746 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

[Victoria Watcher]

Associated Press calls plagiarism ‘new conservative weapon’ after Harvard president scandal

AP spokeperson said widely criticized story was not up to its standards




"Harvard president’s resignation highlights new conservative weapon against colleges: plagiarism," an AP headline read on Wednesday. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the piece was not up to standards and is in the process of being updated. It has since changed its headline to "Plagiarism charges downed Harvard’s president. A conservative attack helped to fan the outrage."

https://www.foxnews....esident-scandal

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 January 2024 - 09:58 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

[Matt R.]

Who?

[aastra]

 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

 

Evil triumphs when we keep on doing the same evil things because we've always done those same evil things. If we believe we're "doing something" when we get invested in politics or fret about the news... then what exactly is the "something" that we're doing? The reason why writing a letter to your politician has never accomplished anything and never will accomplish anything is because it never could accomplish anything. It's a big fat nothing. I know this is a tough pill to swallow. We were raised to worship at those peculiar altars. It's our duty to get out there and vote one more time, because maybe the millionth time will be the time when something good comes out of it. Whoops, it went wrong yet again. Disaster and dissatisfaction yet again. No worries, get out there and do it one more time and maybe the bad streak will end.

Put it another way: disregarding human nature and the entirety of one's life experience and the experiences of those around us is the biggest "do nothing" of all. It's very evil. The burden is on each one of us as individuals to be changed.

[Nparker]

...The burden is on each one of us as individuals to be changed.

But I don't need to change.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ammonia leak at UVic ice rink quickly contained

 

Built in 1964, the Ian Stewart complex was once UVic’s primary recreational facility until CARSA was opened in 2015.

 

The complex contains several laboratories and offices in addition to an ice arena that is still in use.

 

 

https://www.timescol...ntained-8106874

 

 

 

I'm not so sure that is accurate.  UVic only bought it in 1991.   I think the McKinnon Gym was the biggest sports complex before CARSA.  The Ian Stewart complex was always a bit of a funny place.

[lanforod]

This really hits the nail on the head: https://nationalpost...ke-universities

[Nparker]

It's as though Dr. Saad crawled inside my brain and explained, far better than I ever could, the reasons for the dismal state of our institutes of higher learning in the 21^st century.

[Mike K.]

Why do the experts never explain what’s driving this social state? They just declare it’s not what they’re used to, or that they don’t agree with its basis because it’s unscientific, or illogical, in their opinions.

What is happening is not scientific. That is true. But neither is religion, and its impact on society is major. So if universities are dealing with a prevalence of ideas and rules that are not scientific, why judge them on scientific terms?

The professors should tell us what is actually driving this, and where it’s going.

[aastra]

 

Why do the experts never explain what’s driving this social state?

 

You mean human nature? The vain ambition to assert total control over everyone and everything, even though such ambition is self-evidently absurd? The prideful unwillingness to acknowledge one's own vulnerability to error, whether it be by the deceptions of others or by our own self-deception?

 

Yeah, it's a real puzzler why the experts never tackle that one.
 

[lanforod]

It's like you didn't even read the article...

 

"These destructive ideas include, but are not limited to, postmodernism (there are no objective truths, which is a fundamental attack on the epistemology of science); cultural relativism (who are we to judge the cultural mores of another society, such as performing female genital mutilation on little girls?); the rejection of meritocracy in favour of identity politics (diversity, inclusion and equity (DIE) as the basis for admitting, hiring and promoting individuals); and victimhood as the means by which one adjudicates between competing ideas (I am a greater victim therefore my truth is veridical)."

[Mike K.]

What I’m asking, is what is driving the postmodernism, cultural relativism, the rejection of meritocracy and victimhood?

Those are the themes Saad says are not based on science. Ok. So what’s going on?

[Victoria Watcher]

What I’m asking, is what is driving the postmodernism, cultural relativism, the rejection of meritocracy and victimhood?

 

Females in executive positions.

 

https://youtu.be/Y0p...eyFKcoWEHMIZFI3

 

Their very, very best charicteristic is their emapthy and compassion, but that leads to very bad executive decisions.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 26 January 2024 - 04:05 PM.

[aastra]

It's too bad we can't return to that old meritocracy. You know, back when everything was perfectly fair and everybody attained the status they rightfully earned and deserved as individuals.

[Mike K.]

You mean human nature? The vain ambition to assert total control over everyone and everything, even though such ambition is self-evidently absurd? The prideful unwillingness to acknowledge one's own vulnerability to error, whether it be by the deceptions of others or by our own self-deception?

Yeah, it's a real puzzler why the experts never tackle that one.

They are not equipped to deal with what is happening to human nature. Their tool chest doesn’t have what’s needed. Science, it turns out, isn’t the answer to a lot of things.

[Victoria Watcher]

It's too bad we can't return to that old meritocracy. You know, back when everything was perfectly fair and everybody attained the status they rightfully earned and deserved as individuals.

 

For the most part, smaller buisness and the private sector in general does work this way.

 

It's only when we have publuc funds or a big company with some extra salary fat they they stray.

[aastra]

I think we've talked about this before so I'll try to keep it brief. Suffice it to say, the public will often be mystified as to why a general would be getting promoted even though he's been losing battles and seemingly making a mess out of things. The answer is, he's getting promoted because he's been doing exactly what he's been told to do.

In other words, the entire concept of being "fairly rewarded for one's abilities and achievements" is founded on a fundamentally naive misconception about human nature and human affairs. The people who have the power to promote or sack the general may be very pleased indeed that he's been losing battles and seemingly making a mess out of things. In other words, the general has been demonstrating his abilities and achievements all along, but Joe Public erroneously assumes the general has been doing "a bad job" because they don't understand what the position is really about, what the war is really about, etc.

 

You see this kind of thing all the time in both public and private sector. Politicians, government ministers, CEOs, public health authorities, movie producers, the commissioners of the sports leagues, etc.

"That sports league's commissioner is doing a terrible job! How the heck does that idiot stay employed? Not only does he stay employed, but his salary keeps increasing! It makes no sense!"

^Sports fans have been hearing that for our entire lives, and especially so during this recent era when the gambling connection has been becoming more brazenly obvious.

 

I'll summarize it as follows: the position may be called "President of the International Society for Prevention of the Clubbing of Baby Seals", but that doesn't mean the job is about preventing the clubbing of baby seals. The job may actually be about encouraging the clubbing of baby seals, or the job may have nothing whatsoever to do with baby seals beyond the window dressing. Thus, any assumptions those of us on the outside might make about meritocracy, abilities and achievements, and "doing a good job" might be completely irrelevant.

[aastra]

I tried to keep it brief.

[Sparky]

^ …to use a sports analogy…..swing and a miss.