| The Murmur of Crow: Lessons from Virginia Tech
I was trying desperately to avoid having to jump on to the broken wagon that is the Virginia Tech/Cho Seung-Hui (pronounced Joh Sung-Hee) story. Alas, I've failed. I would have been content to let the mass media and my fellow 411 Politics writers deal with the tragedy, but the more I sit and look, the more I realize that there isn't a whole lot being done with this story short of exploitation. The actual massacre seemed to be the top story for no more than a few hours before it became about the teacher who died in the doorway or the resident advisor whom everyone loved or the PhD candidate who already had like three master's degrees and a bachelor's in four fields We couldn't even focus on the actual event for more than one day before featuring hour long programs dedicated to the victims, individually.
Reader Reaction Forum
ALL-AMERICAN: What is it about our culture and society that causes us to suffer these endlessly repeated cases of mass murder by gun? I read the news about it in a hotel in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Perhaps this helped to highlight these events as uniquely American: Seldom do we hear of a Canadian, a German, a Japanese pulling out a gun and randomly exterminating their fellows. We have been told, over and over, that our "right to bear arms" is inviolate, that it supersedes virtually all other considerations. It is a small leap (for a disturbed mind) to see that gun as the answer to all of one's personal problems. Kill them all. Although I understand that Canadian gun ownership closely mirrors our own, these guns are seldom used in this fashion. Something about our national attitude toward the gun as a conflict-resolution tool is vastly different.
Hand painted tilt-a-mouse does China proud
Seriously, we Americans could learn a thing or two from the Russians, Chinese, and Japanese, as they all know exactly how to ugly up a mouse better than anyone. As expected, the "hand painted" Daruma tilt-a-mouse proves no different, as its vivid color scheme and less-than-ergonomic grip make for a critter that only a mother (or indebted manufacturer) could love to point with. Of course, you could make a case that the tilting interface that intelligently moves your cursor about the screen is worth a few marks, but considering the entirely more sexy innovations we've seen in mice of late, we're not sure this is going to lift off as anything but technochotchke. But hey, who are we to judge the beauty of your next spherical mouse? It's all yours for a steep ¥9,700 ($82).[Via Spluch] .
Interview with Alissa Czisny
A native of Bowling Green, Ohio, Alissa Czisny is a junior at Bowling Green State University where she majors in International studies, Russian, and French. She was awarded the "Outstanding Sophomore of the Year Award for International Studies in 2006 along with the "First Year Russian Student Award". This season, Czisny placed fourth at Skate Canada, ninth at Cup of Russia, and fifth at the Four Continents. She then competed at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships where she placed 15th overall. It was her first senior debut at this event. "I had a really wonderful time at my first World Championships!" said Czisny. "I was able to watch some of the events and tried to learn and experience as much as possible." The 19-year-old admitted that her short program wasn't very good, but she was satisfied with her performance in the long.
News in brief
BUENOS AIRES: Football legend Diego Maradona on Sunday marked his first day in a mental health unit where he is fighting alcoholism, his physician said. Maradona, 46, was hospitalised last week suffering from hepatitis-related pain, but entered a psychiatric clinic in Buenos Aires for extended rehab, said his personal physician, Alfredo Cahe. "Diego has become aware of the seriousness of his situation," Cahe told Uno radio earlier. "From now on, the main treatment will focus on his addiction to alcohol." Now, "Maradona's treatment (for alcohol abuse) should last the rest of his life," Cahe added. - AFP Hitzfeld: Your days are numbered BERLIN: Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld warned his players in a 90-minute meeting on Sunday that their days in Munich may be numbered if they keep playing as poorly as in their 2-0 defeat at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. I'm not going to put up with this anymore, Hitzfeld told reporters.
A peek into traditional Emirati way of life
The fifth edition of the Sharjah Cultural and Heritage Days, located at the Heritage Area in old Sharjah, brought alive traditional UAE customs for visitors and residents who were keen on learning more about the country's heritage and history. Held under the slogan, "Diving Deep into Culture", the 16-day event runs until April 26, and coincided with the celebration of the World Heritage Day on April 18. Organised by the Heritage Division of the Sharjah Information and Culture Department, in collaboration with the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, the Sharjah Heritage Days offers an insight into wedding rituals, colourful parades, Arabic poetic sessions and sea songs recited by young UAE nationals. .
Lots of venom but no hate
On Aug. 14, 2003, Erec Toso met up with a rattlesnake in his front yard as he walked back from an evening swim with his sons, Kyle and Sean. The encounter was not the one desert dwellers come to expect: a startled jump to the side and a pounding heart that calms after the strangers go their separate ways. No, this warm summer night was different. There was a bite, a venom-filled, serious bite. The moment would change his life. Now, 31/2 years later, Toso recounts the experience in the book "Zero at the Bone." .
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