Regular readers may notice that I've replaced the Chicago skyline photo at the top of the page. It's an emerging tradition here at Windypundit that the banner photo is one of the few photos on the site that is not my original photography (mostly because I'm too lazy to trek to the lakefront). The previous photo was a stock photo licensed from Matt Dula, and the one before … [Read more...] about New Skyline Photo
Sallie Mae is a Nightmare
Woman of the Law has a really good rant about a customer service nightmare with Sallie Mae, her student load provider. I'm hoping the links in this post will improve her search engine score for the phrase "nightmare with Sallie Mae". Or maybe I should link to it with the more traditional "Sallie Mae sucks," or my personal favorite, "Fucking Sallie Mae!" In any case, I wish … [Read more...] about Sallie Mae is a Nightmare
Immigration Analogies
Over at the conservative blog Illinois Review, John Ruskin quotes with approval from an unnamed letter writer who has a few things to say about the recent protests against stronger immigration enforcement (elisions mine) : Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely. … [Read more...] about Immigration Analogies
Jury Duty: The End?
Last September, I wrote a long series of articles about my service on a jury hearing a case in which the defendant—whom I called "Jose"—was accused of assault and battery against a police officer. At the end of the 3-day trial, we found him guilty. After I wrote the first four articles about the case—Voir Dire, Testimony, Verdict, and Reflections—I had … [Read more...] about Jury Duty: The End?
Minnesota I-35w Bridge Collapse
These amazing photos of the I-35w Bridge Collapse in Minnesota were taken by Tim Davis. He has a civil engineering background, so his photos really show the enormous force it takes to bend and break something as strong as a road bridge. As Davis points out, this isn't some chaotic and unavoidable act of nature like an earthquake or a hurricane. This is engineering. The … [Read more...] about Minnesota I-35w Bridge Collapse