Shots in the Dark

But not for long! I’ll be back from vacation in about a week. Be well.

A Crimson article suggests that Harvard’s donors aren’t worried or upset about the university endowment’s $11 billion decline last year.

“The donor community that I know, they believe in Harvard—they’ve been up, and they’ve been down,” said John A. Armstrong ’56, who has endowed a professorship in engineering and applied sciences. “I think it’s highly unlikely that their commitment to Harvard has been affected.”

This is the kind of reporting that I’ve noticed in the Crimson on quite a few occasions this past year—marked by a lack of skepticism and a faith in the powers-that-be.

For example:

A tough economic climate may also present particularly wealthy donors with opportunities for giving. Low interest rates during a recession make an investment vehicle known as a charitable annuity trust particularly attractive because it allows donors to pass on money to their heirs and the University at low tax rates, according to one prominent donor who asked to remain anonymous to preserve his relationship with the University.

I don’t want to be too hard on the Crimsonians who wrote this story, as they are learning their craft, but this is pretty weak. Why would this source want to remain anonymous when he’s actually encouraging donations to Harvard? More to the point, it’s easy enough to call up a wealth advisor and get a neutral party to comment on charitable trusts.

And I think there’s a similar lack of skepticism—or, perhaps, it’s a similar hint of cheerleading—throughout this piece. The university has lost billions, much of which it didn’t have to lose, and you can’t find anyone who thinks that subsequent fundraising will take a hit?

The university has officially (finally?) banned faculty-student sex.

Which will almost certainly lead to a surge in role-playing!

The new policy, announced to faculty in November and incorporated into the updated faculty handbook in January, is “an idea whose time has come,” says Deputy Provost Charles Long, who has advocated the ban since 1983.

Or, apparently, not.

They’re celebrating Good Friday by attacking the New York Times, saying the newspaper is on a crusade against the Church.

The NY Post reports,

The Vatican yesterday delivered an extraordinary, scathing blast at The New York Times for going into “attack mode” over Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church’s role in sex-abuse scandals.

Rome’s doctrinal chief said the Times “lacks fairness” and was “rushing to a guilty verdict” by alleging the then-future pope failed to defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys in Wisconsin more than 30 years ago.

And that was downright reasonable compared to the statements of some other Catholic higher-ups.

Meanwhile, an Italian priest and exorcist went even further in condemning the Times — saying its coverage was “prompted by the devil.”

“Because he is a marvelous pope and worthy successor to John Paul II, it is clear that the devil wants to grab hold of him,” said Father Gabriele Amorth, 85.

The devil? Hmm. Since the Times is owned by a Jewish family, I wonder if there’s an anti-Semitic tinge to this assault on the newspaper on behalf of an ex-Hitler Youth pope?

Which makes it all the more ironic that today a high-level Catholic priest compared newspaper reporting on Church cover-ups of pederasty to…um…the Holocaust.

[Pope] Benedict sat looking downward when the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, who holds the office of preacher of the papal household, delivered his remarks in the traditional prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica. Wearing the brown cassock of a Franciscan, Father Cantalamessa took note that Easter and Passover were falling during the same week this year, saying he was led to think of the Jews. “They know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms,” he said.

Good thing that’s not offensive—you know, in defense of an ex-Hitler Youth member and all.

It’s what you might call a love-hate relationship with the Jews! On the one hand, you blame them; on the other, you claim empathy with one of history’s greatest horrors.

Because, yes, it’s the priests who are the real victims here.

I will give the CC some free advice (free, ‘cuz I didn’t invent it): It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up, that brings you down.

Someone has to grab these senile old fools by the cassocks and shake some real-world sense into them.

____________________________________________________________________

Clearly not a reference to *all* Catholics, just the ones discussed above.

In Southern California, a female surfer decided to stand-up paddle for 40 miles to support a friend of hers sick with breast cancer and raise money for breast-cancer organizations.

What Nelson could not have known was that a 30-foot minke whale would swim alongside her 14-foot board and accompany the surfer as she stood and paddled for two of those nine hours….

There’s an Easter miracle for you.

(Photo from the website GrindTV.com)

After my post a couple days ago on the lessening loyalty of Blackberry users, the shares of Blackberry-maker RIM fell 7.5%.

Not that there’s a correlation or anything.

Yesterday, in my office, I was punked. I won’t go into details, but it was vicious and hurt me a lot personally and yes, revenge will be sweet. Don’t get too comfortable in that chair, KM.

With that in mind, here’s a roundup from the Guardian of the best April Fools’ jokes. Here’s a good one: Flying penguins!

No, not Jeffrey Epstein. (Don’t think he went to Harvard, anyway.)

Gawker has an amusing story about 65-year-old Harvard alum and mediocre filmmaker* James Toback hitting on a 24-year-old blonde outside a Barnes and Noble.

He told me that I was “irresistible” and that he would make sure that within 2 years I’d be the biggest name in Hollywood….

And the especially funny part is, he’d hit on the same woman four years before—and didn’t even remember.

The other hilarious part: He told her to meet him for a drink…at the Harvard Club.

Scary.

________________________________________________________________

* Have you ever seen “Harvard Man“? I have. I’d like those two hours of my life back, please.

And Walt Mossberg loves it:

I believe this beautiful new touch-screen device from Apple has the potential to change portable computing profoundly, and to challenge the primacy of the laptop. It could even help, eventually, to propel the finger-driven, multitouch user interface ahead of the mouse-driven interface that has prevailed for decades.

I think you can kiss the Kindle goodbye….

On the other hand, the Washington Post’s reviewer is more muted, and says the iPad is too heavy for prolonged e-book reading.