Álvaro La Parra-Pérez

@alvarolaparra

Too economist to be a historian. Too historian to be an economist. More coffee, please.

2159 Siguiendo2311 Seguidores3139 Publicaciones

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¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y alvarolaparra.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 1h

I've been in US academia for 12 years, and... what is Ben Sasse talking about? My experience is the opposite: shared governance is being obliterated, the state dictates what we have to teach, departments and programs are being eliminated... Remarkably out of touch for a former university president

So, you end up with this shared governance problem, which is massive. The accreditors say your institution to have access to federal dollars--Perkins loans, Stafford loans, Pell Grants, research dollars--you have to have shared governance. Well, what does shared governance mean?

What it should mean is the faculty and the board/administration together wrestle with what the curriculum is, and all non-curricular things--athletics, fundraising, physical plant, lobbying the state legislature for money--that should be on the board and the president and the administration. Instead, what happens is shared governance usually means almost everything is shared between faculty and board, even things where a committee of faculty is not going to be competent to manage physical plant planning. And, curriculum is given over to the faculty entirely, and maybe just the Faculty Senate, which is the activist subset on average. It's not true of everybody who is on a Faculty Senate, but on average, the Faculty Senate is the most activist, non-productive subset of the humanities and social sciences faculty.

STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] faculty, by and large, don't want to do anything with Faculty Senate because they've got research projects with deadlines. So, the curriculum is unmanaged. And, the way you know the curriculum is unmanaged is both by how incoherent it is. Who would say, as the father of a 17-becoming-18-year-old, 'Oh, I want to hand my kids over to'--and then go read the curriculum of your school?

Most schools require 120 hours to graduate. It's three thirds: It's a little over a third your major; it's about a third the core curriculum; and it's a tick under a third electives. The core curriculum should be the most important part of the school, and at most places you would say, 'My kid has 45 to 48 months of quasi-leisure to get exposed to great ideas in the world? Are these the most important books they can read?' Hell, no. And, there's nobod…

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 16h

I’ll never get used to kids having only 30 mins for lunch at school. Atrocious.

Important Times:

8:10: Breakfast Bell

8:25: Warning Bell
8:30: Tardy Bell

9:55-10:10: Recess (M-Th)

12:30-1:05: Lunch (M-Th)

11:55-12:25: Lunch (F)
2:30: Dismissal

12:30: Friday Dismissal

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 1d

I feel like I get variations of this map way too often when looking at standards

International standard paper sizes: most of the world use the ISO A4 standard. The US, Canada, Mexico, Chile amd few others use US-Lettee

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 2d

🤤

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 2d

No worries. I set up a calendar reminder.

Omit Leap Day
Monday, 28 Feb 3200
All-day
Calendar • Álvaro La Parra Pérez - W... ^

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 2d

A glorious day for Barça fans. I honestly struggle to decide which news brings me more joy.

Rodri arrives at Barcelona to complete 'dream' move
Paris (France) (AFP) - Spain's World Cup-winning captain Rodri arrived in Barcelona on Monday to sign a contract with the La Liga champions as one of the transfer sagas of the summer draws to its conclusion.

Sergio Busquets begins coaching role with Barcelona reserve team

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 3d

…and this is not the main point (at all), but… yeah, buddy… sure.

Mr. Jindra considered himself a MAGA
patriot until his wife's detention.
"She did not jump a wall, she did not swim a river," he said. "She came in Trump's beautiful, big front door."
Ms. Bobreneva arrived on a tourist visa in late 2021, extended it twice following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and applied for asylum in 2022. She met Mr. Jindra in March 2025 and by December they were married.
"It was your storybook romance, he said.

[last sentence is highlighted]

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 3d

Many aspects of life in the US are based on norms that require a non-sociopathic federal government. Future administration with a spine should probably establish a more robust, rule-based order.

Although green-card applicants with expired visas can be detained under federal law, previous administrations did not consider them to be in the country unlawfully. But as the Trump administration seeks to nearly double its daily arrests to 2,000 people, it is detaining and attempting to deport thousands of people who believed they were following the rules.

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 4d

This is a message from my HSA account. I’ll never get used to my health being treated like another merchandise and having to chase deals, sales, and financial advice to handle it. Insufferable and exhausting.

Build healthy habits.
Unlock healthy savings.
Save up to 50%' during Health Savings Days on select products and programs.
Aug. 17-23 only. Exclusive offers for HealthEquity members. Stack promo savings with your HSA/FSA tax advantage? to save even more.

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 5d

Taking public transportation and walking in a hostile land for pedestrians with your eyes dilated was something

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 5d

Evidence-based dato, el que tengo aquí colgado. O algo así.

el PIB per capita en térmimos constantes en Espanña era 25000$ en 2005 y 28200$ en 2025

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 6d

American Economic Association elections are open. Remember that the formula for the probability of casting the pivotal vote is:

Let N be the voter set and v (S) € {0, 1} indicate whether coalition S C N is winning.
Under the assumption that u is a simple, monotone voting function, the Shapley-Shubik value obeys the following equation. For player i
1
Pi =
n!
тЕП
where I is the set of all permutations of N and PT is the set of players preceding i in permutation n. The bracketed term is 1 iff i is pivotal in T. 3]

note: AEA only has one candidate for president

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 6d

Now that we are talking about the excesses of Woke 1, a reminder that, using state’s law, Utah schools have already banned 36 books. (The one not shown in the liat below is Stephen King’s “Different Seasons”)

The 35 other titles banned from Utah schools:
"The Haters" by Jesse Andrews.
"Damsel" by Elana K. Arnold.
"What Girls Are Made Of" by Elana K. Arnold.
"Red Hood" by Elana K. Arnold.
"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher.
"Oryx & Crake" by Margaret Atwood.
"The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel" by Margaret Atwood.
"Forever" by Judy Blume.
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky.
"A Stolen Life: A Memoir" by Jaycee Dugard.
"The Carnival at Bray" by Jessie Ann Foley.
"Life is Funny" by E.R. Frank.
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green.
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen.
"Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins.
"Fallout" by Ellen Hopkins.
"People Kill People" by Ellen Hopkins.
"Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins.
"Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur.
"Bag of Bones" by Stephen King.
"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas.
"A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas.
"A Court of Wings and Ruin" by Sarah J. Maas.
"A Court of Frost and Starlight" by Sarah J. Maas.
"A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah J. Maas.
"Empire of Storms" by Sarah J. Maas.
"Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire.
"A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin.
"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison.
"Like a Love Story" by Abdi Nazemian.
"Breathless" by Jennifer Niven.
"Living Dead Girl" by Elizabeth Scott.
"Lucky" by Alice Sebold.
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult.
"Blankets" by Craig Thompson.

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 11d

Very "nice" how my city is split into three different Utah House districts

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 14d

Me, chillin’ / Me, walking through first class in an airplane

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 15d

???????? - Rajoy wasn’t a “dark horse candidate”: he was the incumbent! - Results for his party were very close to the polls (es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anexo:S...) - The electoral outcome can be explained by Spanish political factors. - A very, very weird context to bring up Spain in the 2010s

It’s become a pattern: social media as the vehicle that launches outsiders with autocratic impulses to power, riding a popular wave of support. We've seen it with Erdoğan in Turkey and Modi in India. It also potentially helped bring Mariano Rajoy of Spain to power. All were social media savvy dark horse candidates. Rajoy won a surprise victory in Spain in 2016 after carefully targeting Facebook users who had previously voted for his opponent.

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 15d

Huh...? Guernica was bombed in 1937. ETA was founded in 1959… (from Walter’s “How Civil Wars Start”)

And in. Spain, the violent separatist group ETA was not particularly popular with Basque citizens until President Franco allowed the Germans, during the Spanish Civil War, to viciously bomb Basque vil-lages.

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 17d

Currently in the "add NECESSARY triangular* and circular windows (the editor's journal publishes triangular windows)" stage of the revision

A two-part comic. Top panel: A simple outline drawing of a sedan, labeled “Your manuscript as submitted.” Bottom panel: A complex, heavily modified drawing of the same car, now a stretched limousine with many strange additions like extra wheels, a roof cannon, windows shaped like circles and triangles, and a red tinted windshield. Hand-drawn labels point to these new items with funny peer-review comments, like “Please add circular and triangular windows (Reviewer 3 sells odd shaped windows)” and “minor revisions.” The caption says “...and after peer review and revision.”

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 21d

1) What a shame 2) Note the current downward trend starts in 2020 3) back to 1) again and again

According to an analysis of federal data by Mobile Pathways for NPR, the percentage of granted asylum cases has plummeted to a record low of 2% in 2026 (as of June 30), down from 23.6% in 2009.

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 21d

Looking back at the Goldman Sachs’ World Cup prediction model. It did a fairly decent job.

The model predicted Spain winning the tournament against Argentina

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 21d

😍❤️

mi hija leyendo La historia interminable

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 21d

Being back in the US also implies several weeks/months of passive-aggressive phone notifications

Daily average walked distance down fron 9 km to 5 km

Daily average flights climbed down from 16 floors to 10

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 22d

Pasando el relevo de una piedra angular de mi infancia a la siguiente generación

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 24d

Mural of a mininart with the bald eagle, mountains, and a gigantic “USA minimart” written on it. Three cars are parked in front.

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 26d

You’re welcome, ECB

20 Euro bill showing the female and male Spanish national teams celebrating their World Cups

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· 26d

Mortadelo y Filemón en... es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marques...

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· Jul 20

La liberte guidantle peuple (by Delacroix) with Trump appearing there

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· Jul 19

Stomach issues the day before the World Cup final? Get a puppy to sleep in your lap

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· Jul 16

There’s a (very recent) precedent for Spain v England in a World Cup final…

Olga Carmona celebrates her goal against England

Álvaro La Parra-Pérez@alvarolaparra· Jul 15

I see Dear Leader ordered new decorations at SLC airport. These pictures weren’t here one year ago.