Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
It’s that time of year again: the time when the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) nominates its ten worst colleges of the year for free speech. (Their list of the best colleges is here, with the University of Chicago back up to #1.) But today we get an honor roll of shame. Before … Continue reading FIRE’s choice of America’s ten worst colleges for free speech
Of course Heather Mac Donald‘s a right-winger, but don’t ignore her writings. How else would you learn about these two new exhibits at the Met? And she’s a good writer who has interesting things to say. I’ve read her last two books, The War on Cops and The Diversity Delusion. Even if you’re on the opposite … Continue reading Heather Mac Donald on two new exhibits at the Met
Welcome to the last day of the month, Tuesday, January 31, 2023: National Hot Chocolate Day, and not a moment too soon given Chicago’s freezing temperatures (it was 2ºF [-17ºC] when I walked to work today). Here’s some of the world’s best hot chocolate, thick and with whipped cream on the side, served with pastries … Continue reading Tuesday: Hili dialogue
Good god! It’s not enough that San Francisco embarrassed itself by renaming 44 schools, including those bearing the monickers of Dianne Feinstein, Abe Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Paul Revere. Now the city of Chicago, under the leadership of the increasingly embarrassing mayor Lori Lightfoot, is undertaking the same venture, singling out … Continue reading Chicago begins identifying potentially offensive and removable monuments, including those honoring Lincoln, McKinley, Ben Franklin, Washington, and Ulysses S. Grant
We have a short Caturday felid today, comprising three videos. Dean Schneider is a Swiss entrepreneur who engages in wildlife rescue. In this video, an apparently friendly lion still stalks him, but it’s all in fun. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! *************** From the San Diego Union Tribune we have an article about this … Continue reading Caturday felid trifecta: Turning your back on a lion; Japan’s stunning digital cat billboard; Hank gets groomed; and lagniappe
On November 8, Pano Kanelos, former President of St. Johns University, announced on Bari Weiss’s Substack site that “We can’t wait for universities to fix themselves. So we’re starting a new one.” The purpose of this new school, the University of Austin (henceforth, U of A) was to counteract the “wokeness,” the “chilling of speech”, … Continue reading Bob Zimmer and Steve Pinker resign from the advisory board of the University of Austin
I’ve been collecting links to published obituaries for Dick Lewontin, my Ph.D advisor who died on the Fourth of July this year at age 92. I wrote my own remembrances the next day, but knowing that there would be a lot of more formal pieces to come—pieces that emphasized his scientific accomplishments—I concentrated on his … Continue reading The obituaries for Dick Lewontin
Welcome to Sunday, February 26, 2023, the sabbath for all the goyische felids. It’s National Pistachio Day, celebrating one of the three Luxury Nuts (pistachos, cashews, and macadamia nuts). Here’s an 11-minute video about growing and harvesting the nuts. The variety of complex machines involved, including those that can separated the opened from the unopened … Continue reading Sunday: Hili dialogue
UPDATE: Now NBC News has covered the story in an article called “After lecture is canceled, free speech debate roils science academia.” It deals largely with David Romps’s resignation as Director of the Berkeley Atmospheric Science Center, which he details in a series of tweets (first one in the thread is below). (h/t Simon) I … Continue reading Abbotgate hits the mainstream media and Quillette: MIT gets egg on its face
Welcome to a chilly Chicago Thursday; it’s November 4, 2021: National Candy Day. I thought that was supposed to be the day after Halloween! It’s also Diwali in India, a festival of lights and, of course, many sweets. And it’s International Stout Day (as in Guinness), National Chicken Lady Day (celebrating “Dr. Marthenia ‘Tina’ Dupree, … Continue reading Thursday: Hili dialogue
