Nabokov Theory on Polyommatus Blue Butterflies Is Vindicated - NYTimes.com

Expert testimony: Is it limited to those with degrees lined up behind their names? No.

When one hears "Vladimir Nabokov," it's generally visions of Lolita, not butterflies, that float into view. Yes, Nabokov was an exceptional novelist, but he was also a butterfly expert ... lepidopterist. Of course, in his time, he was accepted as "a dutiful but undistinguished researcher" by professionals and only found vindication of his theories after his death. It was DNA that would prove Nabokov's butterfly migration theories based on "differences in their genitalia."

So, a word of caution about throwing around "questionable authority" accusations: Check out the bona fides first.

Nabokov Theory on Polyommatus Blue Butterflies Is Vindicated - NYTimes.com

A Profile of This Year's Freshmen - Students - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Statistical insights about students. What sorts of conclusions might YOU draw from this information?

A Profile of This Year's Freshmen - Students - The Chronicle of Higher Education:

New Partners in the Plagiarism-Detection Business - Head Count - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Better pay attention to this, folks. Writing skills are essential to success.

New Partners in the Plagiarism-Detection Business - Head Count - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Biblio Bouts

Very cool way to do research for academic essays. Play the game to end up with a first-rate bibliography.

Biblio Bouts

Second time this season

We've lived in TN more than 5 years, but this is the first season we've had snow more than once, and we've never had enough to slow us down. This time we're definitely snowed in and enjoying every minute of it. Well, I am. Wayne is out shoveling the driveway, so maybe not so much for him.

The dogs have had a blast, especially Sunny whose Husky roots are in heaven in the cold. He was out on the back deck at 1 a.m. enjoying the snow. Winston is far less thrilled, but his magnificent Jack Russell heart does its best to keep up with his bigger pal.

The cedar sentinels run along one side of our property and have more than doubled in size since we moved.

History -- pick and choose at our peril

 The words we choose to embrace -- or reject -- as a society have a profound impact on not only on the way we view the world but on the choices we make because of those views. Yesterday in the House of Representatives the Constitution of the United States was read aloud. That's an admirable thing to do since so many have so little interaction with this pivotal document. However, there was debate about which version of the Constitution should be read. And there is ongoing debate about how to apply the Constitution to our society, which is vastly different from what it was 9/17/1787 ... the day that 42 of 55 delegates signed the document and created "a more perfect Union."

Should it be read in its original version? Should the original text be altered to reflect later amendments? There was a predictable, but somewhat surprising split, with Republicans preferring the edited version and Democrats preferring the original version with amendments. How do the versions differ? The edited version alters the original text based on the amendments that came later. For instance, in the original document (Art. 1, Sec. 2), representation and taxation were determined by "adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons." In other words, a slave would be counted as 3/5 of a whole person. In the edited version that would disappear because of the 14th Amendment. If only the amended version was read, a critical part of our national history, that demonstrates the validity of designing the Constitution as a document subject to amendment by the people, would be lost.

Representative Donna Edwards eloquently expressed the importance of full social memory: “Our Constitution is both a strong foundation and a living document that has changed as our times and understandings have changed. I am disappointed that we did not come together to read the Constitution in its entirety to embrace both the full vision of our founders and their fallibility as reflected in the original content and the amendments that have strengthened this great nation. As an African American woman, it is through these amendments and this history that my experience is captured in its entirety. It is imperative that we remember the purpose and interpretation enshrined to a government by the people, for the people.” (http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/2011/01/elijah_cummings_constitution.html)

This Year, Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Ones in Iraq and Afghanistan - ProPublica

Has anyone noticed?

"Civilian contractors have been an indispensable part of the U.S. war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they have returned home without the support available for troops in uniform.

Tens of thousands of civilians have worked in the two battle zones, delivering fuel, protecting diplomats and translating for troops, among other jobs."

This Year, Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Ones in Iraq and Afghanistan - ProPublica: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"