Free Republic

Insider (formerly Business Insider) published what was meant to be a heart-rending story about a single mom burdened with $430,000 in student debt and a sick child, all to help promote student loan forgiveness. Instead, the article should remind us that degree jockeys in the liberal arts are, for the most part, incredibly foolish. “Maria” is a 48-year-old with a Ph.D. in some unidentified major (but it’s clearly in the liberal arts), who took out $360,000 in student loans to get her degree. Insider assures us that Maria was very thoughtful about borrowing the money:Maria had a goal to teach...

Lê decided to live outside as a last resort when she was faced with a steep rent increase in the third year of her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London, and realised she would not be able to afford a flat and cover all her costs on her research and teaching income. Higher education is one of the most casualised sectors of the UK economy, and for many it means a struggle to get by Aimée Lê Aimée Lê: ‘It was cold. There were days when I remember waking up and my tent was in a circle of snow.’...

Leftist Filmed Harassing White Students at Arizona State Exposed as Ford Foundation Fellow A campus leftist who filmed a viral video harassing two students at Arizona State University is a fellow of the Ford Foundation, one of the most wealthy and powerful non-governmental organizations in the world. Sarra Tekola identifies herself as a Ford Fellow on her now-locked Twitter feed. She’s a PhD candidate, not a delusional freshman who has no experience in confronting other people with different ideas.

A North Carolina official was removed from his position Tuesday for refusing to refer to a black woman using her doctoral title during a virtual meeting. Tony Collins, a construction contractor and former member of the Greensboro City Council’s Zoning Commission, was ousted by a unanimous city council vote for ignoring Carrie Rosario’s request to call her “Dr. Carrie Rosario,” according to the Greensboro News and Record.

I’m hoping Dr. Jill becomes the surgeon general, his wife. Joe Biden’s wife. She would never do it, but, yeah, she’s a hell of a doctor. She’s an amazing doctor,” proclaimed actress and co-host of The View Whoopi Goldberg last March. After someone alerted Whoopi to the fact that “Dr. Jill” has a doctor of education (EdD) degree from the University of Delaware and not a medical degree, Goldberg apologized. “I was wrong about his wife. I was wrong, before you start texting and emailing,” she said. Starting with Goldberg’s slip-up in March and ending with Joseph Epstein’s Wall Street...

So who is Dr. Bandy Lee who suffers from an extreme case of “Orange Man” derangement syndrome? And more importantly, why should anyone listen to her ramblings? Typical of so many suffering from Veruca Salt rage (American Thinker, September 21, 2020, Explaining the Narcissistic Rage of the Left), Lee seems incapable of accepting that her candidate lost the 2016 presidential election. Would she term this “Malignant Narcissistic rage?” Dr. Lee is a Yale School of Medicine forensic psychiatrist. Her “armchair” diagnosis of Donald J. Trump, whom she has never personally evaluated, not only undercuts her profession but reveals herself as...

A Black Lives Matter-supporting teacher took to Twitter to assert that 2+2 only = 4 because of “western imperialism.” Yes, really. Brittany Marshall’s tweet went viral after she claimed during the course of a discussion about racism, “Nope the idea of 2 + 2 equaling 4 is cultural and because of western imperialism/colonization, we think of it as the only way of knowing.” Marshall, who includes her pronouns in her bio, lists her occupation as “teacher, scholar, social justice change agent” and apparently is studying for a PhD at Rutgers. Her bizarre statement is yet another example of Intersectionality, the...

Many college graduates think to themselves, “I don’t have any immediate job prospects that are attractive and I can easily get into grad school with the chance of eventually getting my PhD and then a tenured professorship; I guess that’s what I’ll do.” If you know anyone in that situation, do him or her a big favor by suggesting a new book by Georgetown University philosophy professor Jason Brennan: Good Work If You Can Get It. This year (at least before COVID-19 struck us), about 80,000 students were planning to begin doctoral programs, but, Brennan cautions, “most are destined for...

Never doubt that our #TrueColors 🌈🎶❤️ are shining through when we stand together. Thank you for joining our #TeamJoe #LGBTQ+ Social Hour with @CyndiLauper, @pwcdanica, @bjoewolf, @marshaaizumi, Izzy, Craig & @jdiaz007, and @ehechtmcgowan. pic.twitter.com/cQDJcNXaFU— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) April 27, 2020

An increasing number of insiders say, contrary to the multitude of studies and seminars we've slogged through, that there is not a shortage of Science Technology and Engineering Majors (STEM) but a glut. "It turns out that new PhDs in science have a hard time getting a job like their mentor's: tenured faculty in a research university," John Staddon a Professor of Psychology and Professor of Biology, Emeritus, at Duke University writes in an essay distributed by the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. "Fifty years ago, in my own area of experimental psychology, things were very different." "Postgraduates,...

Political junkies will recall with a giggle the less than distinguished career of Cynthia McKinney, the six-term congressperson from Georgia who was an embarrassment even to far lefties who are usually immune to embarrassment. (In fact, when she returned to the House in 2005 after having been defeated for re-election in the Democratic primary in 2002, the Democratic House leadership refused to restore her committee seniority. She was defeated again in the Democratic primary in 2006.) Among other things, McKinney was a 9/11 “truther,” and also speculated that the CIA had a role in the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur....

A black sociology professor at Vanderbilt University is arguing that “white privilege” is to blame for last week’s riots and looting in Baltimore, Md. The professor, Tony N. Brown, took to the op-ed pages of The Tennessean late last week to make the claim. White people act “routinely to harm, demean, and damage black and brown people,” Brown wrote in Nashville’s main newspaper. These actions “explain the lofty levels of frustration and despair among black and brown youth.” The professor, who has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, cites other unrelated incidents as evidence of the riots after the...

It is often believed that people who have PhDs are possessed of higher self-esteem and greater independent thought than the average population. As a PhD myself, I fully understand why people believe this. The rigorous studying, testing, and writing required to receive a doctorate should free the PhD's mind from the idols of the marketplace and teach him that great truth that Socrates discovered: the more we learn, the more we realize what we do not know. That's what should happen. What I have more often found (in myself, as well as in others) is that the knowledge acquired puffs...

Politicians and businessmen are fond of talking about America's scientist shortage -- the dearth of engineering and lab talent that will inevitably leave us sputtering in the global economy. But perhaps it's time they start talking about our scientist surplus instead. I am by no means the first person to make this point. But I was compelled to try and illustrate it after reading a report from Inside Higher Ed on this weekend's gloomy gathering of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In short, job prospects for young science Ph.D.'s haven't been looking so hot these last few...

"I am not a welfare queen," says Melissa Bruninga-Matteau. That's how she feels compelled to start a conversation about how she, a white woman with a Ph.D. in medieval history and an adjunct professor, came to rely on food stamps and Medicaid. Ms. Bruninga-Matteau, a 43-year-old single mother who teaches two humanities courses at Yavapai College, in Prescott, Ariz., says the stereotype of the people receiving such aid does not reflect reality. Recipients include growing numbers of people like her, the highly educated, whose advanced degrees have not insulated them from financial hardship. "I find it horrifying that someone who...

Police Incident Reports Incidents listed are selected by the Officer In Charge of each shift that may have significant public interest. Incidents listed are not inclusive of all incidents. Requests for information can be directed to the MPD Records Unit @ (608) 266-4075. Incident report for Case#2011-53447 Released 02/28/2011 at 11:29 AM by PIO Joel DeSpain Incident Type Special Event Incident Date 02/27/2011 - 10:44 AM Address State Street Arrested Gozde Cakici, age 29, Madison Ms. Cakici was cited for disorderly conduct. Victim Female, age 10, Milwaukee Details A 29-year old Madison woman was cited for disorderly conduct Sunday morning...

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a topic of interest to many different people. There are many different NFP methods based upon systemic observation of biomarkers – changes in cervical fluid and basal body temperature. There has been rigorous research on some of the methods. The Creighton Model Fertility *Care* System is one Natural Family Planning Method that teaches couples to recognize and chart the signs of fertility and infertility in the womans cycle and to use that knowledge to either achieve or avoid a pregnancy. The method is natural, safe and effective, and it helps the couple understand their fertility....

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that she thinks Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) will one day return to Congress. Pelosi said she believed that Giffords, the victim of an assassination attempt on Jan. 8, would one day return to her seat in the House. "Yes, I think so," Pelosi said on CNN's "The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer" when asked if she thought Giffords would return to Congress. The Arizona lawmaker has been hospitalized in Tucson, Ariz., since she was shot in the head during an attack at a constituent meeting. Despite the severity of her injury, doctors...

The following is an edited transcript of the audio. Rev. Piper, Having been through PhD studies, would you recommend other pastors pursue this course of education? You mean, already-pastoring pastors or planning-to-be pastors? I'll answer both. If you're already a pastor, I wouldn't get a PhD. It's a lot of work, and the payoff is really small. Really small. When I say really small, I don't mean studying the Bible is small payoff. But the way most PhD programs are set up it is small payoff. Because you have to read so much junk in order to get your PhD....

An American citizen who illegally recently entered North Korea reportedly told the North authorities that he came to the communist country because he "hates capitalism" and expressed desire to serve in the North Korean military, a South Korean major daily said on Saturday. Citing an unnamed North Korean source, the Donga Ilbo said the American citizen, whose identity has yet to be known, said he said he did not "want to become a cannon fodder in the capitalist military," and "wants to serve in the North Korean military."