not saying that all academic research is worthless, but....
oakwilt will (hopefully) continue to voice objections to academic absurdities and paid-for assessments.
i understand the tendency to go with what the academic 'experts' come up with. often times, a person has no other obvious place to turn. also, as i was once young, too, with a brain, i understand the tendency to favor academic information as being better and more informed than information that comes from outside the hallowed halls.
fortunately, for me, i got the opportunity to get my degrees later in life, and while i was studying my books, i was also studying the mechanics of academia. the useful stuff i learned didn't come from the books, either. you can always get the books and look up what they say. what is useful is to learn to read what's not printed.
and here i will tell one sad little story from when i was studying at UC Davis. there was a professor there who also sat on the california citrus board. the state had declared that the med fruit fly had not become established there - if that status should change, the state would lose their export privileges to japan. if you don't know already, all the premium first grade produce goes to export - the next grade goes to domestic restaurant use - and the general public has access to anything below that in grocery stores. money from citrus export to japan is very high on california's books.
this professor had shown with the state's own data that the medfly was indeed established in the state, and he continued to try to report and publish that work. during the time i was there in school, the head of the entomology department was repeatedly pressured to dismiss the professor - and twice threatened with being "destroyed" in his own position. the professor himself received several death threats. (in fact, i do not know if he is dead or alive at this point.) these people are serious. and they have lots of money to see that things go the way they want.
i could tell lots of little stories about what money from chem companies was buying in the entomology dept at UC alone - a public institution, i will remind. i myself was involved in research that was financed by chem grants. your data in those instances is not yours, it's theirs. and your findings get published only if they like what you find. not to mention that early findings, without the necessary rigorous trials will often enough be pushed - plenty of sales can be made before 'new' findings turn up.
open eyes and ears. listen to those who are telling you what's going on.
like oakwilt.
oakwilt will (hopefully) continue to voice objections to academic absurdities and paid-for assessments.
i understand the tendency to go with what the academic 'experts' come up with. often times, a person has no other obvious place to turn. also, as i was once young, too, with a brain, i understand the tendency to favor academic information as being better and more informed than information that comes from outside the hallowed halls.
fortunately, for me, i got the opportunity to get my degrees later in life, and while i was studying my books, i was also studying the mechanics of academia. the useful stuff i learned didn't come from the books, either. you can always get the books and look up what they say. what is useful is to learn to read what's not printed.
and here i will tell one sad little story from when i was studying at UC Davis. there was a professor there who also sat on the california citrus board. the state had declared that the med fruit fly had not become established there - if that status should change, the state would lose their export privileges to japan. if you don't know already, all the premium first grade produce goes to export - the next grade goes to domestic restaurant use - and the general public has access to anything below that in grocery stores. money from citrus export to japan is very high on california's books.
this professor had shown with the state's own data that the medfly was indeed established in the state, and he continued to try to report and publish that work. during the time i was there in school, the head of the entomology department was repeatedly pressured to dismiss the professor - and twice threatened with being "destroyed" in his own position. the professor himself received several death threats. (in fact, i do not know if he is dead or alive at this point.) these people are serious. and they have lots of money to see that things go the way they want.
i could tell lots of little stories about what money from chem companies was buying in the entomology dept at UC alone - a public institution, i will remind. i myself was involved in research that was financed by chem grants. your data in those instances is not yours, it's theirs. and your findings get published only if they like what you find. not to mention that early findings, without the necessary rigorous trials will often enough be pushed - plenty of sales can be made before 'new' findings turn up.
open eyes and ears. listen to those who are telling you what's going on.
like oakwilt.
