Dandelions

If you have moles, call Dr. Avogadro. He's got their number.

May 10, 2013 at 1:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Dandelions

I've always liked the colloquial French name for dandelions - "pis-en-lit", which means "wet the bed" and is supposedly what eating too much of them would make you do. The other French name for them is "dent de lion" or "lion's teeth", which is where the English word comes from. Dandelion salad is quite good, but I guess you shouldn't have it too close to bedtime.

If I ever decided to be a terrorist of the non-lethal variety, a perfect act would be just to fly over a wealthy suburb and drop a plane load of dandelion seeds - of course, it would also serve as a stimulus plan for the chemical industry.

May 10, 2013 at 10:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

U.S. Attorney General Holder tells Brownback new gun law is unconstitutional

Of course, the Supreme Court (which is part of the Constitutional branches of government and tasked with interpreting the Constitution) has ruled that goods that, as a class, are part of normal interstate commerce can be regulated under the Commerce Clause, even for goods in that class that are produced, bought or sold solely within a state because that activity will affect the interstate commerce in those good. Now one might not agree with that interpretation, but only the Supreme Court decision matters, and until such day as that decision is overturned, the new state law is unconstitutional no matter how much whining you do about the federalist papers (which are not part of the Constitution).

The paranoid fear that modest gun control will lead to tyranny is just that - a paranoid fear. A quick trip to either Europe or Australia will tell you that. Actually, I have far more fear of heavily armed right-wing gangs than I do of the federal government.

May 2, 2013 at 1:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Sound Off: Roundabout lights

No, people who cannot figure out roundabouts are even dumber - and shouldn't be allowed to drive.

May 1, 2013 at 3:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Lawrence man faces federal prosecution for stolen handgun

No it doesn't. The only thing the Houston versus Chicago data shows is the need for national gun laws - not piecemeal state laws that are easily circumvented by driving (in the case of Chicago, a few miles to Indiana). London a city of 8 million people (about 3-4 times the size of either Houston or Chicago) has less than half the homicides as Houston. Given that London is on average colder than Houston just makes your ridiculous "theory" seem even more pathetic.

May 1, 2013 at 10:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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And London with a population of 8 million had 89 homicides in 2012, so using the logic of the writer, the best solution would be to have strict national gun control. That is probably the best take-home lesson here.

April 29, 2013 at 11:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU announces promotion, tenure for faculty

It does happen, but generally Universities who are trying to hire someone from another Institution are doing so because the person has an excellent, established track record and they actually want to to everything to get them to take the job. Generally, offering tenure is part of that recruitment package. However, the decision still has to officially be vetted by that University's Promotion and Tenure committee to ensure that the institution's standards are upheld. It has happened that people have been not offered tenure when being offered a job at another institution. Such hirings usually fail unless there is a large difference in the quality of the Universities. For example, when a person is recruited from a 4 year liberal arts college or teaching university to a "Reseach I" university, such as KU, they are not offered tenure, but are given a shortened time clock to earn it. Same is true for faculty recruited from industry.

April 21, 2013 at 12:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Roberts, Moran vote against expanded background checks in gun sales

Actually, the 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th amendments to the Constitution specifically state that a right to vote exists.

April 19, 2013 at 12:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Roberts, Moran vote against expanded background checks in gun sales

So the constitution guarantees that we should make it as easy as possible for criminals to get guns. Where is that?

April 19, 2013 at 12:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU ranks among top 40 public universities in federal research funding

The University cannot unilaterally change its overhead percentage. This is a negotiated number with federal agencies and is tied to how and how much the university spends on research infrastructure.

April 17, 2013 at 7:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )