University rot 3

 (cont'd from yesterday's post)

You have to wonder, how in the world did it happen that America's elite universities went from honorable to dishonorable in a few years? Part of the answer is that it's taken decades, not just a few years, to make the transition.

"Merit" has been abandoned. 

Many may assume that students earn good grades by doing good work. That used to be the case. But other criteria may now qualify students to receive good grades, not work at a high level. Grade "inflation" means no poor grades are given, even when poor work is done.

Some probably still assume that university admissions are awarded because the applicant has earned the right to be admitted. That used to be the case. But now admissions are awarded on the basis of other factors such as ethnic group, "oppressed" status, race, money.

Harvard's admissions practices were ruled "unconstitutional" by the Supreme Court last summer. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) gave Harvard the worst score ever in its free speech rankings, a score of zero percent out of 100%.

from "How Were the Universities Lost?"

(cont'd tomorrow)

University rot 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

As this interviewer explains, we can disagree with atheist Peter Boghossian on some important things while we agree on other important things.  We stand together with him in the vital importance of truth and the vital importance of free speech (freedom to say what we believe is true).

As a professor, he loved teaching his students how to engage with people who think differently while remaining civil and respectful. After ten years on the faculty at Portland State University, Peter resigned his position because, in his words, his employer made it impossible to continue. According to his resignation letter: 

The university "transformed a bastion of free inquiry into a Social Justice factory whose only inputs were race, gender, and victimhood and whose only outputs were grievance and division. Students at Portland State are not being taught to think. Rather, they are being trained to mimic the moral certainty of ideologues."

(cont'd Thursday)

University rot 1

Harvard's reputation for excellence and "veritas" (truth) is based on the past. If its president - its president - can't tell the truth and steals other scholars' work to pass off as her own (with the Board's approval) . . we learn that truth can be sacrificed here anytime they so choose.

It certainly is not the only American university losing the respect of Americans. 

 

Harvard 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Twenty years ago, evolutionary biologist Carole Hooven got her PhD at Harvard University. She taught there, she was loved and respected there--and she got in trouble there. It's surreal, she says, that she became a "central example of what has gone wrong in higher education."

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What went wrong? On a tv interview she explained the biological definitions of male and female, claiming that scientists should not back away from using these terms "in response to pressure from ideologues." 

A graduate student speaking for a DEI committee called her comments transphobic and harmful. In the ensuing controversy, her friends dared not support her. Standing alone, she finally resigned a year ago.

Claudine Gay described Harvard as being "deeply committed to free expression." Carole says that she "severely distorted the truth."

from AEI where you can get the details in her own words

Harvard 1

Harvard University, located in Boston MA, has a long history which began well before the United States of America existed as a nation. With a reputation for being the premier university in the world, today it gives its graduates unmatched status and privilege.

"Veritas" is its motto, originally selected by the college board in 1643, a respected and worthy goal. It shows up in stone, in wood and metal, on doors and gates all over the campus. (Founded by Christians, the college chose a different motto to take its place for two hundred years: "In Christi Glorium," meaning in Latin, "For the Glory of Christ.")

"Veritas" is Latin for "truth." For a long time the goal of pursuing truth may have been its foundation, but things have been changing. Perhaps that old foundation doesn't inspire the faculty or the board anymore.

from The Harvard Gazette

(cont'd tomorrow)

Europe burns 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Overwhelming waves of immigrants/refugees have been crashing into Europe for years. 

In a report from 2015, five times the normal limit were daily coming over the borders between Slovenia (map) and Croatia. Slovenian interior secretary of state said, "If this continues we will have extreme problems. Slovenia is already in dire straits, an impossible situation."

European countries were still trying to handle the crisis in 2018, combining humanitarian aid with new border laws, all strategies provoking controversy and argument.

Illegal immigrants still flood into Germany, which expects more of them in 2024 than in any year since 2016. Citizens who object (called "far right") are gaining political success, to the point that the establishment government is paying attention. 

They hope to speed up deportation of failed asylum seekers, and to enlist the help of other countries (like Turkey or Nigeria) in restraining them from making the journey across the Mediterranean.

from BBC

Europe burns 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Another immigrant to Ireland (since 2013) added fuel to the fire when he killed a young teacher jogging after work. A "Slovakian national" was found guilty of the murder last September. 

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The woman's fiance said it sickens him that “someone can come to this country, be fully supported in terms of social housing, social welfare, and free medical care for over 10 years…never hold down a legitimate job, and never once contribute to society” before committing “such a horrendous evil act of incomprehensible violence”.

For this he was called "far-right." But he is not a lunatic for questioning immigration policy.

In a tolerant and democratic society, citizens would be listened to and answered when they object. What their leaders would not do in a respectful, democratic society is what they did do: insult them, shut them down, call them names, cancel or silence them, and ignore their concerns.

from "Ireland's pro-immigration elites are driving the country to the brink."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Europe burns 1

Ireland's population as of 2024 is 5.2 million (for comparison, U.S. population is 336 million). Their government imported 140,000 immigrants into Ireland over the year ending April 2023. For comparison, that would be, percentage-wise, as if the U.S. government imported 9 million into our country in just one year. It took the last three years for that number to come across our borders.

It's too much to assimilate and too fast. The "powder keg" that is the immigration issue blew up in November when an Algerian immigrant who had been supported at public expense for 23 years stabbed 4-5 people including kids in front of a school. Frustration and anger broke out in violent riots on the streets of Dublin.

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Native Irish don't like being replaced with non-benevolent foreigners whom they must support, but they are told by the people in power that they are lunatics. "Police blamed 'a lunatic faction driven by a right-wing ideology' for the riot in Dublin."

from "Ireland's pro-immigration elites are driving the country to the brink."

(cont'd tomorrow)

Teen depression

Teenagers, the younger half of Generation Z, should be energetically learning and looking forward to thrilling years ahead. Many are, but way too many are depressed instead. They should be inspired and excited about their future. Why is depression unusually common? 

Youth Risk Behavior Survey (from Center for Disease Control) reported a couple of years ago that 57% of girls have "persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness" while the same was true of 29% of boys. Both statistics are significantly higher when compared to 2011.

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Lockdowns and the pandemic played a part, but the CDC also credits social media with this disturbing trend. As you know, 41 states are suing Meta for using "harmful and psychologically manipulative product features to induce young users’ compulsive and extended Platform use."

Americans try to protect our young people from drugs (yesterday's post) and social media. But church activity could improve mental health: "Gallup’s research confirms the “correlation between [an] individuals’ personal religiosity and various measures of wellbeing, happiness and mental (and, in some instances, physical) health.” 

Power holders in our culture are not inclined to promote that.

from Daily Signal

Former dealer

Musicians and those in the industry seem to fall into addiction more than the average person (or maybe it's just because celebrities are more often reported?). 

That was "Jelly Roll" ("I only talk to God when I need a favor"). Growing up among addicts, he began making and dealing as a young man. But something important happened along the way and he's not there anymore. 

In fact, last week he testified passionately to the U.S. Senate in favor of restricting deadly fentanyl. Watch his opening statement:

from The Stream

Domestic

A real-life tradwife, this woman likes to call herself a "domestic extremist." She is married to a man (she calls herself a "husbo-sexual), and has five children whom she cares for herself. The extremist part refers to her lifestyle not being as mainstream as mothers who spend their days in the 9-5 workforce.

She doesn't live on a farm or cook from scratch; she lives in a city and doesn't do gardening. But she says that becoming extremely domestic saved her. 

America's current free-fall, she thinks, can be laid at the feet of feminism.

Tradwife 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Family life where one person stays home to manage things, cook meals, care for the kids . . it's a comforting arrangement for everybody. Sometimes it's the dad but more often it's the mom.

Women who reject the whole tradwife idea raise the core challenge: What if your husband leaves you, or doesn't make enough income? It all depends on whether that mom is confident that he will continue to support the family lifestyle. Plenty of women build their career instead of staying home "just in case it doesn't work out." And, yes, sometimes it does not "work out."

A traditional homemaker, the tradwife, needs and expects more from a man. Commitment to a relationship of trust creates good options for the future.

photo

from The Federalist

Tradwife 1

What woman today wants to spend all her time organizing, educating, planning, nurturing, caring for her family? More than you might think.

Previous generations of women fought for the privilege of spending their days at a job. They got that cultural approval and made it normal. But, in a surprising turnaround, today's Gen Z (born 1997-2012) is attracted to the homemaker model, the traditional role, the "tradwife." 

image

One such influencer has 8.5 million followers on Instagram. She's mom to eight children, lives on a farm, has a farmer husband, and ships products from her kitchen to her customers. There are moms in the 9 to 5 workforce who would swap lifestyles with her in a heartbeat. 

The term "tradwife" peaked in popularity during the Covid pandemic lockdowns. It gave welcome opportunity to women who loved the idea of staying home. 

So, what would it take to go full time at home? For many, it would require circumstances they don't expect to ever have.

from The Federalist

(cont'd tomorrow)

Thrown out

This woman is not Christian, and her Unitarian Universalist Church is not Christian. But she and I and you believe in some of the same things: free speech and reason, historic American values. She was loyal to her organization because she thought it was built on them. 

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So she gave her life to pursuing those values (without God or the Bible) in the service of her "church." But they threw her out because she tried to defend them. She is disillusioned and her heart is broken. 

What happened? They abandoned everything that held them together for decades. They were engulfed and overwhelmed with the wave of wokeness that is taking America. 

It's not only Christians who grieve over the growing darkness. If you have time, I recommend reading her story. It's a short read.

from FAIR

Artemis 2 delay

Back in 2019, the White House announced that America would aim to return humans to the surface of the moon by 2024. The goal to get there remains but there have been setbacks.

image

Artemis is the name of this long-term exploration program which is ultimately intended to position us to go beyond the moon to Mars. Its top priority is safety. Artemis 2 is the next in its series of missions, the first to include crew though they won't actually land.

According to the Administrator of NASA, Artemis 2's new target date has been delayed until September of 2025, with missions 3-5 to follow. Nobody didn't see this coming. Some have already expressed their lack of confidence in the new date.

from CNBC

More food 2

Innovation requires the freedom to do research and try ideas. There's also a material cost of actual money. Successful fish farming progresses when there's money to buy the censors and pumps they need to try things (yesterday's post), of course, and farther-out ideas can be tried when there's a lot more money available.

Saudi Arabia's prince has billions upon billions to spend on projects like his experimental city, Neom. They've hired a Dutch greenhouse company to design and build a "synthetic climate" area just outside that city where crops can be grown. 

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We're talking about an area the size of fifteen football fields in extremely hot, arid conditions. Most of their food is imported because ordinary farms won't work here. Two test facilities will be built and operated by the Dutch firm.

"Food security is a priority for the planners of Neom, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s $500 billion showpiece project to turn an expanse of desert the size of Belgium into a high-tech region that may eventually host millions of people."

(Maybe this story belongs in the category of "dreams of billionaires" rather than "good news.")

from Bloomberg

More food 1

Feeding the eight billion people now on earth (a number that will keep increasing for a while) is a work that never stops. Some experts in the past predicted that earth couldn't produce enough. But research and innovation keep increasing global capacity.

Natural waters like rivers and oceans are already producing nearly as much as they have the capacity for. Global fish farming now provides almost as much food as what fishermen can catch. 

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Inherent problems have to be overcome. Uneaten food and fish waste can pollute the surrounding environment and kill the fish, so cleaning the water is essential. Solids can be collected and processed for fertilizer. Even the ammonia can be removed and used.

All of this problem solving takes money for pipes, pumps and monitoring systems. Technology research looks for ways to make it more efficient so that their product, the fish, is available to consumers at prices they are content to pay.

from The Economist

Sickle cell

Follow-up to this post

Now let's return to "1000 Bits of Good News You May Have Missed in 2023."

Sickle cell disease is worse than I realized. It can mean the life-long threat of debilitating bouts of pain. 

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But there's new hope because of break-through innovation. 

You may have heard of CRISPR, the technology to edit the genes of living things. A clinical trial for a new CRISPR therapy was conducted four years ago with 30 eligible sickle cell patients, and, astoundingly, it worked for 29 of them. Better than "anyone dared hope." 

A year after the therapy, one of the patients said it changed her life: “Now I’ll be there to help my daughters pick out their wedding dresses. And we’ll be able to take family vacations. And they’ll have their mom every step of the way.”

from Atlantic

Birth gender

Gender is "assigned" at birth, they say, by the attending doctor or health provider. That's pure obfuscation, an evasion. The term is used to evade the physical, biological evidence that enables doctors and every other human adult to identify the obvious sex or gender of the baby. 

Typical attributes of the sex usually develop as the child matures. That's why females have their own sports competitions, because in most cases males are naturally stronger. It's a travesty that so many sports now require girls to compete against boys.

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It happened in an Irish dance competition. A child who competed previously as a boy chose to compete in the girls' event, "identifying" as a girl. Unsurprisingly, he won.

The official who communicated his "inclusive" policy said, "We do our very best to be fair to everyone." Well, apparently not to the female contestants.

"Parents think it's outrageous." Of course it is. 

from Daily Signal

Patient

Thank you for your patience to come back here after days of no posts! Technical difficulties happened, but that's over😄 Now I will catch up on posting.

Some good

Not all the news this year was bad news. Bad news gets the clicks. So, as Steven Pinker says, “The news is a nonrandom sample of the worst events happening on the planet on a given day.” 

But Human Progress seeks to report news that is on the positive side. So they run this summary of "1000 Bits of Good News You May Have Missed in 2023." 

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What are you interested in? Maybe you didn't get the memo that robot lawn mowers are coming, Elon Musk's satellites are saving Ukraine, AI is helping the real estate market, Australia's homicide record is down by half since the 1900's, and much more. 

Take a look at the link. Maybe I'll summarize a couple of these articles this week for you to see what's new in helping our world.

from Human Progress