tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14395763.post2986577137387996134..comments2023-09-23T11:07:44.228-04:00Comments on On Rush Hour in D.C.: Drew Gilpin Faust: The 21st Century's Charlene Wells?Janet Kincaidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01396294382570650966noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14395763.post-1514063732681727952007-02-14T11:26:00.000-05:002007-02-14T11:26:00.000-05:00Hahvahd. Classic.Hahvahd. Classic.Sister Mary Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00642154849765529070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14395763.post-36037606063407313292007-02-13T19:33:00.000-05:002007-02-13T19:33:00.000-05:00MWR: I can't speak to the motives of those who wer...MWR: I can't speak to the motives of those who were gunning for Summers. Obviously, he played right into their hands, though. And, as always, the media played right along, too. While it's true we never got the whole story, it seems at least tacitly true that Summers said or implied something he should have not said/thought through better. <BR/><BR/>As for Vanessa Williams--you're right about what, um, brought her down, so to speak. I'd forgotten it was actually Penthouse and not Playboy. Thanks for the correction!Janet Kincaidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01396294382570650966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14395763.post-34378419045608693052007-02-12T20:40:00.000-05:002007-02-12T20:40:00.000-05:00It seems pretty clear that Summers's comments abou...It seems pretty clear that Summers's comments about women in science and math were a useful pretext for those who wanted to get rid of him. If you examine what he actually said, and remember that he thought he was speaking as an academic to other academics, it's really hard to understand the tempest that resulted. Only when you remember that he was the brusque and unevenly popular president of the bellwether university in the world does it make any sense. Among other things worth noting about his comments, speculating about the dearth of women at the highest levels of academe involves looking at the extreme right-hand tail of the bell curve. What might be happening down there has probably nothing to do with an average person's natural aptitudes.<BR/><BR/>The problem for Vanessa Williams was not <I>Playboy</I>. Unclear if she could have weathered a simple <I>Playboy</I> spread (doubtful). The problem was that <I><B>Penthouse</B></I> obtained some photos she'd posed for some time in the past (surely with no intention of seeing them in a national publication). She was with another model. In . . . how to put this delicately . . . lingually-challenging poses.MWRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10941131523820918736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14395763.post-82360551084784077532007-02-12T20:20:00.000-05:002007-02-12T20:20:00.000-05:00I had forgotten about Wells. You summed up the 80...I had forgotten about Wells. You summed up the 80's in a way I couldn't have vocalized. <BR/><BR/>Vanessa certainly came back and showed the world her considerable talents - she's always been one of my favorite singers and actresses.<BR/><BR/>Congratulations to Faust. It's about damn time, and yes, that stodgy school needs a breath of fresh air.Sideonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00563675498159890372noreply@blogger.com