Many alumni of Cornell University have done great things in the world, of which we can all be proud. But if I were pressed to name one person who has done the most to contribute to Cornell's infamy, rather than her fame, I have to go with Ann Coulter, who once said of Muslims that "we should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity." Why do I bring this up now? Because Ms. Coulter is the subject of "Perfected," the latest music video from Barely Political. This time around, Leah Kauffman steps in front of the camera to sing about the woman who seems to be getting exponentially more extreme with every television appearance.
The second instance of prejudice hit sort of close to home. Thursday afternoon, I was on CNN.com and I saw the headline "Controversial Nobel winner resigns". I was curious, and upon clicking on the link, I was very suprised to find that the laureate in question was James D. Watson, co-discoverer of DNA; he was (officially) retiring from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (where my father has worked for over twenty-two years). Though I haven't yet spoken with Dad on the subject, it appears from what I've read that the move won't result in a big change for him at work.