Education

Guess the engineer.

This story describes an effort to get more females interested in the sciences.

On 2005's National Assessment of Educational Progress, high school girls trailed their male counterparts in scoring for nearly all science and math categories. Yet in elementary school, females scored similar to the boys in their classes.

Secondary teachers face the same conundrum every year: How to get girls interested in math and science beyond their elementary years.

If this is funded by a corporation that designs blouses with pocket protectors, who cares? But if it's our tax dollars, how does this kind of program serve the national interest? Are female designed bridges sturdier? Do female engineered servers have less down time? Really, why must we spend money to realize somebody's socialist fantasy?

If we do need more scientists, we should steer scholarships to useful college majors that lead to inventions and innovation from, say, "American studies."

Speaking of which: Is there any aspect of life that doesn't have to be a major in college?

These students studying American culture visited a brothel (I'm sure dad's thrilled to know where his tuition money is going.). Let's see the intellectual level of discourse:

Do you consider yourself a feminist?

Alexis: "Most women in this business wear the pants in the family."

Is there a certain look most men prefer?

Alicia: Every man wants something different. "There's all different kinds of girls."

Why aren't there brothels with male prostitutes?

Rivenburgh: Former Hollywood Madame Heidi Fleiss is trying.

Do you still give a military discount?

Rivenburgh: Yes.

What's the worst part?

Alicia: "Being confined, being cooped up. I have to be here 24 hours a day."

Fascinating! So, men prefer all kinds of girls (By the way, anybody who asks why there aren't brothels for women is either a fool or an American studies major [supply, demand, etc. Like the story above, such a question implies that all sex differences are social constructs.].)?

The brothel tour was a natural fit for a class that tells students "don't just study America -- live it," said Julio Rodriguez, the director of the college's American Culture Program.

How's that different from what 300,000,000 other Americans do? I "live" America. Can I get three units?

I wonder if we can train some of the hookers at the Chicken Ranch as engineers.