4 April 2023

Third year Stanford Law student writes that the loudest voices are a minority, but they are the ones listened to by the faculty and administration.  Isn't that always the case?  Instead of getting shut down, their often radical and ill-considered viewpoints are given a platform, and weak leaders, unable to muster courage to put them down, acquiesce to them.

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Dr. Cliff Mass, of the popular weather blog, speaks out against DEI statement requirements demanded by University of Washington.

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Gone With the Wind now has a trigger warning.  We're being treated like children.

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NPR is facing backlash as they have to let people go.  Not enough people cared to consume their new woke programming.  Who knew?  (Can't believe they let Sylvia Poggioli go. Sad.)  They're learning that DEI is like a snake's mouth.  You don't try it, and later decided to back out.  Nope, the teeth point only one way - towards the throat.  You only go deeper.  Trying to back out tears flesh and leaves wounds and scars.  Best to avoid it completely.  Southern Wesleyan University is having none of it.

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Seeing how glorious life was during the dotcom boom, it's really sad to see how life is now under the administration of Biden and the Left Coast Democrats.  Portland is getting more dystopian, with companies closing and festivals we used to enjoy no longer able to be there for usWealthy people fleeing, while vagrants migrate in.  It doesn't have to be this way.  But it is.

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Steve Blank recognizes technology disruption.  "One of the problems about disruptive technology is that disruption doesn’t come with a memo."  The Financial Times recognizes that something needs to be done, in terms of regulation, but admits that current paradigms don't seem to work, and a different conversation is needed.  It's a start.  Here's a nice summary of a Stanford whitepaper on AI.

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Rare natural phenomenon captured recently.  An ELVE.
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Another myth blown:  Recent meta-analysis showed that there is really no benefit to low-level alcohol consumption.  Even red wine.  The previous studies that suggested it didn't correct for confounding factors.  Those who just drank low-level amounts of wine tended to be wealthier and took better care of themselves.  Subtract those health factors, and the contribution from wine consumption is basically nil.  (This is probably why it's been hard to demonstrate overall benefit from resveratrol.)

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