Round-up

Interesting argument in favour of scraping summer vacation for students. It’s good for international competition; the summer vacation itself is the product of outdated needs; and ridding ourselves of the lengthy break may be an act of egalitarianism. It would, that is, level the playing field between the rich and the poor students: “…wealthy parents can afford to give their children all sorts of edifying summer experiences that downscale parents cannot. And this, as researchers at Johns Hopkins have found, leads to backsliding: Educational advancement across classes tends to be fairly even during the school year. But downscale students actually decline in educational achievement over the course of the summer, while upscale students remain relatively stable.” This reminds me of Nicholas D. Kristof’s op-ed for the New York Times yesterday. He restated the common point that success is the product of education and opportunity – and not of innate talent. We should keep this in mind and consider seriously whatever policies might make the education of the poor and the rich more alike.

Here’s an account of the conditions in which Pakistanis displaced by the fighting between government forces and militants are living. There are approximately 2 million of them in just over a month of fighting.

Warfare among early humans may have helped midwife the development of altruism.

Round-up

Interview with Ricardo Coler. He spent some time among the Mosuo in southern China, where the women dominate. About matriarchy, Coler says: “Women have a different way of dominating. When women rule, it's part of their work. They like it when everything functions and the family is doing well. Amassing wealth or earning lots of money doesn't cross their minds. Capital accumulation seems to be a male thing.”

Here’s an article on how the purchase of eco-friendly products amounts to “competitive altruism”: gaining status by forgoing luxuries, as long as it’s done in public.

Laughing monkeys.

“A group of doctors who worked in Sri Lanka's rebel-held war zone are being held on suspicion of collaborating with Tamil rebels, the government says.” Terrible. After all the noble work they did, this is what they get in return.

Article on the close relationship of musical ability and social bonding. “When the researchers scanned the volunteers' genes, they found that two variants of the gene AVPR1A correlated strongly with musical ability. AVPR1A codes for a receptor for the hormone arginine vasopressin and has been linked with bonding, love and altruism in people.”

Round-up

Op-Ed commemorating the 20th anniversary of the pro-democracy Tiananmen square protests and lamenting just how far China’s regressed since those days of heady progressivism.

There’s a coin shortage in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “For the average Bonaerense, everyday transactions now entail a complicated calculation of where coins can be acquired and when they will be needed.” The article makes some interesting points about the role confidence in the market (or, rather, the lack of it) had in creating this crisis.

Amir Taheri criticizes Obama’s approach to the Islamic world, deeming it anti-reformist and, surprisingly, not close enough to George W. Bush’s.

After escaping the horrors of the slow genocide in West Sudan for the relatively safe refugee camps of Chad, Darfuri women are confronted still by the threat of rape.

Round-up

Farai Chideya and John McWhorter discuss racial integration of schools during a teleconference. I agree with McWhorter on this one.

Andrew Sullivan and Bob Wright discuss Buddhism, mysticism, and being at peace with the universe.

The Globe and Mail’s foreign correspondent in Africa, Geoffrey York, writes a feature story about Canada’s African foreign aid reductions. Key quote: “The real reason for the shift, of course, is a new calculation of Canada's business and geopolitical interests. Instead of Malawi and the seven other African countries, where most people are so desperately poor that they earn less than $2 a day, a bigger share of Canada's foreign-aid money will flow to middle-income places such as Peru, Colombia, Ukraine and the Caribbean, where Canada's commercial interests are more attractive. Canada's foreign aid seems to have become an instrument of its trade policy.”

Fantastic piece on George Orwell’s work from the 1940s. It points out his contradictions, commends Orwell’s singular voice, and, like so many others have done, asserts its relevance to our current world.

New York Times Magazine covers Bill Clinton’s post-presidency. It’s an overview of his foundation’s work in, primarily, developing world issues, but it’s also a bit of a character study. For instance: “Two sides of Clinton’s persona have long warred with each other, sunny optimism versus angry grievance. Clinton succeeded in politics largely because he projected the former; his worst moments usually came when he gave in to the latter. Both sides are genuine reflections of who he is.” We’re painted a picture of a man with a long memory for slights who is simultaneously very capable of reconciliation.