Survey: Most students favor colleges restricting speech - "A new Gallup survey found the majority of students believe colleges should be able to restrict at least some speech, mainly when it comes to the use of racial slurs and offensive costumes.Gallup and the Knight Foundation partnered together to conduct a survey of 3,319 randomly sampled U.S. college students about issues related to Freedom of Speech in late 2019. The survey found that 96 percent of students believe that citizens’ free speech rights are "extremely important" or "very important" to America’s democracy. However, they believe this right is less secure now than several years ago... Only 50 percent of students answered one or more First Amendment questions correctly.Twenty-one percent of students said that the government can restrict citizens’ speech and 13 percent said they are unsure. Forty-eight percent of students said that “hate speech” is not protected by the First Amendment. More specifically, only 23 percent of self-identified Democrat students know that hate speech is protected by the First Amendment, compared with 48 percent of Republican students... About 49 percent of conservatives believe conservative students can speak freely and openly on their campus while 96 percent of liberals say conservative students can openly express their views.Fifty-five percent of Republicans feel "somewhat uncomfortable" or "very uncomfortable" with sharing their views in class compared to 31 percent of Democrats. Democrat students responded more favorably to restrictions on speech than Republicans did. When given the choice between colleges prohibiting “certain speech” and allowing students to be exposed to all speech, 19 percent of respondents said colleges should have the power to prohibit speech. Only 10 percent of Republicans favored this move whereas 26 percent of Democrats favored the prohibition... Three in four Republicans admit that the “climate on [their] campus prevents some people from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive” while just over half of Democrats feel the same way."
Given that many Democrats also express reservations about expressing their views...
So much for the free speech problem on campus being a myth and the threats to free speech being because of the "right"
The College Fix’s higher education cartoon of the week #ThisIsCalculus - ""And that's why white men are evil"
"I think I'm in the wrong class. Which classroom is calculus?"
"This is calculus"
Bowling Green student files complaint against professor for criticizing Beyoncé project - "Bowling Green State University undergraduate student Meghan McKinley gave a presentation at the school’s undergraduate research symposium titled “A Drink of Lemonade to Help the Patriarchy Go Down.”“I presented on Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade and my allyship to Black women as an Asian woman,” according to McKinley. But not everyone was pleased with the presentation.According to a bias report filed shortly after the presentation, McKinley was confronted by moderator Madeline Duntley, an associate professor of sociology who specializes, in part, on gender, minorities and family.According to McKinley, Duntley “began telling me my presentation was nice,” but then said “the feminist theorists I used would not be okay with my presentation.” McKinley said that as she defended her work, Duntley “twisted my words and told me I shouldn’t be using the word ‘validate’ when speaking about women of color’s anger” and “nastily told me to open an Oxford Dictionary.”“It was clear she was speaking down to me because I am a woman of color,” McKinley wrote, saying the moderator “was belittling my voice and my experiences.”“It was an abuse of power and white privilege,” wrote McKinley in her complaint, saying “I feel even more unsafe at this school because of this situation.”... According to a bias report filed by another woman in the support group, the student shared that in a feminism class before the support group meeting, a woman “who identified as a lesbian and white” said that her experience should equate to the experience of an African-American lesbian. The white woman argued there should be no “oppression Olympics.”When the African-American student tried to disagree, she said she felt “attacked and silenced” in the class... resident assistants Helena Matisiak and Marina Pennycuff were on a “duty walk” in the Conklin North lounge when they encountered a drawing of a student resident. Under the picture, the student’s name was misspelled. According to a follow-up document issued by the school, the way the student’s name was misspelled made it a “homophobic slur.”"
Time to give all women of colour automatic summa cum laudes
Placebo Effects and the Common Cold: A Randomized Controlled Trial - "Eccles has reported “a review of 8 clinical trials on the effects of antitussive medicines on cough associated with acute upper respiratory tract infection [showing] that 85% of the reduction in cough is related to treatment with placebo, and only 15% attributable to the active ingredient.”... Overall, this trial could be interpreted either as an appropriately powered trial that failed to conclusively show placebo effects, or as a trial suggesting small but perhaps meaningful effects related to expectation and pill-allocation"
Are Meal Kits Really Cheaper Than Groceries? - "While I enjoy Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, I definitely pay a lot less than $20 for non-kit meals that I make for myself and my husband. So, how can these companies claim they’re cheaper? In part, because they decide what we’ll be comparing. They send out a box with three totally different meals, and to make a fair comparison the experimental grocery shopper buys the exact same ingredients for the exact same menu. Typically the meals don’t share any components, and they often involve an exotic ingredient or two. So yes: if your diet was made entirely of Blue Apron recipes, you’d have a hard time keeping up for $20/meal. Sensible meal planning, on the other hand, fits your meals together Tetris-style: Monday’s leftover chicken is the base for Tuesday’s dinner, and the scallions you bought for Tuesday will also go into the batch of salsa you’re whipping up this weekend. If you’re smart about this, you can save a ton of money... The truth is, meal kits aren’t just a source of food: they are also a service that designs recipes, decides how to combine them, and delivers them to your door. They do this to their liking, so if Blue Apron gets a good deal on bulk Tandoori spices, that’s what you’ll cook with. They give some to you, and some to your neighbor down the street. If you’re doing this all on your own, you get to see to the distribution and consumption of everything yourself. So as a smart, shopping-savvy consumer, I can conclude that Blue Apron doesn’t plan my meals as well as I would plan them myself.But I’m not actually that smart and savvy all the time. I’m busy, and when I’m not being busy, I’m kind of lazy. You know what I eat when I don’t have a Blue Apron box on my doorstep? I eat whatever I can buy cheap in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s... On the other hand, $10 for my half of a meal that is still not very filling is what I’d pay at Panera or Chipotle—and there, somebody else cooks it for me. For $13 I can order my favorite Thai curry and not only does someone else cook it, they’ll even deliver it to my door. Those extra few dollars (plus tip) buy me time to sit on my butt during the 30 minutes immediately before eating, instead of standing in the kitchen chopping vegetables and trying to pick all the thyme leaves off their stems... Sometimes I’m a little disappointed when the meal is something I routinely make myself, but other times the kit introduces me to a new flavor (hello, garlic black bean sauce) that I wouldn’t have gambled on otherwise. Meal kits are only worth it, though, if you enjoy cooking and want to put in the work for a fresh, interesting meal. Otherwise, Trader Joe’s and takeout are always there for you, and they’re cheaper."
Here's how much commission each food delivery app charges Toronto restaurants - "Based on current commission rates, Uber Eats is the worst offender with the highest rate of 30 per cent. Restaurants have been seeking to abandon this app especially, not only due to high fees, but because their service went haywire recently, causing many to lose business.But Uber Eats says their commission rates actually vary by level of service.""Restaurants can choose from 3 options including no fees for pickup orders; a reduced 15% fee for restaurants who choose to use their own delivery people; or full-service with delivery people available on the Uber Eats platform"... For lower rates, however, Skip the Dishes is a better option with a 20 per cent commission. foodora is also listed as charging a 20 per cent commission, but recently announced plans to cease operations on May 11. foodora workers had won the right to unionize in February... For the lowest commissions, DoorDash is the clear leader among this group with a 1o per cent commission."
New data shows just how expensive it will be to live in Toronto this year
Someone has been living in a backyard yurt in Toronto for $400 a month - "While most of us renters are paying, on average, around $2,500 per month for an apartment, one Toronto resident has figured out a living situation that is a whole lot easier on his bank account.The man, who has remained anonymous when speaking to media due to the questionable legality of his space, is essentially camping in his friend's backyard in the west end — glamping, really, in a fairy light-filled yurt... The situation is a fit for him not only because it is budget-friendly, but because as a seasonal worker, he is able to travel freely without having to worry about subletting out an apartment or moving.Also, to him, the way of life is more sustainable and ethical."
MSNBC's Brian Williams, NYT's Mara Gay Agree Bloomberg Could Have Given Each American $1 Million With Money He Spent | Video - "on MSNBC's "The Eleventh Hour" with Brian Williams, New York Times Editorial Board Member Mara Gay and the host accepted without question a tweet that (jokingly) said that Michael Bloomberg could have given every American one million dollars with the five hundred million dollars he spent on his short-lived presidential campaign. In reality, $500 million divided by 327 million Americans is about $1.53 per person."
Scott Greer on Twitter - "Say whatcha want about Onlyfans but I just moved into my dream house at 22"
"The American economy in 2020: the tweet"
BBC Radio Ulster - Everyday Ethics, The Morals of Meat - "‘Are there circumstances where eating meat raised in specific circumstances is more ethical than eating vegetables, tofu, or grain, which are produced in unethical circumstances?’
‘I, I completely get this quandary that you you presented me with there. It's something I think about all the time. For example, when I pour coconut milk, excuse me, I pour coconut milk over my cereal. And I'm well aware that we don't grow coconuts in Europe. So how much, what's the carbon footprint of me receiving that milk, you know? So then I try to make my own almond milk because that's a nut that's closer to home, I think there is an issue about some of the ingredients and products and foods that the vegans eat that do present an issue to global sort of well being. For example, a lot of vegan products have derivatives from palm in them, palm oil, palm butter, though that's such a destructive ingredient. Now, you know, then somebody could argue, well, I'm sitting here in Lancashire, having my cereal with some local organic milk, and there's somebody eating something that that's made with a product that pristine rain forests where the only two places wherever orang utans live in the world is being destroyed. So, you know, when you put it into those global terms, I think it's, it's very overwhelming. It can make you think, oh, there's no point me even trying, which I do, I just think is a very defeatist approach to it.’
‘In very specific circumstances, not eating meat may be unethical.’
‘Sure, and we're blessed in this country. In many other parts of the world like Central Asia where I've done fieldwork or Africa where I did with huge amounts of grass with varying amounts of rain, and actually keeping livestock there pastoralism as it's called, whether it's nomadic, or sedentary like it is here in nomadic and Central Asia, Africa. That's actually the best and most efficient way to use those habitats and use those landscapes because ruminants like cows, sheep and goats have this tremendous ability to transform grass into milk and butter and meat as well. And that is a good use of those landscapes if it's done humanely and efficient, sustainably.’"
BBC Radio 4 - Thinking Allowed, Artisanal food - Natural foods - "‘When you're eating, paying 20 pounds for a bowl of sort of peasant grains, you've got to be getting something else other than just pure nourishment out of it.’
‘You seem to be joining a movement nowadays when you choose what food to eat. I mean I was looking at this, I hadn't knowm about it, but I mean, I didn't know the v v January, where people were invited to embrace veganism for a month. I mean this. I mean, this begins to sound much more like a religion really’…
‘Aren't you terribly self conscious about every single time you go to a restaurant? Aren't you self conscious about what you eat at home all the time? Is food any longer a pleasure when it involves so much self consciousness?’
‘Oh, yes. Absolutely. I think that for many people who consider themselves foodies that self consciousness is actually very much a part of what's pleasurable. And, and the idea that one can be moralistic is not always seen as a sacrifice. It’s actually another piece of what could make eating and choosing particular foods enjoyable to them’...
‘When we were talking about authenticity, often this is posed in a, in the form of question of whether or not it's authentic. And I find that people are interested in discussing whether it's authentic, that experience itself is something that gives pleasure.’"
Masochism in food as a secular religion
Across the Maelstrom - "Vegans of tumblr, listen up. Harvesting agave in the quantities required so you dont have to eat honey is killing mexican long-nosed bats. They feed off the nectar and pollinate the plants. They need the agave."
"Beekeeper here! Just wanted to say that the fact that vegans won’t eat honey is very silly. Harvesting honey does not hurt bees. The invention of modern moveable-frame hives means we can remove a selected frame, extract the honey and return it without killing a single bee.If we destroyed the colony to harvest honey there would be no bees for next year, and beekeepers are incredibly careful to keep their bees healthy and thriving. We take *excess* honey that they don’t need, and it stops the hive from becoming honey-bound, meaning that there’s so much honey the Queen has nowhere to lay eggs. And if the winter is harsher than expected and the remaining honey store runs low, we feed the bees plenty to make sure they survive. We also make sure that pests are controlled, bees are treated for disease, and the hive is weatherproof and in good repair, all things that wild bees struggle with.Keeping bees in properly managed hives where they don’t starve or die from preventable disease is much better for them than being left to fend for themselves, and they’re far too important to be left alone.All the fruits and vegetables that vegans *do* eat couldn’t exist without bees, and the hives which pollinate those crops also produce excess honey which the beekeepers can sell to help keep themselves and their hives going.TLDR: BUY THE HONEY, HELP THE BEES."
