Sunday, February 05, 2012


Whine! whine! whine! Would YOU be devastated if you found that most physicists are men?

In a profoundly unscientific article, two female physicists are apparently deeply disturbed by the reality concerned. Under the heading "Women in physics: A tale of limits" Rachel Ivie and Casey Langer Tesfaye have written a long screed that can be summarized with both brevity and accuracy by a very fashionable whine: "We bin discriminated against".

A physics education does however seem to have given them some faint attachment to the scientific method, so they go to considerable lengths to substantiate their claims. But do they turn to physics to substantiate their claims? Not at all. Far from offering any comparison of male and female work in physics, they turn to sociology! Like sociologists they have faith that questionnaire surveys will tell them something about reality. I did such surveys for many years and eventually concluded that they don't.

Their anti-scientific orientation is most clearly revealed by "the dog that didn't bark", however. They ignore over a hundred years of research that repeatedly reveals women to have better verbal ability and men to have better mathematical ability. And since physics these days is little more than applied mathematics, that datum could hardly be more relevant. It suggests that not many women have what it takes to be good physicists.

They could of coures disagree with what is one of the most replicated findings in science but instead of disagreeing with it, they simply ignore it -- thus violating one of the most fudamental canons of science: That you must have regard for what others before you have written on your subject.

So their own writing suggests one very good reason why there are not many women physicists: They are just not very good scientists. Their own work suggests that hormones take the place of rationality.

And in the end why does it matter that most physicists are men? I can't see that humanity is badly served by that reality but the case that it does matter is presumably arguable. But they make no attempt to argue it. They just resort to that terminally destructive and totally unrealistic Leftist obsession with "equality". They are very poor intellects indeed. Procrustes would be proud of them.

For reference, I reproduce below the concluding section of their article:
The global survey follows a body of work that has examined the importance to career success of access to resources and opportunities. The survey found that women are less likely than men to report access to various resources and opportunities that would be helpful in advancing a scientific career. It also confirmed, consistent with cultural norms, that men are more likely than women to have a spouse who will shoulder the burden of housework. We noted the cultural expectation that women are responsible for child care and documented survey results showing that parenting affects the careers of women more than it does the careers of men.

Admittedly, our results are derived from the testimony of survey respondents, and it is conceivable that the sex differences we have found exist not because women are treated differently but because they differ from men in their expectations about work. However, the results reported here will come as no surprise to the researchers who have already found that resources, opportunities, and family responsibilities affect women’s careers.4,6 We believe the results reflect an underlying reality of disadvantage—not differing work expectations—and that all the sex-based differences documented here adversely affect the careers of women physicists.

The low representation of women in physics is a problem the community needs to address, but the community also needs to address inequities in access to resources and opportunities. Cultural expectations about home and family also inhibit the progress of women physicists; those, of course, are much more difficult to change. Nonetheless, we look forward to a future in which science truly means science for all.







Eccentric (mainly black) religion causes ire

Black worship services are famously energetic, enthusiastic and active so I see the report below as not very surprising and no cause for concern -- just enthusiasm running riot. Tolerance anyone?

Jewish leaders are criticizing a ceremony that involved a controversial megachurch leader being wrapped in a religious scroll and exalted as a “king” to the applause of his parishioners.

The video from a service last Sunday at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church shows Rabbi Ralph Messer, a Messianic preacher, instructing two men to slowly wrap Bishop Eddie Long in a large scroll that’s purported to be the Torah.

“It doesn’t matter where you go, how you try to attack him. He’s sealed,” Messer proclaims, before the scroll is opened to reveal a teary-eyed Long. Moments later, Long was seated in a plush chair, covered in a prayer shawl while holding the sacred scroll and lifted by four men.

“He now is raised up from a commoner to a kingship,” Messer proclaims, as the men walk Long’s seat around an adoring crowd.

Messianic Jews believe that Jesus Christ, or Yeshua, is the Messiah, putting them at odds with traditional Jewish theology. Most Jews consider the faith to be a form of evangelical Christianity.

Rabbi David Shiff of Congregation Beth Hallel, a Messianic Jewish synagogue in Roswell, condemned the actions in the video.

“Ralph Messer in no way represents Messianic Judaism,” Shiff said. “He is not affiliated with any legitimate branch of Messianic Judaism. His actions in no way reflect the position of Messianic Judaism. I found the presentation to be repulsive and inappropriate.”

The Torah is one of Judaism’s most sacred objects and Jewish groups said the notion that it was used in a ceremony at the church was offensive.

“The notion that he wraps Bishop Long in a Torah is horrifying simply because it’s completely inappropriate. It’s an awful way to use the Torah,” said Bill Nigut of the Anti-Defamation League. “And it doesn’t in any way approximate any Jewish ritual.”

Long was accused of sexual misconduct in September 2010 by four male former church members who accused him of abusing his spiritual authority. He settled out of court in May for an undisclosed amount.

He took a leave of absence last year to deal with his divorce and other personal issues, but returned to the pulpit in January.
Jewish Leaders Speak Out After Bishop Eddie Long Wrapped in Torah

The video, which was recorded Sunday, shows Long sitting on a chair under a spotlight as Messer repeatedly chants, “It’s a new birth.” The camera pans to congregation members, who cheer.

Long’s church, which is in Lithonia east of Atlanta, issued a statement from Messer saying that the ceremony was based on a passage from the Old Testament on restoring the Kingdom of David.

“My message was about restoring a man and to encourage his walk in the Lord,” Messer said in the statement. “The presentation of the Scroll of Torah was simply a way of bringing honor to a man who had given his life to the Lord and had given so much to his church, the Atlanta metro area and throughout the world. “It was not to make Bishop Eddie L. Long a king.”

SOURCE





Flemish politician uses picture of teenage daughter dressed in burka and bikini for campaign against Islam



A Belgian politician has risked causing uproar among Muslims after starting a 'Women Against Islamization' campaign featuring his 19-year-old daughter wearing a burka and a bikini. Filip Dewinter, leader of the far-right Vlaams Belang party, uses a shot of his daughter An-Sofie Dewinter in the dark blue bikini for the political campaign.

The glamorous teenager dons a burka that covers her head and face, while the rest of the Muslim garment is draped over her back.

The provocative image is likely to inflame tensions among Islamic groups and nationalists in the racially-divided country.

The poster shows the words 'Freedom or Islam?' written on a red bar across Ms Dewinter's breasts. Further down the poster a black panel with the words 'You choose!' is seen covering the teenager's crotch.

The extremist Vlaams Belang party claims that it wants to convince women to take a stand against Islam. Ms Dewinter told the Belgian press she does not feel used by the party. She said: 'I've suggested (the poster) myself, I have learned to live with it but I have had everything up to death threats made at me.'

She said that she 'wanted to make this statement.' She added: 'What is the greatest contrast with a niqab? Nude. 'The campaign fits in perfectly with how I feel about the whole issue. As women, we must choose: freedom or Islam.'

The teenager claimed that she had been threatened by Muslim groups. She added: 'Death threats and criticism no longer scare me off.'

Her father, the party's leader, said: 'Women are always the first victims of Islam. We want to make clear that they have a choice.'

The potentially incendiary poster comes after The Islamic fundamentalist group Shariah4Belgium was slammed for its aggressive stance. The group opened the country's first Sharia court, a putting it on a collision course with the country’s nationalists.

Vlaams Belang spoke out against the Muslim courts and said that all legal disputes should be settled in the country’s civil judicial system.

Mr Dewinter claims Shariah4Belgium’s leadership said he should be killed for expressing his views. Sharia4Belguim was fined 550 Euros in January for inciting hatred towards non-Muslims.

Moderate Muslims say they do not agree with the group's hardline stance.

SOURCE






Child's right to see an absent father: New British law to help millions from broken homes

Already in place in Australia

Millions of children from broken homes are to be granted new rights to a 'full and continuing relationship' with both their parents.

The move is designed to ensure that the parent who leaves the family home – most commonly the father – cannot be cut out of their children's lives following an acrimonious separation.

Ministers have decided that a change in the law is vital in the face of heartbreaking evidence that huge numbers of youngsters whose families split up lose contact with one parent for ever.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke have been at odds over the proposals

Courts will be put under a duty to ensure that unless their welfare is threatened by staying in touch with either their mother or father, children have an 'equal right to a proper relationship with both'.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have dismissed objections from Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke and overturned the findings of a major review of family law which was published last year.

On Monday, the Government will announce a ministerial working group that will draw up radical changes to the 1989 Children Act.

The Act states that the child's needs come first in law courts, but campaigners for fathers' rights complain that judges repeatedly pander to the idea that mothers are 'more important' than fathers.

Unmarried fathers say they are often at a particular disadvantage, having to apply for a 'parental responsibility order' through a court or have one granted through an agreement with the mother.

'The Act is going to be rewritten,' said a Government source. 'The welfare of children must of course remain paramount – but alongside that there will be an equal right for a child to have a proper relationship with both parents.
Children's Minister Tim Loughton said courts are 'rarely the best place' for resolving conflicts between parents about the care of children

'There should be no inbuilt legal bias towards the father or mother, and where there are no welfare issues, we want to see this principle reinforced through law.

'This is about children. We want to be clear that both parents should have a full and continuing role in their children's life after a separation.'

Ministers will pledge £10million for mediation services to encourage more couples to settle their disputes out of court.

Children's Minister Tim Loughton told the Mail: 'The courts are rarely the best place for resolving private disputes about the care of children. That's why we want to see greater use of mediation to solve parental disputes out of court.
Betrayal of the family

'It is also right that we continue to encourage fathers to take responsibility as equal parents and to be fully involved with their children from the outset.'

The decision overturns the main finding of a family justice review, conducted for the Ministry of Justice by businessman David Norgrove, which was published in November.

It concluded that giving fathers shared or equal time, or even the right to maintain a meaningful relationship with their children, 'would do more harm than good'.

The proposals immediately sparked a Cabinet revolt, led by Mr Duncan Smith and Mr Clegg, who insisted that the law must be amended to strengthen fathers' rights.

Official figures show that one in five children from broken homes lose touch with their absent parent, usually their father, within three years and never see them again.

SOURCE

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Political correctness is most pervasive in universities and colleges but I rarely report the incidents concerned here as I have a separate blog for educational matters.

American "liberals" often deny being Leftists and say that they are very different from the Communist rulers of other countries. The only real difference, however, is how much power they have. In America, their power is limited by democracy. To see what they WOULD be like with more power, look at where they ARE already very powerful: in America's educational system -- particularly in the universities and colleges. They show there the same respect for free-speech and political diversity that Stalin did: None. So look to the colleges to see what the whole country would be like if "liberals" had their way. It would be a dictatorship.

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, GREENIE WATCH, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN (Note that EYE ON BRITAIN has regular posts on the reality of socialized medicine). My Home Pages are here or here or here. Email me (John Ray) here. For readers in China or for times when blogger.com is playing up, there is a mirror of this site here.

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2 comments:

usduovg said...

The UK is just trying to take more money from fathers by getting them into courts. They are not actually helping children spend quality time with their parents (fathers). Even if the mother dies or is unable to care for the child, it is almost impossible to help the child be with the father in a safe legal way. My child has been abducted for almost a year by her mother and mini gang with no end in sight. I call all the agencies, I go to court, but the abuse just gets worse. This is why we have so many killings in the US from custody battles. Under educated mothers just do not seem to get the destruction they are causing their kids. http://mylahillman.com

Anonymous said...

One can rarely advocate killing in a rational discussion. But that having been said, there is a fact that many castrati, women, and social workers (pardon the redundance in mentioning social workers as almost all of them fit into one of the two prior categories) fail or refuse to realize:

"The most dangerous animal you will ever encounter, on any continent or in any sea, is a fully-enraged adult human male who perceives that he has nothing left to lose."