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The art of grifting, scamming and swindling is the primary American product these days, as there is nothing left of real value to produce. As such, everything is a grift now.

Cryptocurrencies, Non-fungible tokens, the pure $250,000 tungsten cube you touch once a year in Illinois, are all obvious grifts, yet people invest all the same. For the goal is to get in soon enough that you can be the grifter for some other poor griftee.

This truth can now be extended to the academic world, as Texas new University of Austin promises to fight back against censorship on campuses. But, of course, the founding grifters need your donations to do it.

UATX brands itself as a fortress in the so-called war against the departure of free and open discussion that is happening on every other campus. This institution was created by a group of concerned administrators and professors that for some reason keep losing their jobs at all those other universities. However, if these people can start a new university on a whim, they are not being censored.

This project has the same ideology and all the academic rigor of a suburban mother yelling at a school board about critical race theory mixed with a Twitter user with a roman statue profile picture vomiting about protecting western civilization.

If you read any of the promotional material for this university you will find an abundance of what I would call American exceptionalism platitudes: a dedication to the the fearless pursuit of truth and whatever the wind of freedom means. Yet for all UATX websites promotions about freedom of speech, the University never actually says anything, no specifics about degrees, professors or tuition. Even the unique forbidden courses that promise information too provocative to be taught elsewhere are left tantalizingly vague.

Then you inevitably discover that UATX will not offer an undergraduate college until 2024, and the physical address listed is a real estate law firm operated out of a Texas townhouse. The firms sole Google review is positive, but that doesnt exactly make it an institution of higher learning.

At least Trump University had an actual campus, but hey, the UATXs donations page works fine.

Also if I can find photos of your founder with Jeffery Epistein, you do not have a foundation for an accredited academic institution.

I also find it curious that UATX calls out the skyrocketing cost of higher education in America, acknowledging a systemic problem but centering a cultural shift as the solution. Ive written about the phenomenon of conservative grifters co-opting real societal issues before, as there is genuine populist discomfort as college becomes more inaccessible. Of course this new con will not solve anything but give an empty shell for one side of the political divide to dump money into.

Related: Opinion: Conservative grifters exist because we allow them to

It does not even matter if UATX was set up to explicitly be a grift; the end effect will be the same for the university and any rubes that donated. Academic grifters will peddle reactionary responses to whatever they dislike in popular culture until it shuts down. Because who is going to attend a college that does not offer degrees?

I predict that if the University of Austin doesnt disappear with all the donation money by summer, Jordan Peterson will be teaching a course on skull sizes fall term.

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Hot Take: Everything is a grift now | Opinion | dailyemerald.com - Oregon Daily Emerald

Posted:November 14, 2021

Book Review

By Derryll White

Hurwitz, Gregg (2016). Orphan X.

Act so that you can tell the truth about how you act. Jordan Peterson

I have never read Gregg Hurwitz before. He has an interesting writing style, layering detail upon detail until even the unknown or unfamiliar takes shape for the reader. It works well, as it kept me engaged through the whole story.

Orphan X is a compelling read. Hurwitz has created an interesting character in Evan Smoak. He is self-contained and completely on his own. Ruthless and a killing machine, he also has a soul and strong sense of responsibility. He negotiates a grim and nasty world, helping those who have no option left to them.

Gregg Hurwitz does a great job, making the Nowhere Man a believable super hero. There is a believable juxtaposition this is what can be accomplished with the human form by intensive training and discipline, and this is what it costs. Sobering in the extreme.

I will look for another volume in this series, hoping that Evan Smoak is forced to deal with his own awakening of self.

****

Excerpts from the novel:

EXPOSURE We live in a celebrity culture now. Or a wannabe-celebrity culture. The name of the game is visibility. If you arent tweeted, liked, YouTubed, or Instagrammed, you dont exist.

MAN A guy can love a million women. But a man, a man loves one woman a million ways.

DEATH We keep death at a distance here, X. Hospitals and nursing homes tuck it away. Our food comes to us neatly packaged. Refrigerators preserve it. It used to be you wanted a chicken, you walked out back and snapped its neck.

WOMEN Respect for women is essential, Jock tells him. Womens rights and economic development within a country are highly correlated. Treating women properly is not just a moral position which it is or an American value which it is. Its a strategic imperative, and you will always, always lead by example in this regard.

Derryll Whiteonce wrote books but now chooses to read and write about them. When not reading he writes history for the web atwww.basininstitute.org.

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I will look for another volume in this series | Columbia Valley, Cranbrook, East Kootenay, Elk Valley, Kimberley - E-Know.ca

Bishops use electronic voting devices during the 2019 spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. When the bishops meet Nov. 15-18 in Baltimore, their agenda includes review of a draft on "eucharistic consistency" and elections for treasurer and several committee chairs. (CNS/Bob Roller)

As the nation's Catholic bishops begin their annual fall assembly in Baltimore on Nov. 15, much attention will focus on the debate over a document that was originally meant to address pro-choice Catholic politicians like President Joe Biden.

But during the four-day event the bishops will also vote to elect a new treasurer for their national conference, as well as five new chairmen of their standing committees. The bishops selected will have a year to learn their new duties before beginning three-year terms in November 2022. They likely will exercise leadership and influence in the conference for years to come.

The slate of prelates nominated includes a few well-known figures, but also several lower-profile prelates whose ideologies run the gamut from conservative to liberal.

Jesuit Fr. Tom Reese, a journalist who has covered bishops' meetings for decades, told NCR the outcome of these committee elections can be political, personality-driven or based on simple geography.

"Sometimes the election is ideological, where [the bishops] feel there's one guy who represents a particular point of view and the other one represents another point of view," he said. "Other times, the election is just really about personalities, who the bishops think is easier to work with."

"All these kinds of things can come into play," said Reese, former editor-in-chief of America magazine and a columnist for Religion News Service. "One of the toughest things is getting guys to run for the office sometimes."

Mercy Sr. Sharon Euart, executive director of the Resource Center for Religious Studies, said the committee chairmanships can have a significant impact on the conference, depending on the topic and circumstances.

"It depends on what the agenda is, the agenda of the bishops and the agenda of Rome," said Euart, a former associate general secretary to the U.S. bishops' conference.

If new documents are promulgated by Rome calling for action on the part of the conference or statements are proposed by a conference committee requiring approval by the full body of bishops, the respective committee chair and his committee could significantly impact the work of the conference, Euart said.

The bishops attending the Nov. 15-18 general assembly will be voting on candidates from all four regions of the United States, but none from areas where archbishops have traditionally been elevated to cardinals, noted Massimo Faggioli, a church historian and professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University.

My impression continues to be that the most important prelates in the United States have more or less given up on the USCCB.

Massimo Faggioli

"There's no Philadelphia, there's no New York, there's no Boston," said Faggioli, who told NCR that he believes the influential "Vatican II bishops" who support Pope Francis and his vision for the church appear to not be investing too much time and energy into the bishops conference.

"My impression continues to be that the most important prelates in the United States have more or less given up on the USCCB," said Faggioli, who suggested that the bishops' conference today is "in the hands" of prelates who are "out of sync" with Francis.

"The bishops and cardinals who are in sync with his pontificate, they are playing largely outside the USCCB. That seems to me to be the fundamental dynamic of these last few years," Faggioli said.

Among the nominees for election in Baltimore are five bishops who appear to be among "rising stars" of the national conference. Some are known for prioritizing similar issues as Francis, such as immigration, economic injustice, climate change and reaching out to those on the margins. Others have not been always known for emphasizing issues favored by the pope.

Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle, WashingtonNominee for treasurer-elect, U.S. bishops' conference

Etienne, 62, has been the archbishop of Seattle since September 2019. The Indiana native, who was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 1992, has previously served as the archbishop of Anchorage, Alaska, and as bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne is a nominee for treasurer-elect. (CNS/Paul Haring)

Etienne, a former parish priest, vocations director and seminary vice-rector, struck a Francis-like note in 2019 when he announced that he would not live in the archbishop's mansion. "I prefer to live a more simplified life," he said at the time.

In June, Etienne said he would vote against the proposed document on "eucharistic consistency" that more conservative prelates hope will include norms to deny the Eucharist to pro-choice politicians. Etienne said the document had become too politicized.

"Jesus came into the world to save, not to condemn," said Etienne, who added that the document was "enmeshed in a way that makes it very difficult for us to keep the Eucharist as it's, I think, intended by the Lord himself."

The other nominee for treasurer-elect is Metuchen, New Jersey Bishop James Checchio, a former rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis, MissouriNominee for chairman-elect, U.S. bishops' Committee on Divine Worship

Rozanski, 63, a Baltimore native, was named an auxiliary for his home archdiocese by Pope John Paul II in 2004. Since Francis became pope in 2013, Rozanski's profile has risen. In 2014, Rozanaksi was appointed as the bishop in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he served for six years before Francis chose him in 2020 to lead St. Louis, an archdiocese often called the "Rome of the West."

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis is a nominee for chairman-elect of the Committee on Divine Worship. (CNS photo/Screen Grab)

Rozanski has been a parish priest and is a previous chairman of the conference's Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. As a young auxiliary bishop in Baltimore, Rozanski was vicar for Hispanic Ministry and supported Maryland's DREAM ACT to allow some migrants living in the country illegally to receive in-state college tuition.

After becoming bishop in Springfield, Rozanski told The Catholic Review that it was important for the church to "look outward." Last year, he told NCR that there has to be "more dialogue, more understanding."

"There's a demonization of the other automatically. If a person holds a different opinion, if a person holds a different set of values, the reaction seems to be to demonize. And if that is the fabric of our society, then something is terribly, terribly wrong," Rozanski said in 2020, adding that the church has to be "the one who generates light" amid heated rhetoric.

Rozanski has embraced Francis' vision of a more synodal church. He was one of 67 church leaders who signed a letter in advance of the conference's general assembly in June to urge that the prelates not vote on the "eucharistic consistency document."

Bishop Steven Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. PeterNominee for chairman-elect, U.S. bishops' Committee on Divine Worship

In 2015, Lopes, now 46, became the first bishop of the church structure in North America that Pope Benedict XVI created for Catholics who had left the Anglican Communion. Lopes was previously an official in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and a personal aide to Cardinal William Levada, the former head of that office and a former Archbishop of San Francisco.

Bishop Steven Lopes of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is a nominee for chairman-elect of the Committee on Divine Worship. (CNS screen grab/YouTube, EWTN)

Lopes, whom Levada ordained a priest in 2001, also served as secretary for the Vatican commission that developed a new missal that blends Roman and Anglican liturgical elements for the new ordinariates.

More recently, Lopes was a member of the working group that Archbishop Jos Gomez, the conference president, formed after Biden's election in November 2020 to consider the implications of a pro-choice Catholic being elected president. That group recommended the document on "eucharistic consistency."

Lopes is one of eight bishops on the U.S. bishops' doctrine committee, which was charged with writing the draft of that document. At the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in September, Lopes delivered a speech in which he said that "unity requires truth," or else it will fail.

Reese, the journalist, called Lopes' nomination for the liturgical committee "bizarre" in that he leads a unique church structure with a liturgy that is quite distinct from the Latin Rite.

"It's not quite the same as electing an Eastern rite bishop to that job, but it's a head-scratcher," Reese said.

Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los AngelesNominee for chairman-elect, U.S. bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth

Barron, 61, is arguably the best-known auxiliary bishop in the United States. When Francis appointed him as one of the Los Angeles Archdiocese's five auxiliaries in 2015, Barron was already a Catholic "celebrity" as the founder of Word on Fire, a multimedia organization.

Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron is a nominee for chairman-elect of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

Barron, the former rector of Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, hosted the Catholicism series, which ran on public television. He has published several books, columns and essays about spiritual matters and current events in secular and Catholic publications. He has provided commentary on secular cable news networks.

On the Internet and social media, Barron the current chairman of the conference's Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis is an active figure, producing YouTube videos and hosting Reddit "ask me" sessions where he comments on the intersections of Catholic matters, popular culture, atheism, faith and politics.

Over the years, Catholics on the left and the right have criticized Barron: the right for what they see as him watering down difficult truths, such as the possibility of being sent to hell for sin; the left for what they see as Barron dismissing social justice as "wokeness" and cozying up to right-wing figures like Jordan Peterson and Sohrab Ahmari.

Barron counters that he will engage anyone willing to dialogue.

Barron's popularity could be enough for his brother bishops to vote for him over the lesser-known Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas, though historically the higher-ranking prelate is chosen.

"We're a hierarchical organization, and there's a deference to people with bigger titles," Reese said. The Jesuit added though that is "not always the case" and noted that Barron has name recognition and other bishops see him as someone who can communicate effectively with young people.

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, TexasNominee for chairman-elect, U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration

As the bishop of a city that borders, CiudadJurez, Mexico, Seitz has been a leading voice for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, is a nominee for chairman-elect of the Committee on Migration. (CNS/David Agren)

In June 2017, he wrote a pastoral letter on immigration that said elected leaders had "not yet mustered the moral courage" to enact comprehensive immigration. In July 2019, he and others escorted seven Central American asylum seekers to the Santa Fe international bridge in Ciudad Jurez to assist them in claiming asylum.

Seitz, 67, has also spoken out against racism and white supremacy. He wrote a pastoral letter on the topic in the aftermath of an August 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, where a gunman who espoused anti-Hispanic and anti-immigrant views killed 23 people and wounded dozens of others.

"If we are honest, racism is really about advancing, shoring up, and failing to oppose a system of white privilege and advantage based on skin color," wrote Seitz, who in 2020 took a knee while holding a Black Lives Matter sign during a rally in El Paso.

More recently, Seitz has called on the Biden administration to do away with the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols that require migrants and asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their immigration and asylum cases are pending in the United States. Seitz is currently a member of the conference's Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America.

On political matters and controversies related to abortion, Seitz wrote in America magazine last year that some Catholics "in pursuit of 'single-issue' strategies to end abortion" had "scandalously turned a blind eye to real breakdowns in solidarity and dehumanizing policies" such as crackdowns on worker rights and voting rights, racism, and the exploitation of migrants and the environment.

The other nominee for the Committee on Migration is Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski.

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These 5 US bishops may be in the spotlight for years to come - National Catholic Reporter

Patrick Carr, Standard-Examiner

Northern Utah prep volleyball teams had pretty solid postseasons. Bountiful won the 5A state crown, Morgan was the 3A runner-up and Syracuse took third place in 6A.

Region 1 and Region 5 teams found success as a whole, but also in their own ways.

In 5A, the state-champ Redhawks carried the banner to finish the season 27-3. The region also had a fourth-place finish from Woods Cross and nearly had two more teams, Northridge and Box Elder, place in the top eight.

Region 1s success was seen in the main bracket with Syracusebut also in the one-loss brackets and consolation championships.

No. 6 Fremont finished in seventh place, beating Riverton in the one-loss bracket before losing in four sets to Skyridge in the fifth-place game.

The sixth-place championship game saw No. 17 Weber face No. 18 Farmington, the former of which beat the latter in five close sets.

The Warriors won six of their final seven matches in 2021.

In the playoffs, they swept No. 16 American Fork on the road to get to Utah Valley University and took No. 1 Copper Hills to four sets before getting bumped to the one-loss bracket.

Then, Weber beat No. 8 West Jordan, No 12 Corner Canyon and finally Farmington in what can be called outperforming the No. 17 seed.

In those final seven matches, outside hitter Sadie Dodson had 101 kills to finish the year with exactly 400. Against Farmington, setter Makena Barrows tallied 60 assists, which ranks fifth all-time in Utahs single-game assists category in the state record book.

At the same time, Farmington also had a great finish to the season, going 6-4 in the final 10 matches after starting the year 4-11.

The Phoenix beat No. 15 Roy on the road in the first round of the playoffs, lost to No. 2 Syracuse, then beat No. 7 Hunter and No. 11 Clearfield in the one-loss bracket.

The Phoenix finished eighth in the tournament, also outperforming its No. 18 seed.

Several area volleyball players and teams finished in the top 10 for the whole state in certain statistical categories, according to MaxPreps.

Heres a way-too-early look at the 2022 season, assuming every school returns all their juniors, sophomores and freshmen from this season.

Ogdens volleyball team was barely off the court after losing in the one-loss bracket at last months 3A state tournament when coach Brad Hulse told the team that offseason prep started right then.

Lots of coaches say that same thing. Not many say it to a team whose roster consisted of three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen.

The Tigers could return their whole team in 2022, including outside hitter Bockwoldt, setter Megan Aardema, whose 766 assists ranked third in 3A, and libero Olivia Blackford, whose 403 digs were fourth in 3A.

They could be much better than 16-14 next season, but Ogden still has to contend in Region 13 with Morgan. The Trojans should return setter Peterson and middle blocker Jaffa (378 kills, .284 hitting percentage, 110 blocks).

Morgan graduates some pretty impactful players, but the Trojans are consistently a 20-win team each year no matter what. Since 3A champ Union graduated some key players, the door might be open again for MHS.

Bountiful won the 5A state championship, won all 12 sets it played in the tournament and the Redhawks roster had players who should return.

Leading hitter Jordyn Harvey (375 kills, .267 hitting percentage) was a junior, No. 3 hitter Taylor Harvey (208 kills, .363 hitting) was a freshman and setter Chism (912 assists) was a junior.

Bountiful wont totally run it back in 2022, but the Redhawks are probably the team to beat in Region 5 and probably the team, or at least one of the teams, to beat in 5A.

In Region 5, its probably favored for Bountiful because Northridges top five hitters this year were four juniors and a sophomore, so the Knights could improve from their 20-11 season, and because Woods Cross, the regions second-place team, has shown it can reload year after year.

In 6A, Region 1 champ Syracuse graduates four-year setter Garcia and four-year outside hitter Andie Thomas.

Three-year starting libero Kambree Rodriguez should return along with the Nos. 2-4 hitters, so the Titans could be favorites to repeat as region champs, but could also struggle early with a new starting setter.

Most Region 1 teams should have anywhere from two to five of their best players returning in 2022.

Fremonts the exception, since the Silverwolves lose Oregon-committed setter Ayva Cebollero and reclassified star senior hitter Mendelson, and FHS will start 2022 with a different head coach than it did in 2021.

Theoretically, the region could be pretty competitive across the board in 22.

In Region 2, Roy High finished in second place with a 10-2 record, coming just short of its first region volleyball title since 1982.

The Royals were 14-9 overall, winning more games in 2021 than they did the previous 10 seasons combined, according to MaxPreps.

They may have been senior-heavy, save for junior hitter Sierra Jones, but the Royals could have a lot of excitement and energy this offseason for the first time in a long time.

In 2A, St. Joseph went 24-7 this year and won Region 17.

The Jayhawks could have most of their team returning again in 22, as three of the top four hitters were underclassmen along with both setters, the libero and the three players who combined for 266 service aces in 21.

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3 thoughts on the prep volleyball season: Northern success, stat leaders and a too-early look at 2022 - Standard-Examiner

This weeks edition of Skyler on Sports is all about basketball. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors surpassed Ray Allens career mark in 3-pointers to officially end the debate of who is the greatest shooter of all time. Meanwhile, the mens and womens basketball teams at USC both opened their seasons hotter than ever, with both teams registering 40-point blowouts.

Steph Curry proves hes the greatest shooter in NBA history

Even if we all already knew, point guard Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA history. He became the NBAs all-time leader in 3-point shots by making the 3,359th 3-pointer of his career Friday. Curry did it at 33 years old, five years earlier than when Allen drained the final 3-pointer of his career at 38 years old.

Curry also hit one of the most iconic shots in NBA history during this game. He saw a fan pointing at him, and he was so confident his shot would go in that he made time to turn around and point back at the fan, essentially saying, this ones for you, all before his shot swished through the net.

NBA circles are already calling the picture of Curry pointing at a fan one of the most iconic in NBA history. The greatest shooter of all-time shot 9 of 17 from downtown on the night.

Curry is in a league of his own when it comes to 3-point shooting, as he single-handedly revolutionized the game for better or worse in the opinion of some to include 3-point shots as a regular part of a players repertoire. For context, Curry has 36 games with at least 9 3-pointers while the next five closest players have combined for 34 total.

This list includes other NBA stars such as guards James Harden, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson. Some other honorable mentions for the greatest-shooter title are Allen and shooting guard Reggie Miller who both made their marks on the league with their long-range shooting. But when you consider the level of greatness on this list and that Curry surpassed them all when it comes to hot 3-point shooting streaks, its clear that Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA history.

Mens basketball proves they can go even further this year

USC began its season hotter than the Southern California sun, as they put an absolute beatdown on California State University, Northridge in a 40-point blowout victory Nov. 9. at the Galen Center.

The Trojans are coming off an Elite Eight appearance last year in the and look to improve on that this year. There is a giant Evan Mobley-sized hole in the roster, but other scoring options are showing up. Guard Boogie Ellis showed off his scoring prowess, forward Isaiah Mobley beat most of his season averages from last year while showing off improvement in his scoring from all over the floor, and guard Drew Peterson looks like a potential X-factor with a smooth mid-range jumper that led to 14 points on opening night. The Trojans seem to have retained and maybe even built upon their stellar chemistry from last year.

USC also held CSUN to just 32.8% shooting and outrebounded them 40-25 with a promising frontcourt of Mobley and forward Chevez Goodwin. If USC can keep this defensive solidity up and the three-headed monster of Ellis, Mobley and Peterson continues to perform throughout the season, then theres no reason to doubt that this team can go further than last years and maybe all the way. USC has always been a football school, but after the success of last year and the promise of this year, it looks as though the mens basketball team could be the most exciting mens team on campus.

Womens basketball shows its dominance under new Head Coach

When Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb came over to USC from her role as an assistant coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, one of only 15 women to hold such a position in NBA history, it became clear that womens basketball was about to reach a new level of competitiveness. However, Im not sure anyone could have predicted that they would reach the level of giving out a 40-point beatdown in their season debut against Hawaii. They also got a gritty road win over the weekend against Virginia.

Graduate student forward Jordan Sanders led the way with 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting. She also couldnt miss from 3-point range, as she went 3 of 3 from deep. Freshman guard/forward Rayah Marshall went 5 of 10 from the field in her debut for the Trojans while scoring 15 points. After beating Virginia on Sunday behind 13 from Sanders and 16 from Marshall on 8-of-14 shooting, it seems clear that the team has greatly improved from last year.

The main reason for this newfound success is that they have Gottlieb at the helm to create a winning culture for a team filled with talent. Once junior forward Alissa Pili finds her groove, this team should be nearly unstoppable and ready to compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament, where theyll have a chance to prove themselves amongst the highest level of competition.

Womens basketballs success only further enhances the notion that USC may be a basketball school this year, and theres a lot of excitement around both programs at the moment.

Skyler Trepel is a graduate student providing updates on the general sports happenings with an emphasis on professional and collegiate football and basketball. His column Skyler on Sports, runs every other Tuesday.

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Skyler on Sports: Curry, USC basketball teams thrive early in their seasons - Daily Trojan Online