Dropped

This week was pretty lackluster in giving me stuff to blog about, but I'm trying to build a routine, so off we go.

Went to a talk by Desmond Tutu, one of the main people responsible for ending apartheid in South Africa. Pretty big name for Murray, Kentucky. I was glad to see so many people there. They had to move it from a mid-size auditorium on campus to the basketball stadium. His theme seemed to be humanity, and how, as Spiked online will tell you, it is underrated. He went after not only the Iraq War but also the one in Afghanistan. You rarely hear someone bring the latter up in the negative. I'm not sure I even agree with him, but it's sort of refreshing. Sadly I had forgotten all the high points by the time I got to my car, after hearing every other person say they couldn't understand him. Wow, you have to LISTEN at a lecture. I guess that message got blocked somehow.

Still playing Mass Effect 2. It's still fun...hey, I warned you.

Attended a research presentation by a graduate student on the role of Stasi informants in East Germany. I have a boner for European affairs anyway, and Germany specifically guarantees a new set of pants. The research was interesting, showing how the methods of the Stasi changed over time and how effective they could be. He also addressed the question of why people, outside of the ones who were compromised in some way, would want to voluntarily work for the Stasi. The answer was many of them simply enjoyed doing intelligence work, which is something I never would have thought of but makes total sense. But of course, nothing can go totally well. Background: Yes, I know the guy who gave the presentation is a graduate student, so he is held to a higher standard, and especially with entering a world so congested as the one of history invites scrutiny. But man, oh man did the professors go after this guy while simultaneously trying to show off how who had read more books. A caveat: The presenter is studying German history, which in the world of historical research, means you damn well better know German or you are an insult to existence. So he has studied the language to the extent that he can interpret official records and oral interviews in German, not to mention he was in Austria for a full semester where he was able, I'm assuming, to accumulate his information across the border. I'm not saying the guy has earned a free pass, but clearly he has put some serious work in. I doubt he did all this so he can fabricate numbers to put into his master's thesis and then go on to change the way we forever look at German history on a complete lie. But sure enough, I'm setting there and a professor asks, "How accurate are your sources?" I might have fainted, I can't remember.

We had a test in HIS 403, so nothing new.

No major MMA action either. The Strikeforce Challengers card told us that Luke Rockhold is probably ready for a step up, maybe onto one of the regular shows, and that Sarah Kaufman can run through someone as over matched as Takayo Hashi any day. Was there anything else interesting? Well, perplexing stuff about Tim Sylvia, who I would think should be glad to still have a career. He apparently turned down a fight with Josh Barnett in Japan. Now obviously Barnett has lost some luster after his 'roid shenanigans effectively killed an entire promotion, but declining that fight, in Japan, where there is no drug testing, against a very region-popular fighter like Barnett seems dumb. Hell, Sylvia is a big guy. Let me put on my stereotype goggles and tell you something: the Japanese love big guys. Sylvia could be the next big thing over there and fight Jose Canseco. Instead, the "Maine-iac" (how could you ever root for someone with that nickname?) is looking at a rematch with Wes Sims. Wes Sims! The guy that just got plowed under by Bobby Lashley while looking like he should be on life support. For God's sake, the fight was already scrapped in Ohio because the athletic commission ruled it uncompetitive. How often do you hear that!? Thankfully there is a megaton of MMA coming up in March, so we can put goofus on the backburner.

Hopefully I can do better next week.