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February 10, 2012
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: The biblical case against small-mindedness involved diminishing His precious prophet
Caroline B. Glick: The Peace Process is over. Finally
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
Rachel Koning Beals: Gen X Women Continue to Shrink Gender Investing Gap
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: Who Says You Can't Make Restaurant Favorites at Home?: MANGO AND STICKY RICE
February 9, 2012
Jeff Strickler: An argument a day keeps the divorce away, they say
Clifford D. May: CAIR's Crusade against The Third Jihad
Melissa Healy: Study finds jolt to the brain boosts memory
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Winter Squash and Red Swiss Chard Risotto is Colorful Cozy Cold Weather Fare (includes detailed dos and don'ts)
February 8, 2012
Rivy Poupko Kletenik: Tree hostility: The auspicious history of the evolution of Tu B'Shevat
Steven Emerson: Planting Trees is Racist?!
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Anne Applebaum: Russia's Potemkin democracy
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons: Obama not worried that birth-control move will hurt his re-election chances with Catholics, other faithful
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's rhetorical storm
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
David Francis: How to Avoid an IRS Audit
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: These homemade energy bars (3 recipes) are far better workout fuel than commercial ones, packing power and taste
February 6, 2012
Scott Peterson: Iran's top ayatollah: We're trumping the West
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Philip Moeller: Where Smart Investors Put Their Money
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: Vegetable Frittata --- leftovers never tasted so scrumptious
February 3, 2012
Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein: Living with ideals --- in reality
Caroline B. Glick: Fool me twice
Jonathan Tobin : Adelsonphobia Strikes in Nevada Caucus
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Kimberly Palmer : 8 Ways to Get Ready for Retirement Now
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: A quick cookie recipe: Hazelnut and Olive Oil Shortbread: Sweet, Nutty, and Savory
February 2, 2012
Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt : Welcome Home, Governor Perry
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Kelsey Sheehy : 5 Tips for Choosing an M.B.A. Concentration
Rachel Koning Beals : Investors Increasingly Tap Social Media for Stock Tips
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Savory vegetable pie is a taste of European bistro with minimal effort and maximal flavor
February 1, 2012
Nara Schoenberg: What to do when you've been dissed
Michelle Malkin: First, They Came for the Catholics
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Lisa M. Krieger: Possible breakthrough in preventing Alzheimer's
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
Susan Johnston: 5 Apps for Organizing Your Expenses at Tax Time
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The famed chef's Broccoli and White Bean Soup can easily be a lunch in itself, or a nice antipasto --- and is hard to mess up
January 31, 2012
Paul Greenberg: Separation of Church and State works two ways
Caroline B. Glick: Hamas and the Washington establishment
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: Uncle Sam is joining in efforts to crack down on Islamists' critics
Danielle Kurtzleben: The 10 Worst Cities for Finding a Job
Laura McMullen: 3 Tips to Overcome a Bad Grade in College
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: Orzo dish mixes plump, chewy grains with caramelized onions, garlic, mushrooms and sweet potato
January 30, 2012
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Blind faith and physics
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
Menachem Wecker: 3 Do's and Don'ts for Healthy Studying in College
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Butternut Squash Gratin with Tomato Fondue is a combination of the sweet and creamy
January 27, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: What Pharaoh can teach us sophisticates about being stubborn
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: Barigoule is a light and tangy dish of artichoke hearts stewed in white wine
January 26, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Newt the closet anti-Semite?
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Martin Peretz: One Year Later: The Failure of the Arab Spring
Rachel Koning Beals: Need to Know info before investing in Muni Bonds this year
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross: Curried Coconut Carrot Soup. Need we say more?
January 25, 2012
Andrew Silow-Carroll: Speak politics the Jewish way!
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
Menachem Wecker: Adding an extra 'm' -- marriage -- to that M.B.A.
Melissa Healy: Harnessing shrooms' magic
The Kosher Gourmet by Hilary Meyer: 3 Secrets Leave All of the Comfort in this 'Comfort Food', but few of the Calories
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Jada A. Graves: 6 Careers to Watch in 2012
Jason Koebler: Who Should Have Access to Student Records?
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: This luscious fruit bread marries toasted pecans with juicy pears. Perfect with a pot of tea
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Stephanie Hanes: Toddlers to tweens: Relearning how to play
Jack Kelly : Still ignoring history
Rachel Koning Beals: Awkward Questions You Must Ask Your Financial Adviser
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: Spanakopita is a golden pie that manages to be healthy yet still taste indulgent
January 19, 2012
Clifford D. May: How terrorists lose their stigma
Suzanne Bohan: Vanquishing social anxieties without drugs
Lisa Fernandez and Sean Webby: In alternative lifestyle, domestic violence means men as victims and women being abusers
Danielle Kurtzleben: The 10 Best Cities for Finding a Job
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Three bean soup with gremolata
January 18, 2012
Edward I. Koch: Why the Crocodile Tears, Hillary?
David G. Savage: Supreme Court to Principals: You have been warned
George Friedman of Stratfor: Iran, the U.S. and the Strait of Hormuz Crisis
Jason Koebler: 'Holy Grail' of Flu Vaccines by Next Year
Alex M. Parker: The Off-the-Radar Congressional Targets of 2012
The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Got soft apples? Make Apple-Maple Walnut Breakfast Quinoa
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
Sharon Palmer, R.D.: Believe it or not, your cuppa joe offers potential health perks
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: Eleventh-Hour Freezer Pasta, Made Interesting: Ravioli with romesco sauce; Tortellini salad with apples and walnuts
January 13, 2012
Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein: Expansion Of Spirit (PROFOUND yet UPLIFTING)
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Rachel Koning Beals:Top Complaints About Daily Deal Sites --- how to avoid missteps
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Braised Oxtail Stew with Olives
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
Ken Dilanian and David S. Cloud: In secret study, CIA and 15 other U.S. intelligence agencies warn Obama against leaving Afghanistan too soon
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
Menachem Wecker : 4 Technology Must Haves for Online Students
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
Rachel Koning Beals: Should You Invest in Bond Funds or Individual Issues?
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand : Colorful Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Herbs
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
Paul Bedard: Study: Is Fox Too Balanced?
Rachel Koning Beals: Is it Time to Move into Homebuilder Stocks?
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: Brothy Chinese Noodles

Half the Sodium (and More Than Twice the Fiber!)

January 9, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: The land-for-peace hoax (MUST-READ/FORWARD/SHARE)
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
Bonnie Miller Rubin: The new college-admission essay: Short and tweet(ish)
Rachel Koning Beals: Why Mid-Caps Stand Out in This Slow-Growth Stretch
The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Cumin seed roasted cauliflower with salted yogurt, mint and pomegranate seeds
January 6, 2012
Jonathan Rosenblum: Greatness --- and those who sully it
Clifford D. May: The Historian, the Diplomat, and the Spy
Paul Bedard: Study: Obama Is Late Night's Biggest Joke
Rachel Koning Beals: An Investing Guide to Closed-End Funds
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: Slow Cooker Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wine

Jewish World Review Feb. 23, 2006 / 25 Shevat, 5766

How could Harvard continue to harbor a president who wonders aloud about possible male and female differences?

By Marianne M. Jennings

Marianne M. Jennings
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Seems to me I predicted this. When soon-to-be-former Harvard prez Larry Summers suggested last year that we look into DNA for an explanation as to why fewer broads are scientists I knew his days were as numbered as the Pitt/Jolie alliance is today. There's not much hope of long-term commitment when the mother of your child was once married to Billy Bob Thornton, has two adopted children, pilots her own aircraft, and trots the globe for cameo appearances with Kofi Anan, despots, and a cast of thousands of hunger and AIDS victims. Are these activities the hallmarks of a woman looking for a 50th golden wedding anniversary? Or even shooting for tin?


Likewise, how could Harvard continue to harbor a president who wonders aloud about possible male and female differences? Summers once suggested that the rap music CD of Cornel West, holder of a coveted university professorship and key player in Harvard's African-American Studies department, was not serious scholarship. West, in a snit and supported by Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, found refuge and a position at Princeton where his CD lyrics (don your do-rag and rap with me now), "No other people in the modern world have had such unprecedented levels of unregulated violence against them," moved them as Dr. Dre never did. You can't unleash this type of practical thought in Cambridge and expect the relationship to last. Summers is fortunate to have escaped drive-bys by women in comfortable shoes for his heresy.


The Summers' ouster, largely orchestrated by the women-who-study-women-without-glancing-at-science faculty, is found in Ghostbusters. Dr. Peter Venkeman (Bill Murray) and Dr. Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) were evicted from their positions and research lab at Columbia University because, in the words of their dean, "Your theories are the worst kind of popular tripe, your methods are sloppy, and your conclusions are highly questionable. You are a poor scientist, Dr. Venkeman." Aykroyd concludes that they are now pariah in the academic world. Murray assures him that find jobs await them in business. But Aykroyd tells Murray the truth, "Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities; we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've worked in the private sector. They expect results."


Press reports, including the newspaper of both record and Dowd rantings, assure that Summers' "abrasive" personality was the root cause of the faculty no-confidence votes. Balderdash! The root cause was Summers' belief that the greatest threat Harvard faces is complacency. As I begin my 30th professorial year I find myself leaning more toward the Summers' view of elite higher ed. So much of what we once did that was valuable is gone. So much of what we currently do is wrong. So much of what we should be doing meets resistance.


My colleague Brian Foster, now provost at the University of Missouri, frosted a few erudite derrières at the American Council on Education as a participant on the "Recapturing Public Confidence in Higher Education: Leadership Challenges for Chief Academic Officers" panel. Dr. Foster said that academics are so ineffective when talking with the public about what they do that "they might as well be talking backwards, in Russian." From the time he became dean of ASU graduate college 20 years ago at ASU, Brian has run a great bully pulpit.


Summers ran his own bully pulpit to opine on grade inflation — pointing out in 2000 that over half of the grades awarded at Harvard were A's. The faculty responded that such achievement was not grade inflation but rather a testament to their brilliance at teaching. Lake Wobegon on the Charles. Summers wondered why "patriotism" was a dirty word at Harvard's Kennedy School and worried about many things at Harvard that could not be translated from backwards Russian to common sense. Summers held a mirror up to the scholars at Harvard. For too many of the faculty this introspection was as painful as a 50-year-old woman viewing herself in magnifying make-up mirror with fluorescent lights. The surface of the moon superimposed on a bloodhound looks smoother than her complexion. Rugged feedback, as it were.


Flaws can be masked well under sophisticated tools. Pancake #5 and eyeliner for the woman. A complex system of scholarship ratings, rankings, and evaluations for faculty. Tenure, merit, and promotion criteria demand faculty publications in the so-called top-tier or "A" journals, a list based on rigor of review, rejection rate, and the imprimatur of the faculty who will then use the journals they have predesignated as simply the tops. Not that much of the knowledge will be used by anyone functioning in the real world where they expect results. From the mission statement of the Academy of Management Journal:


"To be published in AMJ, a manuscript must make strong empirical and theoretical contributions and highlight the significance of those contributions to the management field. Thus, preference is given to submissions that test, extend, or build strong theoretical frameworks while empirically examining issues with high importance for management theory and practice."


Annoying passive voice aside, theoretical frameworks are preferred but only if important in practice? Oh, the oxymoroness of it all.


Formulas, weights, measures, mentions, and all manner of calculations serve as the criteria for tenure and performance evaluations. Two hits in a tier-one journal for three years running will earn you a reduced teaching load and merit pay. One hit per year in tier-one journals and two in tier-two journals will earn you the same, and either formula kept up over a period of six years could get you tenure.


Wait, there are article submissions that are rejected but have received revision requests (try again) — those count too, but I cannot yet do the math. Tier-one revision requests count more than tier-two revision requests. A rejection is a rejection is a rejection is the English-speak. One published and utilized piece in a trade journal or business publication is worth less than a might-be-published piece in a tier-one journal, or tier-two, for that matter.


But one tier-one revision request is worth more than a tier-two actual publication. Perhaps this is all just theoretical framework that doesn't work in practice? If you understand the formulas (and I am not there yet) as well as the dubious quality distinctions, then you understand how academics such as Ward Churchill and Cornel West earn tenure and star status. Their theories are the stuff of claptrap and their publications embarrassingly laughable when exposed to the light of day. They followed the arbitrary formulas for measuring achievement. And Summers dared ask if it all made sense.


Summers has made his mistakes. He had a history of loose cannon moments as head of the World Bank during the Clinton administration. I've always worried about his support of Dukakis — chalk that up to Massachusetts blue-blood-birds-of-a-feather. He gave a Harvard economics professor, Andrei Shleifer, and his friend, too big a pass on Shleifer's conflicts of interest in helping to create, under a federal grant to Harvard, the Russian capital markets even as he was investing in Russian oil stocks. Shleifer should have been sacked. Summers let it ride.


But his administrative missteps at Harvard were the facile justification for the coup d'etat. This was an ouster by a desperate leftist faculty. First the Congress, then the White House press corps and the mainstream media, and now the liberal arts faculty at Harvard. The tantrum has become the leftist policy tool du jour. The three enfants terribles fail to realize that getting your way does not mean you have won. Democrats are the minority in Congress. The MSM falls more deeply in ratings and circulation each year. Accountability for tantrums is a beast.


The common man and woman, despite their innate differences, are on to the ivory tower boondoggle. They are not falling for the complexities of mediocrity or the continuing lack of rigor and pluralism in thought. They expect results. The Harvard leftists looked like as if they had seen ghosts when Summers ran that simple thought by them. The Harvard faculty conveys smugness in its victory over a man they now depict, using revisionist slog, as a poor leader. Common sense tells a different story outside Cambridge. I resent these twits because I carry their low credibility as I try to convince parents, public, and businesses that we do understand their concerns and demands. Harvard hissy fits aside, some of us can offer results.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Marianne M. Jennings is a professor of legal and ethical studies at Arizona State University. Send your comments by clicking here.

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© 2006, Marianne M. Jennings

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