From New York City, this is AltSpec, in which we collect references to Alma Mater’s dubious deeds in the wider world.  This week, while we’re all burrowed deep in Butler, the outside world is busy pointing fingers.  A smörgåsbord of topics and lots of straight talk.

Jonathan Last’s column in The Weekly Standard has been floating around this week.  In short, eminent domain = ghost town.

As teens reject their parents, standard biology says fetuses ought to reject their mothers, but researchers clearly explain that there’s this mysterious “process” that prevents this.

From the “well, duh” department: homosexuality isn’t a choice.  A Columbia psychiatrist still thinks otherwise, however.

Prof. Olsen speaks: Young people are all insane!  That is, if you count “drinking” as a mental disorder.

A Master’s student at CU was in Mumbai during the attacks.