William Eaton

Have we forgotten the purpose of the University?

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Chinny McGringo

some towers in the distant background, other buildings on the side, as we look down the mall and see students play and communicate. — Village design of University of Virginia by Tanner

I don’t know when the first University was established in the United States. That’s not because I’m too lazy to find out, it’s because different colleges claim the title. So, rather than nitpick over names and dates, I’ll tell a few stories from history that illustrate the worth of University, and how its meaning has changed.

When I started my degree at Aberystwyth, one of the lecturers made an observation, about our changing expectations. Continue reading “Have we forgotten the purpose of the University?”

Why we should care about the Desecration of the Yusuf Qaramanli tomb.

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Chinny McGringo

Editor’s Note: I wrote this shortly before the attack on the embassy in Libya. I did not have time to do a spell check right away, and considered not publishing it when the attack happened. Unfortunately, when I heard about the attack, I was not surprised. The controversial video on Youtube was not the cause of the attack, the West has long been known to write plays and other works that insult other religions. It did not light a fuse, it only shifted the direction of an already burning fire. As we can see, many of the tombs desecrated have stood the test of time, and their destruction marks a general attitude shift in that part of the world.

If you’ve even heard of Yosef Qaramanli in English, it might not have been nice things. Continue reading “Why we should care about the Desecration of the Yusuf Qaramanli tomb.”