Archive for 2014

DEAN BAQUET’S ULTIMATUM: “It’s either her, or me.” As we know from experience, in the world of Democratic Party institutions, the choice between an older white woman and a younger black man is an easy one.

WHAT DOES THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAVE AGAINST Norwegian discount airlines? “To the entrenched airlines and the pilots union, the threat comes from an upstart that is well-capitalized and intent on bringing efficiencies that will allow it to offer lower ticket prices.”

IF WE DON’T LIKE YOUR LEGAL BUSINESS we’ll deny you a bank account. “At present, these problems may primarily be the domain of porn stars and sex workers. But in a system where private banks are simultaneously given a tremendous amount of control over individuals’ lives and a tremendous amount of discretion as to whom they choose to work with, we are all ultimately living our lives according to the whims of Chase Bank and its peers.”

Well, this isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s happening because of Justice Department pressure, which is much worse.

THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT THE LEARNING PROCESS THAT REQUIRES STUDENT COMFORT: Warning: The Literary Canon Could Make Students Squirm. This “trigger warning” stuff is an embarrassment to higher education. On the bright side, it’s only one of many such embarrassments . . . .

But the lesson from UCSB sophomore Bailey Loverin’s demand for “trigger warnings” seems to be that women are just too fragile for higher education. Perhaps they should attend special colleges, designed for their frailer sensibilities. On the other hand, those who don’t like the current higher education establishment might take some amusement from the way it is tearing itself apart: “Any student who felt triggered by something that happened in class could file a complaint with the various procedures and judicial boards, and create a very tortuous process for anyone.”

THE DANGERS OF FACE-RECOGNITION SYSTEMS. “Now an industry consultant, Dr. Atick finds himself in a delicate position. While promoting and profiting from an industry that he helped foster, he also feels compelled to caution against its unfettered proliferation. He isn’t so much concerned about government agencies that use face recognition openly for specific purposes — for example, the many state motor vehicle departments that scan drivers’ faces as a way to prevent license duplications and fraud. Rather, what troubles him is the potential exploitation of face recognition to identify ordinary and unwitting citizens as they go about their lives in public. Online, we are all tracked. But to Dr. Atick, the street remains a haven, and he frets that he may have abetted a technology that could upend the social order.”

Well, that’s because he has.

IRS SCANDAL UPDATE: Investor’s Business Daily: “More than a year after the IRS Tea Party targeting story broke, internal emails show what all the lying and stonewalling was about. Will Democrats and the press now admit that this is a serious scandal?”

Not unless forced. Hey, Bill Clinton’s still trying to claim that there was nothing to Whitewater, even though — as The Hill notes — “In fact, 15 people were convicted of crimes relating to Whitewater, including close family friends such as Jim and Susan McDougal.”