"Yes the winters are bad, but the students are friendly."

But the article has made me wonder whether a little more action isn't in order. This wouldn't be action of the current zero-tolerance or grudging-tolerance variety, but rather some actual harm reduction. I like the idea of having workshops (as the author suggests) on "10 Signs That Your Professor Is Sleeping With You To Assuage Mid-Life Depression and Will Dump You Shortly Afterward." or, "Will Hooking Up With a Prof Really Make You Feel Smarter: Pros and Cons."

Of course, these workshops would probably be totally worthless and tell nobody who was willing to listen anything they didn't know already, but the simple existence of workshops with these titles would at least remind students to ask those questions to themselves, and remind them that alternatives exist to puritanism and libertinism.

In fact, forget the workshops themselves. Why not just advertise them everywhere with flyers, then cancel them at the last minute, to get the meme going?

It's my un-scientific observation that whenever the famously-even-toned Eugene Volokh starts out a post with something sort of informal, like "Yup," that he's about to turn out something fairly snarky.

His recent post mocking Clayton Cramer (an ex-Volokh Conspirator) is one particularly great example (and a great post).

I got 80% on the quiz that Will mentioned earlier:

You are a dedicated weblogger. You post frequently because you enjoy weblogging a lot, yet you still manage to have a social life. You're the best kind of weblogger. Way to go!

(Yes, that last line was a Mario Kart 64 reference.)

Anthony Rickey has recently learned that he has inadvertently been violating the Operating Agreement for Amazon's Associates program (which this blog also uses), and will therefore be switching to Barnes and Noble. Now I've always ordered my books online from Amazon, for reasons that I can now no longer remember. Hence, when setting up the blog, Amazon's program was the natural choice.

I too am tempted to switch, but not because of Amazon's evil contract. Rather, Barnes and Noble now offers free same-day delivery on orders of $25 or more sent to a Manhattan address. Of course, all of this is academic since I'm currently too poor to buy new books. Thank Heavens for libraries.

A good friend sends along a link to this from today's New York Times:

After years of untold subway time - spent watching, listening, reading - I would say that large, active systems of mass transit are the main difference between the red and the blue states of the 2000 electoral map (California excepted). People who travel only by private car - most of America - can too easily stick to their own kind and cling to their prejudices and misconceptions without the threat of contradictory experiences.

NYTimes By ROBERTA SMITH

Ode to the Manhattan:
Crave its bourbon-brunette hues, subtle vermouth-enhanced viscosity, and the lustful cherry treasure buried deep in the conic crux of the glass. Note how the bartender prepares the drink: is it shaken until beads of cold sweat fall from the tumbler, or is the ice barely introduced to the booze? When properly mixed with extra bitters and quality Italian vermouth (Carpano, the hard-to-find favorite), a tantalizing slick of Manhattan rapture and fading bubbles flows to the lips. Bypass house labels in favor of premium bourbon, and you'll soon share an experienced martini drinker's penchant for brand loyalty and intermittent experimentation.

from The Modern Gentleman: A guide to essential manners, savvy, and vice

Via Dan Drezner I see this quiz to determine whether I'm a blogaholic. I figure if he's balanced, I can't be much worse, so I take it, getting an 84/100. I am worse.

You're definitely a blogaholic. You dedicate most of your time to weblogging that you forget to have a social life. There's still life outside Bloggerville, you know. Try to go out more, 'kay?

I am shocked, shocked, that a personal experience with cancer could change someone's mind about medical marijuana:

MILWAUKEE -- State Rep. Gregg Underheim's fight against prostate cancer got him thinking about whether those suffering from cancer should be allowed to use marijuana to cope with the pain.

The Oshkosh Republican has decided to go against his party's leadership and introduce a bill that would let doctors prescribe marijuana for medical reasons.

The decision represents a major shift in philosophy for a legislator who was quoted in High Times magazine in the late 1990s opposing the legalization of marijuana.

(I'm not a supporter of the legalization movement (at least not without severe penalties for smoking and driving), but I'm a fervent supporter of medical marijuana.)

A reader sends along a link to this parody, though I haven't decided yet whether I find it alarming or clever. (To get the full effect you'll need to have your sound on).

Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown. . .

Toby, I imagine that Chicago's paying more attention to the CTA's fare hike as they try to wean us off disposable transit cards than they are to winning the title of most murders (login gapers/gapers). The Chicago Police Department has reorganized its gang intelligence units. Perhaps that will help. Hopefully there's some way to be more effective, for the rate did drop for the last half of the year after that switch-up.