Race, Segregation, and Stories About Faceless Institutions, Families with Faces AND Evidence

I just finished reading this article in the Times today about a "broad yet little explored fact of American segregation.  I like that:  the FACT of segregation.  And the story of how even "affluent black families, freed from the restrictions of low income, often end up living in poor and segregated communities anyway."  I liked it a lot.  I learned something new about how laws and courts and the best of intentions of lots of people are simply not enough to change behaviors -- complex behaviors of almost ALL of us -- that perpetuate decades of segregation that disproportionately disadvantage another generation of Black Americans.  Sadly it IS still about race:  not class, not culture, not resources, but RACE.  The evidence is pretty clear.

I reflected for a minute and learned something else:  it is possible to tell a good story about complex systems and evidence that is also about individuals.

On Generalizing and Stereotyping Illiberal Liberals

Of course the main point of this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education is really about the illiberal intellectual climate in higher ed.  It's probably a pretty legitimate critique of the academy which, like everywhere else in our society, has been politicized and has become rather polarized.  In talking with our academic friends, it seems horribly stifling, actually, in dire need of reform.  It is really difficult to criticize many of the taboos, especially those which are racially charged, without being perceived as a bigot yourself, which is another legitimate point of the article.  

On the other hand, taking a broader view of history, we should probably admit that, while it might be hard to bring into question such taboos in academia at the moment, it is not impossible.  The cult of "political correctness" is not operating with equal force all disciplines and all schools.  But what really bothers me is that Boyers projects his complaints of American higher education to American society as a whole.  It seems to me a bit exaggerated to claim that "life of ideas is also increasingly compromised in precincts beyond the academy."  On the contrary, at the moment we're witnessing a very public moment where it's not only permissible to reject these taboos of political correctness, but it's also popular to deliberately single out and offend entire groups of people, even to the point of inciting violence, all in the name of being against "political correctness."  Isn't that evidence that the power of the so-called "liberal elite" -- which presumably controls American universities from coast to coast -- is not quite as absolute as Boyers claims?

Automation, Labor and Capital

Here is a new thesis on the old relationship between Labor and Capital:  technology is causing them to fuse.  Do you buy it?

Erik Brynjolfsson et. al. have written in Foreign Affairs:

Machines are substituting for more types of human labor than ever before. As they replicate themselves, they are also creating more capital. This means that the real winners of the future will not be the providers of cheap labor or the owners of ordinary capital, both of whom will be increasingly squeezed by automation. Fortune will instead favor a third group: those who can innovate and create new products, services, and business models.

A Journalist Asks "How Do We Know?"

I just posted another essay on journalism, bias, evidence and the problems confronting readers, editors, journalists and publishers alike.  How do we actually know what happens?

Respect for Journalists and Historians: Knowing What Happened is Hard

So I kind of want to post this on my science site because this is really about evidence again and "how do we know."  On the other hand, in this case it's about Benghazi, and if I write about it at all, it's probably a good idea to keep it separate from my views on science and society, even if some of the philosophical elements are the same...

Yes, Benghazi.  I have already spent an hour on this article from the Sunday Times called A Deadly Mix in Benghazi by David Kirkpatrick.  It's hard.  I'm still reading it.  I recommend it, though.  

I decided to read it because right off the bat it's focused on what actually happened rather than the spin in Washington.

Months of investigation by The New York Times, centered on extensive interviews with Libyans in Benghazi who had direct knowledge of the attack there and its context, turned up no evidence that Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault. The attack was led, instead, by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO’s extensive air power and logistics support during the uprising against Colonel Qaddafi. And contrary to claims by some members of Congress, it was fueled in large part by anger at an American-made video denigrating Islam.

Rehosting Posts from our Italy 04 Experience Here

I'm in the process of moving all of the content from our Italy 04 website here at Blogger.

It's interesting to reexamine old posts.  Here is a great one by Sarah on her impressions of 'Social Life in Siena.'  Pretty amazing insights, especially considering that it was TEN YEARS AGO!

Maela's Blog

My niece Maela is blogging here.  Check it out.  I think she's doing a great job thinking really hard and sharing her views about being 17, female, and growing up in an age which is unprecedented in so many ways, but especially because we are so connected, so inundated with information, so starved for attention. I appreciate it because I think that despite the 'over sharing' that we take for granted, there is far too little reflection going on in our society, not enough depth in our analysis, and a real dearth of sincerity.  We live in a sea of impressions and spin, but precious little integrity.  

Well, this is what Maela is blogging about, with depth, sincerity AND integrity.

And sharing THAT is unusual.  I like it.

I'm sharing that because you might like it too.

Emerging Standards for Behavior in Social Media

Every time technology changes the way we communicate, society is impacted and cultures change. What would you call someone who is paid to be a facebook friend, for example?



Is accumulating social capital the same as a credit to the "saving face[book]" account?

Thinking Clearly about Budget Reforms

I'm thinking about this editorial in the Times.

Specific questions to ask on a case-by-case basis about each proposal to reform the budget and reduce the deficit at this time: Will this specific reform be large? Will it be temporary or structural? Will it create jobs and growth? And will it be fair?

Dartmouth Alumni in Siena (by Steve)

LEXINGTON (#71)

I understand that someone -- some "friend" -- leaked our story to the Alumni Mag.  For you readers energetic and thorough enough to bother checking us out, welcome!  (Energetic and thorough are "code" for "type A" and "obsessive" you know....)

Reentry (by Steve)

LEXINGTON (#69)

Well, we're back.  And I must admit that there are a number of things that are really attractive about these United States and that six months away is enough to appreciate them again.  But having a few more weeks off and entertaining Italian guests has made coming back a real pleasure.  Everything is just so, well, transparent.

What is Going to Happen to the Website? (by Steve)

TOUISSET, RI (#70)

Some of you may be wondering what will happen to the site now that we are back.  Well, I would like this site to remain in a sort of suspended state as a memory of our trip.  I will be investigating ways of doing just that.  However, in the mean time, I'm not sure we're ready to close it just yet.  I think it's important to keep it open for a few months for a few reasons....For example, I know that I still have a story on the history of the Contrade and the Palio and another one on the Palio itself.  And there are still two or three hundred photos to publish.  At a rate of 20 - 30 per week (in current photos album) that will take till September.  And finally, I also think that there are some comments still out there waiting to be recorded.

Get those comments in NOW for posterity.

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COMMENTS from the original blog

2006-10-21 14:09:54 stefano
after two years...
I have rehosted the site at a different hosting service in a different CMS called Drupal.  The photos are still in an open source application called Gallery.  Enjoy.

And the winner is.... (by Doreen)

SIENA (#68)

To the delight of Onda and the despair of Bruco...Jockey-less Giraffa (the contrada Onda sold their rider to in order to help keep their arch enemy, Torre, from winning).

Bruco led the race until passing the deadly curve of San Martino.  Giraffa was trying to pull ahead when all of the sudden its rider fell off.  Bruco's jockey pulled ahead again but then he, too, fell.

Then Bruco continued to lead (with its unknown horse and young inexperienced jockey) to its contrada's joy and amazement --not something they even thought could happen).  Then, calamity stuck. The 2 front runners caught up and started to lap Oca (the goose)'s horse (who had lost its rider in the second lap).  Bruco got boxed in.  Oca (finishing its second lap) started to run faster and was a nose ahead of Giraffa at the finish line.  I (and probably 1/3rd of the others), thought this was Bruco's horse. Instead, Giraffa's flag was hung outside the Palazzo Publico, as the winner.