Category: In the News

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Yahoo’s Shine… doesn’t

Yahoo's Shine... doesn't
Yahoo’s “Shine” …. doesn’t. That’s it in a nutshell.

Now, I fully realize that this is a site that is geared toward women between the ages of 24-54 and nearly 40 million of them… but it just seems like a grown up version of the “Miss Bimbo” site that created so much controversy in Britain.

Now, although I understand the marketing angle going on here, I can’t get my arms around the idea that we are really building on a ‘separate but equal’ theme… whereby,  women can spend their lives on this site, read, buy stuff, check their email and never leave. It sounds all too close to those ‘girl’s only’ clubs and schools that seem to benefit no one… including the girls who suffer them.

As a father of three daughters, I have tried to help my daughters prepare for the world by keeping them involved and compete at the ‘A’ standard with accomplished men & women, rather than staying in some minor females-only league.

Yes, men and women are different. However, to compete successfully in the world, we must look at it honestly away from the comfort and security of gender segregation that sites like “Shine” present.

To truly ‘shine’, one must be in ‘the mix.’

Roger Freberg

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Cal Poly ‘playing ball’ with the Saudis

The issue is very simple. If we want to ‘play ball’ with the Saudis, we have to play by their rules. Playing by the law of Saudi Arabia requires abandoning American ethics and principles. We really shouldn’t want to do this for a number of good reasons. I am reminded of a wonderful quote:

“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” – President Thomas Jefferson


It is clear when we discuss Saudi Arabia, we are looking at significant differences in our world view. More importantly, we are looking at different underlying ‘principles.’ We are not talking about style, but of substance. We cannot accept the principles of the Saudis without walking away from bedrock American values, regardless of how much money is involved.


The most disingenuous aspect of Cal Poly’s entire parallelization, is their belief that somehow any culture exposed to the American way of doing things will naturally embrace our democratic and egalitarian principles. However, recent ‘academic’ studies have found no correlation. Folks accustomed to totalitarianism like it just fine.


So as Thomas Jefferson might have said: if fashion dictates we wear a veil then bend if you wish, but in matters of civil and human rights… stand like a rock.

Roger Freberg

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Cal Poly Students Unite to protest Cal Poly -Saudia Arabia deal

Cal Poly Engineering's new BuddyI always like to hand accolades out when the media help out a socially worthwhile story.

A Protest at Cal Poly over their proposed association with Saudi Arabia is hitting the news. We all know Saudi Arabia’s second leading export is terrorists, so why is Cal Poly’s Warren Baker & Mohammad Noori pushing this deal? Some suspect that it represents ‘big money’ and a sacrifice of a few seldom used American values.

It’s American blood for money.

Here’s what the local paper wrote about the upcoming protest:

Cal Poly College
Republicans to protest pact with Saudi university

“Cal Poly’s College Republicans have organized a protest set for Tuesday afternoon against the school’s plans to help a Saudi Arabian university create an engineering program.

The pact with University College of Jubail has been met with controversy because of Saudi Arabia’s record of discrimination against women, Jews and gays. Saudi women would not be admitted initially to the Jubail engineering programs.

Members of the Republican club plan to demonstrate opposition to the partnership at Cal Poly’s Academic Senate meeting, set for 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 220 of the University Union. The Senate is expected to question university President Warren Baker about the Saudi pact.

Club members said they are gathering at the mustang statue near the Union at 4:15 p.m. to make posters and organize the demonstration.

Protest organizers said that members of other student clubs, including the Cal Poly Democrats, also plan to attend.”

— Antonio A. Prado

Roger Freberg

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How do Cal Poly and Saudi Arabia make it a better world?

Few students have ever seen Warren Baker ... he's unknown to most facultyAt Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the student newspaper the Mustang Daily once ran a contest with a significant prize to anyone who could take a picture of the elusive Cal Poly president Warren Baker. As I remember it… no one won!

so, Where’s Warren?

Before he ‘disapparates’ once again, you might get a glimpse of ‘he-who-nobody-has-ever-seen’ at Cal Poly:

the University Union room 220
3:00 – 5:00 pm

Tuesday, March 4th

Subject: the Saudi – Cal Poly deal or “how I learned to love a world without professional women.”

There are many problems with the contract… the one that bothers me is the apparent ‘veto’ capability of the Saudis on any hire… this basically means that the Saudis are not bound by any of our ‘idealistic notions.’ One passage of an analysis provided in a link below states:

“These ideals should be America’s gifts to the world. Seek to include them in any educational contracts that Cal Poly makes with educators in all parts of the world!”

Here is a fuller analysis of the ‘deal’ presented by a long time esteemed member of the university and passed along for your consideration. Also provided is Cal Poly’s own non-discrimination policy! Do we see a conflict here?

Roger Freberg

Cal Poly is not the only one willing — in my opinion — to sell American values for gold… but that doesn’t make it right.

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Cal Poly brings in the Clowns & Warren Baker

just us happy guys!

Ok…. didn’t you just hear where Cal Poly refused to add to the agenda of the Academic Senate a resolution opposing the Cal Poly-Saudi deal even though it included support from 5 prior Faculty Academic Senate Chairs? The reason? They didn’t have enough time to consider it?

Well… it appears as though they really can place on the agenda some things and not others! As a last minute addition… the Grand Mufti himself, the ever popular President of Cal Poly will come down from the mountain to speak to the masses on the virtues of dealing with Saudi Arabia, how women are really not missing anything and that this was one big misunderstanding by the ignorant masses. At least that’s how I think it will go.

Here’s the plan so far from a broadly distributed email:

“As previously noticed, next Tuesday’s Academic Senate meeting (3:00 – 5:00, UU220) will be a open forum discussion with President Baker on Budget and Budget Advocacy. An additional discussion item has been added beginning at 4:30: the proposed collaboration between CENG and Jubail University College in Saudi Arabia.

No printed agenda will be sent. This message is the formal notice for the
meeting.

If you have any questions regarding these discussion items, please feel free to contact the Academic Senate office at 756.1258, or I can be reached directly at bgiberti@calpoly.edu.”

Although Cal Poly may disagree, this meeting is more than likely subject to the ‘Brown Act” (a public Meeting)… so hopefully the press will show up, too!

Life’s never boring at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Roger Freberg

So… I guess what we are hearing is that Cal Poly makes up the rules as they go along… why am I not surprised?