to enlarge) and article from Jennifer Veilleux; they're originally from the Washington Post.

I am in Nashville now, so I guess I am in Region 17, maybe close to 19 and 23. 

 

You can read more here. 

I am curious about the Bonac dialect spoken by a dwindling number of people on Long Island, mainly the eastern part. I grew up on Long Island but I don't recall ever hearing that term. 

"Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon." - Susan Ertz

How to Look Like Batman - Just Add a Black Cat

Not sure ol' Felix is real happy. From Damien Greenhalgh.

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." - Sigmund Freud

The Most Interesting Man in the World and Horse Movies

From my lovely equestrienne extraordinaire, Mary Frances....So true!

"If opportunity knocks, and he's not at home, opportunity waits." - The Most Interesting Man in the World

"He has taught old dogs a variety of new tricks." - THe Most Interesting Man in the World

Higgs Spends Some Serious Nobel $$ on Pimped-Out Chick-Magnet SUV

From The Daily Mash: 

Peter Higgs, professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the University of Edinburgh, said: “I’ve dropped some serious Nobel cheddar on this bad boy.

“It’s sick.”

Higgs, who is currently deliberating between the license plates PART1CLE,  or H1GG5, said: “In the place where I grew up, physics was the only route out.

“I saw neighbourhood physicists in their sports cars and designer clothes and thought yeah, I gotta get some theories.”

Rumor has it that Higgs has settled on the license plate 'HIGGSBOSOM'.

"And I thought that 'Higgs boson' shit was a chick magnet. No way, Jose!" - Peter Higgs

A True Hero and Role Model for Us All - And She's a Girl!

I was hoping that Malala Yousafzai would win the Nobel Peace Prize, but it was not to be. Certainly the OPCW is a deserving winner, but the Nobel folks could have sent a real message to the world by awarding it to a courageous 16-year old girl who stood up to the cowardly Taliban by daring to promote education for females.

She floored Jon Stewart on the Daily Show the other night with her response to Stewart's question about her reaction when she learned the Taliban wanted her dead:

I started thinking about that, and I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would just kill me. But then I said, 'If he comes, what would you do Malala?' then I would reply to myself, 'Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.'  But then I said, 'If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.' Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that 'I even want education for your children as well.' And I will tell him, 'That's what I want to tell you, now do what you want.'

Good Lord, what an answer from an amazing, articulate, person! Sixteen years old! Watch the entire interview. 

I've got another hero to join the likes of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jackie Robinson.

And she's a girl!

You go, Malala!

"We realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way when we were in Swat, we realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns." - Malala Yousafzai

United States of Shame - What Does YOUR State Suck At?

Interesting map. Here is the original, after which there are some actual statistics.

NoDaks - ugliest residents? C'mon, man!

Ohioans are the 'nerdiest' because they have the highest frequency of library visits. Nerdy? C'mon, man!

"Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality." - Jules de Gaultier

Stuff White People Like to See on Development

Thomas Soerens Tweeted this. It's by William Easterly and you can see the original here.

"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers." - Unknown

My Cat Could Do This? World-Famous 'Excess Baggage' Sculpture!

Anita Grunder (shown here) my colleague and associate dean extraordinaire at OSU, sent this picture of the infamous 'Excess Baggage' sculpture.

It will be at the corner of Airport and Fern Roads south of Corvallis until 6 PM 19 September should you want to see it before it is dismantled.

United Airlines must be drooling!

Enjoy!

"My kid could do that!" - Unknown, upon seeing a Jackson Pollock painting

U of P.O. Box 8000 Lives! Nigerian Grad Student Uses Magnets to Prove Gay Marriage is Wrong!

When I saw this post on Daniel Collins' Facebook page I thought it was a joke; apparently not. Here is the original story from io9.com:

Chibuihem Amalaha, an award winning student at the University of Lagos, is claiming that he's "disproved" gay marriage through science — and he used the power of magnets to do so. His "groundbreaking" work is backed by the university.

But that's not all. Amalaha, who says he'll win a Nobel prize one day, has also used chemistry, biology, and mathematics to disprove gay marriage.

His mathematics of gay marriage is particularly illuminating. In an interview with This Day Live he says (Note: read here if you dare).

And I thought Nigeria was known just for email scams and widows, barristers, and princes waiting to share their fortunes with others! 

But wait - Amalaha is working on showing that the Second Law of Thermodynamics allows for email scams! That's sure to win him tenure from the University of Lagos and the Medal of Achievement from the Nigeria government.

Just what Nigeria needs these days to burnish its image.

“Nigerian sector does not encourage scientific research so much but what God has given me I am using it effectively to touch Nigerian nation. All the scientific researches I have been doing  have not yielded any encouragement to do more." - Chibuihem Amalaha

Beloit College Mindset List for the Entering Class of 2017

       Beloit College Mindset List for the Entering Class of 2017

When the Class of 2017 arrives on campus this fall, these digital natives will already be well-connected to each other. They are more likely to have borrowed money for college than their Boomer parents were, and while their parents foresee four years of school, the students are pretty sure it will be longer than that.  Members of this year’s first year class, most of them born in 1995, will search for the academic majors reported to lead to good-paying jobs, and most of them will take a few courses taught at a distant university by a professor they will never meet.
 

The use of smart phones in class may indicate they are reading the assignment they should have read last night, or they may be recording every minute of their college experience…or they may be texting the person next to them. If they are admirers of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, they may wonder whether a college degree is all it’s cracked up to be, even as their dreams are tempered by the reality that tech geniuses come along about as often as Halley’s Comet, which they will not glimpse until they reach what we currently consider “retirement age.”
 

Though they have never had the chicken pox, they are glad to have access to health insurance for a few more years. They will study hard, learn a good deal more, teach their professors quite a lot, and realize eventually that they will soon be in power. After all, by the time they hit their thirties, four out of ten voters will be of their generation. Whatever their employers may think of them, politicians will be paying close attention.

Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List, providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. Prepared by Beloit’s former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief and Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride, the list was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references. It quickly became an internationally monitored catalog of the changing worldview of each new college generation. Mindset List websites at themindsetlist.com and beloit.edu, as well as the Mediasite webcast and their Facebook page receive more than a million visits annually.

The Mindset List for the Class of 2017

For this generation of entering college students, born in 1995, Dean Martin, Mickey Mantle, and Jerry Garcia have always been dead.

1. Eminem and LL Cool J could show up at parents’ weekend.
2. They are the sharing generation, having shown tendencies to share everything, including possessions, no matter how personal.
3. GM means food that is Genetically Modified.
4. As they started to crawl, so did the news across the bottom of the television screen.
5. “Dude” has never had a negative tone.
6. As their parents held them as infants, they may have wondered whether it was the baby or Windows 95 that had them more excited.
7. As kids they may well have seen Chicken Run but probably never got chicken pox.
8. Having a chat has seldom involved talking.
9. Gaga has never been baby talk.
10. They could always get rid of their outdated toys on eBay.
11. They have known only two presidents.
12. Their TV screens keep getting smaller as their parents’ screens grow ever larger.
13. PayPal has replaced a pen pal as a best friend on line.
14. Rites of passage have more to do with having their own cell phone and Skype accounts than with getting a driver’s license and car.
15. The U.S. has always been trying to figure out which side to back in Middle East conflicts.
16. A tablet is no longer something you take in the morning.
17. Threatening to shut down the government during Federal budget negotiations has always been an anticipated tactic.
18. Growing up with the family dog, one of them has worn an electronic collar, while the other has toted an electronic lifeline.
19. Plasma has never been just a bodily fluid.
20. The Pentagon and Congress have always been shocked, absolutely shocked, by reports of sexual harassment and assault in the military.
21. Spray paint has never been legally sold in Chicago.
22. Captain Janeway has always taken the USS Voyager where no woman or man has ever gone before.
23. While they've grown up with a World Trade Organization, they have never known an Interstate Commerce Commission.
24. Courts have always been ordering computer network wiretaps.
25. Planes have never landed at Stapleton Airport in Denver.
26. Jurassic Park has always had rides and snack bars, not free-range triceratops and velociraptors.
27. Thanks to Megan's Law and Amber Alerts, parents have always had community support in keeping children safe.
28. With GPS, they have never needed directions to get someplace, just an address.
29. Java has never been just a cup of coffee.
30. Americans and Russians have always cooperated better in orbit than on earth.
31. Olympic fever has always erupted every two years.
32. Their parents have always bemoaned the passing of precocious little Calvin and sarcastic stuffy Hobbes.
33. In their first 18 years, they have watched the rise and fall of Tiger Woods and Alex Rodriquez.
34. Yahoo has always been looking over its shoulder for the rise of "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.”
35. Congress has always been burdened by the requirement that they comply with the anti-discrimination and safety laws they passed for everybody else to follow.
36. The U.S. has always imposed economic sanctions against Iran.
37. The Celestine Prophecy has always been bringing forth a new age of spiritual insights.
38. Smokers in California have always been searching for their special areas, which have been harder to find each year.
39. They aren’t surprised to learn that the position of Top Spook at the CIA is an equal opportunity post. 
40. They have never attended a concert in a smoke-filled arena.
41. As they slept safely in their cribs, the Oklahoma City bomber and the Unabomber were doing their deadly work.
42. There has never been a national maximum speed on U.S. highways.
43. Don Shula has always been a fine steak house.
44. Their favorite feature films have always been largely, if not totally, computer generated.
45. They have never really needed to go to their friend’s house so they could study together.
46. They have never seen the Bruins at Boston Garden, the Trailblazers at Memorial Coliseum, the Supersonics in Key Arena, or the Canucks at the Pacific Coliseum.
47. Dayton, Ohio, has always been critical to international peace accords.
48. Kevin Bacon has always maintained six degrees of separation in the cinematic universe.
49. They may have been introduced to video games with a new Sony PlayStation left in their cribs by their moms.
50. A Wiki has always been a cooperative web application rather than a shuttle bus in Hawaii.
51. The Canadian Football League Stallions have always sung Alouette in Montreal after bidding adieu to Baltimore.
52. They have always been able to plug into USB ports
53. Olestra has always had consumers worried about side effects.
54. Washington, D.C., tour buses have never been able to drive in front of the White House.
55. Being selected by Oprah’s Book Club has always read “success.”
56. There has never been a Barings Bank in England.
57. Their parents’ car CD player is soooooo ancient and embarrassing.
58. New York’s Times Square has always had a splash of the Magic Kingdom in it.
59. Bill Maher has always been politically incorrect.
60. They have always known that there are “five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes" in a year.

 

"He who opens a school door, closes a prison." - Victor Hugo

The Most Interesting Man in the World, 1940

Thanks to Heather Magee Linderfelt.

“Find out what you don’t do well, and don’t do that thing” – The Most Interesting Man in the World