UVa Presidential Coup

Via Jeremy, here is an excellent article on the debacle last summer involving the removal and reinstatement of the University of Virginia's President.  The explanation for the inexplicable actions of the Board of Visitors comes down to the usual one:  incompetent or evil?  This article suggests incompetence was the problem.

Online University Courses

A little over a month ago, there was a bit of a brouhaha on Jeremy's blog about the new Science Dean's blog post regarding online delivery of university course content.  This morning, CBC had an hour-long program on the topic that was quite informative and thought-provoking.  I recommend listening to it.

U of A In the News

Congratulations to Biochemistry's Joel Weiner and his student Matthew Solomonson for their PNAS paper on pyranopterin cofactors in molybdenum-containing proteins.

Movie Friday: Cloud Atlas

Not a lot to talk about this week, despite the start of classes.  So, let's turn to an upcoming film that I am very excited about, Cloud Atlas:

This movie, which premiers at TIFF, is based on the acclaimed book by David Mitchell, which I am currently reading.  It's interesting to note that he considered it unfilmable when he finished it, but he, too, is very excited about this adaptation.

Finally, I am interested to see what the Wachowskis can come up with.  Their output has been sporadic since V for Vendetta, consisting mainly of the inexplicable Speed Racer.  But based on the trailer, I think this has a lot of potential.

Movie Friday: The Dark Knight Rises

After 7 weeks, The Dark Knight Rises is still in the box office top five, a fairly impressive run.  Furthermore, Rotten Tomatoes says it has a 92% favorability rating among the audience (87% with critics).  I saw it during the first weekend, and I was underwhelmed.  Perhaps I was expecting too much, after the first two films, which were excellent.  Also, I have high regard for Tom Hardy, who played the main antagonist, Bane.  But Bane was something of a mixed bag (see below).

Part of the problem is a plot with some serious holes in it.  Having all of NYC's cops march into the sewers was a highly improbable scenario.  Also, a rather severe twist near the end seemed a bit gratuitous.  Finally, the need to rework Bane's voice to make it more understandable left him sounding (according to my son) like a cross between an English butler Darth Vader and the Monopoly Guy.  Listen for yourself:

Colloquy Breaks Its Long Silence

...with two canned posts from the Acting Provost regarding new administrative appointments.  Exciting!

More with Less?

The U of A's website tells us that a record number of students will be here this fall.  This coincides with a net decrease in the University's operating budget.  I wonder how students are going to rate their educational experience in the periodic surveys by Maclean's and others.  I can only assume that we will see more and more massive lecture sections, especially in core faculties such as Science and Arts, which should serve to reinforce the overall "factory feedlot" vibe that we give so many of our entering students.  Well done.

What's Wrong With Toronto

...that they would find this guy acceptable as their mayor: