Daily Data Dump - Tuesday

Glenn Beck Wrong on Darwin: How Evolution Affirms the Oneness of Humankind. I can see where the individual is coming from, but I think more people should just come out say that evolution is just science, and has no deeper moral implications besides those which humans impute to it. No one cares about the ethical implications of physics, and fundamentally biology is no different. I realize that since it's closer to the phenomenon of humanity than physics it won't play out that way, and philosophers and theologians can do with it what they will. But really, if you look at a specific question like cross-racial mating among humans in 1910 and 2010 you learn a lot more about human values of scientists than about the science of human evolution and genetics.Did Ancient Coffee Houses Lay the Groundwork for Modern Consumerism? 'Coffee house discourse often challenged the authority of the state and religion and led to changes in the society. "Simultaneously, a new Ottoman consumer, resisting the prescriptions of the state and religion, actively constructing self ethics, and taking part in the formation of the coffeehouse culture, was forming as well.' OK. College Dropout Factories. Like some for-profit colleges Chicago State looks primarily to be a way for administrators and professors to siphon money from public coffers. Gender and the Financial Crisis. In relation to gender differences and the financial crisis, Althouse's rule of discussing sex differences in enlightened company is operative: it's all good if it makes men look "bad." All the things being stated about females in positions of power, being risk averse and such, can be spun positively or negatively. Just depends on your frame. Are mutualists monogamists, while antagonists play the field? Jeremy Yoder is always worth a read if you like the biological content here.