I'd love it if MITx courses could give a chance for real credit, rather than a certificate. That said, what incentive does MIT have to give real credit? It seems like it would only devalue taking these courses in person.
I guess I don't know how much "being the next Silicon Valley" is pundit talk or their actual stated objective. Newry using the term Emerald Valley is a bit much, but I don't think they should be told to "please stop trying."
I have to say, I found this article overly negative. Newry isn't a good host to startups because 10 years ago their population was 30k and they have a sheep industry?
Just because they're trying to encourage entrepreneurs to flock there doesn't mean they're trying to usurp Silicon Valley. As someone who isn't an American citizen I know how non visa friendly many companies in the Valley are, and I love to see smaller startup hubs around the world starting to pop up. Even if the author doesn't like the climate in Vladivostok (and I incidentally love it), that doesn't mean talent can't start to congregate there.
Even if the questionable content was legal I still support this. I don't think a website is under any obligation to allow content they don't want strictly to protect free speech. They don't want people posting sexually suggestive images of kids? That's their prerogative.