Kavan recently did a great piece on why the world thinks we’re all idiots in the good ole’ US of A. One primary reason that he left out is that we are idiots. Our kids are stupid, and stupid kids grow up into stupid adults.
A study done by the U.S. Department of Education in 2002 showed a [...]
Posts Tagged ‘education’
Five reasons American kids are stupid
by Riley Firth
Five reasons why African-Americans don’t just ‘get over it’
by Riley Firth
Tuning into talk radio can sometimes be a mind-numbing task that significantly lowers one’s IQ, but I occasionally throw myself in front of the train and risk my intellect to see what folks out there are talking about. Unfortunately, when I turned my radio on this morning, people were talking about why black Americans should [...]
Intelligent design not very intelligent
by Riley Firth
Ben Stein, of Ferris Bueller fame, has finally done something to make me forget how much I enjoyed his droning hilarity in that film. He has brought so-called intelligent design to the forefront of public conversation once more, reviving one of the most widely-accepted hoaxes in the history of mankind.
This latest bit of nonsense is [...]
Three Simple Reasons Not to Arm College Kids
by Riley Firth
Once again, public policy is being manipulated by people who watch too many action movies. In light of the recent events at Virginia Tech, a number of states, including Virginia and Louisiana, unfortunately my home-state, are considering a brilliant new law to deal with the problem of shootings on college campuses: allowing students and teachers [...]
Why on Earth do Business Schools Teach Microsoft Access?
by Kavan Wolfe
I have been around business schools a fair bit and have noticed a few disturbing trends. For one, it seems that the majority of undergraduate business programs include at least one core course involving Microsoft Access. Sometimes Access is taught in labs or tutorials outside regular class, but the question remains, why?
I have received two [...]
A Novel Solution to the Drug Problem – part 2
by Kavan Wolfe
In my previous post I explained the true drug problem. I differentiated the symptoms from the underlying pathology by defining “the drug problem” as a conflict between:
The right to choose how to live one’s own life.
The responsibility not to cause harm to others.
The unfortunate reality that use of and addiction to various drugs causes harm [...]
Ron Paul’s Ten Most Disturbing Positions
by Kavan Wolfe
The recent swell of support for US Presidential candidate Ron Paul is astounding. And I can see why: he’s anti-war, anti-torture, anti-taxes and anti-government-screwing-with-individuals. In other words, he’s not a sadistic, subhuman, nut-job radical like Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney. But when you probe a little deeper, and I just mean read the Wikipedia entry [...]
How to Read a Scientific Paper (Top Four Questions)
by Kavan Wolfe
Do you know someone who has cancer and her treatment isn’t working? Do you know someone on psychiatric meds who is experiencing weird side effects? Do you know a business owner who’s struggling with decisions like whether to invest in high-tech equipment? Doctors are overworked and MBAs are poorly trained. If you want answers you’ve [...]
Political Poetry: Freedom is Impossible
by Kavan Wolfe
Until every citizen of a nation,
is educated in the methods,
their leaders can use,
to manipulate their beliefs, feelings and desires,
morality is impossible.
Rationality Is Impossible
DEMOCRACY Is IMPOSSIBLE.
FREEDOM. IS. IMPOSSIBLE.
Inspired by The Shock Doctrine:
Getting the BS out of Grading
by Kavan Wolfe
In my previous two posts, I established first that the grades assigned to students are subjective, if not entirely arbitrary; and second, that grades are pragmatically important because admissions, scholarships and jobs hinge on them. In summary, the system of grading is horribly screwed up, and we can’t just ignore it because careers, self-esteem and [...]