There's a "flaw in the ointment"

I saw McNeil at the college today—we had both given final exams—and, all of a sudden, he stuck his camcorder in my face and commenced shooting me. So I whipped out my Nikon D70 and shot 'im back. As you can see, he's got some weird-assed gizmo connected to his right ear, too. Or maybe it's stuck in his neck. Don't know what that's about. 

Mark's a dismal scientist, you know.

I had occasion to drop by EOPS today, and a lady there told me she wanted me to see something "cool." "OK," I said, and I followed her outside to a wall creating an open patio area in front of the PE building. "Look at this tree growing in between the wall," she said. I didn't understand her at first, but eventually I got the picture: there's a tree (or branch) growing out from the middle of the top of this wall, I kid you not. Now, as you know, all brick at IVC is fake, and so, obviously, this shoot from a nearby tree  somehow grew up through the hollow space of this bullshit fake brick IVC wall. Still, it's pretty cool.

It's very Irvine Valley College.

Sorry about the underexposure. To borrow a phrase coined by a friend of mine, the picture is as "dark as a bat."

Well, as it turns out—to use a phrase coined by a friend of mine—there's a "flaw in the ointment" with regard to one of the new sculptures that were recently installed around campus. One of these things—I think it's called the Tower and it looks like a pile of Mission oak boxes—is collecting rainwater. Check it out.

I don't know if that's good or bad. Maybe the birds will bathe in these little pools, dunno. Maybe the dang thing will rust right through and we'll have to pay to fix it!

Just sayin'.

The Tower of Rustwater

The district prevails re Burnett's imposition of prayer onto tomorrow's commencement

     Attorneys for plaintiffs in “Westphal v. Wagner” just received the the Order from the district court.  Judge Klausner has denied plaintiffs’ motion to enforce the settlement agreement because he found that the evidence shows that the event planners did make the invocation decision in compliance with the settlement agreement.
     It now appears that plaintiffs' and defendants' narratives regarding how the "invocation" decision was reached (at Saddleback College) differ substantially. Defendants' account is more complex and includes elements that made it possible for Klausner to rule as he did.
     When I get more information, I'll provide it.

UPDATE: I have examined a letter from defendants' attorney to plaintiffs' attorney of May 11. It (perhaps accurately) describes the facts and the reason for Klausner's ruling. Here are some excerpts:

. . .

(Click on graphics to make them larger)

     It appears that events in the process produced a degree of confusion regarding the facts leading up to Burnett's decision to include a prayer at commencement.

     Leaving aside the question of whether Burnett's action violated the settlement agreement, one might notice that, in any event, President Burnett has evidently taken it upon himself to impose a prayer on Saddleback College's commencement ceremony (tomorrow). (See especially point b above.)

     I do wonder how the Saddleback College community feels about that.