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The Grievance Studies Scandal: Five Academics Respond to The Implications of Hoax Papers Published in Postmodernist Journals


Quillette
Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00 UTC
James Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, Peter Boghossian


Editor's note: For the past year scholars James Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, and Peter Boghossian have sent fake papers to various academic journals which they describe as specialising in activism or "grievance studies." Their stated mission has been to expose how easy it is to get "absurdities and morally fashionable political ideas published as legitimate academic research."

To date, their project has been successful: seven papers have passed through peer review and have been published, including a 3000 word excerpt of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, rewritten in the language of Intersectionality theory and published in the Gender Studies journal Affilia.

Below is a response to the scandal from five academics who are currently researching, publishing and teaching in the fields of Philosophy, English Studies, Behavioral Genetics and Economics.

Comment: Some heroes don't wear capes. The efforts of James Lindsay, Helen Pluckrose, and Peter Boghossian cannot be praised enough - to expose this academic corruption as the peddling of nonsense that it is. Hopefully this incident will wake up some people who are currently under the spell of social justice - particularly University students who are particularly vulnerable.

See also:

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Airplane

11 confirmed dead in US military transport plane crash in Afghanistan


RT
Mon, 01 Oct 2018 22:28 UTC
C-130 Hercules airplane crashes in Afghanistan
© U.S. Air Force / Reuters
C-130 Hercules airplane
An American C-130 transport plane has crashed in Afghanistan, killing at least 11 people, a US defense official has said. Among the dead are several US troop members and contracted civilians whose nationalities have not been disclosed.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for shooting down the C-130, according to AFP. However, this information has not yet been confirmed, and US authorities previously denied any hostile engagement.

"Our mujahideen have shot down a four-engine US aircraft in Jalalabad," AFP cited Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying. "Based on credible information, 15 invading forces and a number of puppet troops were killed."

Six US service members and five civilian contractors on board died in the crash, according to a US military spokesman, who did not rule out the possibility of more casualties on the ground.

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Quenelle - Golden

Catalans mark anniversary of independence vote, block roads and railway station - Protests continue on second day of rallies


RT
Mon, 01 Oct 2018 09:48 UTC
Catalan protesters, Girona, Spain
© Jon Nazca / Reuters
Catalan protesters, Girona, Spain
Hundreds of people have staged a sit-in at a train station and paralyzed traffic in some areas of Catalonia as they marked the anniversary of the region's attempt to push for its independence from Spain.

The protests, organized by pro-independence groups known under the name of The Committees for the Defense of the Republic (CDR), hit major the AP-7 highway running along eastern Catalonia on Monday. People brought tires on the road at dawn and gathered behind the self-made barricades. Some were carrying banners reading "neither forgetting nor forgiving" referring to the last year's plebiscite that saw a massive police crackdown against the civilians.


Comment: Update (Oct 3): Demonstrations continue today, as tens of thousands of people demonstrated throughout the Spanish northeastern region of Catalonia. Some 180,000 people took part in the rallies in the regional capital of Barcelona alone, local media reported citing police estimates. Crowds of students filled the city's central square, waving the yellow, red and blue flags used by independence supporters:
They chanted '1 October, no forgiving, no forgetting' in an apparent reference to the last year referendum, which saw a massive brutal police crackdown. A group of protesters that gathered at the Square of Catalonia unfolded a large banner, which read "Self-determination is a human right" in English.

A major demonstration was also held in the city starting at 18:30 local time (16:30 GMT). Crowds of people marched through Barcelona, from the Square of Catalonia to the regional parliament. People were waving Catalonian flags and chanting slogans: "Independence!" "Streets will always be ours!" "Freedom for political prisoners!" and "Without disobedience, there is no independence!"


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Robot

Laughable: Researcher blames negative reaction to The Last Jedi movie on Russian bots and trolls


RT
Tue, 02 Oct 2018 19:30 UTC
star wars cosplay
© Holger Hollemann / Global Look Press
A new report analyzing online reaction to the Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie has identified an interesting and questionable culprit behind some of the negative tweets posted about the film: Russian bots and trolls.

In a paper titled "Weaponizing The Haters," researcher Morten Bay looked into "the strategic politicization of pop culture through social media manipulation" and examined the online response to the Last Jedi movie, which received notoriously mixed reaction from the Star Wars fanbase.

But the negative reaction apparently was not simply the result of some fans enjoying the movie while others were less enthused. No, no. That would be far too straightforward. Indeed, Bay suggests that at least some of the negative reaction may have been fake news - and that the Russians could be partly behind it. In the report, Bay claims to have found "evidence of deliberate, organized political influence measures disguised as fan arguments".

Comment: Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best. In this case, The Last Jedi was a bad movie. Hence, negative reviews. Anything else is just a waste of time and propaganda.

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Arrow Down

#MeToo hypocrite and 'idiot sandwich' Alyssa Milano hates Kavanaugh... but has 'crazy amounts of love' for Bill Clinton


RT
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 19:12 UTC
Alyssa Milano loves Bill Clinton
© Alyssa Milano / Twitter
Actress Alyssa Milano has used her political clout to rally behind Christine Blasey Ford, but her tweet on apparent "love" for Bill Clinton dug up from the deep past has sparked accusations of hypocrisy

The #MeToo icon took a conspicuous stand against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, the most notable being Ford, who claims the nominee sexually assaulted her in high school.

Milano even attended a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, where both Kavanaugh and Ford testified, bringing with her a sign that read "I BELIEVE SURVIVORS. NO ON KAVANAUGH."
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Map

Namibia follows South Africa calling for constitutional change to expropriate white-owned land


RT
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 12:09 UTC
Herero women in Namibia Reuters
© Reuters
Herero women in Namibia
Namibian President Hage Geingob has called for a change to the constitution to allow the government to expropriate land from white citizens and redistribute it to the majority black population.

"Many Namibians were driven off their productive land," Geingob said during his opening speech at a national land policy conference in the capital Windhoek.

According to him, the "willing-buyer willing-seller principle has not delivered results." Under the practice the land owner must first offer the government an option to buy the farmland. The government can then buy the land and redistribute it.

Geingob said that careful consideration should be given to expropriation, stressing that "the fundamental issue is the inequality..."

He also pointed to similar proposals made by South Africa's government, claiming "We also share a burning land issue and a racialized distribution of land resources with South Africa."
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Biohazard

Political divide in United States the worst it's ever been


StudyFinds
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 18:44 UTC
republican democrat symbols
It may not be so hard to believe during this murky political landscape, but a new study finds the divide between Democrats and Republicans is the worst it's ever been, more so than many people may even think.

The research, conducted by Zachary Neal, an associate professor of psychology and global urban studies at Michigan State University, is among the first to measure polarization not only by examining the frequency of parties working together, but also by demonstrating how they've grown more distant than any other time in modern history.

Neal points out that neither side is to blame for the growing rift. Regardless of the party that holds the majority in Congress or controls the White House, the political divide has widened all the same.

Comment: The impact of the current divide in politics isn't just seen in the ineffectiveness of government, but it is also having far-ranging influences into US society. Both sides take part for sure, but it is easily seen that the 'progressive' left in America are setting the tone and the right naturally reacts.

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Red Flag

Circus continues: Kavanaugh's Yale classmate admits he 'is not certain' judge was in fraternity house during 'shocking' party


RT
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 10:15 UTC
Anti-Kavanaugh protest
© Jeenah Moon / Reuters
Anti-Kavanaugh protest in New York City, NY, October 1, 2018
Tad Low, who was Kavanaugh's Yale classmate in the late 1980s, wrote an accusatory letter about a salacious party taking place in Kavanaugh's house. However, he "isn't certain" if the future judge was present during the event.

Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) forwarded a letter from Tad Low, who says he was an undergraduate student at Yale in 1987-88, and was present at a "shocking ceremony" taking place inside Kavanaugh's fraternity house, involving "a semi-circle of cheering frat brothers watching a local prostitute perform a public sex act."

"I can't say for certain that Judge Kavanaugh was present in the frat house during the event," Low admits, but suggests the FBI could examine his "meticulous personal calendars" to check.

Comment:

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Sheriff

According to reports, Al-Nusra agrees to disband and withdraw from Idlib after pressure from Turkish intelligence


Sputnik
Wed, 03 Oct 2018 14:43 UTC
Idlib, city
© Reuters/Ammar Abdullah
City of Idlib, Syria
Terrorist organizations Jabhat al-Nusra* and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have agreed, under pressure from Turkish intelligence, to disband and withdraw their forces from the demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, Al Watan newspaper reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

Al-Watan newspaper reported, citing sources close to the Turkish Revolutionary People's Liberation Front, that Turkish intelligence had held several meetings with the leadership of these two groups.

The sources said that Turkish intelligence had put pressure on the groups' leaders, while also pledging that the government would not carry out a military operation in Idlib.

Comment: Until we receive further confirmation, lets remain cautiously skeptical. If the news seem too good to be true, they probably are! After all, just two months ago Al-Nusra rejected Turkey's demands.

But if the information turns out to be genuine, then the light is finally appearing at the end of the tunnel for Syria!

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Crusader

Fighting Father Dave: Australia's pro-Palestine, pro-Putin celebrity priest

Michael Tare
Russian Faith
Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:00 UTC
Why a fearless and fiery Anglican priest travels to war-torn countries, supports Putin in Syria, and believes that Christians must unite to fight the lies of Western liberal governments

Australia Father Dave, Fighting priest

Decades ago, he opened a boxing club in Dulwich Hill, then a drug-ridden, poverty-stricken area of Sydney. Having been a tempestuous teenager himself, he knew that channeling aggression, pain and anger productively could transform the lives of young men.
Australian born Anglican priest 'Fighting' Father Dave, 55 years old, is a vivid character, dynamite in a religious world which too often closes its eyes to the lies and crimes of the Western governments and media.

Decades ago, he opened a boxing club in Dulwich Hill, then a drug-ridden, poverty-stricken area of Sydney. Having been a tempestuous teenager himself, he knew that channeling aggression, pain and anger productively could transform the lives of young men.

The liberal press both loves and hates him. On one hand, his work in helping the underprivileged in Sydney cannot possibly be critiqued by even the most virulent of social warriors.

Films have been created with about his life and work. In the very heart of Sydney, a vibrant mural of him sprawls on the wall of a building which, among other things, houses the American embassy. It was done by Luke Cornish, the most famous street artist in Australia. (Though the artist, who won the illustrious Archibald prize for his portrait of another Christian leader, is known for some rather blasphemous artworks, he seems to find the insuppressible life force of some of Sydney's spiritual leaders irresistible).

Comment: Another example of a true social justice warrior who is putting his energy towards improving the lives of others and their communities - not tearing them apart. See also:

Real 'social justice' is sometimes found in the shadows - or why those claiming to care for the downtrodden are quite often full of crap

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