University of Sydney to fire academics for not publishing enough

Probably a good idea. Although with some academic fields there isn't much more to say about their subject matter. The colleges here in America would never be able to pull this off, sadly. [via Slashdot.org]

Elections have consequences; except in Ann Arbor

The Ann Arbor Board of Education narrowly passed salary increases for top administrators it has been reported. Seven to ten percent increases too. When push comes to shove Ann Arbor's BOE comes down firmly on the side of the guys and gals who polish chairs with their asses all day and against the students, workforce, and taxpayers. How do they get elected, never mind re-elected? Go figure?

You can lead a horse to water...

Abandon all hope ye who enter here

...but you cannot make them drink it. Michigan's education bureaucracy is considering withholding badly needed funds from Detroit Public Schools because of their persistently high rate of truancy it has been reported. Threats and sanctions such as this are likely futile though; if there were anything the DPS could do about this chronic problem they would have done it already.

Lincoln, Ypsilanti and Willow Run on "lowest performing" list

"Willow Run High School and Ypsilanti High School again made the state’s Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) list while Lincoln High School was added to the 2011 list, released this morning by the Michigan Department of Education" says Janet Miller the education reporter @ annarbor.com.

One word: Demographics. Just sayin'.

Weblog

Black men safer, healthier in prison than outside (Reuters)
Bottom line: Less alcohol, drug, tobacco use, and less violence; better diet and access to medical care. That is sad.

Lying liars tend to lie to you (James Brovard, American Conservative)
"Politicians nowadays treat Americans like medical orderlies treat Alzheimer’s patients, telling them anything that will keep them subdued."

The University of California is cutting back on many things, but not on its diversity programs (Heather Mac Donald, City Journal, via the iSteve blog)
"The main purpose of the UC Berkeley Initiative for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion seems to be to buy for the academic identity racket the respectability that no amount of campus mau-mauing has yet been able to achieve. 'Area studies such as ethnic studies, queer studies and gender studies tend to be marginalized and viewed as less essential to the university than such fields as engineering, law or biology,' glumly noted the press release."

Salt cravings may be the origin of all human addiction behavior (Tim Barribeau, io9)
"All humans crave salt once in a while. The desire is hardwired into an ancient part of our brains, the hypothalamus, because we need it to keep our bodies working properly. Now it looks like some of the more addictive drugs out there could be co-opting this neurological system — which means our desire for salt is what underlies our cravings for everything from heroin to coffee."

Some thoughts on the higher-education bubble and the unemployment rate (Survival Blog)
"Combine those easy student loans with state-sponsored universities which create fluffy degrees in order to attract more debt-leveraged students, and you have a job market that will never recover. The student loan bubble will burst. And it will burst on the backs of young families just trying to survive."

The science of fanboyism (Slashdot)
Our brains unconsciously develop an affinity for products we choose over similarly attractive alternatives.

Mexican drug cartels now building their own military-style assault vehicles (John P. Sullivan and Adam Elkus, Small Wars Journal)
"Known alternatively as 'narco-tanks' (narcotanques), 'Rhino trucks,' and 'monster trucks' (monstruos), the crude armored vehicles emerging in Mexico’s cartel war are evidence of a changing tactical logic on the ground. 'Narco-tanks' are better characterized as improvised armored fighting vehicles (IAFVs)—portending a shift in the infantry-centric nature of the cartel battlespace."

weblog

Top University of Michigan officials get double digit pay increases despite money woes - AAcom
Cops can spy on your house with night-vision goggles without a warrant - VC
Brainless Dearborn, MI resident "accidentally" shoots himself while sleeping - DetNews
Is Ann Arbor drinking water contaminated?  - AAchron
Maybe, it depends on whose standards you use