One of the most freedoms so basic that almost all those who enjoy it don’t even remember to include it in a list of fundamental freedoms because they are so basic is the freedom to go where you want when you want, the opinion off any one else be damned.
Freedom of travel, dramatized:
Perhaps, soon, people will by need have to remember what it was like to travel without government restrictions.
Potential Biden Administration travel restrictions, dramatized”
News of the Week for Feb. 14th, 2021
We’ve already seen how the addition of the human gene MCPH1 have cause monkeys to develop a more human like brain including better memories and faster reactions. Now the quest to create hyper-intelligent animal brains that aren’t just wired better, but bigger as well:
“During the study, Japanese and German researchers injected a gene called ARHGAP11B — which directs stem cells in the human brain — into the dark matter of marmoset fetuses, according to a release about the research.
“They found that the primates’ brains soon became more human-like by developing larger, more advanced neocortexes — the area that controls cognition and language, according to the study published in the journal Science in June.
“According to images released by the researchers, the modified monkey brains nearly doubled in size at around 100-days into gestation.
“‘We found indeed that the neocortex of the common marmoset brain was enlarged and the brain surface folded,’ said study author Michael Heide.
“The neocortex is the newest part of the brain to evolve — one sign that ARHGAP11B may have caused brain growth during human evolution, the researchers said.”
Another “quick takes” on items where there is too little to say to make a complete article, but is still important enough to comment on.
The focus this time: Everyone is welcome… if they say only what they are allowed to say.
First, a little mood music:
Carrying on…
A curriculum so inclusive that the knowledge of what it is is a paragon of exclusivity.
“Multiple requests from The College Fix to Haverford College inquiring into its Department of Biology’s recent initiative to create a more equitable and ‘inclusive’ biology curriculum have been met with complete silence.
“The initiative was adopted by the biology department in reaction to a campus strike that erupted over the Walter Wallace shooting in late October, according to the school’s independent paper, The Clerk.
“While the private college’s administration eventually capitulated to demands posed by the student strikers, the biology department was reportedly among the first to commit to substantial change.”
You can disagree with pronoun usage or calling someone “mister” or “miss”… just as long as you do it alone… in the closet.
“Calling a man a woman ‘is to participate in a specific political and social activity’
“One paragraph.
“That’s all it took for U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott (right) to tell Nicholas Meriwether he had to violate his conscience in order to placate his students at Shawnee State University.
“In a three-page order last week that mostly recited the background of the professor’s First Amendment lawsuit against the taxpayer-funded institution’s compelled-speech policy, the jurist conclusorily alleged that ‘the manner by which he addressed’ a transgender student was not protected speech”
A Catholic school has embraced the faith of wokeness by punishing a student who dared to support Catholic doctrine.
“Melanie Didioti, a graduate student at the Catholic university outside of Philadelphia, recently tweeted criticism of the school’s athletic department for its Pride Month tweet on June 22. The tweet said: ‘Love is Love. Happy #PrideMonth – We are proud to be an ally of the LGBTQ+ Community.’
“In response, Didioti tweeted: ‘Villanova is proud to be an ally of the LGBTQ community and ashamed to be Catholic so I’m ashamed to attend here and that’s that.’
“She said that this led to a contentious meeting with her academic advisor in the theology department, Professor Jennifer Jackson”.
TTFN.
Illinois is poised to enact “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards” and trash old standards which were focused on actual leaning.
“[GOP Rep. Steven] Reick pointed specifically to a portion of the new standards that call on teachers to ‘understand and value the notion that multiple lived experiences exist, that there is not one “correct” way of doing or understanding something, and that what is seen as ‘correct’ is most often based on our lived experiences.’
“He also pointed to another provision calling on teachers to ‘(a)ssess how their biases and perceptions affect their teaching practice and how they access tools to mitigate their own behavior (racism, sexism, homophobia, unearned privilege, Eurocentrism, etc.)’
“Another provision calls on educators to ‘(b)e aware of the effects of power and privilege and the need for social advocacy and social action to better empower diverse students and communities.’”
Unless at least some Democrats oppose this new set of standards, it will automatically be enacted and take effect in four years.
The full proposals can be read here or at the end of this post, but here are some highlights of the new standards, which start on page 176 of the document and page 14576 of the register:
The evil unwoke provisions that are being repealed:
News of the Week for Feb. 7th, 2021
A non-American asked in a Redddit thread recently in regards to national American elections “Wouldn’t it be easier to just switch to proportional representation”. Below are my responses, in part, outlining why this is not only the opposite of “easy” but an unwise decision overall.
It would be the opposite of easy since it would require an upheaval of the entire Federal Constitutional arrangement. Such a scheme would require a national election, and in the United States we don’t have a national elections, but 50 individual state elections each generally run their own way, and changing that would strip them of their power and centralize it in the hands of a single massive government.
The downside of doing this is that with the current system, any voter suppression or election fraud in one state does not and can not affect the outcome of races in other states including races for Senator, Representatives, or for President (Electors therefor, specifically).
Moving to proportional representation would actually reduce political diversity and make the system less democratic. While there are two major parties in the U.S., they are themselves more akin to broad coalitions in reality and politically quite diverse (though not as much as they used to be); additionally, the 50 state (+6 territory/DC) parties are autonomous and generally run their own affairs which prevents concentration of power. Additionally, unlike many if not most countries, in the U.S. party nominees are usually chosen by the voters of that party directly; not only does this mean that you can have many different and even contrary voices within each major party, but that it also preserves local control and influence, which again helps counter centralization of power by protecting the voices and interests of different communities.
Another “quick takes” on items where there is too little to say to make a complete article, but is still important enough to comment on.
The focus this time: All education within wokeness; no education outside of wokeness; no education against wokeness.
First, a little mood music:
Carrying on…
The need for ever increasing wokeness means extraneous studies—like science—must be abandoned.
“Guilford College President Carol Moore has offered a plan that would cut majors in areas such as chemistry, physics, political science and economics, while retaining majors in social sciences like gender and sexuality studies and African and African American Studies, according to a statement released by the school last Friday.
“The plan, which has been submitted to the school’s board of trustees, will include 15 tenured professors being let go from the school, as well as five other faculty members. Moore said the cuts are necessary to close a $7 million budget gap”.
Sometimes a rant is so incoherent that one can not criticize it’s non-existent point, but simply fisk the incoherent ramblings themselves. It is especially important to do so when it comes from a law professor who writes for Teen Vogue and “unironically” includes pronouns in the Twitter bio.
A fisking! A fisking!
Without further ado.
TERFs and transohobes are out in force today (and as of this tweet it's only 8am on the east coast).
Before you get seduced into debating justice for trans people on their (the TERFs') terms, let me remind us all that their terms are fundamentally wrong.
— Heron Greenesmith, Esq. (@herong) January 21, 2021
If you have a penis but insist on using word “woman” to describe yourself, arguing terms might not be the best idea.
Communist & Terrorist (but then I repeat myself) “Doctor” Angela Davis sees her race enemies everywhere.
Happy birthday to Dr. Angela Davis!
"I feel that if we don't take seriously the ways in which racism is embedded in structures of institutions, if we assume that there must be an identifiable racist who is the perpetrator, then we won't ever succeed in eradicating racism." pic.twitter.com/x5b4wgDs8g
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) January 26, 2021
Perhaps the better presumption isn’t that everything is racist, but that due to communist/terrorists like Davis having demonstratable privilege and power, including access to influencial members of Congress, the more accurate presumption is that communists (and terrorists—but then I again repeat myself).
Now replace "racism" with "communism" and see how you like it. https://t.co/FbAJtfjiUV
— I got your #Unity right here (@jtLOL) January 28, 2021
Unlike “racism”, the intellectual bastard children of Communism really does pervade throughout modern society.
E-mail me!
