Alright, June is here; school is out; work has slowed; finally time for some updates.
The following will probably be the last such story I post here for awhile.
[Here]
It’s another case of a female teacher sexually abusing her male students.
It seems to me, your humble blogger, we have been hearing of an ever-increasing number of these role reversals.
That raises two questions: is this a new trend? Or is just a crime that’s only now being increasingly identified and prosecuted? My wager would fall toward the former. I’d like to find some research or solid numbers on this, but it may just be bit early for reliable numbers.
I think I’ll chill a bit on posting about the other emerging trend as well: female-instigated violence. There appears to be a bumper crop of cases from local TV stations about crimes committed by women that were once the sole province of men; crimes like muggings, beatings, car theft, armed robbery, assault, etc.
I am rather curious as to the root cause of these new trends. In my humble opinion, I would have to believe that women commit these sorts of crimes for the same reasons men do. But up ‘til now, societal norms – instilled deeply early in life - drove men and women to divide their roles in crime as well as in life.
During the June and Cleaver days of the 50s, women unable to support themselves had few venues to turn to for assistance. In a patriarchal society bound by a distinct division of labor, wherein women were viewed inferior to men, a woman’s best hope in attaining wealth and power was through her husband. Certainly if she found a man who dared defy convention and allow his wife to work, she could contribute financially. But without fail, a woman’s salary would never match her husband’s, regardless of her intelligence or work ethic. Of course, it would have been pure folly to even contemplate allowing a woman to earn the same as a man in a similar position doing the same work.
Short of finding a well-to-do husband or decent job, crime served as the only other alternative. And in a society that indoctrinated its citizens that one-half of the population was good only for one thing, prostitution would follow as the next logical leap.
Little would change in regards to gender roles for the next few decades. Most women arrested and convicted of crimes generally fell into categories of drug possession or prostitution.
But something has changed within the last few years, especially the last five. Why? Keep reading…
To be continued…
Monday, June 2, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Lasses as Competetive as Lads?! No Shit, Sherlock!
As my grandma would say, "shitfire"! Busy days at work and finals at school kinda cramp up time to post. I just found this one interesting; of course, it should come as no great surprise to anyone with half a brain. Spend a little time on a girl’s sports team for anecdotal evidence if you like.
WASHINGTON - Estrogen fuels feelings of power and competition in women in much the same way testosterone does in men, researchers said on Wednesday in a study that shows the need to win is every bit as feminine as it is masculine.
[Read More-->]
WASHINGTON - Estrogen fuels feelings of power and competition in women in much the same way testosterone does in men, researchers said on Wednesday in a study that shows the need to win is every bit as feminine as it is masculine.
[Read More-->]
Lasses as Competetive as Lads?! No Shit, Sherlock! (cont.)
Estrogen levels shot up in power-motivated women when they won and plummeted when they lost, while the opposite was true in women who appeared not to be interested in power, the researchers found.
“The biology of dominance in women has been vastly under-researched. On top of that, it sets up very nice parallels with men and testosterone,” said Steven Stanton of the University of Michigan, who conducted the study.
Earlier this month, British researchers reported that male financial traders made more money when their testosterone levels were high.
“We put women in this study in a face-to-face contest where they competed on a computer task for 10 rounds,” Stanton said in a telephone interview.
“Following each round, they were told whether they won or lost and they could watch each other’s reaction to winning or losing.”
Saliva samples were taken to measure their hormone levels.
“Even before the contest started, we have this measure of power motivation or dominance motivation that we use,” he added.
Volunteers are shown a neutral picture and asked to write a short story about it. “We look for themes that are related to power. The more power themes that someone writes about, the more power-motivated that we consider them,” said Stanton.
Estrogen was linked to personality type as well, Stanton said — and the women, mostly in their 20s, were evenly divided.
“The higher the women were in estrogen, they higher they were in this measure of power motivation,” he said.
“To sum up, we have found that estradiol (estrogen), but not testosterone, and a nonconscious need for dominance are positively related in women. This positive relationship is strongest in single women (and) women not taking oral contraceptives,” they wrote in the journal Hormones and Behavior.
Women who seemed to have less of a need to dominate were affected differently, Stanton said.
“It was almost a flip-flop of the result. Those who were not power-motivated, if they won, their estrogen went down. If they lost, their estrogen went up a little bit,” he said.
“Estrogen is very behaviorally potent and is actually a close hormonal relative to testosterone. In female mammals, estrogen has been tied to dominance, but there has been scant research examining the behavioral roles of estrogen in women,” added Stanton.
He hopes also to test women past menopause, whose bodies produce less estrogen, and also to test men and women as they compete against one another.
April 30, 2008
[Reuters]
“The biology of dominance in women has been vastly under-researched. On top of that, it sets up very nice parallels with men and testosterone,” said Steven Stanton of the University of Michigan, who conducted the study.
Earlier this month, British researchers reported that male financial traders made more money when their testosterone levels were high.
Winning and Losing
Stanton, working under the guidance of German researcher Oliver Schultheiss of Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen, wanted to see if estrogen or testosterone was affected when women competed.“We put women in this study in a face-to-face contest where they competed on a computer task for 10 rounds,” Stanton said in a telephone interview.
“Following each round, they were told whether they won or lost and they could watch each other’s reaction to winning or losing.”
Saliva samples were taken to measure their hormone levels.
“Even before the contest started, we have this measure of power motivation or dominance motivation that we use,” he added.
Volunteers are shown a neutral picture and asked to write a short story about it. “We look for themes that are related to power. The more power themes that someone writes about, the more power-motivated that we consider them,” said Stanton.
Estrogen was linked to personality type as well, Stanton said — and the women, mostly in their 20s, were evenly divided.
“The higher the women were in estrogen, they higher they were in this measure of power motivation,” he said.
“To sum up, we have found that estradiol (estrogen), but not testosterone, and a nonconscious need for dominance are positively related in women. This positive relationship is strongest in single women (and) women not taking oral contraceptives,” they wrote in the journal Hormones and Behavior.
Women who seemed to have less of a need to dominate were affected differently, Stanton said.
“It was almost a flip-flop of the result. Those who were not power-motivated, if they won, their estrogen went down. If they lost, their estrogen went up a little bit,” he said.
“Estrogen is very behaviorally potent and is actually a close hormonal relative to testosterone. In female mammals, estrogen has been tied to dominance, but there has been scant research examining the behavioral roles of estrogen in women,” added Stanton.
He hopes also to test women past menopause, whose bodies produce less estrogen, and also to test men and women as they compete against one another.
April 30, 2008
[Reuters]
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Lady Yank Murders Sox Fan
Yep. Yet another female-instigated violence story, further strenghthening my argument that the "weaker sex" continues in its attempts to match its male counterparts in both type and degrees of assaults.
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) - After a Red Sox-Yankees argument spilled outside a bar, a Yankee fan aimed her car at a group of people to scare them and didn't brake, hitting and killing a man, authorities and witnesses said.
[Read More--> ]
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) - After a Red Sox-Yankees argument spilled outside a bar, a Yankee fan aimed her car at a group of people to scare them and didn't brake, hitting and killing a man, authorities and witnesses said.
[Read More--> ]
Lady Yank Murders Sox Fan (cont.)
The Yankees fan, Ivonne Hernandez, was arraigned Monday on reckless second-degree murder and drunken driving charges and was held without bail. She did not enter a plea.
Hernandez, 43, was speeding early Friday toward a small group that included the man, Matthew Beaudoin, 29, and never hit her brakes, a prosecutor said Monday.
"She accelerated at a high speed for about 200 feet. She went directly at this group of people," prosecutor Susan Morrell said. "She indicated to police that she wanted to scare this group of people. She thought they would get out of the way."
Beaudoin died of massive head trauma at a hospital, Morrell said.
Hernandez, of Nashua, was arrested at the scene. She said she had been drinking and refused to take a breath-alcohol test, said Morrell. Hernandez said she had been in an argument with the group.
Hernandez's public defender, James Quay, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Authorities won't describe the argument, but witnesses said it heated up when Hernandez identified herself as a New York Yankees fan. Like the rest of New Hampshire, Nashua, 45 miles northwest of Boston, is Red Sox country.
Bartender Tanya Moran said the argument spilled outside, and at least one person in a group that included Beaudoin began chanting against the Yankees when they saw a Yankees sticker on Hernandez's car.
Hernandez allegedly gunned her car and struck Beaudoin and Maria Hughes, 21. Hughes had only minor injuries, which Beaudoin's sister Faith said was because her brother shielded Hughes, a friend.
Original story [Here]
Associated Press
chicagotribune.com
Hernandez, 43, was speeding early Friday toward a small group that included the man, Matthew Beaudoin, 29, and never hit her brakes, a prosecutor said Monday.
"She accelerated at a high speed for about 200 feet. She went directly at this group of people," prosecutor Susan Morrell said. "She indicated to police that she wanted to scare this group of people. She thought they would get out of the way."
Beaudoin died of massive head trauma at a hospital, Morrell said.
Hernandez, of Nashua, was arrested at the scene. She said she had been drinking and refused to take a breath-alcohol test, said Morrell. Hernandez said she had been in an argument with the group.
Hernandez's public defender, James Quay, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Authorities won't describe the argument, but witnesses said it heated up when Hernandez identified herself as a New York Yankees fan. Like the rest of New Hampshire, Nashua, 45 miles northwest of Boston, is Red Sox country.
Bartender Tanya Moran said the argument spilled outside, and at least one person in a group that included Beaudoin began chanting against the Yankees when they saw a Yankees sticker on Hernandez's car.
Hernandez allegedly gunned her car and struck Beaudoin and Maria Hughes, 21. Hughes had only minor injuries, which Beaudoin's sister Faith said was because her brother shielded Hughes, a friend.
Original story [Here]
Associated Press
chicagotribune.com
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Chesapeake JV Basketball Coach Accused of Having Sex with Student
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and will submit that this woman will be treated a little more harshly than she would have had it been a boy she had been caught with.
Again, we go back to those idiotic stereotypes: boys want sex regardless of where, when or whom it is. Girls never want sex and must be protected at all costs....Americans are so stupid.
Read the story [Here] .
www.wric.com
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) - The junior varsity girls basketball coach at a private school in Norfolk is accused of having sex with a student.
Chesapeake police say a parent at Norfolk Academy told police that 23-year-old Ashley Samaniego of Chesapeake was having sex with a 17-year-old female student.
Police say Samaniego was arrested at her home Wednesday evening and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Samaniego was working part-time as a coach at the private school.
Again, we go back to those idiotic stereotypes: boys want sex regardless of where, when or whom it is. Girls never want sex and must be protected at all costs.
Read the story [Here] .
www.wric.com
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) - The junior varsity girls basketball coach at a private school in Norfolk is accused of having sex with a student.
Chesapeake police say a parent at Norfolk Academy told police that 23-year-old Ashley Samaniego of Chesapeake was having sex with a 17-year-old female student.
Police say Samaniego was arrested at her home Wednesday evening and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Samaniego was working part-time as a coach at the private school.
Female Sex Predators...?! What? That Must Be a Misprint!
I’m running across more and more of these kinds of stories. Whether that means such incidents are on the rise or that we’re just more aware of them is something I cannot answer.
I can speculate, of course; on that I would imagine that it’s a new trend.
As I've stated before, when it was males only exhibiting this behavior, society was content simply to prosecute the crimes and move on with life. After all, men - awash in their poisonous testosterone - are expected to beat each other senseless and assume the role of sexual predator. But now that women have been increasingly brought under media scrutiny for the same offenses, well now we as a nation are outraged!
Regardless of the answer, I may have to stop posting them here; they’re simply becoming too numerous and occurring with too much frequency. At this rate, the blog would assume the appearance of a crime blog.
[Suspended Tampa Middle School Teacher Arrested a Third Time on Charges of Having Sex With Students]
[Woman Arrested for Planning to Meet Eau Claire Boy for Sex]
I can speculate, of course; on that I would imagine that it’s a new trend.
As I've stated before, when it was males only exhibiting this behavior, society was content simply to prosecute the crimes and move on with life. After all, men - awash in their poisonous testosterone - are expected to beat each other senseless and assume the role of sexual predator. But now that women have been increasingly brought under media scrutiny for the same offenses, well now we as a nation are outraged!
Regardless of the answer, I may have to stop posting them here; they’re simply becoming too numerous and occurring with too much frequency. At this rate, the blog would assume the appearance of a crime blog.
[Suspended Tampa Middle School Teacher Arrested a Third Time on Charges of Having Sex With Students]
[Woman Arrested for Planning to Meet Eau Claire Boy for Sex]
Woman Arrested for Planning to Meet Eau Claire Boy for Sex
A judge set bond for the Albany, New York woman who police say made plans online to meet up with a 15-year-old boy.
Officers are holding 44-year old Tracy Taylor on $50,000 cash.
The Eau Claire Police Department says Taylor was taken into custody for attempted sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a sex crime and child enticement.
Officers say she met the 15-year-old boy on a social networking web site, and made plans to meet him for apparent sexual relations.
They say she had booked a room at the Days Inn Hotel on Truax Lane in Eau Claire, and checked-in Friday.
That's when detectives say they used a search warrant to go through her room. They say they found evidence that pointed to pre-planned sexual contact.
She's due back in court May 6th.
You can find the story [Here].
www.weau.com
Officers are holding 44-year old Tracy Taylor on $50,000 cash.
The Eau Claire Police Department says Taylor was taken into custody for attempted sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a sex crime and child enticement.
Officers say she met the 15-year-old boy on a social networking web site, and made plans to meet him for apparent sexual relations.
They say she had booked a room at the Days Inn Hotel on Truax Lane in Eau Claire, and checked-in Friday.
That's when detectives say they used a search warrant to go through her room. They say they found evidence that pointed to pre-planned sexual contact.
She's due back in court May 6th.
You can find the story [Here].
www.weau.com
Suspended Tampa Middle School Teacher Arrested a Third Time on Charges of Having Sex With Students
A suspended middle school teacher out on bail for allegedly having sex with two students will be back in court Tuesday after police say they caught her having sex with one of them again
Stephanie Ragusa, 29, was arrested for the third time in about six weeks on charges of sex with a minor, MyFOXTampa reported. She was being held without bond at the Orient Road Jail.
"I can assure you that we are doing everything we can right now to make sure that she’s not out at liberty to do this again," said Hillsborough County Sheriff's Lt. Fred Asteasuainzarra.
Officers discovered Ragusa and the now-16-year-old boy at his house about 12:20 p.m. Monday, the arrest affidavit states. Ragusa had gone to the teen's house to discuss the criminal case but wound up in bed with him, police said.
Detectives nabbed the woman as she was leaving and getting into her boyfriend's truck. Ragusa remained behind bars Tuesday, charged with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
Ragusa was first arrested March 13 and charged with having sex at least three times with a Davidsen Middle School student, then 14, between January and May of 2007. During that relationship, police say she began another with a second Davidsen boy, who was 15 when they started sleeping together in February of 2007.
Ragusa and the second teen, who was one of her math students, had sex at least 20 times, according to the sheriff.
She was initially released March 18 after posting bail, but was re-arrested April 15 when investigators say they determined she'd had sex with a second student. She has been charged with several counts of lewd and lascivious battery.
Ragusa was previously arrested on charges of driving under the influence in 2005, according to police records.
She last taught at Martinez Middle School but remains suspended without pay, according to the Hillsborough County School District.
You can find the story [Here] .
www.foxnews.com
Stephanie Ragusa, 29, was arrested for the third time in about six weeks on charges of sex with a minor, MyFOXTampa reported. She was being held without bond at the Orient Road Jail.
"I can assure you that we are doing everything we can right now to make sure that she’s not out at liberty to do this again," said Hillsborough County Sheriff's Lt. Fred Asteasuainzarra.
Officers discovered Ragusa and the now-16-year-old boy at his house about 12:20 p.m. Monday, the arrest affidavit states. Ragusa had gone to the teen's house to discuss the criminal case but wound up in bed with him, police said.
Detectives nabbed the woman as she was leaving and getting into her boyfriend's truck. Ragusa remained behind bars Tuesday, charged with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
Ragusa was first arrested March 13 and charged with having sex at least three times with a Davidsen Middle School student, then 14, between January and May of 2007. During that relationship, police say she began another with a second Davidsen boy, who was 15 when they started sleeping together in February of 2007.
Ragusa and the second teen, who was one of her math students, had sex at least 20 times, according to the sheriff.
She was initially released March 18 after posting bail, but was re-arrested April 15 when investigators say they determined she'd had sex with a second student. She has been charged with several counts of lewd and lascivious battery.
Ragusa was previously arrested on charges of driving under the influence in 2005, according to police records.
She last taught at Martinez Middle School but remains suspended without pay, according to the Hillsborough County School District.
You can find the story [Here] .
www.foxnews.com
Friday, April 25, 2008
Bigotry? An X Chromosome is All You Need
In a similar vein to aOC’s posts (rants ;) ), I just thought I’d point out that bigotry doesn’t require a Y chromosome.
Now I certainly can’t prove racism was the motive for what was happening here, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this girl is a pasty-white neo-Con whose complaint against “them foreigners” is “they’re takin’ ‘r jebs!”
ATHENS--- An update now to a story we reported Tuesday about an alleged beating at an Athens school. Wednesday the superintendent said the whole thing was a lie.
Gloria Gallardo was in Athens Wednesday and found that some parents at the school say Melanie Bowers should apologize the same way she told her story on television.
[Read More--> ]
Now I certainly can’t prove racism was the motive for what was happening here, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this girl is a pasty-white neo-Con whose complaint against “them foreigners” is “they’re takin’ ‘r jebs!”
ATHENS--- An update now to a story we reported Tuesday about an alleged beating at an Athens school. Wednesday the superintendent said the whole thing was a lie.
Gloria Gallardo was in Athens Wednesday and found that some parents at the school say Melanie Bowers should apologize the same way she told her story on television.
[Read More--> ]
Bigotry? An X Chromosome is All You Need (cont.)
Others at Athens Middle School say they are relieved the truth was found in the investigation.
More importantly they say they're glad no one was assaulted on campus.
Picture of scratches and bruises caught the eye of East Texans and the rest of the country this week . Melanie Bowers claimed those pictures proved she was beaten by a group of students.
Even more disturbing was the claim that "the Hispanic" kids threatened her life over a school assignment last Friday.
But by Wednesday afternoon the Athens superintendent Fred Hayes was getting an apology from Bowers' parents whom the superintendent says are "distraught" over the lie their daughter has told.
Hayes says after reviewing surveillance video and interviewing teachers they found out Bowers was displaying a school project poster that said: If you love America stop illegal immigration."
Apparently another student did take the sign and ran to the gym. Bowers followed him and then went to the principals office. Hayes says, "and the student told the principal that a boy had yanked a poster out of her hand."
Hayes the says that the school official told Bowers to go to class and that Bowers then passed three other teachers and that's when he says the hoax began.
Hayes says, "Ms. Bowers was seen in the hallway scratching her face, arm and neck area." Creating the disturbing images and a story that made local and national news and put several other students in the hot seat.
Elvia Bojalil says her son took the poster and she says it's a hurtful situation in a place that's supposed to be safe.
The school district is pressing charges on Bowers over the false report but Ms. Bojalil says she's just glad the situation is over and she feels for the girl and hopes God blesses her.
Shari Dunn
[KETK NEWS]
Apr 9, 2008
More importantly they say they're glad no one was assaulted on campus.
Picture of scratches and bruises caught the eye of East Texans and the rest of the country this week . Melanie Bowers claimed those pictures proved she was beaten by a group of students.
Even more disturbing was the claim that "the Hispanic" kids threatened her life over a school assignment last Friday.
But by Wednesday afternoon the Athens superintendent Fred Hayes was getting an apology from Bowers' parents whom the superintendent says are "distraught" over the lie their daughter has told.
Hayes says after reviewing surveillance video and interviewing teachers they found out Bowers was displaying a school project poster that said: If you love America stop illegal immigration."
Apparently another student did take the sign and ran to the gym. Bowers followed him and then went to the principals office. Hayes says, "and the student told the principal that a boy had yanked a poster out of her hand."
Hayes the says that the school official told Bowers to go to class and that Bowers then passed three other teachers and that's when he says the hoax began.
Hayes says, "Ms. Bowers was seen in the hallway scratching her face, arm and neck area." Creating the disturbing images and a story that made local and national news and put several other students in the hot seat.
Elvia Bojalil says her son took the poster and she says it's a hurtful situation in a place that's supposed to be safe.
The school district is pressing charges on Bowers over the false report but Ms. Bojalil says she's just glad the situation is over and she feels for the girl and hopes God blesses her.
Shari Dunn
[KETK NEWS]
Apr 9, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
More Female Violence?
Just to reiterate an earlier point, I am somewhat amused by the media's hysteria on this issue. When it was just boys beating each other to death, there was little talk about curbing their behavior. "Boys will be boys" and similar bullshit.
However, when it's girls beathing each other to death...why, something must be wrong. What's happening to our girls?! JESUS CHRIST, WHY HAVE YOU FORESAKEN US?!
Girls just don't do that sort of thing. It doth offend our sensibilities.
There are simply too many news reports to post here, so I'll just link to them.
Now, someone please tell me why boys and girls are innately different.
Female-instigated violence on the rise in Chattanooga:
[Read More--> ]
Middle-school girl brawl in Indiana
[Read More--> ]
Harrisburg, PA
[Read More--> ]
Madison, Wisc
[Read More--> ]
A New Disturbing Trend
[Read More--> ]
However, when it's girls beathing each other to death...why, something must be wrong. What's happening to our girls?! JESUS CHRIST, WHY HAVE YOU FORESAKEN US?!
Girls just don't do that sort of thing. It doth offend our sensibilities.
There are simply too many news reports to post here, so I'll just link to them.
Now, someone please tell me why boys and girls are innately different.
Female-instigated violence on the rise in Chattanooga:
[Read More--> ]
Middle-school girl brawl in Indiana
[Read More--> ]
Harrisburg, PA
[Read More--> ]
Madison, Wisc
[Read More--> ]
A New Disturbing Trend
[Read More--> ]
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Men More Forgetful Than Women
Now this is an interesting study, and it certainly raises important questions. But I really, really don’t think such an all-encompassing statement can be made about gender in dementia trends based on one study; one study that focused on one town.
I hate to generalize, but since we have a study based in Minnesota, can we safely assume the population of this study is predominately caucasion?
Education is certainly an important aspect of this study, but why wasn’t occupation listed as well?
Was there any correlation between onset of dementia and the length of time of residence?
What possible environmental factors could be at work?
I cannot say whether the conclusions listed in this article are the work of Ms. Bryner or the authors of the study itself; with the state of scientific journalism today, I would think the former.
In fact, after re-re-reading the article, the authors seem hesitant to suggest just what Ms. Bryner concludes.
I can only sadly shake my head. At one time, scientific journalists would only report on new discoveries, not interpret results.
Men are more likely than women to have problems with memory and other thinking skills, symptoms considered to be an early stage of dementia, research suggests. The new study, to be presented at an annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Chicago this week, expands the field of research on aging and memory into a touchy arena — cognitive differences among men and women.
[Read More -->]
I hate to generalize, but since we have a study based in Minnesota, can we safely assume the population of this study is predominately caucasion?
Education is certainly an important aspect of this study, but why wasn’t occupation listed as well?
Was there any correlation between onset of dementia and the length of time of residence?
What possible environmental factors could be at work?
I cannot say whether the conclusions listed in this article are the work of Ms. Bryner or the authors of the study itself; with the state of scientific journalism today, I would think the former.
In fact, after re-re-reading the article, the authors seem hesitant to suggest just what Ms. Bryner concludes.
I can only sadly shake my head. At one time, scientific journalists would only report on new discoveries, not interpret results.
Men are more likely than women to have problems with memory and other thinking skills, symptoms considered to be an early stage of dementia, research suggests. The new study, to be presented at an annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Chicago this week, expands the field of research on aging and memory into a touchy arena — cognitive differences among men and women.
[Read More -->]
Men More Forgetful Than Women(cont.)
Forgetfulness linked with aging, or just a frenzied day, is normal. Say, you misplace your car keys or wallet, or you can't remember where you parked the car. Red flags should pop up when you start forgetting things you normally remember, and on a routine basis, such as weekly appointments, doctors say. These are signs of so-called mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which can lead to dementia.
People with mild cognitive impairment are three to four times more likely than others to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Considered the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's is a neurological disorder that affects your ability to think, speak, reason, remember and move.
The recent findings come from a study of nearly 2,000 residents of Olmsted County, Minn., who ranged in age from 70 to 89. Dr. Rosebud Roberts of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and her colleagues followed the participants beginning in the fall of 2004, collecting new data every 12 to 15 months.
Overall, 74 percent of the participants had normal mental function; about 16 percent had MCI; and 10 percent had full-on dementia.
Men were one-and-a-half times more likely to have mild cognitive impairment than women. The prevalence in men increased from 12 percent in men ages 70 to 74 up to 40 percent in the oldest age group, ages 85 to 89. "This was an unexpected finding," Roberts said during a press briefing, referring to the difference between men and women.
The finding remained the same regardless of a man's education or marital status.
"These findings are in contrast to studies which have found more women than men, or an equal proportion, have dementia, and suggest there's a delayed progression to dementia in men," Roberts said. "Alternately, women may develop dementia at a faster rate than men."
Continued study of the participants could help to solve this mind puzzle.
"To be able to find out whether the findings are definitive, we need to follow our subjects over time," Roberts said, "to see if men indeed develop new MCI at a faster rate than women."
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Robert H. and Clarice Smith and Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program.
Jeanna Bryner
[Article]
[LiveScience]
April 16, 2008
People with mild cognitive impairment are three to four times more likely than others to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Considered the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's is a neurological disorder that affects your ability to think, speak, reason, remember and move.
The recent findings come from a study of nearly 2,000 residents of Olmsted County, Minn., who ranged in age from 70 to 89. Dr. Rosebud Roberts of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and her colleagues followed the participants beginning in the fall of 2004, collecting new data every 12 to 15 months.
Overall, 74 percent of the participants had normal mental function; about 16 percent had MCI; and 10 percent had full-on dementia.
Men were one-and-a-half times more likely to have mild cognitive impairment than women. The prevalence in men increased from 12 percent in men ages 70 to 74 up to 40 percent in the oldest age group, ages 85 to 89. "This was an unexpected finding," Roberts said during a press briefing, referring to the difference between men and women.
The finding remained the same regardless of a man's education or marital status.
"These findings are in contrast to studies which have found more women than men, or an equal proportion, have dementia, and suggest there's a delayed progression to dementia in men," Roberts said. "Alternately, women may develop dementia at a faster rate than men."
Continued study of the participants could help to solve this mind puzzle.
"To be able to find out whether the findings are definitive, we need to follow our subjects over time," Roberts said, "to see if men indeed develop new MCI at a faster rate than women."
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Robert H. and Clarice Smith and Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program.
Jeanna Bryner
[Article]
[LiveScience]
April 16, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Greetings Again from America, Land of Hypocrisy
Greetings again from America, land of hypocrisy
By now, you have probably seen at least one of the three following stories: [Here] [Here] and [Here].
As you may have noticed, all three feature female-on-female violence.
While such shenanigans were once the province of males only, society – or at least, pop culture – seemed content to let such behavior slide; “boys will be boys” after all.
Now that girls have begun exhibiting the same behavior, suddenly it’s a national crisis!
I can't tell you the number of network affiliates I've seen whose anchors have wondered, "what's happening to our girls?" 'Cause, you know, girls just don't DO that sort of thing.
You see, it’s quite natural for boys – flush with testosterone – to beat others senseless and engage in anti-social behavior. Males are held at the whim of their hormones, powerless in succumbing to their base urges of violence or sex. Often of course, they succumb to both simultaneously. Pop culture teaches us (and really, when has it ever steered us wrong?) that men are the sexually aggressive gender; men are ALWAYS pursuing sex. Women NEVER pursue sex (except for sluts, yes?). To suggest otherwise is to upset profound “truths” held by a great many Americans. Well, conservatives anyway.
Yep, conservatives are usually the segment of the population that insists that gender differences are inherently genetic (except for homosexuality). I should know: I used to be a right-wing conservative republican. I believed this stupid bullshit at one time.
I’m not suggesting that liberals DON’T believe that way as well. It just seems to me that we’re not so dogmatic - gwnerally - in our beliefs.
By now, you have probably seen at least one of the three following stories: [Here] [Here] and [Here].
As you may have noticed, all three feature female-on-female violence.
While such shenanigans were once the province of males only, society – or at least, pop culture – seemed content to let such behavior slide; “boys will be boys” after all.
Now that girls have begun exhibiting the same behavior, suddenly it’s a national crisis!
I can't tell you the number of network affiliates I've seen whose anchors have wondered, "what's happening to our girls?" 'Cause, you know, girls just don't DO that sort of thing.
You see, it’s quite natural for boys – flush with testosterone – to beat others senseless and engage in anti-social behavior. Males are held at the whim of their hormones, powerless in succumbing to their base urges of violence or sex. Often of course, they succumb to both simultaneously. Pop culture teaches us (and really, when has it ever steered us wrong?) that men are the sexually aggressive gender; men are ALWAYS pursuing sex. Women NEVER pursue sex (except for sluts, yes?). To suggest otherwise is to upset profound “truths” held by a great many Americans. Well, conservatives anyway.
Yep, conservatives are usually the segment of the population that insists that gender differences are inherently genetic (except for homosexuality). I should know: I used to be a right-wing conservative republican. I believed this stupid bullshit at one time.
I’m not suggesting that liberals DON’T believe that way as well. It just seems to me that we’re not so dogmatic - gwnerally - in our beliefs.
Girl Attacked with Chair
There's more disturbing video circulating on the internet of violence inside a school. This time the video shows a teenager in Arizona being hit over the head with a metal chair.The attack, which was recorded on a cell phone occurred last week in Prescott Valley. Watch today's [Netcast] to see one student walk up behind the victim in the cafeteria and hit her over the head with a metal chair. The victim says she was knocked out, and when she came to she had 20 people standing over her.The student who hit her is facing assault, and disorderly conduct charges. Police say it started as a verbal argument.
[abcnews2.com]
[abcnews2.com]
3 Ole Miss Students Injured with Box Cutter
University of Mississippi officials say three female students were treated for cuts and another was arrested after an altercation on campus that likely involved a boxcutter. Authorities said Marisha Porter, a 19-year-old freshman from Columbus, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. The incident at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday involved at least six students. A news release from the university said the three injured students were treated at Baptist Memorial Hospital and released.Campus police believe their injuries were inflicted with a boxcutter. Investigators said the incident arose from an ongoing personal dispute among the women.
By: Andrew Harrison
Apr 09, 2008
[WCBI.com]
By: Andrew Harrison
Apr 09, 2008
[WCBI.com]
Video of Teen Beating Raises Questions
Eight Florida teenagers charged with beating another teen so they could post the "animalistic" attack on YouTube got exactly what they had wanted - worldwide exposure.
But that doesn't mean YouTube or any other media company should get the blame, legally or ethically, for the attack, media experts said Friday.
In fact, they have a duty to share the video, said Kelly McBride, the ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"The fact that the video was shot because they were seeking publicity was secondary," McBride said. "A crime was committed in our community, and if there's a videotape of it, I want some information. That video was incredibly revealing. It told more truth about what happened than any other form of reporting could have told."
The teenagers have been arrested on charges that they beat the teen so they could make a video of the attack to post online. One of the girls struck the 16-year-old victim on the head several times and then slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious, according to an arrest report.
"It's absolutely an animalistic attack," Sheriff Grady Judd said earlier this week. "They lured her into the home for the express purpose of filming the attack and posting it on the Internet."
On Friday, a judge set bail for each of the defendants at $30,000 during the teens' first court appearance. Prosecutors said seven of the girls will be tried as adults in the March 30 attack in Lakeland, Fla. They face charges of kidnapping, battery and witness tampering.
It's not clear who posted the video on the Internet. But the Polk County sheriff's office released a clip that has been widely circulating online and on television, including The Associated Press' video network.
Those who blame YouTube or news organizations should blame themselves first, said Steve Jones, a communications professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"The public is culpable as well because they are paying attention," he said. "There is no medium that forces them to pay attention."
CNN spokeswoman Barbara Levin said the cable news network has tried to place the video in the proper context.
"In reporting the story, we have gone to great lengths to explain that these young women face severe consequences for their actions, and in fact may be facing harsher sentencing because the videotape provides evidence of the nature of the attacks," she said in a statement.
YouTube, owned by Google Inc., declined to comment on the video, but said its general policies call for the removal of clips that show someone getting "hurt, attacked or humiliated."
From a legal standpoint, YouTube and other online service providers are largely exempt from liability because of a 1996 anti-pornography law. One provision says Internet service providers are not considered publishers simply because they retransmit information provided by their users or other sources.
Federal courts have applied that broadly to cover not just Internet access providers, but also video-sharing sites, message boards and other online services.
Even without that provision, there doesn't appear to be anything illegal about the video, said John Morris, senior counsel with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a civil-liberties group in Washington, D.C.
"There is no legal reason this video cannot be shown. It is obviously distasteful, abhorrent what the teenagers did to the victim, but it doesn't really make sense (to ask), 'Should YouTube have taken it down?'" Morris said.
Even if there were a claim of illegality, he said, the courts should be the ones deciding, not YouTube.
"Many of those assertions are really very difficult, legal determinations that YouTube has no ability to make," Morris said. "Really, YouTube is not in a position to be a traffic cop."
By: Anick Jesdanun
AP Internet Writer
But that doesn't mean YouTube or any other media company should get the blame, legally or ethically, for the attack, media experts said Friday.
In fact, they have a duty to share the video, said Kelly McBride, the ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"The fact that the video was shot because they were seeking publicity was secondary," McBride said. "A crime was committed in our community, and if there's a videotape of it, I want some information. That video was incredibly revealing. It told more truth about what happened than any other form of reporting could have told."
The teenagers have been arrested on charges that they beat the teen so they could make a video of the attack to post online. One of the girls struck the 16-year-old victim on the head several times and then slammed her head into a wall, knocking her unconscious, according to an arrest report.
"It's absolutely an animalistic attack," Sheriff Grady Judd said earlier this week. "They lured her into the home for the express purpose of filming the attack and posting it on the Internet."
On Friday, a judge set bail for each of the defendants at $30,000 during the teens' first court appearance. Prosecutors said seven of the girls will be tried as adults in the March 30 attack in Lakeland, Fla. They face charges of kidnapping, battery and witness tampering.
It's not clear who posted the video on the Internet. But the Polk County sheriff's office released a clip that has been widely circulating online and on television, including The Associated Press' video network.
Those who blame YouTube or news organizations should blame themselves first, said Steve Jones, a communications professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"The public is culpable as well because they are paying attention," he said. "There is no medium that forces them to pay attention."
CNN spokeswoman Barbara Levin said the cable news network has tried to place the video in the proper context.
"In reporting the story, we have gone to great lengths to explain that these young women face severe consequences for their actions, and in fact may be facing harsher sentencing because the videotape provides evidence of the nature of the attacks," she said in a statement.
YouTube, owned by Google Inc., declined to comment on the video, but said its general policies call for the removal of clips that show someone getting "hurt, attacked or humiliated."
From a legal standpoint, YouTube and other online service providers are largely exempt from liability because of a 1996 anti-pornography law. One provision says Internet service providers are not considered publishers simply because they retransmit information provided by their users or other sources.
Federal courts have applied that broadly to cover not just Internet access providers, but also video-sharing sites, message boards and other online services.
Even without that provision, there doesn't appear to be anything illegal about the video, said John Morris, senior counsel with the Center for Democracy and Technology, a civil-liberties group in Washington, D.C.
"There is no legal reason this video cannot be shown. It is obviously distasteful, abhorrent what the teenagers did to the victim, but it doesn't really make sense (to ask), 'Should YouTube have taken it down?'" Morris said.
Even if there were a claim of illegality, he said, the courts should be the ones deciding, not YouTube.
"Many of those assertions are really very difficult, legal determinations that YouTube has no ability to make," Morris said. "Really, YouTube is not in a position to be a traffic cop."
By: Anick Jesdanun
AP Internet Writer
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Surveys? No, thank you. I just ate.
[Relevant Link]
I have no problem pointing out flaws with research like this.
The report won't be out until June, so we really can't reliably criticize it. Buuuut, I can tell you what I normally see with studies similar to this onfe.
Surveys are a great resource tool. Unfortunately, they are not always a reliable resource tool.
I'll get back later with specifics, but lest I be mistaken, 3,300 people is a sufficient sampling of a population. However, geographical location can play just as large a role - if not larger - than any other factor in many surveys.
Now of course we also have to consider the survey questions to determine if there is any biased slant.
If these should all pan out, we must then consider the results reliable. So what do they suggest about gender?
Only that men and women are socialized differently in the U.S. in regards to race relations.
Counter to what the researchers may conclude - if it differs from my opinion - I don't believe
this points to any innate differences between the genders.
Do innate differences exist? Almsot certainly. But this study ain't the definitive truth you're looking for.
I have no problem pointing out flaws with research like this.
The report won't be out until June, so we really can't reliably criticize it. Buuuut, I can tell you what I normally see with studies similar to this onfe.
Surveys are a great resource tool. Unfortunately, they are not always a reliable resource tool.
I'll get back later with specifics, but lest I be mistaken, 3,300 people is a sufficient sampling of a population. However, geographical location can play just as large a role - if not larger - than any other factor in many surveys.
Now of course we also have to consider the survey questions to determine if there is any biased slant.
If these should all pan out, we must then consider the results reliable. So what do they suggest about gender?
Only that men and women are socialized differently in the U.S. in regards to race relations.
Counter to what the researchers may conclude - if it differs from my opinion - I don't believe
this points to any innate differences between the genders.
Do innate differences exist? Almsot certainly. But this study ain't the definitive truth you're looking for.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Men More OK with Discrimination Than Women Are
There are a lot of problems with studies like this. I won’t even go into the problems regarding reliability and sample sizes, but I do take issue with the way it’s presented by the press.
If you’ll notice, there doesn’t appear to be any fact-checking by the reporter; all too often, they look over the press release, cut it down to size and print the results. I wish I could say that it’s not a common occurrence, but I know better.
I have a job that allows me to view different news broadcasts from around the country, and I’m embarrassed by the intellectual laziness of these people. Local stations, even in large cities, simply regurgitate stories they receive from the national media. I don’t mean roughly the same either; it’s typically word-for-word. And there have been occasions where I’ve seen the broadcasters report the exact opposite of what was being said.
anyway…
Men are more tolerant of discrimination than women are, but both tend to accept prejudice against some immigrants and Arab-Americans, according to a new study.
The results come from telephone and online surveys of more than 3,300 people conducted in 2002 by University of Southern California researchers. Each of the questions dealt with a form of discrimination that targets a distinct class of people.
[Read More --> ]
If you’ll notice, there doesn’t appear to be any fact-checking by the reporter; all too often, they look over the press release, cut it down to size and print the results. I wish I could say that it’s not a common occurrence, but I know better.
I have a job that allows me to view different news broadcasts from around the country, and I’m embarrassed by the intellectual laziness of these people. Local stations, even in large cities, simply regurgitate stories they receive from the national media. I don’t mean roughly the same either; it’s typically word-for-word. And there have been occasions where I’ve seen the broadcasters report the exact opposite of what was being said.
Men are more tolerant of discrimination than women are, but both tend to accept prejudice against some immigrants and Arab-Americans, according to a new study.
The results come from telephone and online surveys of more than 3,300 people conducted in 2002 by University of Southern California researchers. Each of the questions dealt with a form of discrimination that targets a distinct class of people.
[Read More --> ]
Men More OK with Discrimination Than Women (cont.)
Here are some details of the overall findings:
- A larger percentage of men than of women accept discrimination, in general. For example, men on the phone were 7.6 percent more likely than women to tolerate discrimination against the obese and 8.9 percent more likely to accept racial profiling of African-American motorists.
- The “sex gap” – that is, the difference between the percentages of men and women accepting discrimination, as a percentage of their average – was smallest when it came to discriminating against Arab-American airplane passengers and greatest in regard to African-American motorists, among those surveyed by phone.
- The highest percentage of people in both the phone and Web surveys accepted discrimination against “poorly educated immigrants” (27.7 percent and 32.3 percent, respectively), followed by acceptance of discrimination against Arab-Americans (26.4 percent of phone respondents, 17.8 percent of online respondents).
- Respondents were least likely to accept discrimination against the genetically disadvantaged, or people who are revealed via genetic testing to be at high risk for diseases that require expensive medical care (6.7 percent of phone respondents, 3.2 percent of online respondents).
- Men were 19.6 percent more likely than women to tolerate discrimination against the obese and 17.4 percent more likely to accept racial profiling.
Edward J. McCaffery, a USC law professor, who co-authored the study with Timur Kuran of Duke University, said that an individual who sees nothing wrong with certain kinds of biases will often find others objectionable.
“Many political struggles of our time, in the United States as elsewhere, amount to clashes over the appropriate boundary between permissible and impermissible forms of discrimination,” McCaffery said. “We have found that, while discrimination in its traditional forms – based on race and gender – may be receding somewhat, discrimination in other domains, as based on appearance, persists.
Study design and results
- A larger percentage of men than of women accept discrimination, in general. For example, men on the phone were 7.6 percent more likely than women to tolerate discrimination against the obese and 8.9 percent more likely to accept racial profiling of African-American motorists.
- The “sex gap” – that is, the difference between the percentages of men and women accepting discrimination, as a percentage of their average – was smallest when it came to discriminating against Arab-American airplane passengers and greatest in regard to African-American motorists, among those surveyed by phone.
- The highest percentage of people in both the phone and Web surveys accepted discrimination against “poorly educated immigrants” (27.7 percent and 32.3 percent, respectively), followed by acceptance of discrimination against Arab-Americans (26.4 percent of phone respondents, 17.8 percent of online respondents).
- Respondents were least likely to accept discrimination against the genetically disadvantaged, or people who are revealed via genetic testing to be at high risk for diseases that require expensive medical care (6.7 percent of phone respondents, 3.2 percent of online respondents).
- Men were 19.6 percent more likely than women to tolerate discrimination against the obese and 17.4 percent more likely to accept racial profiling.
Edward J. McCaffery, a USC law professor, who co-authored the study with Timur Kuran of Duke University, said that an individual who sees nothing wrong with certain kinds of biases will often find others objectionable.
“Many political struggles of our time, in the United States as elsewhere, amount to clashes over the appropriate boundary between permissible and impermissible forms of discrimination,” McCaffery said. “We have found that, while discrimination in its traditional forms – based on race and gender – may be receding somewhat, discrimination in other domains, as based on appearance, persists.
Study design and results
Respondents to the telephone and online surveys were presented with five scenarios, each of which dealt with a form of discrimination targeting a distinct class of individuals: Arab-American airplane travelers, seriously overweight people, the genetically disadvantaged, poorly educated immigrants and African-American motorists.
All questions used the same format, first explaining a controversy and then providing a statement in favor of discrimination followed by a consideration of justice. An overwhelming percentage of the respondents chose the equality position in every category.
“As a matter of practice, people morally opposed to discriminatory policies based on reviled forms of prejudice do not insist on equal treatment for everyone, in every context,” McCaffery said. “The surveys reported in this article validate this poorly appreciated fact in reference to several matters of political importance. In addition, they show that expressed attitudes toward discrimination vary by sex as well as context.”
The results will be detailed in the June issue of the journal Political Research Quarterly. The research was funded by the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law & Politics.
LiveScience Staff
posted: 03 April 2008 ET
All questions used the same format, first explaining a controversy and then providing a statement in favor of discrimination followed by a consideration of justice. An overwhelming percentage of the respondents chose the equality position in every category.
“As a matter of practice, people morally opposed to discriminatory policies based on reviled forms of prejudice do not insist on equal treatment for everyone, in every context,” McCaffery said. “The surveys reported in this article validate this poorly appreciated fact in reference to several matters of political importance. In addition, they show that expressed attitudes toward discrimination vary by sex as well as context.”
The results will be detailed in the June issue of the journal Political Research Quarterly. The research was funded by the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law & Politics.
LiveScience Staff
posted: 03 April 2008 ET
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A Reflection on All Things Butterfly and Cookie
As I stated in an earlier post, I'm new to blogging. So if you shold have any criticism please keep it constructive. I still may not care what you have to say, but at least be polite.
It may not be apparent judging by what I've written, but I don't disagree that there very well may be innate differences - behaviorally - between the genders. The problem I have with the debate, especially in the media, is how often a behavior is assumed to be a trait of men or women. If anything, Biology and psychology have taught us that most things human, which includes behavior, exist on a spectrum; there is nothing concrete that belongs strictly to either.
Point out a behavior or trait you believe is unique to one sex, and I can almost certainly point out an exception.
Go on, try. Yeah...that's what I though, bitch!
It may not be apparent judging by what I've written, but I don't disagree that there very well may be innate differences - behaviorally - between the genders. The problem I have with the debate, especially in the media, is how often a behavior is assumed to be a trait of men or women. If anything, Biology and psychology have taught us that most things human, which includes behavior, exist on a spectrum; there is nothing concrete that belongs strictly to either.
Point out a behavior or trait you believe is unique to one sex, and I can almost certainly point out an exception.
Go on, try. Yeah...that's what I though, bitch!
More Gender Shit
It’s been a few days, and I see that the blog remains guest-free. No matter; in time it may be seen by many. Or may not. Whatever.
Anyway, to further my contention that there are few if any innate gender differences, I present the following.
Among promiscuous African topi antelopes on the savannah, the battle of the sexes runs in reverse — females aggressively compete for mates, while the males play hard to get.
Such role reversals more common in the animal kingdom than currently thought.
Females of most species are typically seen as choosy about whom they mate with because they often have to pay a high price biologically for bearing offspring. On the other hand, males, for whom sex is often cheap, will try and mate as often as possible — or so the stereotype goes.
[Read More -->]
Anyway, to further my contention that there are few if any innate gender differences, I present the following.
Among promiscuous African topi antelopes on the savannah, the battle of the sexes runs in reverse — females aggressively compete for mates, while the males play hard to get.
Such role reversals more common in the animal kingdom than currently thought.
Females of most species are typically seen as choosy about whom they mate with because they often have to pay a high price biologically for bearing offspring. On the other hand, males, for whom sex is often cheap, will try and mate as often as possible — or so the stereotype goes.
[Read More -->]
More Gender Shit(cont.)
"When biologists talk about the 'battle of the sexes,' they often tacitly assume that the battle is between persistent males who always want to mate and females who don't," said researcher Jakob Bro-Jorgensen, a zoologist at the Zoological Society of London.
Now Bro-Jorgensen has found a reversal of these stereotypical sex roles with the topi, which dwells in the savannahs and floodplains of Africa.
"Since I was 3 years old I have always been fascinated by the free spirits of the antelopes on the African savannahs," Bro-Jorgensen said. "The African savannah is such a fantastic place to work. You never know what will happen to you over the course of a day — sometimes topi calves playing or narrowly escaping a hyena will make my day; on less fortunate days, car breakdowns have forced me to cross crocodile-infested rivers or come face to face with lions. However, it is all exciting."
In this frisky species of antelope, each female typically becomes receptive to sex for one day a year. This extraordinarily tiny window of time that female topi have for sex makes them very promiscuous, leading to "rampant mating," Bro-Jorgensen said. Each female mates with about four males on average during her fertile day.
"Because of this rampant mating, hotshot males get completely knackered during peaks in mating activity," Bro-Jorgensen said. He found that females aggressively struggled over valuable limited supplies of sperm from the most desirable members of the opposite sex. Females even went so far as to attack males when they are with other females, in order to monopolize their time.
At the same time, Bro-Jorgensen discovered that male topi grew pickier about whom they mated with, each deliberately choosing females they had mated with least and launching counterattacks against aggressive females they already mated with.
Scientists study factors behind fidelityAnimal swingers play the mating gameGay animals coming out of the closet?
Such role reversal might be far more widespread than now thought, as topi are in many ways "a very typical mammalian species," Bro-Jorgensen told LiveScience. "We should look out for more such role-reversed conflicts particularly in promiscuous species, but also in situations where all females favor the same few males."
One reason why such role reversal "may have been overlooked so far is that we don't see when males are uninterested in mating because they simply avoid mounting," he explained. "This contrasts with unwilling females who often make spectacular attempts to escape male mounting."
"We should not regard coyness as the only natural female sex role, just as we should not expect that it is always the natural male sex role to mindlessly accept any mating partner," Bro-Jorgensen added. "Nature favors a broader range of sex roles."
Bro-Jorgensen detailed his findings online Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
-Charles Q. Choi
Livescience
Now Bro-Jorgensen has found a reversal of these stereotypical sex roles with the topi, which dwells in the savannahs and floodplains of Africa.
"Since I was 3 years old I have always been fascinated by the free spirits of the antelopes on the African savannahs," Bro-Jorgensen said. "The African savannah is such a fantastic place to work. You never know what will happen to you over the course of a day — sometimes topi calves playing or narrowly escaping a hyena will make my day; on less fortunate days, car breakdowns have forced me to cross crocodile-infested rivers or come face to face with lions. However, it is all exciting."
In this frisky species of antelope, each female typically becomes receptive to sex for one day a year. This extraordinarily tiny window of time that female topi have for sex makes them very promiscuous, leading to "rampant mating," Bro-Jorgensen said. Each female mates with about four males on average during her fertile day.
"Because of this rampant mating, hotshot males get completely knackered during peaks in mating activity," Bro-Jorgensen said. He found that females aggressively struggled over valuable limited supplies of sperm from the most desirable members of the opposite sex. Females even went so far as to attack males when they are with other females, in order to monopolize their time.
At the same time, Bro-Jorgensen discovered that male topi grew pickier about whom they mated with, each deliberately choosing females they had mated with least and launching counterattacks against aggressive females they already mated with.
Scientists study factors behind fidelityAnimal swingers play the mating gameGay animals coming out of the closet?
Such role reversal might be far more widespread than now thought, as topi are in many ways "a very typical mammalian species," Bro-Jorgensen told LiveScience. "We should look out for more such role-reversed conflicts particularly in promiscuous species, but also in situations where all females favor the same few males."
One reason why such role reversal "may have been overlooked so far is that we don't see when males are uninterested in mating because they simply avoid mounting," he explained. "This contrasts with unwilling females who often make spectacular attempts to escape male mounting."
"We should not regard coyness as the only natural female sex role, just as we should not expect that it is always the natural male sex role to mindlessly accept any mating partner," Bro-Jorgensen added. "Nature favors a broader range of sex roles."
Bro-Jorgensen detailed his findings online Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
-Charles Q. Choi
Livescience
Thursday, March 27, 2008
I Guess Kansas is Dumber than Kentucky
These fundies are such tools. Good Rep. Donohoe says further down in the article that he would see nothing wrong with students holding satanic rituals if they so choose, all in the name of equality. Please excuse me if I scoff loudly.
So I suppose it'd be alright if I toss a pee-soaked Bible onto a burning American flag. Yeah, I'm sure he'd be quite OK with that.
Kansas House Representative Owen Donohoe, R-Shawnee, has introduced a bill likely to set off plenty of debate if it ever sees the light of a committee hearing. The so-called Religious Liberty Bill of Rights, HB 2779, Donohoe said in a press release, “aims to provide educators and students the opportunity to exercise their first amendment rights in public schools.”
Included in the bill is language that says a teacher has a right to “not be required to teach a topic that violates the teacher’s religious beliefs and not be disciplined for refusing to teach the topic.”
[Read More-->]
So I suppose it'd be alright if I toss a pee-soaked Bible onto a burning American flag. Yeah, I'm sure he'd be quite OK with that.
Kansas House Representative Owen Donohoe, R-Shawnee, has introduced a bill likely to set off plenty of debate if it ever sees the light of a committee hearing. The so-called Religious Liberty Bill of Rights, HB 2779, Donohoe said in a press release, “aims to provide educators and students the opportunity to exercise their first amendment rights in public schools.”
Included in the bill is language that says a teacher has a right to “not be required to teach a topic that violates the teacher’s religious beliefs and not be disciplined for refusing to teach the topic.”
[Read More-->]
I Guess Kansas is Dumber than Kentucky(cont.)
The bill, if enacted into law, would mean faculty could avoid teaching any fact or subject that they claimed conflicted with their religious beliefs.
The bill would also declare that students have an inalienable right to “participate in a private religious ceremony held on a public school campus outside of instructional time.”
Donohoe said the impetus for the bill was “nothing specific,” but the press release states “teachers and students have expressed concern about their inability to discuss a religious topic in a public school, even for historical or literary purposes.”
Donohoe said it was “absolutely” fine if the bill’s passage resulted in students being able to hold satanic ceremonies on school property.
He said the bill would not allow teachers to say the earth is flat — by claiming that teaching the planet is round would violate their religious beliefs — but couldn’t explain just how the bill would prevent such a situation.
In fact, if Donohoe’s bill were to be enacted in its current form a math teacher would be able to claim, for example, that teaching the universally recognized value of pi — the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter — offended her religious beliefs, and not teach students the concept. That’s because a passage in I Kings in the Old Testament implies that the value of pi is 3, instead of the correct, approximate value of 3.14.
Mill Valley High School Principal Joe Novak, who is running for election against Donohoe for 39th district, said in his view as an educator the bill was not needed.
“In my 32 years in education I’ve never had a problem with teachers expressing themselves when it comes to teaching about religion,” Novak said.
“There is a natural separation of church and state, as there should be,” Novak said. “That has been the practice of schools and it has worked very well.”
Contrary to Donohoe’s argument, Novak said, “teachers are not held hostage to their belefs. Obviously, if they can’t adhere to the separation of church and state then we have an administrative or curriculum issue that needs to be discussed.”
Across the river in the 39th district, Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Superintendent Robert Van Maren also didn’t think much of Donohoe’s bill.
“I see it as a violation of separation of church and state and do not want any of our teachers or our schools to take on any additional tasks, as we already are responsible for far more than we should be, have time for, or for which we receive funding,” Van Maren wrote in an e-mail.
“This is a huge can of worms that will be disruptive to our schools and communities and open us and our children up to various government controls and litigation. The parents and churches can facilitate all of these faith-based and family-oriented activities as they see fit for their children. After all, it is a free country.”
The bill is not yet scheduled for a committee hearing.
-Jesse Teasedale
The Chieftain
The bill would also declare that students have an inalienable right to “participate in a private religious ceremony held on a public school campus outside of instructional time.”
Donohoe said the impetus for the bill was “nothing specific,” but the press release states “teachers and students have expressed concern about their inability to discuss a religious topic in a public school, even for historical or literary purposes.”
Donohoe said it was “absolutely” fine if the bill’s passage resulted in students being able to hold satanic ceremonies on school property.
He said the bill would not allow teachers to say the earth is flat — by claiming that teaching the planet is round would violate their religious beliefs — but couldn’t explain just how the bill would prevent such a situation.
In fact, if Donohoe’s bill were to be enacted in its current form a math teacher would be able to claim, for example, that teaching the universally recognized value of pi — the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter — offended her religious beliefs, and not teach students the concept. That’s because a passage in I Kings in the Old Testament implies that the value of pi is 3, instead of the correct, approximate value of 3.14.
Mill Valley High School Principal Joe Novak, who is running for election against Donohoe for 39th district, said in his view as an educator the bill was not needed.
“In my 32 years in education I’ve never had a problem with teachers expressing themselves when it comes to teaching about religion,” Novak said.
“There is a natural separation of church and state, as there should be,” Novak said. “That has been the practice of schools and it has worked very well.”
Contrary to Donohoe’s argument, Novak said, “teachers are not held hostage to their belefs. Obviously, if they can’t adhere to the separation of church and state then we have an administrative or curriculum issue that needs to be discussed.”
Across the river in the 39th district, Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Superintendent Robert Van Maren also didn’t think much of Donohoe’s bill.
“I see it as a violation of separation of church and state and do not want any of our teachers or our schools to take on any additional tasks, as we already are responsible for far more than we should be, have time for, or for which we receive funding,” Van Maren wrote in an e-mail.
“This is a huge can of worms that will be disruptive to our schools and communities and open us and our children up to various government controls and litigation. The parents and churches can facilitate all of these faith-based and family-oriented activities as they see fit for their children. After all, it is a free country.”
The bill is not yet scheduled for a committee hearing.
-Jesse Teasedale
The Chieftain
Kentucky: Land of Ignorance or Bastion of Stupidity?
Well hello there, darlin’. Come, sit down. Let me take that coat. Would you care for some tea?
I’ll allow OC the sole soapbox for politics and gender relations; I want all the science-y stuff.
Time to expound on a pet peeve of mine. I have the misfortune of living in the same state as the Creation Museum, located in Covington, Kentucky. If I so choose, I could pay a visit to fantasyland in about an hour-and-a-half.If these freaks want to travel from all across the country to see how well dinosaurs could be ridden by humans, fine. Wallow in your ignorance.But it’s so sad to see these idiots pushing their superstitions onto their own kids.
I’ll allow OC the sole soapbox for politics and gender relations; I want all the science-y stuff.
Time to expound on a pet peeve of mine. I have the misfortune of living in the same state as the Creation Museum, located in Covington, Kentucky. If I so choose, I could pay a visit to fantasyland in about an hour-and-a-half.If these freaks want to travel from all across the country to see how well dinosaurs could be ridden by humans, fine. Wallow in your ignorance.But it’s so sad to see these idiots pushing their superstitions onto their own kids.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Mark Liberman is My New Hero
Mark Liberman is my new hero. :)
After surfing yesterday, I found more on Leonard Sax than I thought was ever listed.
Apparently, a little peeved that Dr. Liberman of Language Log (UPenn) exposed his poor reasoning skills, Leonard Sax penned two responses [here] and [here] late in 2007.
While Dr. Liberman hasn't answered his letters directly, you can see [here] he was rather unimpressed.
After surfing yesterday, I found more on Leonard Sax than I thought was ever listed.
Apparently, a little peeved that Dr. Liberman of Language Log (UPenn) exposed his poor reasoning skills, Leonard Sax penned two responses [here] and [here] late in 2007.
While Dr. Liberman hasn't answered his letters directly, you can see [here] he was rather unimpressed.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Let's Talk About Sax, Baby
In my previous post, you may have seen the name Leonard Sax highlighted. Though he has been instrumental in cramming single-sex classrooms down the collective throat of America, he's a bit put-off that Greene County is mandating only single-sex learning. I assume the reason for this is similar to that of Dr. Michael Behe's non-support of Intelligent Design during the Pennsylvania school board fight; exposure of this kind too early can derail thoroughly idiotic, pseudo-scientific policies.
Unfortunately, he isn't the only scientist wanna-be with political motives. This planet has had the misfortunate to be cursed with more of his ilk in the form of Louan Brizendine and David Brooks.
For one of the most comprehensive reviews on these fools as well as on gender (non)differences, please check out the following, which all hail from Language Log:
David Brooks, cognitive neuroscientist
Are men emotional children?
Of rats and (wo)men
Leonard Sax on Hearing
More on Rats and Women
The Emerging Science of Gendered Yelling
Unfortunately, he isn't the only scientist wanna-be with political motives. This planet has had the misfortunate to be cursed with more of his ilk in the form of Louan Brizendine and David Brooks.
For one of the most comprehensive reviews on these fools as well as on gender (non)differences, please check out the following, which all hail from Language Log:
David Brooks, cognitive neuroscientist
Are men emotional children?
Of rats and (wo)men
Leonard Sax on Hearing
More on Rats and Women
The Emerging Science of Gendered Yelling
Friday, March 21, 2008
Georgia Reallllly Likes its Segregation
I adore this; apparently, all of humanity can be split evenly into two distinct categories. And as an added bonus, each of those two categories possesses a unique, definitive mode of learning that doesn't vary between individuals within those two groups. But never shall the twain meet, for what would occur if one member of a group learned better through the techniques being used by the other? Complete Chaos, fool!
Lovely!
Nearly four decades after this rural Georgia county stopped segregating its schools by race, it wants to divide students again — this time by sex. Greene County is set to become the first school district in the nation to go entirely single-sex, with boys and girls in separate classrooms — a move born of desperation over years of poor test scores, soaring dropout rates and high numbers of teenage pregnancies."At the rate we're moving, we're never going to catch up," Superintendent Shawn McCollough told parents in an impassioned speech last week. "If we're going to take some steps, let's take some big steps."
[Read More--> ]
Lovely!
Nearly four decades after this rural Georgia county stopped segregating its schools by race, it wants to divide students again — this time by sex. Greene County is set to become the first school district in the nation to go entirely single-sex, with boys and girls in separate classrooms — a move born of desperation over years of poor test scores, soaring dropout rates and high numbers of teenage pregnancies."At the rate we're moving, we're never going to catch up," Superintendent Shawn McCollough told parents in an impassioned speech last week. "If we're going to take some steps, let's take some big steps."
[Read More--> ]
Georgia Reallllly Likes its Segregation(cont)
This pine-shrouded county of about 14,400 people between Atlanta and Augusta has in recent years become a magnet for retirees moving into luxury developments along the shore of Lake Oconee. But the vast majority of longtime residents — and most of the 2,000 students in the county's schools — are black and working class. McCollough pointed to research showing that boys and girls learn differently, and said separating them will allow teachers to tailor their lessons. Also, boys won't misbehave as much because they will no longer be trying to impress the girls, and the girls will be more likely to speak up in class because they won't be afraid to look smart in front of the boys, he said.
-the Associated Press
February 25, 2008
Some parents, students angered
The school board's move to radically overhaul the system next fall has angered parents, students and teachers, who say they weren't consulted. And one of the nation's foremost proponents of single-sex education warned that the board has gone too far. The measure, approved two weeks ago, applies to the high school, the middle school and both elementary schools. It exempts only the preschool and a charter school, which is public but operates independently. "I am outraged," said Tammi Freeman, who has two children at the high school. "I am disgusted. It's making our county look like our kids are trouble when they're not." [Leonard Sax], head of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, said that while single-sex schools and classrooms are on the increase, he knows of no other community that has converted its entire school system. He called the move illegal. Federal law allows single-sex classrooms or schools, but parents must also have the option of publicly funded coeducation for their children, Sax said. "This is the worst kind of publicity for our movement," he said. "It misses the whole point. Our movement is about choice. One size does not fit all. Even a small school district needs to provide choice. "U.S. Education Department spokeswoman Samara Yudof said officials "do not have sufficient facts to determine if the district would be in compliance" with federal law.Federal rules eased in 2006
Districts across the U.S. have been switching to single-sex education since federal officials issued rules to ease the process in 2006. Nationally, at least 366 public schools are either entirely single-sex or have single-sex classrooms, Sax said. In Greene County, boys and girls will be in separate classrooms in the elementary schools. Boys and girls in grades seven through 12 will attend separate schools. Some electives and extracurricular activities such as ROTC and band will probably be coed. The charter school, Lake Oconee Academy, will remain coed; it is governed by a committee of parents and community leaders. It opened last fall amid protests from black citizens who said it brings back segregation, since the school has a fixed enrollment area centered on the mostly white, well-to-do lakefront. Greene County is about 70 percent black. Many people in the county made their living at hosiery, clothing and fabric mills until the industry disappeared at the end of the 20th century and gave way to a service economy in which the big employersare the Reynolds Plantation luxury golf resort community and the Ritz-Carlton lodge. McCollough said he hopes single-sex classrooms raise test scores and graduation rates in a district where more than three-quarters of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.Teachers split
Sixty-seven percent of Greene County ninth-graders go on to receive a diploma, compared with 72 percent statewide. Last year, the students scored an average of 1,168 on the SAT, far below the state average of 1,458 and the national average of 1,495. The high school has been ranked 332nd out of 369 in Georgia. Teachers and parents are split over the move. "Sometimes big changes are needed for big results. The teaching staff I talked to are willing to work hard and make it work," said Sherry Shutze, who has taught at Union Point Elementary for nine years.But another teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said dozens of teachers are considering leaving because they feel the idea is being "crammed down our throats."Dwain Evans said he is thrilled his three children will have a chance to attend single-sex schools: "If we continue to do status quo, we can't expect any better outcome."Research shows that when boys and girls are separated, each group performs better in school and is more likely to go to college, said Julie Ancis, a professor in the school of education at Georgia State University. But she said single-sex schools tend to be private institutions with updated technology and ample resources, not poor school systems like Greene County's.-the Associated Press
February 25, 2008
Greetings, Friends!
Allow me to welcome you to my blog: I’m not sure who - if anyone - will ever visit this site. I would prefer they do, but if not…meh.
Should anyone actually care enough to visit, they will find that a large number of posts will involve scientific research covering gender.
I was prompted to start this blog after witnessing a plethora of unproven, pseudoscientific claims made by “researchers” go unchallenged by the national media. Of course, many of the studies and papers published suffered from poor methodology, sloppy data collection or outright falsehoods. Unfortunately, most of the mega-corporation owned media employ intellectually lazy hacks (they refer to themselves as “reporters”) who choose to publish press releases with nary a glance at any research that may contradict said press releases. That would require some form of movement; possibly even physical exertion! Sweet Merciful Christ!
So read; post; email me. Tell me why I'm a fool.
I'll still love you.
-Cheers
Should anyone actually care enough to visit, they will find that a large number of posts will involve scientific research covering gender.
I was prompted to start this blog after witnessing a plethora of unproven, pseudoscientific claims made by “researchers” go unchallenged by the national media. Of course, many of the studies and papers published suffered from poor methodology, sloppy data collection or outright falsehoods. Unfortunately, most of the mega-corporation owned media employ intellectually lazy hacks (they refer to themselves as “reporters”) who choose to publish press releases with nary a glance at any research that may contradict said press releases. That would require some form of movement; possibly even physical exertion! Sweet Merciful Christ!
So read; post; email me. Tell me why I'm a fool.
I'll still love you.
Coming soon (I hope): FAQ
-Cheers
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