 What’s the biggest threat to American security? |
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| Anyone who thinks the answer is A, B, or C | ||||
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| A T-shirt worn to the State Of The Union address | ||||
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| Human-animal hybrid studies to cure human disease | ||||
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| A Tom Toles cartoon in the Washington Post | ||||
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Author Archives: Bob
Hooray for the Purdue Pudus!
Thanks to reader Jeremy, a visionary beyond his years, who recently proposed in a Purdue student newspaper that the school’s unofficial* mascot should be changed from Pete the Macronogginous Large-Hammered Tiny-Hatted Slightly-Psychotic-Looking Boilermaker to, well, a pudu.
I think it’s about damn time.
As a matter of fact, if you listen closely, many pudus speak English
with a slight accent, often making their own name sound a bit more like
"Purdue."
And frankly, since pudus believe the university was named after these timid animalitos in the first place (contrary to this official creation story the college seems intent on sticking to), it only seems fair.
As Jeremy himself has put it so brilliantly:
[H]ow does Pete relate to chemical,
nuclear, biomedical and biological engineering? He announces to the
world that we are on the cutting edge of the Industrial Revolution…
nuclear, biomedical and biological engineering? He announces to the
world that we are on the cutting edge of the Industrial Revolution…
Further, the pudu would be a unique mascot. Too many college mascots
are disfigured men. But how many are pudus? I challenge the reader to
present even one!
If you think it’s time for Purdue to adopt the pudu
as a mascot, there’s even an online petition, open to students,
faculty, and concerned pudus (acting as friends of the university):
as a mascot, there’s even an online petition, open to students,
faculty, and concerned pudus (acting as friends of the university):
Click here to view the petition.
As one student put it, "I believe one should be able to explain to others what your school mascot is."
There’s also a Facebook group, "Purdue People for the Purdue Pudu." I
do hope the effort succeeds. Especially if they decide to use the
genus and species name, which would lead to the Purdue Pudu Pudus. (I
assume this will only be used as a formal greeting, as on black-tie
invitations sent to the mascot.)
So far, it’s still just a very small movement. But then, pudus are very small. This is as it should be.
There is power in numbers, however. (In the case of pudus, very large numbers.) All hail the Purdue Pudus!
*The "official" mascot, incidentally, seems to be a railway locomotive.
This is bulky to transport to the sidelines of Big Ten football games.
Thus the need for the large disturbing-looking man with a hammer, or a small endangered deer to take his place.
Not dead…
Thanks for asking, though.
Getting the book finished has been a pretty gigondous task for the last two weeks. And there are still a couple of smaller rounds left.
The good news is, there will be a book on the stands sometime this autumn which a) I hope a lot of people might really enjoy, and b) will thank a few people who have made my life a lot more interesting.
More later. Gonna catch up with the blog for real when I get just a few more things done.
Meanwhile, enjoy this tease of upcoming scenes in our next episode: I’m informed there is an effort (appropriately small, I assume) to rename the Purdue University mascot the "pudu," so people can cheer for the Purdue Pudus.
More on this soon. Definitely.
Many people say the first two are the same thing, actually
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Where does dishonest memoirist James Frey go now? |
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| His own show on Fox News | ||||
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| The White House press office | ||||
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| The next vacant seat on the Supreme Court | ||||
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| Bush’s liaison to FEMA or FISA, whichever | ||||
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The Republic is in danger! GAAAAAHHHH! But from what, pray tell? You decide. New poll at upper left.
Happy Australia Day!
National holiday, something of a Down Under equivalent to July 4th.
Funny thing… I’ve been back in L.A. for almost two weeks, but I’m still mentally in Sydney. I’m still reading the SMH and ABC, and at the moment I’ve got Nine‘s coverage of the ODI match between Oz and Sri Lanka on the TV while working.
I’m just not quite home yet.
The headlines are just brimming with juice, of course — Alito, DeLay,
Abramoff, lies over FISA, lies over Katrina, lies over Medicare D — so
I’ll get there eventually.
Still, during the break after Sri Lanka batted, there was a glimpse of a ceremony on the
field for a few hundred immigrants just receiving Australian
citizenship. I suspect those are probably a few hundred very happy
people.
Between leaving half my brain in Oz and book frenzy, don’t expect a ton here for a few more days.