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The infamous internal Google Memo that brings forward an overdue conversation about sex differences and ideological bias

Tolerance
Today's piece was originally supposed to be the second and last part of a short series on the Google memo, but in light of the author's rapid termination, I've decided to add at least one other installment on the topic. As such, my analysis on how Spiral Dynamics fits into the whole drama will have to wait till another day.

As everyone knows by now, Google went ahead and fired James Damore, the author of the now infamous memo on Google's Ideological Echo Chamber. In yesterday's piece I remarked about how shocked I was by the extraordinarily charged and hyperbolic language being used by so many of those who disagreed with what Mr. Damore wrote. Indeed, the language and mischaracterizations of the memo itself were so completely unhinged in many instances, it's hard for me to believe that many of these people even read it in the first place.

First off, while I happen to agree with a lot of what he wrote, that's besides the point. If you read the memo it's obvious that the author went out of his way to avoid triggering people who are easily triggered. Whether or not you agree with the conclusions, it was written in a respectful and measured way. He goes out of his way to clarify what he's saying so as not to be misunderstood. Here are just a couple examples of what I mean:

Comment: See: Jordan Petersen interviews James Damore, author of "controversial" Google diversity


Map

Syrian militias seek contact with Russia to set up safe zone in Idlib

damaged Idlib, Syria
© REUTERS/ Ammar Abdullah
Armed groups in northern Syria are trying to get in touch with Russia to organize a meeting to outline the borders of the fourth Syria de-escalation zone, a commander of the Free Syrian Army in southern Aleppo province told Sputnik.

"We are trying to get in touch with the Russian side via a mediator to reach an agreement on the de-escalation zone in Idlib and the southern suburb of Aleppo. Groups gave us authorization to speak on their behalf," the commander said.

The news comes amid a report the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel, Russia and the US had held several rounds of secret talks to discuss the ceasefire in southern Syria and the setup of de-escalation zones prior to the establishment of the zones.

Info

Muslim women more pessimistic about life in America than Muslim men, experience more discriminatory treatment

Muslim woman USA
© Marcell Rafli/EyeEm via Getty Images
While many Muslims express wariness and anxiety about aspects of their lives in the United States, Muslim women tend to be more pessimistic about their place in U.S. society than Muslim men.

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, more Muslim women than men say it has become more difficult to be Muslim in the U.S. in recent years (57% vs. 43%).

And Muslim women are more divided on their acceptance by society at large than are men. Half (52%) of Muslim women say they have a lot in common with most Americans and 44% view the American people as friendly toward Muslim Americans, compared with two-thirds of Muslim men who say each of these things.
Muslim women poll

Attention

Google's firing terrifies social conservatives - SJWs' true agenda seen in action

James Damore google memo
James Damore, author of the Google Memo
Is the tech industry still a boys' club? A Google software engineer penned a controversial memo, suggesting that the gender pay gap stemmed from "biological causes" between men and women. He was subsequently fired.

"I strongly believe in gender and racial diversity, and I think we should strive for more," the Google employee wrote. "Women on average show a higher interest in people and men in things. ... Women on average are more cooperative. ... Women on average look for more work-life balance while men have a higher drive for status on average," he continued.

"The male gender role is currently inflexible. Feminism has made great progress in freeing women from the female gender role, but men are still very much tied to the male gender role. If we, as a society, allow men to be more 'feminine,' then the gender gap will shrink, although probably because men will leave tech and leadership for traditionally feminine roles," he wrote. These are all quotes from James Damore, the Harvard-educated employee who worked as a Google engineer until being fired for daring to suggest Google needs more diversity but should rethink how to foster that diversity.

According to the tech site Gizmodo, Damore wrote an "anti-diversity screed." Re/Code referred to it as "sexist." The tech site Mashable assailed anyone who defended Damore as being part of the "alt-right." The problem, chiefly, is that many critics claimed Damore said things he did not and painted the things he did say in the worst possible light.

Comment:


People

N. Koreans denounce Trump's 'fire and fury' threat in massive rally

A general view shows a Pyongyang city mass rally held at Kim Il Sung Square on August 9, 2017
© ReutersA general view shows a Pyongyang city mass rally held at Kim Il Sung Square on August 9, 2017.
Tens of Thousands of North Koreans rallied on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, after the UN Security Council passed a new round of sanctions and US President Donald Trump threatened the country with "fire and fury" over its missile tests.

Footage from the Wednesday rally showed North Koreans lined up in an organized fashion behind military troops, clapping to remarks made by government leaders.

Some held propaganda placards as they marched through the square, chanting as they pumped their fists in the air.

Thousands of North Korean workers, dressed in white shirts, also angrily marched through the square while carrying the country's flag.

Info

Two top Nikki Haley aides quit citing 'family concerns'

Nikki Haley
© Mike Segar / Reuters
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has confirmed the resignations of her chief of staff and communications director. The two men cited "family concerns" as reasons for leaving.

Rumors of Communications Director Jonathan Wachtel's departure began to make rounds on East River on Wednesday evening, soon to be joined by scuttlebutt about Chief of Staff Steven Groves.

Around 11pm local time, Haley herself confirmed the resignations in a tweet.

"Both Jonathan and Steve have recently encountered family concerns.They will always be a part of the team and dear friends," she said.

Brick Wall

Feds accuse Google of wage discrimination against women

Google
Google fired the author of a memo it says is sexist, but the company is being sued by the federal government for failing to provide data on wage discrimination.

Software engineer James Damore lost his job Monday after a 10-page memo he wrote went viral. Damore wrote that the tech gender gap exists because of biological differences between men and women. The memo lists traits like "neuroticism" and "higher agreeableness" that Damore says causes women to struggle in tech. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that the memo promoted "harmful gender stereotypes."


Over the past couple of years, Google has ramped up efforts to improve diversity. Google first published a diversity report in 2011 where they claimed to be "changing the face of the technology industry." The report highlighted sponsorships for women's tech conferences and recruitment efforts targeting minorities. This past March, Google opened a coding program in partnership with historically black college, Howard University.

Comment: All things considered, this shows how hypocritical Google's response was to James Damore's memo.


Info

'Posh Boy' Jacob Rees-Mogg: Surprise contender to take over from Theresa May

Jacob Rees-Mogg
© Facebook, Jacob Rees-MoggJacob Rees-Mogg
A new kid is on the block when it comes to candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister - Jacob Rees-Mogg. The super-posh backbencher, who prides himself on his 19th century manners and world view, has emerged as a serious contender.

A new survey of Tory Party members by the Conservative Home website has Brexit Secretary David Davis as favorite to take over from the hapless Theresa May, but Rees-Mogg, the MP for North East Somerset is the dark horse racing up on the outside.

A third of those who responded to the survey said "none of the above," when offered a list of Cabinet contenders including Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Chancellor Philip Hammond.

The vast majority of those picked Rees-Mogg as their choice and there is even a grassroots movement, dubbed Moggmentum in a dig at the Jeremy Corbyn-supporting Momentum movement, which is rooting for him.

Sheriff

Former FBI agent, his daughter found guilty of murdering her abusive husband

Thomas Martens, Molly Corbett
Thomas Martens, 67 and his 33-year-old daughter, Molly Corbett
A former FBI agent and his daughter today were found guilty of killing the daughter's husband.

A Davidson County, North Carolina, jury found Thomas Martens, 67, who worked with the FBI for over 30 years, and his 33-year-old daughter, Molly Corbett, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Corbett's 39-year-old husband, Jason Corbett, meaning they unanimously believed that Jason Corbett had been killed out of malice. Molly Corbett and Martens both claimed self-defense and that they acted in defense of each other.

When the verdict was announced, Molly Corbett was heard saying, "I'm really sorry to my mom, he should have just killed me."

Attention

National Crime Agency: Slavery and human trafficking in 'every large UK town and city'

woman's face with a tear
© Frank Huster / Getty Images
Forced prostitution "could be happening on your street," the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned, as it revealed modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK is far more prevalent than previously thought.

The NCA released figures on Thursday showing there are currently more than 300 live policing operations targeting modern slavery in the UK, with cases affecting "every large town and city in the country."

Modern slavery includes those who have been trafficked, held in forced labor, or criminally or sexually exploited. It said previous estimates that there were 10,000-13,000 victims in the UK were just the "tip of the iceberg."

"The more we look, the more we find," said William Kerr, the NCA's director of vulnerabilities.

"The growing body of evidence we are collecting points to the scale being far larger than anyone had previously thought. The intelligence we are gaining is showing that there are likely to be far more victims out there."