The Naysayers It’s always amusing to see how the blogosphere and newseratti start lighting up with the most diverse range of concerns when a Valley company decides to go public. When that company is also the world’s largest social network with three times the number of users there are people in the US, things can get interesting. Here’s a selection of the web’s two cents: 1. Why the IPO matters, courtesy Time 2. Why the IPO doesn’t matter, in typical Inc. style 3. The ominous portending of Facebook’s Achilles heel(s), by the optimists at TechCrunch 4. Why…
Stanford
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Most Topular Stories
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What People are Saying About Facebook
The Stanford Review15 May 2012 | 10:29 pm -
Stanford professor, IT specialist create interactive map of the Roman Empire
Stanford News Headlines15 May 2012 | 2:00 amNew online map shows how much time and money went into traveling the Roman Empire. Classics Professor Walter Scheidel says the dynamic tool lets users interact in ways they wouldn't be able to with a traditional map. -
Day In the Life: Dominik Pasalic
The Unofficial Stanford Blog16 May 2012 | 11:00 amPart one of a series detailing Stanford students and the awesome things we do outside of class 7:15AM on Sunday morning and my alarm sounds, piercing my post-Saturday night partying foggy consciousness. Detesting the idea of waking up at this godforsaken hour, I hit that glorious invention the snooze button and roll back into blissful [...] -
Things you should know about doing a PhD in science
Clastic Detritus15 May 2012 | 7:56 amChris Chambers over at the blog NeuroChambers has a great post up with some advice about doing a PhD in science. It’s a long post with a long list of tips/advice, but well worth reading in my opinion. First, a reality based statement about getting a PhD: … a PhD is hard. It’s meant to be hard, not because inflicting pain is necessarily fun, nor because some scientists are ‘dementors’, and not because your PhD is expected to solve the mysteries of the universe. It’s hard because it is an apprenticeship in science: a frustrating, triumphant, exhausting, and ultimately… -
Making Sense of Political Doubletalk: Chairman Mao and President Obama
Thoughtful Ideas7 May 2012 | 10:00 amMao Zedong has been dead for a long time. His credentials include many important achievements: founding member of the Chinese Communist Party; revolutionary leader; hero of the Chinese civil war; first leader of the People's Republic of China; architect of China's economic policies during its first quarter century; and prolific author.Among Mao's writings are three of special importance: “On Practice,” “On Contradiction,”and “Combat Liberalism.” He wrote them between July and September 1937 when he and his comrades were holed up in the caves in Yenan. Footnotes in these essays…
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The Stanford Review
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What People are Saying About Facebook
15 May 2012 | 10:29 pmThe Naysayers It’s always amusing to see how the blogosphere and newseratti start lighting up with the most diverse range of concerns when a Valley company decides to go public. When that company is also the world’s largest social network with three times the number of users there are people in the US, things can get interesting. Here’s a selection of the web’s two cents: 1. Why the IPO matters, courtesy Time 2. Why the IPO doesn’t matter, in typical Inc. style 3. The ominous portending of Facebook’s Achilles heel(s), by the optimists at TechCrunch 4. Why… -
5 Minutes with Michael Boskin
14 May 2012 | 5:16 pm“5 Minutes With”- where each week we poke and prod the minds of Stanford affiliates with a series of questions, both causal and serious as well as personal, pertaining to Stanford and news around it. If you have any suggestions for interviewees or any specific questions you’d like to see asked, leave a comment. If you could go back to your undergraduate experience, what would you do over or do better? In retrospect, I probably would have focused on economics sooner. But during my freshman and early sophomore year, I had several different hypothetical majors and took a lot of… -
Jeremy Carl: A Talk on Energy Policy
14 May 2012 | 1:27 amJeremy Carl is a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution I walked in late to Jeremy Carl’s talk on energy policy at a Hoover Lunch last week. He was in the middle of describing how the United States gets its oil from diverse sources and how we weren’t dependent on Iraq’s oil when we went to war It turned out that we were already at the Q&A. Carl had presented a short PowerPoint that summarized how American energy production accounts for a significant amount of our energy consumption. He described geopolitical concerns that inhibit the extraction of various types of… -
Weekend Preview – May 12, 2012
12 May 2012 | 12:33 pmAt Stanford: This afternoon at 2PM, the Stanford Savoyards will be presenting “Ruddigore”, a Gilbert & Sullivan comic Victorian opera at Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The show will also be playing Sunday at 2:30 PM. Casa Italiana will be showing off it’s new pizza oven tonight for an outdoor party complete with lots of food. The event runs from 5PM until 9PM tonight between Casa and BOB. Facebook event link. Theta Delt presents Theta Delta Al-Chi-Traz, an all-campus Alcatraz/prison-themed party tonight at 10:30 at TDX. Facebook event link. The Stanford Improvisers… -
Student Politicians Face Campaign Restrictions
11 May 2012 | 9:30 pmAlthough White Plaza is the most prominent free speech zone on campus, even here there are restrictions on what a student can say or advocate. (Credit: Stanford News) Stanford University has an ambiguous set of policies regarding student political activism on campus. Students running for public office, for example, are not allowed to use campus resources for their campaign efforts. As a result, Stanford forbids students from using Zimbra email accounts to send campaign related messages. University regulations make it that much more challenging for student politicians to succeed.It is hard…
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Stanford News Headlines
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Stanford professor, IT specialist create interactive map of the Roman Empire
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amNew online map shows how much time and money went into traveling the Roman Empire. Classics Professor Walter Scheidel says the dynamic tool lets users interact in ways they wouldn't be able to with a traditional map. -
Wild blue yonder: Engineers tackle challenges of hypersonic flight
15 May 2012 | 2:00 amA multiyear collaboration among Stanford engineering departments uses some of the world's fastest supercomputers to model the complexities of hypersonic flight. Someday, their work may lead to planes that fly at many times the speed of sound. -
Amy J. Blue Award winner Donnovan Yisrael, guiding students to good choices
14 May 2012 | 2:00 amDonnovan Yisrael, who has been on staff at Vaden Health Center since 1998, has been trying to understand and, more important, trying to get the students he works with to understand, why they engage in risky behaviors, whether it's regretted sex, drinking too much or what he calls his "über-example" – not wearing bicycle helmets. -
Hume Writing Center celebrates 10-year anniversary May 16-17
14 May 2012 | 2:00 amThe George and Leslie Hume Writing Center celebrates its 10th anniversary this week. The center's birthday party also will acknowledge the legacy of retiring English Professor Andrea Lunsford. -
Hip-hop reigns at Stanford's BlackFest 2012
14 May 2012 | 2:00 amPopular music continues to be the big draw at the annual spring festival. Kendrick Lamar and E-40 are to perform at BlackFest 2012, which will take place at Frost Amphitheater. This year's event is expected to draw record crowds.
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The Unofficial Stanford Blog
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Day In the Life: Dominik Pasalic
16 May 2012 | 11:00 amPart one of a series detailing Stanford students and the awesome things we do outside of class 7:15AM on Sunday morning and my alarm sounds, piercing my post-Saturday night partying foggy consciousness. Detesting the idea of waking up at this godforsaken hour, I hit that glorious invention the snooze button and roll back into blissful [...] -
If You Want to Save Chi Theta Chi, March on the Vice Provost’s Office This Monday!
12 May 2012 | 9:43 pmThis Monday, May 14, at 9:30am, the residents, alumni, and friends of Chi Theta Chi (XOX) will march on the office of Vice Provost for Student Affairs to defend the house’s lease before the deaf ears of the Stanford administration. If you want to save this house’s independence, you must join them. Stanford, a variety [...] -
Berlin, du bist so wunderbar: Adventures of a Stanford Ex-Pat
12 May 2012 | 5:55 pmThe man in the gigantic skirt spat half-chewed potato chunks at the audience, then flung the remnants across the stage. Later in the production, he donned a soggy octopus suit and cried in a corner in the fetal position. My first thought was “wow, German theater is weird.” My second: “wow, Stanford’s paying for this!” [...] -
This Week In Stanford 4/30/12 – 5/7/12
7 May 2012 | 5:58 pmBetween Stanford’s history and its scientific findings, it seems that there are a million new things to discover. Here’s your Stanford news for this beautifully warm week. There were quite a few responses to “Get Rich U.” Check out writers defending Stanford on Bloomberg’s Businessweek and the prominent online tech blog site PandoDaily. Did you ever [...] -
How to Own the Stanford Housing Draw
5 May 2012 | 10:41 pmOkay, okay, I’m kidding. There’s no way to beat the draw. (I mean, it is just a random number that you have no control over. Sorry.) But you can do the next best thing: avoid it altogether. Put your housing out of the lottery system and into your own hands. Disclaimer: This is written for [...]
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Clastic Detritus
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Things you should know about doing a PhD in science
15 May 2012 | 7:56 amChris Chambers over at the blog NeuroChambers has a great post up with some advice about doing a PhD in science. It’s a long post with a long list of tips/advice, but well worth reading in my opinion. First, a reality based statement about getting a PhD: … a PhD is hard. It’s meant to be hard, not because inflicting pain is necessarily fun, nor because some scientists are ‘dementors’, and not because your PhD is expected to solve the mysteries of the universe. It’s hard because it is an apprenticeship in science: a frustrating, triumphant, exhausting, and ultimately… -
IODP 342: Scientific objectives and general information
14 May 2012 | 2:01 pmIn just 17 days I’ll be heading to Bermuda to board the JOIDES Resolution drill ship for IODP Expedition 342 to acquire cores of deep ocean sediment offshore the Grand Banks, northeastern Canada. I’ll be at sea for a full two months and see land again when we dock in St. John’s, Newfoundland in early August. The scientific objectives are explained in detail on this site, but, in short, the goal is to acquire a series of cores of deep-sea sediment that have been accumulating since as far back as the Late Cretaceous (~70 million years ago). The primary goal is to obtain a… -
IODP Expedition 342 — A sneak preview
6 May 2012 | 8:48 amIn the spirit of a trailer for a summer blockbuster, here’s a short (2 minute) and fun video about Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 342 to the Grand Banks this June-July. I will be participating on this cruise as part of the science staff. I leave for this expedition in a few weeks and hope to get a more detailed post up before then. (I also hope to post during the expedition, which IODP encourages, but we’ll see how much time I have to do that.) In the meantime, if you’re interested in the scientific objectives of this expedition, check out the prospectus… -
Friday Field Photo #168: Scorched Earth
4 May 2012 | 7:26 amDuring my last trip down to Chilean Patagonia we spent a day in nearby Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, which had experienced a devastating wildfire some weeks earlier. The fire burned more than 31,000 acres and is thought to have been started by a careless tourist. By the time we went to the park the fire had been put out for several weeks, but the evidence was obvious. It was a surreal experience to walk around on a landscape that was very recently covered in a mix of low, dense (and sometimes prickly) vegetation and dense woods. With the exception of some charred roots, most of the ground… -
A geological pilgrimage to the Late Cretaceous
30 Apr 2012 | 6:29 pmThis month’s Accretionary Wedge asked participants to discuss a place they would go (or did go) for a geological pilgrimage: I would like to define the pilgrimage as a single place, which is “geologically” unique, relatively remote, and requires some difficulty to get to. If you have already done your geological pilgrimage, please share with us your experience. If you are still planning your pilgrimage, then let us know where your sacred geological spot is and why. Perhaps this is cheating, but instead of a geographic place, I’ve chosen a ‘place’ in Earth history…
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Thoughtful Ideas
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Making Sense of Political Doubletalk: Chairman Mao and President Obama
7 May 2012 | 10:00 amMao Zedong has been dead for a long time. His credentials include many important achievements: founding member of the Chinese Communist Party; revolutionary leader; hero of the Chinese civil war; first leader of the People's Republic of China; architect of China's economic policies during its first quarter century; and prolific author.Among Mao's writings are three of special importance: “On Practice,” “On Contradiction,”and “Combat Liberalism.” He wrote them between July and September 1937 when he and his comrades were holed up in the caves in Yenan. Footnotes in these essays… -
Decimating Cabinet Agencies: A Generic Template
18 Apr 2012 | 12:11 pmDecimating cabinet agencies is a multistage process. There is massive duplication and overlapping both within and across cabinet agencies. In order to decimate redundant activities, it is first necessary to identify all agencies that duplicate or overlap with others. This is no easy task.Take, for example, offices of diversity (and female inclusion). By itself, the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill established 28 separate diversity offices. There are doubtless hundreds of such offices scattered throughout cabinet agencies. This is absurd quite apart from… -
Decimating Executive Agencies, Step One
17 Apr 2012 | 2:16 pmLet’s start with the Executive Office of the President. The Council of Economic Advisers, which does little other than prepare an annual report on the economy (also prepared by numerous private organizations), the National Economic Council, the Domestic Economic Council, and the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board should be collapsed into one office with the best people from each of the four. The number of staff should be cut by three-quarters. If the president wants to hear different opinions on domestic policy, one staff person can compile a daily sample from… -
Decimating the Executive Branch of the Federal Government
16 Apr 2012 | 11:55 amThis post presumes the election of Mitt Romney as president on November 6, 2012. Assuming he is genuinely intent on reducing the scope, size, and cost of government, he should adopt as his symbol the “ax,” not the “scalpel.” Trimming agency personnel and budgets is not durable. Only eliminating agencies can remove their cost and the harmful effects of their intervention in the private affairs of individuals and enterprises.It is important not to announce in advance of taking office those agencies targeted for elimination. Advance notice would give them time to… -
The Enormity of U. S. Federal Agencies, Part Four
13 Apr 2012 | 2:49 pmThis post concludes the three-part series that enumerates U.S. federal agencies.Those of you who want to learn more about the scope of federal agencies, Thoughtful Ideas suggests you look up the budget and number of employees in each agency. Then, based on the stated mission and activities of each agency, try to estimate the additional harm these agencies cause as they intrude in the private affairs of individuals and enterprises.
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Folding@home
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FAH logo mosaic
26 Apr 2012 | 8:37 amWe wanted to find a way to express in a single picture the immense collective effort that FAH donors and FAH teams comprise. We had several ideas internally and this is one of my favorite: we made a photo mosaic of the FAHicon out of team logos. We also have a link to a high res version. -
Peptoids
22 Apr 2012 | 1:02 pmGUEST POST: Prof. Vincent Voelz, Temple University One of the projects we're excited about in the Voelz Lab is molecular simulation of synthetic polymers called peptoids. These are biomimetic molecules that can fold like proteins, but they have different structural properties. Several peptoids have been identified that can fold into unique three-dimensional structures, but better computational modeling is needed to identify the driving forces for folding and predict stable peptoid structures. If we can develop tools to do this, peptoids have the potential to be an amazing platform to… -
Brief network outage – stats update down for 2 hours
18 Apr 2012 | 8:41 amWe will have a brief network outage in one of our server rooms today at 7pm PDT. This will not affect Folding@home other than to delay the normal hourly stats update. Once the outage is over, we will restart the update and the stats will be inserted into the db. So, this won't affect donor stats, other than to briefly delay our hourly update this morning. -
Introducing the Voelz lab at Temple, a new member of the FAH Consortium
15 Apr 2012 | 12:57 pmGUEST POST: Prof. Vincent Voelz, Temple University The Voelz Lab just started this past August in the Department of Chemistry at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. We have just installed two Folding@home servers, and are gearing up to run simulations this summer (which I hope to talk about in future blog posts). In the meantime we have been very lucky to work with the Institute for Computational Molecular Science here at Temple, and a new high-peformance computing cluster to generate some initial data. One of our interests is using molecular simulation to do computational design of… -
Understanding the folding of hIAPP, the peptide linked to the Type 2 diabetes
9 Apr 2012 | 11:58 amHere's an update from Prof. Xuhui Huang's lab at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, another collaborating labortory in the Folding@home consortium. In addition to the molecular recognition processes, another project his lab is working on at the Folding@home platform is to explore the folding free energy landscape of the human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP). hIAPP (also called amylin) is a 37-residue peptide and its aggregation reduces working β-cells in patients with Type 2 diabetes. As an intrinsically disordered protein, hIAPP monomer does not have a…
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Stanford MBA Admission Blog
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Staying in Touch
11 May 2012 | 6:50 pmAs this year's application season winds down, and second-year MBA students prepare to graduate, we are planning our summer/fall travel season. We love meeting people out on the road, so look for us in a city near you. And of course, even though class visits and tours are coming to an end for this academic year, you can still attend an on-campus information session at the GSB during the summer. Over the next couple of months, we will be posting next year's application essay questions, as well as the application itself. If you want to be one of the first to get Stanford MBA Admissions updates… -
Stanford GSB alum gives away $1 billion to tackle the world's biggest problems
10 Apr 2012 | 2:41 pmRead the full article in Stanford Magazine. -
Stanford GSB Alums Named Young Global Leaders for 2012 by the World Economic Forum
29 Mar 2012 | 6:10 pmEach year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) recognizes up to 200 young leaders from around the world for their outstanding "professional accomplishments, commitment to society, and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world." This year's list of honorees includes Stanford GSB alums Jane Chen, MBA 2008, Alvaro Fernandez, MBA 2002, Dave Hanley, MBA 2003, Greg McKeown, MBA 2008, and Fred Swaniker, MBA 2004. The award is a high honor. As Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF, said, "Within the World Economic Forum community, the Young Global Leaders represent the… -
LEEDing the way
20 Mar 2012 | 1:02 pmThe Knight Management Center has achieved the LEED Platinum rating for environmental sustainability from the U.S. Green Building Council. In order to attain this rating, Knight was designed to generate solar energy and maximize natural resources, while using less water and electric energy. And of course, amidst these environmental innovations, Knight was intended to be--and has become--a place that brings people from the Stanford campus together and facilitates learning. For more information on Knight's LEED Platinum rating, visit our website. -
Thoughts from the people who interview you
6 Mar 2012 | 5:09 pmWe know that many of you Round 2 applicants are waiting anxiously to get an interview invitation. How do we know this? Because you call and email us, asking if interview invitations are still going out. (And, yes, they are.) In the meantime, we thought you might be interested in hearing a bit from our interviewers: why they interview for us and their advice on how best to prepare for an interview. As you probably know, the vast majority of our interviews are conducted by hundreds of GSB alumni all over the world. Why do our alums volunteer as interviewers? — "This is the way I give back to…
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GradMommy
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Did She Know?
30 Apr 2012 | 10:43 pmI’ve procrastinated in writing this post because it’s too hard translating the feelings of my heart into words on a page. In the past ten days, my beautiful baby boy was born and my beautiful sister-friend passed away. While I had nine months to prepare for the former, I had only a day to prepare for the latter. While I can marvel at God’s grace and magnificence while peering into the eyes of my son, I cannot help but be angry at God’s will to take my friend before I was ready. It’s probably true that every time a life comes into our human world, another life is… -
mother of three
26 Apr 2012 | 11:27 pmThey say when you have a child, it’s so hard to imagine what life was like before that child entered your life. At this time last week, at precisely this moment, I was a mother of two. Big A and Little A were my kids. That was my mommy persona. I had two kids. It’s surreal. Because he is my child. At one week old, he is my pooda-bear, my little man, a piece of my heart. Baby A. I am a mother of three beautiful wonderful children. Writing this makes me cry. Because there is nothing in the world I love being more than being a mother of three. It’s been hard – no doubt. -
he’s here
20 Apr 2012 | 4:41 pmPure joy. Nothing but pure joy. -
ready
7 Apr 2012 | 10:02 pmI really want to have this baby. That is all. -
final stretch
1 Apr 2012 | 10:51 pmWhen I was in high school, I managed the track team. I sucked as an actual runner; despite my long legs and slim build, I just was neither fast nor did I have any endurance. I did run for a few months, though, before taking a manager’s job. I remember how hard it was. When it was time to go, I remember believing so much that I was fast, that I could win. I would start, and the first few seconds would be good. Then all of a sudden, my legs were like lead and I could hardly get one foot in front of the other, and everyone was passing me, especially on the curves. Straightaways were…
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Folding@home
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FAH logo mosaic
26 Apr 2012 | 8:37 amWe wanted to find a way to express in a single picture the immense collective effort that FAH donors and FAH teams comprise. We had several ideas internally and this is one of my favorite: we made a photo mosaic of the FAHicon out of team logos. We also have a link to a high res version. -
Peptoids
22 Apr 2012 | 1:02 pmGUEST POST: Prof. Vincent Voelz, Temple University One of the projects we're excited about in the Voelz Lab is molecular simulation of synthetic polymers called peptoids. These are biomimetic molecules that can fold like proteins, but they have different structural properties. Several peptoids have been identified that can fold into unique three-dimensional structures, but better computational modeling is needed to identify the driving forces for folding and predict stable peptoid structures. If we can develop tools to do this, peptoids have the potential to be an amazing… -
Brief network outage – stats update down for 2 hours
18 Apr 2012 | 8:41 amWe will have a brief network outage in one of our server rooms today at 7pm PDT. This will not affect Folding@home other than to delay the normal hourly stats update. Once the outage is over, we will restart the update and the stats will be inserted into the db. So, this won't affect donor stats, other than to briefly delay our hourly update this morning. -
Introducing the Voelz lab at Temple, a new member of the FAH Consortium
15 Apr 2012 | 12:57 pmGUEST POST: Prof. Vincent Voelz, Temple University The Voelz Lab just started this past August in the Department of Chemistry at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. We have just installed two Folding@home servers, and are gearing up to run simulations this summer (which I hope to talk about in future blog posts). In the meantime we have been very lucky to work with the Institute for Computational Molecular Science here at Temple, and a new high-peformance computing cluster to generate some initial data. One of our interests is using molecular simulation to do computational design of… -
Understanding the folding of hIAPP, the peptide linked to the Type 2 diabetes
9 Apr 2012 | 11:58 amHere's an update from Prof. Xuhui Huang's lab at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, another collaborating labortory in the Folding@home consortium. In addition to the molecular recognition processes, another project his lab is working on at the Folding@home platform is to explore the folding free energy landscape of the human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP). hIAPP (also called amylin) is a 37-residue peptide and its aggregation reduces working β-cells in patients with Type 2 diabetes. As an intrinsically…
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metacool
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Innovation principles in practice: 16, 19, 20
5 May 2012 | 9:11 pmPrinciple 16: Grok the gestalt of teams Principle 19: Have a point of view Principle 20: Be remarkable -
metacool Thought of the Day
1 May 2012 | 2:10 pm"Never delegate understanding." - Charles Eames Principle 1: Experience the world instead of talking about experiencing the world -
Climbing Mountains and Wells
29 Apr 2012 | 10:34 amInnovating upon something already in existence requires change. The road to that change can be faster or slower, but there's always a journey to be had. If you're lucky, it may be an easy path you take, but it's much more likely to be one with lots of obstacles, dips, and dead ends along the way. When I look back upon the things I've embarked upon to create change in the world, one thing stands out: the journey always took much longer than projected. If that journey was something akin to climbing a big mountain, I spent more time navigating the… -
Big Bang Theory
24 Apr 2012 | 7:42 pmThe essay I wrote for RACER magazine is now available online. You can find it here on pp. 34-35. The topic is Game Changers. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I think it's one of the better things I've written on the subject of innovating. Here's an excerpt: How to spot one? Beware of self-proclaimed game changers; most are just marketing hype. Real game changers trigger resistance from competitors and rule makers. Or, like Jim Hall's fan car, they violate unspoken taboos... I hope you like it! Thanks. -
Email stinks
19 Apr 2012 | 10:07 pmI’ve lost count of the number of misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and attenuated outcomes I’ve brought into being via the tips of my fingers. No, I’m not talking about mediocre blog posts, I’m speaking to the thousands of emails I send each year. When it comes to the pursuit of creative outcomes, email stinks. I wrote a few weeks ago about the debilitating effect of sarcasm in a creative workplace. In that same context, email has its problems, too. With email, not only is it difficult to discern whether sarcasm is at play, but it’s also…
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simon jackman's blog
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Thought of the day re Political Science at NSF
11 May 2012 | 7:05 pmThe fight to save the American Community Survey crowds out the voices trying to keep NSF funding for political science… -
House votes to cut NSF political science funding
10 May 2012 | 1:45 amAt 11.57pm tonight the House passed an amendment to HR 5236 cutting NSF funding to political science, 218-208. 5 Dems voted Aye. 27 Reps voted Nay. Of 3 amendments moved today by Jeff Flake on HR 5326, this one got up. We just learned a lot about preferences for $9M/yr of political science funding vs cutting billions from NSF funding in the aggregate. At this point we’re hoping the Senate and conference turns this around. Write your Senators… See my earlier post today on this. Oh: and they freaking well wiped out the American Community Survey too with this rollcall. Amendment of… -
another threat to NSF…
9 May 2012 | 12:50 pmEmail arrived overnight with news that the National Science Foundation’s support of political science research might be under threat. Specifically, APSA [the American Political Science Association] has learned that Representative Jeff Flake (AZ) may imminently introduce an amendment to the NSF appropriations bill now on the House floor (HR 5326: the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013) to defund the political science program at the NSF. Flake is running for the AZ Senate seat opening up with Kyl’s retirement. The Republican primary in AZ is in… -
confirming record territory in the Australian political betting markets
7 May 2012 | 1:34 pmAn update, confirming we are in record territory on the betting markets (afaik). Two previous highs/lows in the national betting markets: Centrebet had the Coalition on 5.15 on December 2, 2009, to Labor’s 1.14, for an implied probability of a Coalition win of .18. This was the day after Abbott became Leader of the FPLP. Rudd had about 200 days left as PM at that point. Centrebet had the Coalition at 4.95 to Labor’s 1.18 on Nov 20, 2007 (Tuesday before the 2007 election), for an implied probability of a Coalition win of .19. Newspoll releaed a 54-46 2PP poll that morning, from… -
Labor out to $6.00 on Sportsbet
6 May 2012 | 4:43 pmThis could well be the longest odds I’ve ever seen in Australian national-level political betting markets. 6.00 to 1.13 at Sportsbet at 7am this morning, Sydney time. I’ll ransack the historical data to verify that. Others will likely follow as that 15% ROI offered by Centrebet (inter alia) for a Coalition win gets stomped on.
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SSIR Articles
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Local Forces for Good
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmOf the more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States, the vast majority are local groups striving to achieve maximum results while operating on budgets well under $1 million. Most aim to deepen their impact within the local community, rather than increase their reach by scaling up nationally. So how do the six practices outlined in our book Forces for Good apply to smaller groups, when we originally studied only large national and global nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, and the Environmental Defense Fund? Phrased differently, can the six practices of… -
A Big Deal for Conservation
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmWhen Costa Rican President Óscar Arias declared “peace with nature” in 2007, he laid out an ambitious plan for his country to take the lead among developing nations in supporting ecosystem conservation. The goal was admirable—to expand and secure all of Costa Rica’s national parks, wildlife reserves, and protected seascapes and become the first developing country in the world to meet the protected area targets and management standards of the UN convention of Biological Diversity. At the time, however, it seemed like yet another environmental proposal filled with promise but with… -
In Search of the Hybrid Ideal
16 May 2012 | 12:00 pmRecent news coverage of Hot Bread Kitchen reads as if it were written about two different organizations. The New York City bakery is widely acclaimed for its innovative selection of international breads, but it is simultaneously an award-winning workforce development program. Hot Bread Kitchen is a hybrid organization: Its employees, mostly low-income immigrant women, bake bread inspired by their countries of origin, while learning job skills that can lead them to management positions in the food industry. In this way, Hot Bread Kitchen combines two traditionally separate models: a social… -
Get Feedback
16 May 2012 | 11:00 amConsumer satisfaction is one of the primary ways we assess private sector services. The majority of online consumers read ratings and reviews on websites such as Amazon, TripAdvisor, and eBay before making a purchase. We post product complaints online because we know other consumers are interested in our experience. What’s more, professionals from mechanics to insurance sellers consider customer feedback when assessing their market position and efficacy. Although there are ongoing conversations about best metrics for judging quality, there is consensus that consumer satisfaction and… -
Big Society Capital Marks a Paradigm Shift
16 May 2012 | 11:00 amHow do we transform the prospects of the socially disadvantaged? Answers to this question tend to focus on either the private sector or the public sector. But between the two sits the social sector, comprising charities, foundations, and other nonprofits that have distinctly social goals. There are 171,000 organizations in the social sector in the United Kingdom, holding total net assets of £95 billion and employing 668,000 people. For comparison, there were 987,000 public charities and 116,000 private foundations registered in the United States in 2009. Among them, they held more than $683…
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Scope
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Contemplating how our human microbiome influences personal health
16 May 2012 | 12:07 pmAs previously reported on Scope, researchers at Stanford and elsewhere are engaged in ongoing efforts to determine how microscopic ecosystems that exist in the human body may impact personal health. Today, an opinion piece on Scientific American’s Observations blog examines how our evolving understanding of this microbiome community influence the “nature vs. nurture” debate. Christine [...] -
Is there a genetic link between memory and PTSD risk?
15 May 2012 | 4:45 pmCould the gift of a good memory ever go unwanted? New research from the University of Basel in Switzerland suggests that those who have a genetic predisposition to form stronger memories may be at an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Led by neuroscientist Dominique de Quervain, MD, the investigators looked at how genetic differences [...] -
PEPFAR has saved lives – and not just from HIV/AIDS, Stanford study finds
15 May 2012 | 3:01 pmPEPFAR, the largest U.S. initiative ever devoted to a single disease, has helped save lives from all causes, not just HIV/AIDS, a new Stanford study has found. The program, officially known as the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief, was begun in 2003 under President George W. Bush and is considered one of his greatest [...] -
In animal study, high-fructose diet compromises cognitive function
15 May 2012 | 2:50 pmHere’s some nutritional news that anyone who relies on cans of Coke or Pepsi to get through the day may want to pay attention to. In an animal study, UCLA investigators found that binging on soda and sugary treats for as little as six weeks appears to impair the brain’s ability to learn and remember information. And, interestingly, [...] -
How genome testing can help guide preventative medicine
15 May 2012 | 12:30 pmAs previously reported on Scope, Stanford geneticist Michael Snyder, PhD, and colleagues conducted an unprecedented analysis of Snyder’s genome using a newly developed technique known as Personal “Omics” Profile, or iPOP. Last night, a post on the Health Blog examined how Snyder experienced firsthand that gene sequencing can change a person’s daily life: He learned he has an elevated risk [...]
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SSIR Blog
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Managing Technology for Social Change
16 May 2012 | 9:29 amTechnology advancements over the years have had a considerable impact on society—and yet in most cases, this social impact has been secondary to business and profit aims. Satistied with selective pockets of social and economic change, we often overlook the endless missed opportunities as we blindly follow the course of technology. I recently got a real taste of what this means as we looked at the social sector landscape in India. As technology innovators, we are naturally excited by new ideas and, in India, my team was pushing for ground-breaking innovation in health care delivery. We… -
Fostering Social Entrepreneurship in Lebanon
15 May 2012 | 10:22 amI took the streets at least once a month for 15 years calling for change in a country that suffers from a weak political system, deficient democratic culture, and deteriorating socio-economic conditions. The path of change in Lebanon is challenging and frustrating. A sectarian system makes reform a slow process driven by clientelism. The social and economic system is undeveloped and remains unable to provide equitably for all citizens. The educational system suffers major drawbacks, and does not help prepare students to integrate into the job market. I was a founding member of several civil… -
ReCoding Good: Part 5
14 May 2012 | 1:10 pmLast week, the Treasury Department and IRS proposed new examples of Program Related Investments (PRIs)— investments made by foundations primarily to accomplish charitable purposes—as part of the federal regulations guiding these kinds of impact investments. This is the first time in 40 years that the government has updated the examples, and it is an exciting opportunity for donors, nonprofits, foundations, and impact investors to provide input on the federal policies that shape and catalyze these types of investments. The departments will accept comments and input until July; you… -
Social Sector Peer Evaluation: A Proposal
14 May 2012 | 10:18 amThe board's process for effectively evaluating their organization is critical to the success of the industry, but the process has been historically mired in controversy and lacking in generally accepted best practices. At many universities, academic departments undergo periodic strategic assessments. Schools seek a clear-eyed look at the direction and priorities of each department so that they can assess practices and compare them to departments at other universities across the country. The typical review includes an internal assessment conducted by a select group of internal… -
Opening the Door for Program Related Investments
11 May 2012 | 1:11 pmRecently, the Obama Administration took a simple but important step that has the potential to do a lot of good in communities across the country—from improving education and creating opportunity in low-income communities to keeping our water and air safe. Traditionally, foundations have tackled our most vexing problems primarily by making grants to organizations. Foundations are required to make annual charitable contributions of at least five percent of their total assets. These overwhelmingly are done via grants and most stay very close to the five percent minimum. The remaining 95…
