Curtis Yarvin sounds like a traitor. It's funny that he wants to go after Harvard which is practically sitting on the spot where the American Revolution started.
MIT commencement, which is still in process, has featured remarks about the value of science, diversity and foreign students and the joy of learning new things. In addition, the president of the undergraduate students delivered a fiery speech that included a lengthy ode to freeing Palestine. She was followed by President Kornbluth, who dealt with some heckling and is now talking about the importance of scientific thinking and the scientific method.
I had to make a delivery to a client this morning, so I was listening to Harvard's commencement on the radio on the way back (fun fact--one of the laws of physics is that it never rains on Harvard commencement). I heard President Garber's speech, the Latin oration (with translation for those of us who neglected to become fluent in Latin) and part of the English oration. All of them had quite a few pointed comments about diversity and the value of foreign students. I figured I'd listen to MIT's commencement this afternoon to see if any of the speakers there (including Hank Green!) have any thoughts to share on the value of science, diversity and/or foreigners.
ETA: Danielle Allen is my neighbor and soon-to-be-former Democratic ward committee chair (who'da thunk Harvardish stuff might start taking up too much of her time to attend to the minimal demands of ward committee chair?). I wanted to attend that debate, but it conflicted with something I couldn't not go to, so thanks for putting the video up so I can finally get around to checking it out. Danielle is brilliant and has thought deeply about our society for years, plus she's a good speaker. I assume her opponent came to the battle unarmed, right?
My son was working on his MD/PhD degrees in NYC, He was talking about the number of international students he was studying alongside. I asked him if he knew why there were so many foreign students. He said part of the reason - and not insignificant factor - was the fact that there weren't enough U.S. born and educated applicants qualified to be admitted to the programs. The foreign students that were there out-competed their American rival applicants. Trump and Vance are full of shit on why there is such a high number of foreign students on higher education campuses.
As an asset of one of our traditional enemies, e.g. China or Russia, if you were put in a position of extreme power and tasked with destroying the USA, you might do the following
1. Destroy US science and technology by severely interrupting funding from the NIH and NSF. The ripple effects on STEM jobs will be devastating. Turning off funding for even a few months is like turning off oxygen to a living person. Even if you turn it back on, the subject is dead.
2. For good measure, remove all students from other countries, many of whom do the federally funded research that makes the US the world leader. No experimenters, no progress.
3. Destroy the leading vaccine R&D, which *miraculously* saved millions from dying of covid just a couple of years ago. Anyone who knows vaccine research is aware that this really was a miracle.
Providence was the worst of both worlds when I went to Brown -- dirty and unsafe, but not much to do and no culture, but now its a little gem. ( note: big exception in the late 70s, the Met Cafe was always worth the trip.)
I am assured many openings for Plumbing and Electricting -- as along as the water is leaded and the electric is non-renewable -- remain open and promising and vital and open!
Boy I’m glad I stopped working as an International Student Advisor vetting new student applications at a major public university back in 1987, because right now that job is probably going to be eliminated.
I think the tax applies to the annual payout from endowments, not the full endowment itself. It's still hundreds of millions of dollars for the largest endowments.
At MIT that money goes to tuition assistance for low-income students. Now it will offset the extension of tax cuts for the 1% ... because radical left woke marxist antisemitism or something.
Ironic, given that one unspoken rationale for educating foreign students has been to "win the hears and minds" of future leaders in their home countries. In Mexico, AMLO was sneered at by the US-centric right for having "only" a Mexican degree (and... a mete Masters' at that). Sheinbaum does have her doctorate from Stanford, but I wonder how "tolerant" she'd have been of the US, had she done her doctorate elsewhere.
On the other hand, some of the worst governments in Latin America were led by, or advised by, US educated elites.
“all accredited universities be both physically and economically liquidated.”
Sounds like a baby Curtis Yarvin should have taken off the helmet. He wouldn't resent university so mucy.
Curtis Yarvin sounds like a traitor. It's funny that he wants to go after Harvard which is practically sitting on the spot where the American Revolution started.
MIT commencement, which is still in process, has featured remarks about the value of science, diversity and foreign students and the joy of learning new things. In addition, the president of the undergraduate students delivered a fiery speech that included a lengthy ode to freeing Palestine. She was followed by President Kornbluth, who dealt with some heckling and is now talking about the importance of scientific thinking and the scientific method.
I had to make a delivery to a client this morning, so I was listening to Harvard's commencement on the radio on the way back (fun fact--one of the laws of physics is that it never rains on Harvard commencement). I heard President Garber's speech, the Latin oration (with translation for those of us who neglected to become fluent in Latin) and part of the English oration. All of them had quite a few pointed comments about diversity and the value of foreign students. I figured I'd listen to MIT's commencement this afternoon to see if any of the speakers there (including Hank Green!) have any thoughts to share on the value of science, diversity and/or foreigners.
ETA: Danielle Allen is my neighbor and soon-to-be-former Democratic ward committee chair (who'da thunk Harvardish stuff might start taking up too much of her time to attend to the minimal demands of ward committee chair?). I wanted to attend that debate, but it conflicted with something I couldn't not go to, so thanks for putting the video up so I can finally get around to checking it out. Danielle is brilliant and has thought deeply about our society for years, plus she's a good speaker. I assume her opponent came to the battle unarmed, right?
My son was working on his MD/PhD degrees in NYC, He was talking about the number of international students he was studying alongside. I asked him if he knew why there were so many foreign students. He said part of the reason - and not insignificant factor - was the fact that there weren't enough U.S. born and educated applicants qualified to be admitted to the programs. The foreign students that were there out-competed their American rival applicants. Trump and Vance are full of shit on why there is such a high number of foreign students on higher education campuses.
Great editorial in USA Today about the cynical Trump attack on Harvard actually being a dangerous disservice to Jewish people. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2025/05/28/trump-harvard-antisemitism/83875926007/
As an asset of one of our traditional enemies, e.g. China or Russia, if you were put in a position of extreme power and tasked with destroying the USA, you might do the following
1. Destroy US science and technology by severely interrupting funding from the NIH and NSF. The ripple effects on STEM jobs will be devastating. Turning off funding for even a few months is like turning off oxygen to a living person. Even if you turn it back on, the subject is dead.
2. For good measure, remove all students from other countries, many of whom do the federally funded research that makes the US the world leader. No experimenters, no progress.
3. Destroy the leading vaccine R&D, which *miraculously* saved millions from dying of covid just a couple of years ago. Anyone who knows vaccine research is aware that this really was a miracle.
4. Three is more than enough.
Providence libelz!
Providence was the worst of both worlds when I went to Brown -- dirty and unsafe, but not much to do and no culture, but now its a little gem. ( note: big exception in the late 70s, the Met Cafe was always worth the trip.)
I am assured many openings for Plumbing and Electricting -- as along as the water is leaded and the electric is non-renewable -- remain open and promising and vital and open!
Yarvin appeals only to creeps -- Shady Dunce, Thiel, Bannon. He has nothing at all to contribute to any enlightened discourse.
Boy I’m glad I stopped working as an International Student Advisor vetting new student applications at a major public university back in 1987, because right now that job is probably going to be eliminated.
Maybe some those international students will go to Cuba. At least they would have more freedom of speech there. That's pretty sad.
I think the tax applies to the annual payout from endowments, not the full endowment itself. It's still hundreds of millions of dollars for the largest endowments.
At MIT that money goes to tuition assistance for low-income students. Now it will offset the extension of tax cuts for the 1% ... because radical left woke marxist antisemitism or something.
Let’s apply the same criteria to gun buyers
Ironic, given that one unspoken rationale for educating foreign students has been to "win the hears and minds" of future leaders in their home countries. In Mexico, AMLO was sneered at by the US-centric right for having "only" a Mexican degree (and... a mete Masters' at that). Sheinbaum does have her doctorate from Stanford, but I wonder how "tolerant" she'd have been of the US, had she done her doctorate elsewhere.
On the other hand, some of the worst governments in Latin America were led by, or advised by, US educated elites.
Just want to say how much I am enjoying your posts. Thanks much and keep it up. You deserve more dolls.