Sunday, October 23, 2005

"I've got more faith in Hitler than anyone else [including God]. He's the only one who's kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people." - Elie Wiesel, Night

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Someone on what the Virginia Atheists and Agnostics at the University of Virginia do: We have weekly meetings and past topics have included Intelligent Design (Flying Spaghetti Monsterism!) and the like. The committee has also organised several other talks given by notable speakers like this one priest who converted to atheism and wrote a book about it.

They also organise little community service projects and just random hanging out at this really funky hippie tea joint downtown from the university.


Unfortunately, I doubt FCINUS (Freethinkers' Community In NUS) would get much response for these activities.

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The bazaar on the 17th of October had no stall selling flip flops. OMG (a source informed me the guy left). My world was overturned. And I need to revise the list of 7 things (almost) all NUS bazaars have - this year most seem to have food.

Visiting NUS's new University Hall, I understand why school fees are going up. There's a Koi Pond, a carved wall monstrosity which is supposed to evoke Homer's Odyssey (it looks like a typical piece of modern art), sculpture, gardens and lots of glass and empty space. Very nice. Oh, and a gallery where there's a rack with gongs (though apparently that was a gift from another University for our centennial).

Semi-confirmed rumour has it that module anonymous feedback is not truly anonymous: the Professors know the identities of commenters, and can let the TAs know them at their discretion. For example, for one module some student wrote about the tutor: "You are very pretty" (or words to that effect), and the Professor told the TA who had said this. Why NUS would do this is beyond me, since it jeopardises the integrity and veracity of the feedback they get and delivers no benefit beyond letting the staff spite and get back at students who diss them, and assuage the Professors' curiosity about comments.

The clack of multiple pairs of flip flops as the feet they adorn descend stairs is singularly annoying.