The profound and painful struggles of American feminists. If you want to read about REAL oppression, read this.

Weirdness at a comics company. No wonder that today’s comics suck so badly.

“[The authors] suggest that male brains are structured to facilitate connectivity between perception and coordinated action, whereas female brains are designed to facilitate communication between analytical and intuitive processing modes.” OK, you either do science or believe in intelligent design. The two just don’t mix. This probably explains the idiocy of the “study.”

A great post IN RUSSIAN about the idiocy of the Russians’ reaction to events in Ukraine.

I wasn’t sure if this controversial blogger in Montreal was a mentally disturbed person or an anti-Semite. And then I read the last sentence of the linked article and knew the answer.

I don’t watch the show discussed in this post but I’m fascinated by the endless discussion of how the show is bad because it doesn’t live up to the viewers very bizarre ideological expectations.

“Bad students at my state school got Fs. Bad students at elite institutions just might be reprimanded with a C+. Might.” That’s my experience, too. Nobody wants to expose oneself to the wrath of the parents. Since parents never come close to a state school, one has more freedom in how one teaches.

Feministe’s founder renounces reproductive rights and channels Sarah Palin. Stand up if you are surprised.

“I’ve experienced this in my own courses on race and gender. No matter how gently or empirically a notion is introduced, many Americans are not used to discussing race (they’re more accustomed to discussing gender). Many people equate a discussion on race to being racist, or a discussion on gender to equate to accusations of misogyny. And if students feel they are being called racist, they immediately put up a wall or feel threatened. And routinely, if someone feels threatened, they stop learning.” At least, I’m not the only person who has this problem.

“Research on women’s sexual desires (as opposed to their behavior) reveals the female libido to be, in the words of author Daniel Bergner, “omnivorous.” While women may not admit it to researchers or even acknowledge it to themselves, we’re basically turned on by everything.”

This is something all academics need to do to preserve the integrity of teaching.

“Many people nowadays are mistakenly of the opinion that the use of “Xmas” is a recent invention or a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas by taking the “Christ” out of “Christmas. The practice of using contractions for divine or sacred names (nomina sacrum) started sometime in the 1st Century AD although the exact date remains unknown.”

It is unbelievable that such absolutely disgusting, vicious laws would be adopted in Canada.

A very good, detailed post on how to live with an autistic roommate.

The cost savings of food stamps cuts versus the cost increases of diabetes care.

“Maine’s Republican Governor Paul LePage is continuing his push to loosen the state’s child labor laws, arguing that 12-year-old children should not be restricted from working and learning life skills.” And the little bastards shouldn’t have more gruel either.

My favorite Euroblogger experiences American Thanksgiving.

“This morning several dozen students at the University of Edinburgh stormed the offices of the university’s finance director demanding an increase in staff wages and a cap of high-ranking administrators’ salaries at ten times the pay of the university’s lowest-paid employees.” I really admire these students. Why are our students snoozing in utter passivity?

It turns out that the story about living in poverty that went viral a while ago was really written by a rich person. The good rule of thumb to discover fake articles is this: the more touching and poignant it is, the more fake it will invariably turn out to be.

And the post of the week is this beautiful post about teaching written by a teacher.

To those who pee themselves with delight over Pope Francis’s saccharine and hypocritical pronouncements: you are funny. Here is why.

Of course, one of the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church made an official statement today saying that single mothers should be referred to exclusively as cunts. He should take lessons in PR and diplomacy from Pope Francis.

At least, this particular church leader is not getting on the cover of Times as the person of the year.

A woman in her eighties tells me at the gym, “When I was your age, one just went to the gym and worked out. And these days there is so much stuff people seem compelled to carry around with them that one practically needs to move in every time one exercises.”

“Yes,” I said, removing  from my locker a backpack, a handbag, a briefcase, and a plastic bag with an enormous bowl I’m returning to a colleague.

This woman was my age half a century ago. I find that absolutely fascinating. She also swims about three times faster and better than I do.

University of Washington President Michael K. Young says:

Somebody once asked me how many professors work for me, and I said if you can ever find a professor who thinks he or she works for anybody, let me know.

I work for the State of Illinois. It’s a great state, and I’m happy to be working for it. I have no idea what this administrator is getting so pouty about.

If you are a professor, who do you work for?