Putnam's Latest Work and the Left

Few days ago Robert Putnam (yes, the one of Bowling Alone) published a study that was disparaged in most left-leaning journals and blogs.

In a recent post on JISCmail listserv, Putnam himself points out how many many people criticized his paper without having read the original, but only basing on the press interpretation of his study.

As a left-leaning person, I can attest how this is a quintessential "regular lefty" behavior... Rather than reading the sources, lefties trust "reputable sources of information" - read: some left-leaning newspapers - that, by blindly attacking (or defending) this or that person, scholar, politician, etc manipulate the audience into believing that the newspaper's opinion or a preference is, in fact, a fact.

Will the "let me tell you what you think tovarish" ever end? Will the left (and the lefties) ever stop patronizing, "educating" people and shaming dissenters and critical thinkers into submission via a partisan use of science?

I hope so... the World desperately needs the Left. But, not this one!

Open Access News

For the many of you all into knowledge management, open software or any combination of the two, here's something you might love:
Open Access News.

Of particular notice is the Kronenberg Declaration. One would almost believe it if s/he didn't know the roster of UN bidders (and accepted bids) and understood either they can't possibly mean what they say or their hypofrontality takes over and they hire the cheapest unqualified Johnny who presents a bid.