Daisy Chain
On March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin. A Massachusetts native and would-be lawyer living in Georgia, Whitney was struggling to pay off debts accrued while studying at Yale when he came upon the idea of making some money off the Patent Act of 1793. His invention revolutionized cotton production (and institutionalized slave labor), but his demand that farmers turn over two-fifths of their profit for the use of a gin led to widespread circumvention of the patent. Mired in lawsuits, Whitney failed to draw substantial royalties from the gin for another ten years.
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Our beloved nation
While we were in Sri Lanka last semester, we always half-joked that if Bush were to declare war on Iraq, we would instantly and miraculously become Canadians to distance ourselves from our ‘beloved’ nation. We had little to fear, though, for while most Sri Lankans disliked Bush and the current administration, they loved Americans, even Bill “he-was-a-good-guy” and Hillary “she-will-be-the-next-president, no?” Clinton. I was continually shocked to find Sri Lankan people, in my experience the majority, who not only did not think America was a monster, but actually liked Americans far more than many Grinnellians do. As war looms ever closer, I offer three stories and wonder what I can learn from the love of America that as a liberal I want to find strange.
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Creating an image of success
When I was four years old my grandma decided it was about time that my brother, sister, and I learned how to play bridge. Our grasp of the game was very limited at the time and mostly involved playing only those cards that we deemed the least aesthetically pleasing; the others we wanted to keep. This, of course, aggravated my grandmother who was quite certain that without the grasp of such a simple game as bridge we would never fall into successful company.
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An American in France
Each night I sit down to dinner with my host mom; we eat late as is normal for French families. Each night she starts conversation by saying, “Bush did not declare war today!”
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Coping with the lack of stress
Congratulations! You’ve made it through Spring Breakdown and moved on to Spring Break. For two whole weeks you can stop worrying about classes and homework and papers. For days on end you can sleep late and watch TV and use your date book as a coaster for a tall cold glass of lemonade.
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random rants
Students speak out about what’s on their minds in 142 words, and you’re invited! If you have a random rant, email it to me at < ahref="http://www.grinnell.edu/cgi-bin/gfeed.dll?alward@grinnell.edu">alward@grinnell.edu. After all, complaining in a public forum is always more fun than doing it alone.
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