My digression has a digression--a change-of-heart re: "Gang Leader for a Day"

[Subbarao Kambhampati <rao@asu.edu>]

Paraphrasing the woman in Brazil (who says "my complications started having complications"), I feel compelled to make
a digression about a digression.

I mentioned the book "Gang Leader For a Day" in passing last class, and put it in a positive light. Well, I was half-way through at that time.
Over the weekend, I read the rest of the book and was quite disturbed by several things.

I then looked around on the internet for critical reviews, and found the following which summarizes some of my concerns.

http://tenured-radical.blogspot.com/2009/04/puff-magic-sociologist-review-of-sudhir.html

Anyways, just on the off chance that I may have convinced any of you to read the book, I want to take it back. You are 
welcome to read it of course, just don't blame me for it. 

This *does not* change the point about gamma=0; just the generally positive tone of my description of the book. 
Like Columbus, the author seems to take his own (re)discovery of known ideas a tad too seriously. 

I know you didn't sign-up for this course to be swayed by? my biases, but I am afraid you might nonetheless, if I am any good at this
teaching thing. So, I felt compelled to send this note.

We now return you to the regularly scheduled homework.

Rao