EDUCATION Comments turned off

Don’t Park Your Kid in Harvard Yard Is America’s oldest college still its greatest? by Bruce Bawer

Posted By on December 23rd, 2022

https://www.frontpagemag.com/__trashed-4/

I went to Harvard. Once. Which is to say, I walked around the campus one day a long, long time ago during a visit to Boston. It was pleasant enough. It was almost as pretty as Wesleyan, Princeton, the University of Virginia, Duke, Chapel Hill, Michigan, Michigan State, Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, Claremont, McGill, Cambridge, Leiden, Heidelberg, Tübingen, and at least a dozen or so other campuses that I’ve sampled over the years.

Harvard is, of course, the oldest American college. It’s also considered the pinnacle, the zenith, the acme of higher education in the United States. But why? Back when I was studying English at Stony Brook, an accreditation committee gave our department a higher rating than Harvard’s. But that didn’t matter in the slightest after you graduated. On the job market, a Harvard diploma was gold. Stony Brook? Ha!

No, Harvard is Harvard because it’s…Harvard. U.S. News and World Report, which presumes to list the “best colleges” year after year, admits that its ratings are based largely on reputation. Which makes no sense. Everybody knows what Harvard’s reputation is. The point of a rating should be to indicate whether or not a reputation is justified.

And the plain fact is that, no, the reputation of Harvard, at least when it comes to the humanities and social sciences, isn’t justified. And the same goes for the rest of the Ivy League, as well as for Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, and all those boutique establishments like Oberlin and Swarthmore. Because these are the places where “woke” ideology has made the deepest inroads – and done the most damage.

On December 15, Claudine Gay, a political scientist who specializes in Critical Race Theory and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and who currently serves as Harvard’s Dean of Arts and Sciences, was selected to be the university’s next president, starting on July 1, 2023. The usual suspects cheered her appointment wildly, most of them celebrating her deep warmth and compassion and noting with glee that she would be Harvard’s second woman president and first black president. What a step forward for the oppressed!

BOOKS Comments turned off

Michelle Admits She ‘Couldn’t Stand’ Barry By Jeannie DeAngelis

Posted By on December 23rd, 2022

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/12/michelle_admits_she_couldnt_stand_barry.html

While promoting her self-help book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, during a “cross-generational” conversation in Atlanta, Michelle Obama shared deep thoughts with a panel moderated by American radio personality, rapper, singer, actress, and toady Angie Martinez.  

The star-studded, “powerful” women of color on the panel also included singer, actress, and television personality Kelly Rowland; Beyoncé’s mama, Tina “Knowles” Lawson; vitiligo spokesperson/model Winnie Harlow; and H.E.R., AKA Gabi Wilson, a singer, songwriter, musician, and actress.

In The Light We Carry, Michelle Obama penned a chapter entitled “Partnering Well.”  Based on decades of Michelle Obama’s unstinting extension of political compromise, racial conciliation, and partisan collegiality, she now must feel qualified to counsel others on how to get along with those they secretly hate.  This time, the always relatable Michelle chose to make her point by shedding “light” on her love/hate partnership with husband Barack.

Much to everyone’s surprise, soft and embraceable Michelle admitted that for more than a decade, she “couldn’t stand” her spouse.  From 1992 until 2002, while Barry was strategizing his passage from a community activist to ruler of the world, Michelle was silently aiming her death stare at someone other than Trump.

One must admit that it is impressive how Michelle manages to paint herself as the victim of whatever circumstance she happens to find herself in.  Furthermore — not that this is a competition — it’s been many years since Barack Obama graced the world stage with his awesomeness.  Yet, unlike Michelle, there are hundreds of millions of Americans who still “can’t stand” him.

As an outspoken activist, Michelle has built her reputation on perpetual scorekeeping.

MEDICINE AND HEALTH Comments turned off

John Abeles M.D. Innate immune suppression by SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccinations The role of G-quadruplexes, exosomes, and MicroRNAs

Posted By on December 23rd, 2022

Abstract

The mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were brought to market in response to the public health crises of Covid-19. The utilization of mRNA vaccines in the context of infectious disease has no precedent. The many alterations in the vaccine mRNA hide the mRNA from cellular defenses and promote a longer biological half-life and high production of spike protein. However, the immune response to the vaccine is very different from that to a SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this paper, we present evidence that vaccination induces a profound impairment in type I interferon signaling, which has diverse adverse consequences to human health. Immune cells that have taken up the vaccine nanoparticles release into circulation large numbers of exosomes containing spike protein along with critical microRNAs that induce a signaling response in recipient cells at distant sites. We also identify potential profound disturbances in regulatory control of protein synthesis and cancer surveillance. These disturbances potentially have a causal link to neurodegenerative disease, myocarditis, immune thrombocytopenia, Bell’s palsy, liver disease, impaired adaptive immunity, impaired DNA damage response and tumorigenesis. We show evidence from the VAERS database supporting our hypothesis. We believe a comprehensive risk/benefit assessment of the mRNA vaccines questions them as positive contributors to public health.

MEDICINE AND HEALTH, NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

DeSantis’ COVID Vaccine Grand Jury Gets the Green Light From the Florida Supreme Court By Lincoln Brown

Posted By on December 23rd, 2022

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/lincolnbrown/2022/12/22/desantis-covid-vaccine-grand-jury-gets-the-green-light-from-the-florida-supreme-court-n1655816

On Thursday, the Florida Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate potential wrongdoings related to COVID-19 vaccines.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Ronald Ficarrotta will preside, with members to be selected from five judicial districts. DeSantis made the initial request on the 13th of this month, stating at the time that “there are good and sufficient reasons to deem it to be in the public interest to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate criminal or wrongful activity in Florida relating to the development, promotion, and distribution of vaccines purported to prevent COVID-19 infection, symptoms, and transmission.”

DeSantis was a one-time proponent of the vaccines for certain demographics, namely senior citizens. However, he became skeptical of them over time, in particular because of the claims about their efficacy. The Associated Press reported that DeSantis contends that drug manufacturers had a financial interest in creating a mindset that vaccinated people could not transmit the virus to another person. According to the article in the Times, the scope of the grand jury will include:

…people and ‘entities, including, but not limited to, pharmaceutical manufacturers (and their executive officers) and other medical associations or organizations involved in the design, development, clinical testing or investigation, manufacture, marketing, representation, advertising, promotion, labeling, distribution, formulation, packing, sale, purchase, donation, dispensing, prescribing, administration, or use of vaccines purported to prevent COVID-19 infection, symptoms, and transmission.’

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The Subsidy Tango of Bill Gates and Joe Manchin The West Virginia Senator and the billionaire investor score a windfall in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Posted By on December 23rd, 2022

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-subsidy-tango-of-bill-gates-and-joe-manchin-terrapower-climate-spending-john-barrasso-jennifer-granholm-11671741449?mod=opinion_lead_pos1

Bill Gates sold West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on this year’s Democratic climate spending blowout as a way to put unemployed coal workers to work building advanced nuclear reactors. Now we learn, belatedly, that these projects depend on Russia for fuel and will cost taxpayers more than advertised.

The Energy Department last year awarded up to $2 billion for an advanced nuclear reactor “demonstration” project in Wyoming being developed by TerraPower, a company Mr. Gates founded. These advanced reactors have been promoted because they take up significantly less space than conventional reactors and could theoretically use reprocessed nuclear fuel.

TerraPower’s reactors will also supposedly be able to ramp up and down to balance intermittent solar and wind power on the grid. But the technology currently requires enormous government subsidies to be commercially viable. Reactors also require many more years to build than renewable and fossil-fuel plants owing to stricter licensing requirements and environmental reviews.

TerraPower planned to complete the Wyoming generator by 2028 assuming no hang-ups. There always are. So it wasn’t surprising when TerraPower disclosed this month that completion will be delayed by at least two years. But the reason was alarming: TerraPower was counting on Russia to supply it with high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel.

BOOKS, IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

Biden Screamed and Dropped F-Bombs As Border Crisis Ravaged Sarah Arnold  

Posted By on December 23rd, 2022

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2022/12/22/biden-screamed-and-dropped-f-bomb-as-border-crisis-ravaged-n2617493

The southern border is in shambles. It has been overrun by illegal migrants and drug cartels who are bringing dangerous substances and people into the U.S., yet America’s president believes that there are “more important” things to worry about. 

However, it turns out that President Joe Biden was and is fully aware of the havoc he has caused on the border. 

According to a new book titled, “The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House,” author Chris Whipple said that Biden screamed and cursed as the crisis at the border escalated. 

Whipple, who spent the first two years shadowing the Biden Administration, recalled the moment the president learned that thousands of illegal migrants were storming the southern border. 

“Meanwhile, illegal immigrants kept arriving. And Biden was furious,” Whipple wrote, adding “aides had rarely seen him so angry. From all over the West Wing, you could hear the president cursing, dropping f-bombs.” 

Despite Biden never visiting the border or addressing the problem at all, he reportedly had a “short fuse” when it came to the matter. 

“Next to vaccine disinformation, this was the thing that made Biden’s blood boil,” the book reads. 

A senior official reportedly told Whipple that Biden was frustrated with the “lack of solutions” his team brought to him as the country began to become more aware of the problem. 

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION, P.C.-CULTURE Comments turned off

The Marine Corps Goes Woke Sarah Arnold  

Posted By on December 23rd, 2022

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2022/12/22/marine-corps-goes-woke-n2617456

In a world where everything that was once normal is now woke, it’s no surprise that the Marine Corps has also turned the tide. 

A newly released academic report from the University of Pittsburgh recommended that the U.S. Marine Corps drop the words “sir” and “ma’am” used to address senior officers to avoid “misgendering” drill instructors despite there only being 14,000 females in the Marine Corps, which makes up of only 7 percent of the branch.

Instead of using the words “sir” and “ma’am,” recruits in the military services refer to their drill instructors using their ranks or roles followed by their last names. 

The 738-page report highlights a $2 million study that was conducted to examine gender-integrated recruit training, which claimed that the change would make both genders feel more comfortable when being addressed by peers. 

However, not everyone is on board with the woke change. 

According to the Marine Corps Times, Col. Howard Hall, chief of staff for Marine Corps Training and Education Command, expressed several concerns. 

“That’s going to take some effort,” Hall said, adding “honestly, that’s not a quick fix. What is inculcating in our young recruits that will or will not be reinforced when they graduate and enter the fleet Marine force? So again, we want to avoid any quick-fix solutions that introduce perturbations down the line.”

FOREIGN POLICY, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Saudi Arabia Welcomes China’s Xi as US Snubs Allies, Courts Enemies by Lawrence A. Franklin

Posted By on December 22nd, 2022

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19251/saudi-arabia-welcomes-china

China is fully exploiting the cooling of US-Saudi relations engineered by the Biden administration’s repeated public personal attacks on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as well as perceived decreased support for the Saudi-led coalition’s efforts to blunt Iranian expansionism in Yemen.

The Saudis had most likely hoped that the US would finally scuttle the Iran nuclear deal for good, which did not take place.

Just a few weeks into the Biden administration, on February 12, 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed the Houthis from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. A few months later, the Houthis expressed their appreciation by raining rockets and missiles down on Saudi Arabia’s “critical energy facilities” and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi leaders therefore seem to be seeking to diversify their commercial and security links by improving relations with China, as superficially symbolized by the pomp and ceremony associated with Xi’s welcome to Riyadh. If so, this Saudi initiative plays well with Xi’s concept of an emerging multi-polar world.

Xi has agreed to buy more oil from Gulf Cooperation Council states but suggested that the purchases be paid for in Chinese yuan rather than US dollars. If the oil-exporting states agree to Xi’s request, it will further reinforce the notion that US influence with Saudi Arabia is on the decline.

As evidence of this negative trend in US prestige, the Saudi crown prince ignored US warnings not to sign deals with the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. Saudi Arabia inked Huawei-associated contracts on data centers and cloud computing.

The Saudis seem to be welcoming China as a potential strategic partner — one that will not, unlike the US, interfere in what the Kingdom undoubtedly considers its most urgent existential need.

China is fully exploiting the cooling of US-Saudi relations engineered by the Biden administration’s repeated public personal attacks on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as well as perceived decreased support for the Saudi-led coalition’s efforts to blunt Iranian expansionism in Yemen.

IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

Sanctuary Idealism Crashes into Reality Politicians who benefited from sanctuary advocacy now admit the obvious truth: Sanctuary policies are unsustainable. By Brian Lonergan

Posted By on December 22nd, 2022

https://amgreatness.com/2022/12/21/sanctuary-idealism-crashes-into-reality/

The late, great Rush Limbaugh frequently opined on his radio show that progressivism’s appeal stems from the fact that its followers are required to do nothing but “care.” Simply vent empathy or outrage—especially on social media—on behalf of an approved left-wing cause, and your otherwise dreary life can seem meaningful in the belief you are both morally superior to your ideological opponents and also saving the world. It’s a seductive pitch that has been all too successful.

The political benefits of this ideology have not been lost on state and local elected leaders, many of whom are true believers anyway. They enthusiastically virtue signal on behalf of numerous issues, and one of their favorites is sanctuary policies as a purported act of mercy toward illegal aliens. For years this was populism on easy mode, as politicians basked in the approval from their activist base without having to do much hard work.

Thanks to a combination of the Biden Administration’s disastrous border policies and fed-up red state governors, however, the party is over as sanctuary rhetoric is crashing into reality, and the curtain is being pulled back to expose their folly.

Evidence of this phenomenon can be seen even in the words of immigration realpolitik coming from the most unlikely places. In California, a hotbed of irrational sanctuary policies, Governor Gavin Newsom recently toured the southern border of his state and warned of dire consequences should the White House succeed in its effort to end Title 42 border enforcement.

“The fact is, what we’ve got right now is not working and is about to break in a post-42 world unless we take some responsibility and ownership,” Newsom said.

Responsibility? Ownership? These are uncharted waters for Newsom. He has spent most of his governorship pandering to noncitizens with initiatives like universal healthcare and state IDs for illegal aliens. For someone like Newsom to be warning that the end is near is a sign that we may be approaching a point of no return with Biden’s border sabotage.

Big-city mayors, in particular, have benefited from being sanctuary advocates. They’re now admitting the obvious truth that sanctuary policies are unsustainable. Since Governors Greg Abbott of Texas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, and Doug Ducey of Arizona began sending busloads of migrants to New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has been forced to walk a tightrope of defending sanctuary policies while acknowledging his city is struggling to accept the new arrivals.

EDUCATION, NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Are Universities Doomed? Elite university degrees certify very little. And the secret is out.  By Victor Davis Hanson

Posted By on December 22nd, 2022

https://amgreatness.com/2022/12/21/are-universities-doomed/

In a famous exchange in the The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway wrote: “How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually, then suddenly.”

“Gradually” and “suddenly” applies to higher education’s implosion. 

During the 1990s “culture wars” universities were warned that their chronic tuition hikes above the rate of inflation were unsustainable. 

Their growing manipulation of blanket federal student loan guarantees, and part-time faculty and graduate teaching assistants always was suicidal. 

Left-wing indoctrination, administrative bloat, obsessions with racial preferences, arcane, jargon-filled research, and campus-wide intolerance of diverse thought short-changed students, further alienated the public—and often enraged alumni.

Over the last 30 years, enrollments in the humanities and history crashed. So did tenure-track faculty positions. Some $1.7 trillion in federally backed student loans have only greenlighted inflated tuition—and masked the contagion of political indoctrination and watered-down courses. 

 But “gradually” imploding has now become “suddenly.” Zoom courses, a declining pool of students, and soaring costs all prompt the public to question the college experience altogether. 

Nationwide undergraduate enrollment has dropped by more than 650,000 students in a single year—or over 4 percent alone from spring 2021 to 2022, and some 14 percent in the last decade. Yet the U.S. population still increases by about 2 million people a year.

Men account for about 71 percent of the current shortfall of students. Women number almost 60 percent of all college students—an all-time high. 

Monotonous professors hector students about “toxic masculinity,” as “gender” studies proliferate. If the plan was to drive males off campus, universities have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations.