The Archives Issue

April 15, 2004

The Heady Days of Grade Inflation

Those were the heady days of grade inflation, now long since past. Those were the days of rowdy shouting and whispered promise, vanished now like the morning mist.

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A Weekend to Remember

I didn’t plan on writing this article. When the weekend started, I was really annoyed that I had a ten-page paper hanging over my head, and I had to spend most of my time all the way down at West Windsor fields for the Ivy League Rugby Tournament.

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Platina Dishes

Our history books are mistaken. The first book Gutenberg printed with his moveable type was not, in fact, the Bible. Rather, it was a 28-page Latin primer on the art of writing and delivering speeches. The second book was a copy of his wife’s recipe collection, grouped according to the spices used in each dish.

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Googlisms

You can type in any search query, and according to the Googlism website, “find out what Google.com thinks of you, your friends or anything.”

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War Photography

After the publication of Walker Evans’ and James Agee’s “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,” no longer would the photographer be viewed as an objective and benevolent witness. Photographers choose what to include in a portrait as well as what to exclude, thus framing their discourse, arguments, and points of reference.

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Verbatim

More →

Overheard the day after a long night of drinking

I remember everything except the dildo.

Overheard outside Spelman

Boy: I have to decide, you know, whether or not I want to socially exclude someone.
Girl: Yeah I know, totally.

Overheard in TI

Non-Jewish Girl: Are you allowed to have sex with me during Passover?
Strapping Jewish Guy: As long as you aren’t covered in bread.
[Man. Editor’s note:  According to Halacha, this is not quite correct.
Consider the requirement for all Jewish males at the seder meal to be circumcised.  The blood of circumcision is like the lamb’s blood over the door, it symbolizes and defines the bonds uniting Jews together.  During the seder we remember our slavery as people amongst
co-religionists.  So it seems that being bread-free and Jewish would meet the requirements for this young co-ed to have sex with the strapping
Hebrewe.]

Overheard in Murray-Dodge

Dude 1: Do you watch “The OC”?
Dude 2: Dude, I’m from Orange County. I don’t need to watch the show- I live that shit.
Dude 1: So it’s really like that over there?
Dude 2: Yeah, except there’s more trannies.