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Friday 05 December 2014 Brad here. I have heard that girls don't study STEM subjects because they don't like competing with boys, or because boys make the environment off-putting, or something like that. So this piece in Ars Technica comes as something of a revelation: In May 2014 at the all-girls Emma Willard School in upstate New York, nearly a third of the school's 300+ students were preparing for their final Advanced Placement (AP) exams. But exactly three were studying for the AP Computer Science exam—and they weren't doing so on campus. The school...completely eliminated its computer science program in 2009. ...Before the classes' elimination, student enrollment slid, too, from ten students to five and then down to a scant two or three each year. Despite the national discussions around coding, STEM careers, and diversity, girls at Emma Willard simply did not appear interested enough in computer science to sustain a program. So...why? It's an all-girls school, so there are no boys poisoning the environment. It's an elite school, so we can assume the girls have had adequate educational opportunities leading up to this. The article goes on to point out that participation in AP Computer Science is dropping overall, not just at girls' schools, and attributes this to several possible factors. The subject is an elective, not a requirement. It's taught in a boring way. (Yet AP Calculus is still growing.) Computer science has been "pushed...to the margins" (but that's because of low enrollment). Two questions are being conflated here: Why is interest in Computer Science dropping? And why is diversity (participation by women and non-Asian minorities) in Computer Science dropping? To the first question I have no answer, other than to suggest that public education can make anything boring and tiresome. (I was fortunate to have good science teachers; high school nearly killed my interest in history and literature.) To this end, some of the suggestions to make the classes more interesting have merit; making them mandatory will be counterproductive. To the second question I also have no answer, but I think the usual theories about "hostile environment" or girls needing special treatment have been deflated. I suspect that Susan Sons was right -- if you're not interested in computers by the time you reach high school, you're probably not going to become interested then. If this is a problem of early socialization, it's not going to be corrected in high school. And...is lack of diversity a problem in Computer Science? A problem to whom? Employers are interested only in finding people who can do the work; they (rightly) don't care about sex or race. Students are interested in making their own career decisions, not in boosting someone else's statistics. To the question "how many women should be in computer science?" I answer "however many want to be there." Friday 28 November 2014 This deserves to be repeated: As the Times readership proves, Black Friday is the day wealthy whites are applauded for judging lower-class folks who are just trying to buy affordable gifts for their kids. ...The average Black Friday shopper isn’t throwing punches or trampling the infirm. A big chunk of today’s activity won’t even be for gifts, but rather clothes, bedding and appliances for which families can’t pay full retail. And most lower-income folks waiting all night for that PlayStation aren’t doing it because they’re greedy. It’s because they want to put a smile on the face of their child and possibly assuage the guilt that they couldn’t afford one before today. (Hat tip to Instapundit.) An article of mine has appeared in Reason: Is Challenging 'Rape Culture' Claims an Idea Too Dangerous for University Students? Debating assumptions about sexual violence drives Brown University over the brink. Excerpt: Colleges across America are in political uproar over new federal policies on how to conduct campus rape hearings. Feminists and the left-leaning demand a halt to the "rape culture" which they claim has caused an "epidemic" of campus assault. Civil libertarians and conservatives see an hysteria that could ruin young lives by stripping away due process from accused students. On November 18, I entered this melee by speaking at a Janus Forum event at Brown University.Click here to access the entire article. Thursday 27 November 2014 My regular Thursday column has been posted at the Daily Bell: Confronting the C-Word. There is an active commentary thread at the end and I respond to posts. Given that the article was inspired by the extremely controversial debate I had with PC feminist Jessica Valenti last week, I will also answer questions about that. I hope to see you there! Excerpt: The first rule of the politics of fear is that if you want to make something sound scarier than it actually is, you add the word 'culture' at the end of it. – Brendan O'Neill, Editor of Spiked It is the c-word*: culture. Depending on the political agenda of the alarmist du jour, we live in a rape culture, a gun culture, an abortion culture, a culture of racism. A standard definition of culture is "the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought." When a specific adjective is used to define a society, it means the adjective captures a dominant attitude and behavior that characterize the society. Click here to access the entire article. From FFF: Thanksgiving: Celebrating the Birth of Free Enterprise in America From Economic Global Analysis: War on Terror: Drones Target 41 but Kill 1,147 Mostly Innocent men, Women, and Children From Instapundit: So Why All the Ferguson Hoopla? From the Gawker: Cops Shot, Killed 12-Year-Old (holding a toy) Two Seconds After Arriving at Park A YouTube of the incident. From Mises: American Liberalism and World Politics: 1931-1941. One of the best overviews of liberalism. One of the best works on American liberalism between the Wars. From Politico: San Francisco OKs 'Bill of Rights' for Retail Workers From Liberty Crier: Obamacare Offers Firms $3,000 Incentive To Hire Illegals Over Native-born Workers From the Onion: Heavy Police Presence In Ferguson To Ensure Residents Adequately Provoked From CNN Travel: Passengers get out and push frozen plane in Siberia From Star Tribune: Man sues Wisconsin police department that arrested him for criticism about police posted on Facebook From Free Beacon: Iran: 'Americans have clearly surrendered' in nuclear negotiations. From the Review Journal: Black residents protect white-owned store in Ferguson. From Fusion: Top Democrat sets off intraparty fury after saying Obamacare passage was a ‘mistake’ Wednesday 26 November 2014 I will be checking into FEE several times today in order to continue discussion on my article "The Internet Memory Hole. “The right to be forgotten” — a privacy right or Orwellian incinerator?" Click here to access. Shares appreciated. From Breitbart: Carson: Race Relations Worse Under Obama From the Free Thought Project: Police Are Getting So Bad that High School Kids Now Being Taught How to Deal With Cops From Gold-Eagle: Grandmaster Putin's Golden Trap Interesting analysis. From the Daily Beast: Rand Paul Declares War on ISIS—and Allows Boots on the Ground And a related story from the New York Times: Rand Paul Calls for a Formal Declaration of War Against ISIS From the Washington Post: How municipalities in St. Louis County, Mo., profit from poverty From Neatorama: Ten Of The Most Outrageous Things Benjamin Franklin Ever Did From Linked In: The Decentralize Everything Manifesto From the Daily Beast: Michael Brown’s Stepfather Tells Crowd, ‘Burn This Bitch Down’ From the Onion: Nation Doesn’t Know If It Can Take Another Bullshit Speech About Healing in the Wake of Ferguson From Worldnetdaily: A phony scientific paper never intended for publication titled “Get me off your F—ing mailing list” has been accepted for a potential spot in the International Journal of Advanced Computer Technology. From the Huffington Post: Powerful Photos Show The Nationwide Response To Michael Brown Won't End Any Time Soon From Gawker: CNN Can't Stop Broadcasting People Yelling "Fuck CNN" Tuesday 25 November 2014 A Youtube of my recent exchange at Brown University with PC feminist Jessica Valenti is posted. Alas the vigorous Q&A is not included. Topic: How Should Colleges Handle Sexual Assault? Click here to access. From Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Cops Killed More People Than Gangs From the Daily Mail: Flights Diverted as Ferguson Burns From the Onion: Iranian Team Openly Working On Bomb In Negotiating Room From the Verge: I spent a weekend on a cruise ship staffed by robot bartenders From the New Republic: Stop Trying to Save the World: Big ideas are destroying international development Very interesting. From Digg: Raw Footage Of The Chaos In Ferguson From Zero Hedge: The Magic Of CPI: Watch How Economists Transform A 400% Price Increase Into A 7.1% Decline From Lifehack: 10 Simple Morning Exercises That Will Make You Feel Great All Day From Great Fire: China just blocked thousands of websites From the Nation: Why It’s Impossible to Indict a Cop Monday 24 November 2014 An article of mine has just appeared at the Foundation for Economic Education: "The Internet Memory Hole. 'The right to be forgotten' — a privacy right or Orwellian incinerator? Excerpt: Imagine you are considering a candidate as a caregiver for your child. Or maybe you are vetting an applicant for a sensitive position in your company. Perhaps you’re researching a public figure for class or endorsing him in some manner. Whatever the situation, you open your browser and assess the linked information that pops up from a search. Nothing criminal or otherwise objectionable is present, so you proceed with confidence. But what if the information required for you to make a reasoned assessment had been removed by the individual himself? Under “the right to be forgotten,” a new "human right" established in the European Union in 2012, people can legally require a search engine to delete links to their names, even if information at the linked source is true and involves a public matter such as an arrest. The Google form for requesting removal asks the legally relevant question of why the link is “irrelevant, outdated, or otherwise objectionable.” Then it is up to the search engine to determine whether to delete the link. The law’s purpose is to prevent people from being stigmatized for life. The effect, however, is to limit freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and access to information. Each person becomes a potential censor who can rewrite history for personal advantage. Click here to access entire article. From Mother Jones: The FBI Is Very Excited About This Machine That Can Scan Your DNA in 90 Minutes From the BBC: Hotel Fines Pair for Review: 'Hovel Run by Muppets'. They're charged $150, per hotel rules From USA Today: Woody Harrelson: 'I'm an anarchist' From Reddit: LibertarianSoup's "Roundup" of Articles and Content Related to - Barack Obama's Immigration Executive Order From the Washington Examiner: 30,000 missing emails from IRS' Lerner recovered From Pando: Want to know if NSA is snooping on you? Amnesty International's free anti-spyware tool is epitome of post-Snowden software From Russia Today: Rapper may face 25 years in prison over 'gangsta rap' album. Prosecutors say lyrics encourage gang behavior linked to shootings From the anti-media: Albuquerque Police Officer Keith Sandy made headlines and sparked outrage by stating he was going to shoot and kill homeless man two hours before he did is now retiring early with full benefits to avoid internal affairs investigation From the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland Boy With Toy Gun Shot by Cop, Dies From Change.org: Current Technologies: End your Vicious and Frivolous Lawsuit against my 14 year old Daughter From the National Center Blog: Black Activists Speak Out against Obama Amnesty Agenda From the Jerusalem Post: Israel Mulls Strike on Iran From the Mind Unleashed: Ten Popular Mind Control Techniques Used Today From the New York Times: Your Password Speaks Volumes About You. Ian Urbina explores these modern 'keepsakes' and why we pick them Friday 21 November 2014 From Newser: Sweden to Assange: We Won't Ax Arrest Warrant And a related item from CounterPunch: The Persecution of Julian Assange From FrontPageMagazine: Churches Won’t Be Charged “Rain Tax” if they Preach Global Warming From PetaPixel: Aerial Photographs Capture the Aftermath of This Week’s Brutal Snow Storm in Buffalo, NY From the Onion: 5 Million Illegal Immigrants To Realize Dreams Of Having Deportation Deferred From antiwar: New Malware Tool Aims to Detect Government Surveillance From the Ocala Post: Entire Illinois county board arrested following citizens arrest by 2 military veterans From Intercept: On Media Outlets That Continue to Describe Unknown Drone Victims As “Militants” by Glenn Greenwald From Inquisitr: Mockingjay’ Ban? Movie Pulled In Thailand and China Amid Fear Of Real Life Revolution" From Forbes: Another Lie? Obamacare First Year Sign Up Numbers Revealed To Be Substantially Inflated From CounterPunch: Ten Illegal Police Actions to Watch for in Ferguson From the Globe and Mail: Cop driving at 122 km/h in a 50 km/h zone while not responding to a call or emergency, crashes into a car and kills a child of 5. No charges ensues. From the Role of Money: Polish Pension Funds Seized by Government – Who is Next? From the Onion: Paleontologists Determine Dinosaurs Were Killed By Someone They Trusted From the Associated Press: Ogden man gets up to 5 years for burrito theft Go to page >> | |
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