Just as we long had suspected.  People who drop 40 grand on hookers don't want sex...it's just the only way dorks like Elmer can get a woman (or female impersonator) to talk to them.

Next time he gets caught in flagrante de-lick-toe look for Elmer to claim he's a "rogue sociologist."

Quote:Five myths about prostitution

By Sudhir Venkatesh
Sunday, September 12, 2010
. . .
2. Men visit sex workers for sex.

Often, they pay them to talk. I've been studying high-end sex workers (by which I mean those who earn more than $250 per "session") in New York, Chicago and Paris for more than a decade, and one of my most startling findings is that many men pay women to not have sex. Well, they pay for sex, but end up chatting or having dinner and never get around to physical contact. Approximately 40 percent of high-end sex worker transactions end up being sex-free. Even at the lower end of the market, about 20 percent of transactions don't ultimately involve sex.

Figuring out why men pay for sex they don't have could sustain New York's therapists for a long time. But the observations of one Big Apple-based sex worker are typical: "Men like it when you listen. . . . I learned this a long time ago. They pay you to listen -- and to tell them how great they are." Indeed, the high-end sex workers I have studied routinely see themselves as acting the part of a counselor or a marriage therapist. They say their job is to feed a man's need for judgment-free friendship and, at times, to help him repair his broken partnership. Little wonder, then, that so many describe themselves to me as members of the "wellness" industry.
. . .
Sudhir Venkatesh is a professor of sociology at Columbia University and the author of "Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets."

She left out "no bedbugs," but otherwise some interesting if sometimes contradictory comparisons.  It can save money, or it may cost more?  

No face to face contact with the instructor is a bad thing?  Depends on the instructor, I guess.  For most profs, "no need to dress for success" has been the rule for decades.

Use common sense?  There's a thought.  Isn't that cultural imperialism?  Aren't we just supposed to do what the people in charge tell us?

Quote:Advantages and disadvantages of online education classes
by Carol Smock

Whether a student wants to pursue a degree, develop work related skills, or simply learn a new skill, online courses are increasingly presenting options that were not possible only a few years ago. Several options are available.

Many well known universities offer “minimal residence” degrees that allow students to remain in place, working their usual job, and take most of the course work online. Then they take 2 or 3 weeks of intense study on campus each semester. This allows them to experience instruction that would not be practical over the internet and provides for a well thought out and executed course of study.

Some college courses are offered online without any requirements for meeting on campus. Assignments and tests are submitted via email. The student may never meet the professor face to face. Either part or all of a degree may be earned this way.

Employee education that will help the individual advance in her career can be offered through online courses .

Finally, some students want to develop a specific skill, such as learning a new language that is not available in their particular place of residence. An online course, with conversations conducted via the internet and assignments made and completed by the student can be useful for this.

Advantages:

It can save money

Taking online courses can be more economical than traditional campus life, especially if the student would have to move to a different area or commute.

Lectures can be viewed more than once

For a student whose attention wanders or who has to miss a class due to illness or work pressures, the lecture is still available for viewing. It can be reviewed as often as needed so the student is able to better grasp the subject matter.

Diverse student body

Online students can come from any area of the world to participate in the class. Meeting students from different cultural backgrounds and experience will broaden the knowledge and skills acquired in the online course.

Go to class as you are

Unless you use a camera to visibly attend classes, you can study in your pajamas on Saturday morning or after work. No need to dress for success.

Increases available options

If a course cannot be provided at the student’s location, it may be offered online from another place. This will greatly increase the options available to students.

Flexible schedule

For a nontraditional student juggling class, work and family responsibilities, this may be the best way to pursue studies.

Less intimidating
Some students have difficulty with face to face class discussions and prefer the less intense online style of class participation.

Geographic flexibility

No matter where the student happens to be; at home on the other side of the continent or even traveling on a business trip, she can download and complete assignments, check email to keep up with class, take tests, and conduct research.

Disadvantages:

Requires organization and persistence

An online student is fully responsible for time management. This can either work well or become a disaster. The student has to have self discipline and be able to work out a schedule that will allow enough time to absorb the material and complete assignments as required.

You need a good computer. You need to know how to use it.

Not everyone is technologically savvy or has the money to invest in a good computer. If the student’s computer is more than 5 years old, it will be completely inadequate for the required work. The computer will need to have a way to back up the student’s work so assignments are not lost in the event of a crash. It will need at least 2 GB of memory and a high speed internet connection.

No face to face contact with the instructor

Some shy students may prefer this less intimate arrangement, while others thrive more on personal interaction in a classroom setting. Those who are more outgoing and like to engage this way may feel isolated in online courses.

Not all online courses are created equal

It is the student’s responsibility to carefully research the courses being offered online. Quality varies widely, and once you have paid for a course it will be nearly impossible to get your money back. If you have used grant money for the course, you cannot then use the same grant money to pay for something more suitable.

Carefully check if you will want to transfer the course. Make sure the school is accredited, and the school you want to transfer to will accept the credits.

Also use common sense. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. An online course that promises to prepare students for a career that requires a great deal of hands-on training is usually not a good bet.

It may cost more

Some online courses are more expensive than the same type of class taken locally. In addition, the student has to invest in the computer equipment and internet connection needed for the class. Figure in the cost of tuition, books and supplies, software upgrades, electricity, babysitting, loss of overtime pay, and travel to attend any required practicum.

Financial aid issues

Carefully consider what, if any, financial aid to use for an online course. Once you use it, it’s gone. If it’s a loan, you will have to pay it back with interest. Check with school counselors (ones not employed by the online school); hiring personnel; the Better Business Bureau; and other sources to be sure the school maintains a good reputation and will lead where you think it does. If no job is available at the end of the course, it isn’t a very good investment.

References and further information:

http://www.educationtraininginfo.com/art...ourses.htm

http://www.distance-learning-college-gui...rning.html

http://www.suite101.com/content/online-c...rses-a9807

Can somebody give Prof. T. J. Joseph a hand?  And part of an arm?  As we all know, Islam is really a "religion of peace," and we infidels just don't understand it.  And when they got done sweeping up all the pieces he still got fired.

Hey, Popular Front of India, screw you and double screw that diaper-headed fag Muhammad! If you don't like it you can take it up with my friend, Prof. George Gollin at the University of Illinois.  He knows how to handle camel humping scum like you.

Quote:Muslims sever university professor's hand for offending Islam

A union at Mahatma University wants Catholic-run Newman College to re-hire professor who lost his job because he “offended” the sentiments of the population with words deemed offensive to Muhammad. For this, unknown attackers chopped off his hand.

By Asia News  
Friday, September 10, 2010

New Delhi (AsiaNews) – A Union at Mahatma University, to which the Newman College of Thodupuzha (Kerala) is affiliated, called the dismissal of Prof T.J. Joseph illegal, and demanded he be re-hired forthwith.

In a press release, the Union said, "The College failed to follow procedures in dismissing Professor Joseph. The college should rethink about his ouster”.

Prof Joseph, who headed the Department of Malayalam, had submitted an exam questionnaire to his students, but some Muslim students objected to some of the questions, claiming that they contained words offensive to Muhammad.

After he explained that he had no intention of offending, he offered his public apologies to the population, the College, Church authorities (the institution is run by Catholics) and the police department. However, on 4 July, he was attacked by activists of the Popular Front of India who chopped off a hand and part of his arm.

On 1 September, the Catholic college fired him, claiming he had offended the religious sentiments of the population, and justified its action by saying that it had to protect the secular character of the institution.

In a letter to the managing board of Newman College, Prof Joseph asked to be rehired on humanitarian grounds, explaining that he had no intention of offending. He noted that he was his family’s only breadwinner and that he had a record of 25 years without a single complaint. He added that he could not be considered a “heretic”. Despite his plea, the college turned down his request.

For his offense, Prof Joseph was jailed, but the sentence was suspended and he was released on bail.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/09/15...ouse-race/

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/71320

Looks like all the incumbants are getting trounced. People are sick of politcs as usual. Hopefully when its Lieberman's turn, the people of his state will give him the bum's rush.

What better promotion of distance learning than this:  the dorms at the RA Gold Standard dumbass factories are crawling with bedbugs!  

Quote:
Fear Under the Sheets
September 16, 2010
"Who’s sleeping in your bed?"

That's not a line from the latest campus campaign to promote safe sex. It’s Bedbugs 101.

The question appears on information posters in Pennsylvania State University dormitories, bringing students’ attention to the creepy-crawlers who just may be hitching a tuition-free ride. Although bedbugs don’t top most people’s list of favorite conversation topics, a growing number of educators and residence life officials are trying to change that for students, their parents, college employees and, for that matter, anyone who will listen.

But the educators must walk a fine line between awareness and panic, as the media storm of bedbug coverage (particularly in New York City) continues to disturb a population with limited knowledge. (Bedbugs 101 would teach that a bug is pinhead-sized; can live on fabric, in crevices or almost any protected location; leaves welts after biting, although up to 70 percent of people don’t react to bites; and does not spread disease.)

Entomologist Wayne Walker, senior pest control technician at the University of Florida, advises his own university and others on how to handle – or even better, avoid – infestations. In the last two weeks he’s received calls from colleges as far away as California seeking his help.

Calling during a break from eradicating a Florida housing unit, Walker warned about the dangers of ignoring or avoiding the issue. “We have to be cognizant of the fact that there’s bedbugs out there,” he said. “There’s a lot more than there were last year at this time, and it’s worse than it was the year before that. Right now it’s not getting any better; it’s getting worse.”

Walker doesn’t want to send people into a throw-away-all-your-belongings frenzy, but he does believe that the more exposure people have to information about the bugs, the better. “The further we get from this media blitz that’s going on, the less cognizant people will be,” he said.

Reports of infestations at colleges across the country have been steadily emerging.

This week, students arrived for freshman orientation at Catawba College only to find orders to wash and bag their fabric belongings, and spend the next day elsewhere while their dorms were fumigated. In July, the University of Colorado at Boulder treated three dozen family housing units and apartments, plus five dorm rooms. And this month, Wake Forest University inspected entire residence halls for the bugs, and treated several rooms.

Smaller cases of bedbugs in college housing have been reported at New York University, Missouri State University and Penn State. In the coming weeks, as more students -- some of whom spent time over the summer in places with large outbreaks -- return to college, and as the bugs start “reproducing and blossoming,” calls for eradication are expected to increase, Walker said.

Penn State is taking an assertive approach to the issue. David Manos, an assistant housing director, rejects the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” mentality when it comes to bedbugs. “In the property management business you never talk about your pest control issues…. It’s not something that’s good for business,” Manos said. “Unlike any other pest issues, we have this one that needs to be talked about.”

Manos and Penn State housing are part of the Centre Region Bedbug Coalition, a joint effort of the university, property managers and pest managers. The coalition takes a collaborative, proactive approach in dealing with bedbugs. “They’re cryptic, they’re durable, they’re prolific, and they’re hitchhikers,” Manos said. “The thought was, the only way we’re going to effectively deal with this is if we have a community-wide management strategy.”

The provocative posters are part of the strategy, which also involves presentations, events and training. “Education, at this point, is the only deterrent,” he said. “They are the pest control challenge of our generation. There’s no barrier for these bugs.”

Penn State has had three cases of bedbugs in residence halls this academic year – and 27 total since its first in April 2006 – and dozens more false alarms, mainly called in by students who mistook a welt for a bite.

And although some administrators were apprehensive about the approach in the beginning, not wanting panic to ensue, Manos said that hasn’t been an issue.

“I don’t see hysteria,” Manos said. “By and large I see people engaging and saying, ‘I hope I don’t get them, but what do I need to know?’ ”

Baruch Fischhoff, a professor of social and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, said that as long as the educators and their audiences are on the same page, students – and anyone else – should be able to respond rationally. “It’s the facts as the facts, not trying to spin it,” Fischhoff said. “If somebody is convinced that people are going to panic, that things are going to spin out of control, then they spin the message. Then things will get out of control.”

It’s important to be sure students really understand the message they’re receiving, he said, especially because they probably don’t know much about bedbugs to begin with. “Why do we communicate so badly about risk? Because people exaggerate how well they understand other people and how well other people understand them.”

If education is indeed the solution to America’s bedbug woes, at least colleges have plenty of opportunities. For instance, BedBug University’s North American Summit 2010, at which Walker will speak, takes place next week in Chicago. (The conference is sold out, and there is a waiting list of 200, he said.)

And James A. Baumann, communications director at the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International, said the organization’s magazine articles and conference presentations on the topic have been popular. “I don’t think bedbugs are going to be the downfall of residence halls,” Baumann said. “I think it’s just an issue to be monitored.”

Years ago, in a far off land, under what was once probably a tree, lived an old dog -- hard of seeing and long of tooth.

In his youth, he'd been quite a son-of-a-bitch and had been in a lot of fights. Sometimes ran with a pack, slept with the wrong dogs on ocassion, and got the fleas to prove it. Underneath his tree were a pile of bones he'd gathered over the years, and these gnawed bones were the only testimony to his glory days.

One day, as the old dog chewed over some of the bones yet again, a vulture took to the tree. It afforded the vulture a good lay of the land, and the vulture wanted to take over the territory. The vulture, however, was no stranger to the reputation of the old dog, and even though the dog was now almost blind and worse for wear, the vulture knew to keep his distance and wait for an opportunity. So, rather than run the dog out of town, the vulture circled, and waited for his chance.

Off in the distance, the vulture saw a panther. He knew if he circled over the dog, the panther would eventually head over to the tree, find the old dog, and get rid of him. This would free up the tree. So, the vulture circled and waited for the inevitable.

As the panther grew close, the old dog caught his smell. He was nearly blind, but he still had his dog sense of smell. He knew there was a panther nearby. In his youth, he would have made a good show of it and saved his own hide, but those days were gone now.

"Hello there, dinner," the old dog said in the direction the smell told him the panther was.

"Dinner? I think it's the other way around!" the panther boasted.

"Oh, you think so, do you?" the old dog replied.

"You're an old hound."

"See all these bones?" the old dog replied. "That was the last panther who thought like you." The old dog then burped really loudly.

Now, the panther, not being close enough to see more than a pile of bones, could not tell if the bones were fresh or old.

"I can respect that," the panther said. "I can bide my time and eat you another day." He then walked off.

The vulture could not understand, from his high vantage point, what went wrong with his plan for the dog. He flew down to the tree, and said to the old dog, "How did you do that?"

"The panther was stupid. I may be old and nearly blind, but I bluffed him with all these bones. He thought they were fresh, and he left me be. Wisdom over brute force." The old dog was quite happy with himself.

The vulture flew hard and reached the panther, determined to inform him that he'd been deceived by the old dog. He told the panther what the old dog had told him, and the panther, quite angry at being fooled, agreed to let the vulture pick over what of the dog he himself did not take once he made dinner of him.

The old dog smelled the panther and the vulture approach.

"You're done for now!" the panther hollered as he prowled close. "The vulture explained how you fooled me! But I will not be fooled again! Get ready to be my dinner!"

The old dog lazily looked up from the bone he'd been gnawing on for the hundredth time, and said,

"Oh, I see you've met my friend and unwitting accomplice. Thanks, vulture, for leading him back here for me -- this last panther was getting a bit spare."

The panther and the vulture never returned.

I am seriously considering earning a JD. I am looking for an accredited law school. Sources tell me that it is possible to get an accredited degree online but getting one thats ABA apporved is different and that is the catch since only California will allow you take the Bar exam with a non-ABA Approved program.

Any help?

... against Brandon and Steve Levicoff!!!


DD thread

Things have been very slow over there when this is the only thing worth reporting.

Alleged extortionist George Gollin has become the kiss of death to politicians across America.  Just ask leftists Tim Bishop (D-NY 1st District) and Bill Foster (D-IL 14th District), who are soon to go down to defeat because of their nefarious associations with Marxist bigot George Gollin.

Next in line for political oblivion is Betty McCollum (D-MN 4th District), the idiot who collaborated with Gollin on a ridiculous article about "diploma mill" doctors killing people.  Of course the fool either didn't realize that medical doctors are already licensed and that the unlicensed practice of medicine is already a crime--or she thinks you are too stupid to know that.  Or more likely, she didn't think at all, she just let the stalker and shakedown artist Gollin put her name on his lame story.  (Much the same way the ex-FBI buffoon Ezell let Gollin load up his scandalous UIUC presentation with lies.)

Why do we call McCollum "Godless"?  Aside from the obvious fact that anyone who intentionally associates with an anti-Christian bigot like George Gollin must be Godless, there's another compelling reason.

When McCollum was called on to lead Congress in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, she deliberately omitted the words "Under God."  

The Video Betty McCollum Doesn't Want You to See!!!
(about 2:00 in)

Now this is something that every English-speaking school kid in America knows how to recite correctly, but somehow this dimbulb McCollum can't get it right?  Let's face it, even she isn't stupid enough to screw it up by accident.  

It was obvious that "God" is not a factor in her life, and she doesn't want "God" to be a factor in your life or in the governance of our nation--the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the express words of our founding fathers notwithstanding.  

Quote:Thanks to another pissed off MN CD 4 voter for finding this and sharing with me. THIS IS THE VIDEO BETTY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE!!! Here it is obvious she intentionally OMITS "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. At the time, her staffers claimed she took a breath...uhm, yeah that's it. Betty, here is what I think...due to the nature of the Bill before you, that somewhere in your liberal head you did this intentionally to make a point!!! We don't believe you!!!

What is really pathetic about this, is Betty was leading the House in the Pledge of Allegiance, and is a Roman Catholic!!!  This is on CSPAN!!!  It's not like she was at her little desk in the back, or holding Nancy Pelosi's notepad, but she was leading the HOUSE in the Pleadge of Allegiance!!!  Free speech is one thing, disrespect to your position, the Flag, God and the American people is another.  Pathetic Betty, absolutely pathetic...Remember in November!!!

Teresa Collett Wrote:"While well-intentioned, these government programs suppress wages and treat all citizens as if they are incapable of thrift and right judgments regarding their long-term well being. This simple truth escapes Betty McCollum but not us."

Quote:Meet Teresa Collett, Candidate For US Congress, 4th District


...Teresa is a professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School, and has been there since 2003. ...How did she get to St. Thomas? She and her husband Bob (they've been married for 31 years, 3 adult children, grandchild on the way) started a small wholesale tuxedo business in Oklahoma in the early 80's. As small business owners, they had interactions with lawyers from time to time. Teresa observed what the lawyers did and thought "I could do that." She graduated from U. of Oklahoma Law School (with honors) in 1986. She started working for the largest law firm in Oklahoma, when a faculty member at the Law School died suddenly in a car crash. Teresa filled in on very short notice, not knowing at the time it would blossom into a successful career as a legal educator and scholar (20 years teaching, 4 books, numerous articles and presentations). Her specialties are property rights, professional responsibility and bioethics.

Teresa has had experience with legislation from multiple perspectives. She was involved in the drafting of the Oklahoma Guardianship Act (1989). The fact that it hasn't been changed since its drafting is a testimony to how well it was written. She has testified before both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on multiple occasions, and testified before a number of State legislature committees, including Minnesota. She has served as a Special Attorney General (I said "designated hitter?" She said "hired gun.") in defending certain state laws from legal challenges in Oklahoma and Kansas.

St. Thomas actually spent two years recruiting Teresa, and the reason is that she combines the practice of law and education with an active, living faith. Consider some of these positions she holds or has held:

•Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Family

•Director, Prolife Center at the University of St. Thomas School of Law

•Vice-president, University Faculty for Life

•Member of the Federalist Society Professional Responsibility Practice Group Executive Committee

•Board of Advisors, Alliance for Marriage

•Biomedical Ethics Committee of the Archbishop of the Diocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis

•Past Board of Directors, Christian Legal Society

•Past Member of the Board of Governors, Ave Maria Law School

Some Minnesota bloggers have looked at Teresa's credentials and said "Another social conservative, just what we need." But I'm here to tell you she gets it about fiscal conservatism being a moral issue. I'm here to tell you that Teresa Collett is a vigorous, intelligent, skillful advocate for conservative ideas in the 4th District.

The author doesn't specifically mention higher education, but we know that the same barriers he discusses in this article exist to hamstring small startup operations and religious groups who dare to enter the marketplace and compete against the entrenched, wealthy higher ed cartel.  Some of those would-be cut-rate competitors are sitting in jail cells this very moment.  

Quote:Entrepreneurs Under Attack
by John Stossel
09/08/2010

Every day, federal, state and local governments stifle small businesses to privilege well-connected incumbent companies. It's a system of protectionism for influential insiders who don't want competition. Every locality has its share of business moguls who are cozy with politicians. Together, they use the power of government to keep competition down and prices high.

The Institute for Justice, a libertarian public-interest law firm, works to free entrepreneurs from such opportunity-killing regulations. Here are four cases from IJ's files.

Case No. 1. The monks at St. Joseph Abbey had to take the state of Louisiana to federal court to defend their right to make money selling handmade caskets. That's right: empty wooden boxes. But as soon as the monks started selling them, they were shocked to receive a cease-and-desist order from something called the Louisiana State Board of Funeral Directors. The funeral directors had managed to get their state to pass a law decreeing that only "licensed funeral directors" may sell "funeral merchandise" like caskets. To sell caskets legally, the monks would have to obtain a funeral director's license. That required a year-long apprenticeship, passing a funeral industry test and converting their monastery into a "funeral establishment" by installing embalming equipment, among other things.

The state board and the Louisiana Funeral Directors Association -- the profession's lobbyist -- say the law is designed to protect consumers. But that's what established businesses always say about absurd regulations they demand. An unusually candid funeral director told The Wall Street Journal, "They're cutting into our profit." Well, yes, free competition does do that. That's the point.

Another funeral director said that the law must remain unchanged because casket-making is a complicated business: "A quarter of America is oversized. I don't even know if the monks know how to make an oversized casket." Does that even deserve a comment?

Case No. 2. Hector Ricketts wants to offer New York City residents an alternative to New York's slow and clumsy public transportation. He employs drivers who offer commuters rides in minivans. The vans serve mostly low-income neighborhoods and typically charge $2 a head. People like the vans. They're more convenient than unionized government-run public transit -- and cheaper, too. The subways and buses charge $2.25.

So the city's public transit union used its political connections to regulate the vans to death: The politicians have decreed that vans may not drive routes used by city buses or provide service to a passenger unless it is prearranged by phone; and the vans must keep a passenger manifest on board and enter the name of everyone to be picked up.

"Government makes it easier to get on welfare than to grow my business," Ricketts says.

The fight continues.

Case No. 3. Melony Armstrong of Tupelo, Miss., wanted to expand her African hair-braiding business. But Mississippi bureaucrats told her that to teach workers how to braid she needed a full cosmetology license. That required 1,200 hours of classes. Next, she needed a cosmetology instructor's license -- 2,000 more hours.

The courses and license had little to do with her profession. They were simply barriers to entry favored by her competition. Fortunately, IJ won that case.

Case No. 4. Dennis Ballen has a bagel shop located far off the main roads in Redmond, Wash. He couldn't afford to advertise on radio or TV, so he paid someone (typically unemployable people with quirky personalities) to stand on the road with a sign directing traffic to his store. It worked. The sign brought him two or three new customers a day.

Then Redmond police slapped him with a cease-and-desist order, warning he could face a year in jail or up to $5,000 in fines if he didn't stop displaying the sign. Ballen estimates that he would lose at least $200 a day in business if he complied. He and IJ sued the city and won the right to employ the sign-holder.

It's great that IJ and some determined entrepreneurs win a few victories for free enterprise. But in a country with a real free market, such lawsuits would be unnecessary.