Resign of the Times
“If you give into bullies, they win. The only way bullies are defeated is by standing up to them. If we cancel the exam, they win; if we go through with it, they lose. I know which side I am on. You make your own choice.” That was popular Missouri professor Dale Brigham in an email sent to students who were thinking about staying away from his classroom a day after anonymous death threats against minorities were made on social media. The email was viewed as insensitive by some and shocking by others. Within hours, pressure led to an apology and — eventually Brigham’s resignation. As is always the case, it’s difficult to get the full context of a story in one article. But this sure seems to fit a common thread weaving its way through college campuses. Those with insensitive or unpopular views are forced to shut up or get out.
+ One of the things student protesters at Missouri are fighting for is an increase in “black representation among University of Missouri-Columbia staff and faculty members to 10 percent by the next academic calendar year.” Just to give you some idea of how low the representation is today: Getting to that level would require 400 new hires.
+ Protests with similar roots and demands are now taking place at other schools, including Ithaca College.
The Fault in Our Stars
Geoff Marcy, one of the world’s most well-known astronomers recently stepped down from his teaching gig at Berkeley. In his case, the question isn’t why he left so soon, but rather how he lasted so long. From Buzzfeed’s Azeen Ghorayshi: Here’s how Geoff Marcy’s sexual harassment went on for decades.
Turning Up the Heat on ISIS
“I think it will take us one day to cut the roads and two to take the town. But until we get inside the town, we can’t say how hard ISIS will fight to keep it.” With the help of U.S. airstrikes, Kurdish forces have launched an offensive to take back the key Iraqi town of Sinjar from ISIS.
+ AP: A look at the Iraqi town of Sinjar and why it’s important.
Aw Natural
What exactly does the food label “natural” mean? There’s a good chance you don’t have an answer to that question. Because even the FDA has no idea.
+ Campbell’s is testing a chicken soup without MSG.
+ BBC: Is MSG as bad as it’s made out to be?
+ General Mills is being sued by a consumer advocacy group because Cheerios protein has a smidgen of extra protein and seventeen times more sugar. (At some point, they just become little, tiny donuts.)
Justice Just Ain’t
A Utah judge has ordered a lesbian couple to give up their foster child, arguing that the kid would be better off with heterosexual parents. And this isn’t Judge Scott Johansen’s first horrendous decision.
Baby Back Baby Back Baby Back
More than 36% of American women between the ages of 18 and 34 lived with their parents or other relatives last year. That’s the most since 1940. According to one Millennial who moved back home: “There was that element of frustration and feeling like a failure. But then the logical side of me kicked in and said, ‘It’s just fiscally responsible.'” (I’d move back home with my parents in a second if they’d stop asking for tech support.)
Just Say Notify
Facebook’s latest app provides an endless source of notifications on an endless number of topics. In other words, they’re trying to drive you nuts. Here’s my look at the only five notifications you really need: Consider Yourself on Notification.
Mike Drops, Walks Away
“Eventually your brain believes that your problems are too insurmountable to get out of bed. And beyond that it starts looking for other escapes. This is not a mood. This not something you shake off. This your brain being broken. It’s lost the ability to process so it wants to shut itself off.” Mike Monteiro shares a few thoughts about his fight against depression in a short, excellent piece: This is about the time I chose not to die.
YouTune
YouTube is about video right? Well sort of. But it’s also about music. What if you took all that music, added in a standard music streaming service, and created a standalone app. From The Verge: YouTube Music is here and it’s a game changer. (One day Google might be that search engine that YouTube owns.)
Bottom of the News
“For $10, you can buy a text sent to your significant other informing him or her of the cessation of your affection. For the same amount, you can buy an email version of that note.” Yes folks, it’s Uber for breakups.
+ MentalFloss: 13 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Firefighters.
+ Bloomberg: How to lace and tie your shoes. (It’s about time we learned…)
