Despite the backfire effect, in which people double down on their core beliefs when confronted with contrary facts to reduce cognitive dissonance, an “affective tipping point” may be reached when the counterevidence is overwhelming and especially when the contrary belief becomes accepted by others in one’s tribe. READ MORE HERE: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-truth-an-outdated-concept/
Education
History of Women’s History Month and Jimmy Carter
Years before it became a full month, there was Women’s History Week. In 1978, Sonoma County, Calif., held the first known Women’s History Week to align with International Women’s Day. READ MORE HERE: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/02/1160430549/womens-history-month-grew-out-of-a-weeklong-commemoration-by-jimmy-carter-in-198
Eight Facts About Wrongfully Incarcerated Women
When it comes to incarceration and wrongful conviction, women face unique challenges both as directly impacted individuals and as the people who shoulder much of the financial and caretaking burden when loved ones are incarcerated. READ MORE HERE: https://innocenceproject.org/women-wrongful-conviction-incarceration-facts-iwd2020/
Partial list of Women’s Rights Advocates. Who’s missing?
Partial list of women’s rights advocates. Who’s missing? Malala Yousafzai (born 1997) – women’s rights activist shot in assassination attempt by Taliban for advocating for girls’ education Jane Addams (1860–1935) – major social activist, president Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906) – prominent opponent of slavery, played a pivotal role …
Florida Is Trying to Take Away the American Right to Speak Freely
From The New York Times Editorial Board, March 4, 2023 A homeowner gets angry at a county commission over a zoning dispute and writes a Facebook post accusing a local buildings official of being in the pocket of developers. A right-wing broadcaster criticizing border policies accuses the secretary of homeland security of being a traitor. …
Blue States Got Too Comfortable
“Democratic-leaning states represent the future and Republican ones the last gasps of a dying empire.” That’s been the theory long espoused by many on the left, my colleague Jerusalem Demsas wrote this week. But geographic trends suggest a possible reversal of this state of the union: Florida and Texas were last year’s top states for inbound domestic migration, with …
The Case for “Scientific Humanism”
Human progress, which has been breathtaking over the past two centuries in nearly every realm of life, has principally been the result of the application of scientific naturalism to solving problems, from engineering bridges and eradicating diseases to extending life spans and establishing rights. This blending of scientific naturalism and Enlightenment humanism should have a …
State Legislatures Ranked
A recent report from the Center for Legislative Accountability has ranked all 50 states from most to least conservative, with Alabama #1 leading as the most conservative state in the U.S. and Massachusetts as the least conservative #50. Florida is #6. Read more here: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3763498-here-are-the-50-legislatures-ranked-from-most-to-least-conservative/
From The New Yorker
A compilation of articles from The New Yorker magazine relative to atheism. “The idea of eternity, Martin Hägglund argues, destroys meaning and value.” READ HERE:https://www.newyorker.com/tag/atheism
New Civics Standards
This is VERY troubling. How will teachers respond to something that’s blatantly not true? It is NOT a misconception that the founders favored church/state separation. High school teachers attending one of these trainings in South Florida were alarmed at the focus on “Christian and conservative ideology,” The Miami Herald reported last month. Training slides published …