Category: Blog
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USP 515 Session 6 Notes
September 28th and 30th Session Six: Unequal Protection from Harm Discussion Questions In this session we will examine the concepts of “unequal protection”, “environmental racism”, and environmental justice” in relation to theory, policy and practice. We will address the following questions: What do we learn from reading Lawrence Summer’s memo? Why is it important that…
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USP 514 Session 6 Notes
Session 6: Sustainable Development for Whom? Readings Development: Sustainable for Whom?, Franciscans Paper for United Nations Sustainable development often advertises itself as beneficial for everyone. In fact it’s usually not. The argument is that we need to expand the definition of sustainable development to include human rights and make sure not to intensify or exacerbate…
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Hitchens on Kissinger
From this interview. Interviewer: Another member of your rose gallery is Henry Kissinger? Hitchens: Of whose rose gallery is he not a member? Mark Twain said that if you give a man a reputation as an early riser, he can sleep until noon. Kissinger has somewhere or another along the way earned a reputation as…
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USP 515 Session 5 Notes
Session Five: The Politics of Pollution In this session we will discuss how decisions about the location and distribution of environmental benefits and hazards are made, under what institutional conditions these decision are made, who makes these decisions, and who benefits and does not benefit from these decisions. We will address the following questions: What…
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USP 514 Session 5 Notes
Session 5: Equitable Sustainable Development Apparently we are skipping this? NO REQUIRED READING FOR SESSION FIVE/SIX HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT Watch the video: The Costs of Inequality: Joseph Stiglitz, TEXxColumbiaSIPA (16 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYHT4zJsCdo Answer the following questions in writing and be prepared to discuss them in class. What are Stiglitz’s main points about inequality in the USA? The economic story…
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“Intelligence” Is A Racist Lie
IQ tests, SAT tests, GMAT tests, etc are racist. “Preferences” for people who score high on these tests are preferences for people who are a part of white culture. Let’s look at some examples of statistical racism to illustrate exactly why this idea that “intelligence is a real thing” is so problematic. Statistical racism is…
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Reading Reaction: Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™
Note: I deeply enjoyed reading “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™” and in particular I enjoyed this version read by Levar Burton who also provides some analysis of his own. Our protagonist is a storyteller who creates elaborate virtual experiences to share “an authentic Indian experience” to tourists. This story follows a nascent relationship he…
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Data: $30 DIY Air Filters Are Excellent
I recently did a post about an experimental filter design which should provide excellent protection for just $30, probably exceeding the effectiveness of even the most expensive filters on the market. Well the data is in, and I was right. A Very Smokey Week Due to the most extreme wildfire conditions in history, California was…
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Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising (Thrawn 9)
First of all, having now finished the ninth book in this series, I can’t tell whether Zahn loves communism or hates it. On the surface, I am offended by Zahn’s unfiltered contempt for syndicalism and admiration for imperialism. But is that really the point? I find myself agreeing with his every critique of ancom as…
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USP493 Session 4 Notes
Lecture Measures of Variability Index of Qualitative Variability – used for nominal data The range – used for interval data – simply the largest value minus the lowest value The interquartile range, the difference between the cutpoint where 25 percent of the cases have a larger values, and the cutpoint where 25 percent of the…