Cliopatria Front: Rumors have reached Atlanta that a small gaggle of Cliopatricians gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Thursday. Manan Ahmed, Rebecca Goetz, KC Johnson, and allied dignitaries are also said to have had entirely too much fun. Any doctrinal recommendations made at that conclave are, of course, subject to review by higher – er, I mean more sober -- authorities. And, btw, don't forget to send Rebecca your nominations for History Carnival #19.

Museum Front: Roberta Smith,"Renaissance Radiance, Gilded in Gothic," New York Times, 28 October, reviews the opening of a remarkable exhibit of Fra Angelico's work at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Blake Gopnik,"Out of Turkey: Sultans of Bling," Washington Post, 30 October, reviews a spectacular exhibit of the robes worn by the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire four and five centuries ago at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery of Asia Art.

Plagiarism Front: So, you're Thomas Matrka. You've done a Master's degree in electrical engineering at Ohio University and been admitted to doctoral study there. But you're thinking about going elsewhere because you've found massive plagiarism in theses and dissertations accepted by the school of engineering over the last 15 years: verbatim text in copied quotations, paragraphs, pages, chapters, consecutive chapters, and identical bibliographies. One person didn't even bother to correct a typo in a purloined passage. The local press covers the story here and here. I purloined it from Hiram Hover.

Scooter Front: There will be barrels of ink spilled and considerable bandwith taken up by the Plame investigation before it's over, but I've seen three pieces that are worth reading: 1) Michael Kinsley's"Throw Another Plot on to Boil," Washington Post, 28 October; 2) Joe Strupp,"Carl Bernstein Finds Plame Parallels to Watergate,"* Editor & Publisher, 27 October, in which Bernstein says"We are obviously watching ... the implosion of a presidency ..."; and 3) the astute observations of one of Andrew Sullivan's readers. I hope that you had an opportunity to watch Patrick Fitzgerald's press conference yesterday. This is a very smart, tough lawyer, whose values are well placed and who gives us confidence that the system can work.
*Update: By contrast, Bernstein's Watergate partner, Bob Woodward, has become an administration lapdog.

Rebecca Anne Goetz - 10/30/2005

Somebody employ a special prosecutor!

BTW, I don't recall *anything*

:)

Robert KC Johnson - 10/29/2005

This is a very suspicious sounding thread. One is left to wonder what troubling events occurred in Cambridge.

Rebecca Anne Goetz - 10/29/2005

Yes, out smoking...smoking in bars and restaurants is illegal in Massachusetts so those who wish to indulge themselves must go outside to smoke. :)

I don't think I could win in Manan did challenge me to a drinking duel. I can only drink a pint or two at a time these days. :)

Manan Ahmed - 10/29/2005

I will tolerate any insult but one that impugns my drinking prowess. But, before I challenge Ms. Goetz to a duel, I think she meant, "I was out smoking".

My halloween costume remains up in the air.

Ralph E. Luker - 10/29/2005

Am I to understand Rebecca as saying that Manan "passed out" while in Cambridge? Surely I have misread her.

Rebecca Anne Goetz - 10/29/2005

Actually, Manan, while you were out I passed another bylaw, which indicated that Manan will always pick up the tab, since he has a real job while the rest of us slobs just putter in academia. Hehe.

I'm dressing up as a boy for Halloween (Harry Potter actually--really easy to do--lipstick lighning scare and some masking tape on the ol' glasses). Does that count as a patriarchal costume??

Jonathan Dresner - 10/29/2005

I thought 14.4.4 forbad bulls in cathedrals....

Was there a ruling on the use of Patriarchal garb for Halloween?

Ralph E. Luker - 10/29/2005

What is this sheet about the Cliopats' bartab being paid by seniority? You're liable to get an ex cathedra bull handed down over this!

Manan Ahmed - 10/29/2005

Only some minor bylaws [specifically 12.1.2 and 72.3.4] were discussed and amendments proposed. For the unintitated these bylaws involve payment of bar tabs and the sequence [according to seniority] in which Cliopats can raise a pint of cheers to the masthead.