Freespace

Anna Maria Jopek sings in honor of Smolensk victims

The Polish version of the Grammys, the "Fryderyki Awards," was transformed this year into a concert in honor of the president of Poland and other victims of the plane crash in Smolensk. Among the performers was the beautiful and dulcet Anna Maria Jopek.

Ariz. to eliminate "ethnic studies" in public schools

This sounds good to me:

The new bill would make it illegal for a school district to teach any courses that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment of a particular race or class of people, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals."

The bill stipulates that courses can continue to be taught for Native American pupils in compliance with federal law and does not prohibit English as a second language classes. It also does not prohibit the teaching of the Holocaust or other cases of genocide.

Schools that fail to abide by the law would have state funds withheld.

State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tom Horne called passage in the state House a victory for the principle that education should unite, not divide students of differing backgrounds.

"Traditionally, the American public school system has brought together students from different backgrounds and taught them to be Americans and to treat each other as individuals, and not on the basis of their ethnic backgrounds," Horne said. "This is consistent with the fundamental American value that we are all individuals, not exemplars of whatever ethnic groups we were born into. Ethnic studies programs teach the opposite, and are designed to promote ethnic chauvinism."

Mercedes Sosa sings "Kyrie"

from Misa Criolla, a mass by Ariel Ramirez:

From the Commonplace Book

Of the various forms of government which have prevailed in the world, an hereditary monarchy seems to present the fairest scope for ridicule...but our more serious thoughts will respect a useful prejudice, that establishes a rule of succession, independent of the passions of mankind; and we shall cheerfully acquiesce in any expedient which deprives the multitude of the dangerous, and indeed the ideal, power of giving themselves a master.... But the Roman empire, after the authority of the senate had sunk into contempt, was a vast scene of confusion. The royal, and even noble, families of the provinces had long since been led in triumph before the car of the haughty republicans. The ancient families of Rome had successively fallen beneath the tyranny of the Caesars; and whilst those princes were shackled by the forms of a commonwealth, and disappointed by the repeated failure of their posterity, it was impossible that any idea of hereditary succession should have taken root in the minds of their subjects. The right to the throne, which none could claim from birth, every one assumed from merit. The daring hopes of ambition were set loose from the salutary restraints of law and prejudice; and the meanest of mankind might, without folly, entertain a hope of being raised by valor and fortune to a rank in the army, in which a single crime would enable him to wrest the sceptre of the world from his feeble and unpopular master. After the murder of Alexander Severus, and the elevation of Maximin, no emperor could think himself safe upon the throne, and every barbarian peasant of the frontier might aspire to that august, but dangerous station.

--Edward Gibbon, History of the Decline And Fall of The Roman Empire, bk. 1 ch. 7

Need a Theodore Roethke T-shirt?

Then this is the place.

Sacramento's adorable baby tiger

Videos at the Sac Zoo's blog.

Wisconsin names official state microbe

Again, I strongly favor legislation like this. Legislatures are rarely so innocently occupied as when they're enacting these bills.

Ancient building came with assembly instructions

Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered an ancient building with what appear to be assembly instructions:

According to the archaeologist, the decorative features of the temple-like structure are remarkably similar to ornamental features on another structure unearthed at a town nearby. This would suggest that the builders used the same mold.

“A taste for Greek styles among the local pre-Roman population might have prompted an industrious builder to produce DIY structures on the model of classical Greek buildings,” Osanna said.

HT: BAS

Max Hastings’ new book

I’ve become a big fan of historian Max Hastings since discovering his book Retribution last year. He’s a brilliant writer, and I enjoyed his books Bomber Command and Armageddon just as much. His newest book, Winston’s War: Churchill 1940-45, was published this week, and I’m very much looking forward to what appears to be a very critical look at Sir Winston. If you have an interest in World War II history, Hastings is very much worth your attention.

Libertarians should love How To Train Your Dragon

I saw  How To Train Your Dragon today. Libertarians should love this movie for three reasons. (And yes, this contains "spoilers." Do we really have to cater to the "don't spoil the ending!" silliness? What are we, twelve?)

Anyway, three reasons:

1) It has Vikings, and we know libertarians love Vikings, for all that "privatized law" stuff. (Why the Vikings speak with Scottish accents I don't know; perhaps the Scandinavian voice actors are all under contract to Ikea.)

2) The end of the movie shows the benefits of trade between the Vikings and the dragons: prosperity, peace, and pleasure, where once there was darkness and constant rebuilding after war.

3) The major plot point is a great metaphor for the state. Turns out the dragons steal stuff from the Vikings because they have to pay taxes to a really big dragon, from whom they are heroically liberated!