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Monday, May 26, 2008
Sexism-Driven Science
The (vague) details:
A particular international group of scientists do not like a certain part of my research. I have maintained outwardly cordial relationships with them, but there have been some rough patches over the years. For example, one of them is the notorious pay-per-reviewer I wrote about last year at about this time. They have engaged in some sneaky behavior to find out what my recent research activities are -- they could just ask me and I would tell them, but I suppose that wouldn't be as much fun. They have written some 'attack' papers, mostly in low-impact journals. And I have heard some rather unambiguous rumors from more than one colleague to the effect of "International Professors X, Y, and/or Z hate you", even though I have not even met some of them in person.
Well, if they don't want to be my friends, then I don't want to be their friend either. Oh wait! We aren't in first grade anymore! I forgot for a moment.
I am reasonably sure that they hate me and my work because I am female. Circumstantial evidence: They do not similarly hate my male colleagues/coauthors who work closely with me on this research and similar topics, nor do they hate other male scientists with whom they disagree on various scientific topics. They focus their hate and anger on me specifically.
I have not done anything personally to attract such negative feelings. I have, however, published research that perhaps they wish they had thought of first. Or maybe my publications offend them for some other reasons. I really don't know. I just know they hate me and my work, and the best explanation is that it offends them that I am female and have published a lot on a certain topic.
Oh well, so I can't be universally loved and respected by all. Lucky for me these guys are not very influential or even particularly good scientists, although they are not non-entities either. And they are very busy in their dislike of me.
I was thinking about this situation recently because a colleague emailed me after attending a small international meeting at which my name "came up quite a bit" in discussions. My colleague did not provide many other details, except to say that he got upset by some of these discussions and attempted to leave the room. He had to be convinced to stay. It would have been nice if he had challenged the rude people to a duel, but perhaps the fact that he expressed his severe discontent with the tone and content of the discussion somehow registered with these guys.
I can afford to be bemused rather than upset about the situation because it has very little effect on me. I am enjoying this part of my research immensely (for scientific reasons) and have continued to receive funding and publish my work. I suppose that sounds smug, but a more accurate word would be "contented". I love my work and am happy with how it has been going so far.
I can also afford to be bemused because the work they have done in response to my research has become increasingly bizarre and desperate over the years. It's as if they are willing to propose anything as long as it is different from my ideas and observations, even if what they propose is not based on data and/or violates the laws of physics, thermodynamics, and reason.
For example, if I say that there are purple kangaroos hopping around on Jupiter, they will say that there are green kangaroos hopping around on Jupiter; or that there are purple kangaroos, but not on Jupiter, they are on an extra-solar planet that has yet to be discovered; or that there are purple creatures on Jupiter, but they are definitely not kangaroos, they are bandicoots. If I provide absolutely solid and reproducible documentation of the purple Jovian kangaroos, they say that in fact they knew there were purple kangaroos and knew it before I did even though they didn't get around to publishing this fact, but I am still wrong about the mechanism by which the kangaroos hop, the average height of the hops, and the shade of purple of at least a few of the kangaroos. And furthermore, even though I didn't say anything about the effect of kangaroo hopping on Jupiter's orbit, if I had said something about this topic, I would have been wrong.
I therefore conclude that sexism is driving them mad and that this is dramatically decreasing the quality of their research and that, in this case, sexism is the cause of bad science. If only it were so in more cases.
Note: Comment moderation will be sporadic this week, but I will get to all comments as time permits.
42 comments:
I am reasonably sure that they hate me and my work because I am female. Circumstantial evidence: They do not similarly hate my male colleagues/coauthors who work closely with me on this research and similar topics, nor do they hate other male scientists with whom they disagree on various scientific topics. They focus their hate and anger on me specifically.
Yeah, it could be that. Or, you may just want to see "sexism" where there is nothing more than personal antagonism among competitors, something that exists in our profession even among scientists of the same sex (ask any of your male colleagues).
The situation which you describe, for example, applies almost identically to me. In fact, some of the details that you mention are eerily similar ("Professor X hates you" is something I have heard too). Even in my case, the person seems to have a beef specifically with me, not with colleagues or collaborators of mine with whom he has the same disagreement.
Now, you say "Since I am a woman, it has to be sexism -- what else can it be ?". In my case, since all persons involved are men, it can't be it. I shall thus assume that it must be because I am so much better looking than him (I can't really blame him or anyone else for hating me for that...).
- Psych Post Doc said...
This made me smile. Doing good Science and watching them falter because you're a woman. Ah, the sweetest revenge.
I feel bad for your colleague, most academics are not the best at confrontation and the poor guy seemed to be truly disturbed by what was being said about you.
- PhysioProf said...
Sexism or not, it is definitely ubiquitous that certain members of any given community arouse surprising levels of rage in others. Those who arouse such rage, not surprisingly, tend to be visible, outspoken, and highly successful.
And those who are aroused tend to be less successful, and harbor a certain bitterness at the ease with which the target of their rage seems to achieve success. (I recall that you have posted about people complaining that you achieve your success with what appears to be undue ease.)
Finally, the rage aroused can be so overwhelming, that the enraged lose all ability to think clearly, reason logically, or--in some circumstances--even spell correctly. Of course, such reactions only serve to display for all the world to see the wackaloon tendencies of the enraged, and can be totally fucking hilarious.
PhysioProf has enraged certain bloggers in exactly this way, and elicited exactly this kind of response. It is best to consider it one of the appurtenances of prominence and success within a community.
Okham, you lost all hope of sounding like you're arguing from reason and evidence when you threw in the 'you may just want to see "sexism"' red herring. (I'm trying not to laugh over the scare quotes on sexism. Is it that frightening a word?)
If you want to sound in favor of arguing from the evidence, it'd work better to start with, "Given the well-documented omnipresence of sexism in the STEM fields, it certainly is worth considering that sexism is acting in this situation, but it could also be something else."
I am sorry my introductory remarks were not up to your standards. I am sure that you are right, I must be frightened (I thought I was just "annoyed", but, whatever...).
My point is simple: there is sexism, no question about it, but there is also such a thing as the abuse of certain terms, which typically does not help one's cause in the long run. If one is going to call "sexist" (pardon my quotes) any behavior that is mean, reprehensible, dishonest or otherwise unfair, whenever the victim happens to be a woman (and ostensibly only because of that reason), then the particular meaning and connotation associated with the word may eventually be lost in the noise.
- Aerik said...
@okham: She already took that into account when she talked about how similar resentfulness is not directed at male colleagues for similar advantages over the haters.
You're projecting a lot of strawman into your idea of what women think about when they try to evaluate negativity towards themselves. You're a part of the problem.
- ScientistMother said...
I am not sure if its sexism or not but this post made me think of a story a friend told me. When my friend was completing her undergrad in physics, she was partners with another female friend. They both enjoyed each others company AND the physics labs they were doing. Hence they were getting good results (in the top 3 of the class), learning and having fun at the same time. Her and her friend ended up being separated and accused of cheating. She was recounting this tale many many years later and feels that they were separated because nobody could really belief 2 women could be doing so well AND enjoying the physics lab. This women being older than me, would've been taking this class ~ 15 years ago.
"He (or she) who throws mud, only loses ground." Fat Albert
believe it or not I read what FSP wrote.
I question her inference that "since she's a woman, and she's the only apparent target of this person's resentment, then she must be the target because she's a woman". I think it's a logical fallacy ("cum hoc, ergo propter hoc"... I am not using dirty words, I swear...).
You're projecting a lot of strawman into your idea of what women think about when they try to evaluate negativity towards themselves. You're a part of the problem.
Hey, look, I must be, because I honestly have no idea of what you wrote means.
I am with okham on this. FSP, I know, this is your blog and you can say whatever you want, but you have to consider all the possibilities. You might have had a rough life dealing with hard-heads that cannot understand women can, and are, as successful as men, maybe even more.
Situations like the one you describe on this post happen all the time to people of both sexes. In your case, it might be sexism, but what bothers me is that you made it sound like it will always be the only reason no matter who this happens to.
More power to you FSP! I have the same nonsense happening in my field. I have 15+ publications to my name ("Science" on down the line) and the good ol' boys club not only spreads their word that "she doesn't know what she is doing" and "we don't work with HER" but the stupid asses also refuse to cite me or use my publicly available data for their lowwww impact "attacks" and non-studies. I am always amused when I get asked to review their crap because I KNOW they aren't getting asked to review my papers and I certainly don't accept papers (as an editor or reviewer) on "my field of study" without references to my work. Other reviewers have taken to bringing up that my work isn't cited or used to the point where I am sure the boys club suspects THOSE reviews are from ME!! You keep plugging away FSP!!!! I love what I do, I know what I am doing, I have funding, and every now and then, some distinguished person (dude or dudette) reminds me that I have great ideas, that they know who I am and they read my stuff, and they offer their wisdom to me. I don't waste my energy anymore looking to see how far back the schmucks are... I just do my thing. They can keep working on their purple bandaloos on Mars.
Oh look, Okham has taken up concern trolling.
That pretty much ends any reasonable assumption that Okham is arguing from evidence instead of agenda.
- sarah gann said...
The kangaroo example was so very, very fine on a number of levels. I can think of many situations in my own professional life (which is miniscule compared to yours) where I have been similarly undermined but never until today had any kind of framework by which to explain that frustation, to myself or anyone else. Excellent.
Like others, I don't see the sexism. Maybe you didn't give us some other evidence, like, do they target other female researchers in the field? It does seem like a childish personal vendetta, though, and it is amazing that people -- people, a group! -- are willing to put their reputations and integrity at risk for the sake of messing up with someone they dislike.
On the other hand, maybe that is not so amazing. It just goes against the stereotype of scientists as dispassionate truth-seekers.
I strongly "dislike" this scientist who happens to be a woman. She is manipulative and sneaky. Case in point - I just got an email from colleague about how she started a collaboration with him, then essentially stole his samples, published a paper where he was not acknowledged in any way. This guy seems to dislike her too - I never told him how I feel about her.
There is at least one man in the field who I do not dislike (there are numerous others who I like or dislike, but this is beyond the point).
Based on your logic, I am sexist - there's a man who I do not dislike, and there's this woman who I dislike. Obviously it must be because of sexism.
Okham is right - random accusation of this type (I am a woman, so it must be sexism) not only add to the noise, but eventually prevent people from making real progress. It also helps people dismiss any serious complaints because of hysteria surrounding cases like yours.
Of course if you and your support group want to claim that myself and okham and others are also sexist in our attempts to protect sexist behavior, go right ahead. One step forward, two steps back, here we go.
- Becca said...
@Okham- I was amused by your comment on assuming you were being targeted due to jealosy over good looks. If you are looking to be persuasive, that tone works quite well.
The "yeah, right..." tone, not so much. If you are truly concerned about accusations of sexism being taken seriously, you can point that out without sounding so aggressive.
If you are simply annoyed by what you see as sloppy thinking, then I humbly suggest you tone your aggression way down- being persuasive about logical fallacies depends on sounding cool and rational.
- Ms.PhD said...
Well FSP, I see some of the same buggers have found you as have been harassing me.
I know exactly what you're talking about. You're in a field that is vastly majority male, so it stands to reason that if they're particularly inflamed by your work, there is likely a component of the inflammation that is, shall we say, intensified by the fact that you're female.
I think that while Okham and physioprof and some of these other guys (like the friend I posted about today) do experience some, shall we say, blowback, from being successful, outspoken, good-looking, etc. they don't really know the vitriol we experience as women.
They admit that it probably exists, but then people like Okham (and others like him) try to tell us we can't ever call anything sexism, even when that's what it is.
So saying that it "probably exists" but then denying any instances... effectively they are saying it is all hysteria. Not a very original tactic.
Yup, the yellow wallpaper. It's real. Unfortunately they have to take our word(s) for it, since we can't anonymously disclose all the gory, offensive details. I guess that will never be good enough to drive the point home with some of these guys.
Anyway despite the comment section, which inflamed my ulcer and was no fun to read whatsoever, I liked this post. I'm really glad you're in a place in your career where this doesn't affect you, and your response can be one of simple bemusement.
I am having a harder time with it. My instinct, when it is really bad, is to duck and cover, or quit. Some days are better than others. Mostly I hope I can get to where you are, so I can afford to stand up for myself without worrying constantly about the risk of inflaming the situation further.
I would encourage you to consider deleting some of these comments when they get to be ulcerific. But Helen and Becca gave good writing advice to Okham. He should take it.
- Jennifer said...
Perhaps there are details that you are not providing (and can not provide) that would back the example you gave?
I have no doubt there is sexism in STEM fields. I have been told many times "You got this job because you're a women... you're research is cute... etc." I've also received "wow, this is fascinating work... exactly what we need..." My CV and the quality of my work can speak for itself.
Science should be about the science. Unfortunately, traditional gender roles do seem to get in the way for thick headed morons. Luckily, they are getting fewer.
I'm not real keen on Helen's tone with okham, either. I'm certainly an outright feminist, and fairly convinced by FSP's example, but I recognize the right of others to disagree with her analysis.
Might I offer a possibility for reconciliation by suggesting that the "personal antagonism" that FSP has picked up on, is in part fueled by a covert level of sexism in these particular men who don't like her (as opposed to her work)? And that there are many other possible reasons for such personal antagonism, which means that men are certainly going to run into such unfair behavior as well?
- PhysioProf said...
Oh look, Okham has taken up concern trolling.
I don't know if you are being sarcastic, but this kind of concern trolling is nothing new for him. He does it on others' blogs as well as his own.
I would encourage you to consider deleting some of these comments when they get to be ulcerific.
Ms PhD -- For my part, I hope you keep writing whatever you please, wherever you want. No matter how questionable and out of line I find much of what you write, I pledge to you that I shall never ask or suggest to anyone that your comments should be deleted.
"it is definitely ubiquitous that certain members of any given community arouse surprising levels of rage in others."
Sometimes this is because of their success, but sometimes it's because they do shoddy, sloppy work that litters the field, and hurts the field. (Not FSP, of course, and her descriptions of what follows when people follow-up on the work shows that). It's part of what happens in a new field as it matures -- the early entrants do do "sloppy" work because it's exploratory, and the techniques are new. But, at some point, as the field matures, the work needs to be cleaned up. Some of the early folks never clean up their act, but still have enough clout to keep going.
The answer, is, as a junior scientist (one who I expect to be both successful & solid) said to me "to drive out the bad work with good work. "
Your opponents seem to be trying to drive out the good work with bad work, and fortunately, although it's plenty difficult to drive out the bad work, it's much harder to drive out the good work.
Although I think that it's difficult to tell whether sexism motivates the antagonism here, I would suggest that's another burden female scientists carry (especially those who have experience explicit sexism) -- to worry about whether the antagonism is motivated by their gender.
This comment thread has been good for a chuckle. I'm not sure what Okham et al are getting so emotional about.
The funniest part is the whole theme of demanding that a fairly calm and dispassionate blogger should seek the opinion of random internet strangers in order to post an opinion. It's kind of like a toddler screaming at the sky for raining. Cute in a 2-year-old, bemusing in anyone else.
"I don't see the sexism" -- well, so what? This is a pseudonyminous blog, and it's very clear from that context that the circumstantial evidence posted is whatever small subset fits with that. No, all the evidence will not be given you, and you're being just plain silly, not to mention unethical, if you think it should be.
FSP stated her opinion. If you think an alternative explanation could work, tossing it into the mix is great. Trying to demand that FSP get your permission to state her opinion is absurd. Those of us who've read her blog while having lived the unspoken subtext ourselves know she's almost bizarrely mild-mannered about the things she describes. Those who do the "you just want to see sexims" toddler anti-rain dance aren't operating from a rational framework anyway.
Ah, the old 'is it really sexism' debate. Unfortunately the probability is high that it is at least partially related to her being female. That's because, as someone else mentioned, succesful high profile researchers are often the target of jealousy and politics, but when that person dares to be a WOMAN (!!) then she really needs to be put in her place. I've seen this dynamic when beating men at billiards. If you want to know who is a 'real' man or not, just see how they handle getting beat by a woman at a game.
In any case, Machiavelli pointed out that if you can't be loved, be feared. So continue putting the fear of God, and of you, into these people.
This comment thread has been good for a chuckle. I'm not sure what Okham et al are getting so emotional about.
Helen, I am reading the comments. I have been called "a troll" (apparently I even "troll" on my own blog...) , "part of the problem", someone has implied that I give her ulcers and suggested that my comments should be deleted.
And all of this in response to what ?
I just expressed an opinion... I thought this is what comments are for, and in fact I can see that some people agree with me. I honestly don't think I have been disrespectful to anyone, and I certainly never suggested that anyone should get my permission from me for anything.
What did I say that is so offensive ?
I don't know if you are being sarcastic, but this kind of concern trolling is nothing new for him. He does it on others' blogs as well as his own.
Oh for chrissake, PhysioProf, get over it. So what if I am better looking than you, there is more to life than just looks...
I'm with okham here. The evidence that FSP presented is not enough to jump to the conclusion that these other scientists are sexist. Also, saying that other scientists disagree with someone's work because they are sexist is a pretty serious accusation and those sorts of accusations should not be thrown around lightly. Especially, I think, by scientists that should hold themselves to higher standards of proof and judgement. I just have to say that unless there's some hidden evidence that she is keeping from us and going after people that disagree with the conclusions that are made doesn't make them sexist themselves. There could be other reasons these people were motivated to come after her, and a good scientist would not dismiss them. I'm not trying to offend anyone but a good scientist would not reach the conclusions that she did with just the evidence that she presented.
It just goes against the stereotype of scientists as dispassionate truth-seekers.
In my admittedly limited experience, most of what goes on in academia goes against that stereotype.
I agree that FSP is (a) not obligated to spill concrete details regarding why she feels sexism is at work here and (b) allowed to say whatever she wants on her pseudonymous blog. But I also agree that so far these comments have given Okham a lot of fodder in terms of name-calling, which makes us look bad.
Okham, you've been arguing all along that FSP's statement of opinion as to the motivation of the behavior she reported is not valid unless it fits your personal criteria for validity. That is saying she needs your opinion. She doesn't.
Since you still seem to be in toddler-mode (Mommy! Someone called me a troll! Oh wait, no one called me a troll, but I want to yell!), I don't expect you to get that, however.
"I'm not trying to offend anyone but a good scientist would not reach the conclusions that she did with just the evidence that she presented."
Um, can't you read? This is a blog. The entry was an anecdote, not a submission of a proof or a conclusive set of evidence. The nature of the blog requires that the bulk of the evidence will not be presented here. None of what you're saying makes the least sense in this circumstance.
- science cog said...
Coming in at the end again, FSP, and this time I totally agree with you. The chronicle has an article about the "predatory and demeaning" environment in STEM subjects. It requires women to have a thick skin and tends to drive young women away unless they are super-super-stars. I do frequently get the respect I deserve for my research record, but its hard being the only female speaker at specialty conferences (besides female graduate students, who all seem to drop off in a few years) and see my ideas stolen with no credit given for being the first to publish on the topic.
- PhysioProf said...
PhysioProf is objectively much handsomer than Okham.
PhysioProf is objectively much handsomer than Okham
Bull-shitsky ! I say we settle this right here, right now... shall we ask... er.... uh...
OK, maybe that is not such a great idea. Let's move it to another blog, what do you say ? How 'bout baldmen.com ?
"Um, can't you read? This is a blog. The entry was an anecdote, not a submission of a proof or a conclusive set of evidence."
Helen, in this case, because the accusation is a pretty serious one, I agree with Okham and I think that a) more evidence is needed to assertively state sexism, or b) one should leave room for other possibilities. In my opinion FSP didn't do either one of them. Comments like this, whether true or not, with little support information give rise to bigger problems than they solve, precisely because people than cannot fall into the same category as the commenter (in this case being male is one possibility) can come up with 1000 different, less serious, reasons why the same thing happens to them.
Seriously, does it always have to be sexism when situations like this happen? Is there no room for any reasonable doubt?
FSP, you shouldn't care about what other people think or say about your work. If you are confident your work is good then they kiss your.... At the end all that matters is that you do what you like to do and you do it the best you can, the rest it's just noise.
Helen, in this case, because the accusation is a pretty serious one,
Oh, that old meme. That one's so old and tired it's got mushrooms growing out of it.
Reality: Sexism is everywhere, in every single person in our society, because it is that deeply woven into the fabric of our society.
Tired Old Meme: Sexism is a scare word (note okham's love of the scare quotes) that tries to tar Utterly Innocent and Pure Men with the sins of a pathological very few. Sexism only comes from a very few freaks, so how dare anyone even suggest that someone might be a pathological freak, when he might just be an Utterly Innocent and Pure Man?
Pretended purpose of Tired Old Meme: Protecting the innocent from calumny.
Actual purpose of Tired Old Meme: Silence is key to the current methods of propagation of sexism,
because when women start talking to each other, they realize that none of them have been dealing with a few isolated freaks, but a society-wide endemic problem. We can't have that, so any discussion of what women go through must be silenced. Even something so innocuous as an anecdote online stripped of all identifying information cannot be allowed.
More Tired Old Meme justifications. This guy has a lot of them. They all boil down to the same thing -- can't have women talking about what actually happens to them, even when they're as extremely mild-mannered about it as FSP.
Seriously, does it always have to be sexism when situations like this happen?
This Tired Old Meme justification is particularly funny, since anyone who's read FSP in depth knows the "always have to be sexism" notion is insanely far from reality, and our Tired Old Meme defender is really reaching here. Hint for those who want the short course: Did you read the post she links to?
Is there no room for any reasonable doubt?
We can't have those women stating opinions about what happens to them! They're SUPPOSED to always state the caveat that they might be wrong. Simply stating opinions without subservient caveats is FOR MEN ONLY don't you know.
FSP, you shouldn't care about what other people think or say about your work. If you are confident your work is good then they kiss your.... At the end all that matters is that you do what you like to do and you do it the best you can, the rest it's just noise.
Because endemic sexism isn't anything with real consequences, little lady, no matter how many studies prove otherwise, so go run along.
Eh... I'm pretty sure I'm sexist and probably racist too. Everyone is, they've got some prejudices hidden away. I don't really care when it's minor though. And it's not something that bothers me. I try to treat others exactly the same, as human beings and try to stamp out prejudice in me when I notice it if it effects others adversely.
I'm still really disappointed when somebody from my race commits a crime or is a failure. I'm pretty sure it's racist to feel that way somehow, but I don't really care. I also prefer the company of men when in a bar and I'm not going to change it. In the lab though, I'm mindful not to prefer anyone.
This post was kind of helpful. If I ever act this way to a female colleague, I'll stop and think why I'm doing it. Not that I would act like such a douchebag that was described in this post. I don't think...
based on your post I think:
1. Just having your time to spend time on this minor issues indicate to me that you may be extremely good and have lot of free time. But let me think, if you are that good then you would be spending more time to get new discoveries. Why are you wasting you time.
2. You are over reacting. Even in all male situation, it always happen that some one or some group does not like your idea.
3. Even you are a science professor, you are still not confident enough. If you were confident, you would not waste your time thinking what other people think about your research. Just keep on publishing and let the world decide. sooner or later, you will prove yourself. Impact factor is important, but getting your ideas out is also important, since history will be the judge.
4. if you believe someone is stealing your ideas, you can take action. This is nothing new. I know one faculty suing a senior professor and winning the case.
5. I have seen excellent female faculties and I feel Marie Curie... is a god-like to me. So, being a male scientist I have nothing against female. Even my wife has a PhD. So get a life and do you research.
Stop complaining. If you don't like it then get out. No one forces you into science.
I do theoretical physics - some of it gets published in peer journals, some of it does not. That's the way it goes. Oh, and I do not get paid for it.
"Stop complaining"? Come on, Anon, tell us how you really feel. Don't you mean "Shut up or get back in the kitchen"?
Complaining raises awareness, which raises concern, which maybe pressures people to stop acting like this. Complaining, at least when it comes to things like sexism, racism, etc., is a GOOD thing.
I'm not a scientist nor a PhD. I am a woman though and a bit of a History buff.
The world is going through some hefty socio-political changes. You can see them around you and read of them on your own ( iow, I don't need to detail it for anyone here ).
I do believe when shifts in more's, manners, perspective, ideologies, etc etc change in a kind of extreme from previous attitudes, there's a period of resistance. We may even see *increasing* hostility to women from men before any changes in thinking kind of stick and become the general mode of behavior.
Women have come a long way and - this might be more important to women - so have men. Yes, the Old Guard still exists. Yes, religion still has its way on the male and female mind. When both genders are going through big shifts in attitude, I think there's a brief, ( brief possibly being ten years or more for instance - I'm being very general here ), movement of resistance to the change. I believe that's why we see, in certain groups of young males, a popularizing of sexist behavior. Which makes terrific copy btw. The males who are *not* sexist are not as interesting, so to speak, to viewers/readers.
But...I think entrenched attitudes *will* evolve, and do. Which is why it's so important for women to not allow sexist attitudes/behaviors to redirect our focus from our own objectives and waste time fighting/arguing with those who exhibit them. If, as individuals, we reward the behaviors we find acceptable and ignore those we do not, ( though I'm in no way suggesting that 'ignore' means passively condone nor ignore to the point that we don't vote on laws etc to protect womens rights ). So, I think it's terrific that you find the archaic attitudes of your associates funny and mildly amusing versus allowing them to distract your energies into telling them how wrong they are. They already know it.
Wether you wish it to be so or not, in many ways you are carrying on and carrying forward, and contributing to the eventual death of sexist nonsense - illogical behaviors - for future generations of women. I'm sorry if that sounds superficial in any way or too cheery. Obviously, your first concern should be for yourself and your work. But it's really important that young women, heck, all women, know that science disciplines are for everyone. Everyone. All humans beings. Not just the male human beings.
It might take a while before we see films and stories and shows and such where the heroic female scientist is the norm, instead of the once in a decade anecdotal story, but it will happen. It will change. And the men in science now can either say they were part of the positive change, or part of the resistance to change. That's on them to decide and live with.
Read any given animal behaviour journal and you will see just how sexist science really is. Females of any given animal are mere objects, while male behaviour is the only behaviour. The females are just seen as a tool to influence males.
Every journal starts with the male first, and science has grossly confused environmental influences (aka women told they're not good enough and harvesting only male talents) with genetics, as a pathetic excuse to justify women not being in science and maths much.
I believe that this case probably was sexism, because nearly all males get an ego bruising if any female whatsoever ever dares to out compete them or do a better job than them. Unless its cleaning or washing- then men act as though we're experts and the compliments come flooding in... Males expect to be better than female at absolutely everything just because they have a bigger body- there lies the problem.


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Weekly Wire: the Global Forum
These are some of the views and reports relevant to our readers that caught our attention this week.
The Guardian
The future of development: Goodbye aid and MDGs, hello global goods and well being
"The future of development. What a title. It's fraught with hostages to fortune, bear traps and day dreams.
I pick 2030 as "the future". Partly because, 15 years after the first set of millennium development goal (MDG) targets I expect poverty (percent and numbers) in Asia to be much lower, and in Africa I expect the decline to be strong too. But partly because it is far enough away to think a bit more freely."
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Neako "StairCases Episode: 1" [Gramercy Records Submitted]
""Be Sure To follow Me On Twitter @Neako" Also DOWNLOAD (((LOUDpack:Tree))) From NeakoTV.com x DatPiff.com (download link: http://bit.ly/iFZWGB) For All Inquiries: email@example.com"
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text:
NASA bumps ISS spacewalk to Saturday
Needs more time to prep cooling pump swap-out
NASA has postponed today's planned spacewalk to replace a failed ammonia pump assembly on the International Space Station, and Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Doug Wheelock will now exit the orbiting outpost tomorrow at 10:55 GMT.
The agency explains: "Teams of flight controllers, engineers, and spacewalk experts have made significant progress in preparing for the first spacewalk, but need an additional day to get ready. The additional time allows for final procedures to be sent late Thursday to the station, giving the crew a full day to review the plans developed by Mission Control."
The pump failure last Saturday night took out half of the ISS's cooling system, although the station's systems are "stable", and its six crew members "are not in any danger".
Swapping out the pump will require two spacewalks - one to physically bolt on a new unit, and a second on Wednesday to attach the electrical and fluid lines.
NASA describes the EVAs as "challenging", since Caldwell Dyson and Wheelock will be "handling ammonia lines at full operating pressure, which makes the lines stiff during reconnection and mating". ®
Sponsored: Becoming a Pragmatic Security Leader


text:
- Premier League
Welbeck tells Bolt to come train with Utd
Danny Welbeck has told Usain Bolt to come and train with Manchester United and show the Premier League leaders his footballing skills.
The six-time Olympic champion is the fastest man ever and a big United fan who has said he would like to play for the club in a charity game. Sir Alex Ferguson has said the sprinter could make an appearance in a friendly match against Real Madrid's Legends team next year.
Striker Welbeck said he would relish the chance to train with the ebullient Bolt, who won gold medals at the 100m, 200m and 4 x100m replay at the London Olympics.
"He should come over and trial," Welbeck told United's official website in a webchat with supporters. "He should come and train and show us what he's got. He's the fastest man in the world. He's one of a kind and I admire the way he prepares for his races. He's a real character."
Bolt was paraded on the Old Trafford pitch before August's win over Fulham and the Jamaican, a big cricket supporter, has talked about switching to football or cricket after the 2016 Olympics.
He was also linked with the Melbourne Stars Twenty20 team captained by Shane Warne, who play in Australia's Big Bash League.
Welbeck also vowed that United would not get complacent, despite going six points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race with Sunday's derby 3-2 win.
He said: "To go six points clear and to do it in a Manchester derby was a great boost for us. We won't be too complacent, though. Every single point counts."
Team-mate Ashley Young added: "We knew if we won the game we'd go six points clear and that could have an effect on the title race. You saw the celebrations and how much it meant to the players and the staff. It was a massive boost for everyone at the club."


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For a short time this next week, two amazing vessels are docked right here, inside of our very own Camden Harbor. The Niña is in fact the most historically accurate Columbus replica ship that's ever been built. The Pinta, although larger and more accommodating to tours and private parties or charters, accompanies her "sister ship" to offer tourists, onlookers, and guests the chance for the "big picture."
These two "ladies" travel all around the World giving kids, adults, and seniors the chance to experience a little history in their own backyard. You can visit them here to find out where they're going next, the cost of a tour, or perhaps a special request for a private charter or tour of your very own.


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Ace Frehley's House Catches Fire
This morning (Dec. 14), firefighters in Westchester County, N.Y. were called to a house in Yorktown Heights owned by former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley. There are no reported injuries.
Lohud.com is reporting that the stone house was "heavily damaged," and that "[f]lames burned through the roof." The Yorktown Heights Volunteer Fire Department has posted four pictures of the fire to its Facebook page, including the one used above.
It is believed that a caretaker, not Frehley, lives in the house. The Red Cross has been enlisted to assist with finding a place for the resident to stay. "We are making arrangements to make sure he has emergency lodging," Carolyn Sherwin, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, told lohud.com.
Back in February, U.S. Bank National Association looked to foreclose on the house due to nearly two years of unpaid mortgages. A lien had also been placed on the property due to Frehley owing back taxes, which were paid off in May. The foreclosure issue does not appear to have been settled yet.
The 2,441-square foot, three-bedroom house, which sits on a three-acre plot, is listed as the business address for Max Cake Productions, a movie and video company owned by Frehley. His Jendell Productions, which is named after the home planet of Frehley's "Spaceman" character, purchased the house in 2000, and transferred the title to Frehley in 2004.
Updated 12/15: Frehley has issued a statement on the fire via his Facebook page:
"The official statement from the fire inspector was as follows: An electrical fire was caused by a tree falling on the wires in the backyard and shorting out the fuse box which in turn heated up the internal wiring in the walls and started the fire.
I'm very thankful that no one was hurt! The fire department and police did a great job, and I'm very grateful to them for all of their help and courage in this matter...job well done!"
In an odd bit of coincidence, it was 37 years ago this week that Frehley was nearly electrocuted on stage while performing at a Kiss show in Florida.


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A Springs man in a Dodge van who thought a Maserati in front of him on Three Mile Harbor Road wasn't going fast enough decided to teach the other driver a lesson by challenging him to a fight, but it was the van driver who got the education.
According to East Hampton Town police, after tailgating the Maserati heading south near Muir Boulevard on Feb. 9 around 1:15 p.m., the driver of the van pulled into oncoming traffic, slammed on the brakes, and cut off the car, trapping it and blocking traffic in both directions. The driver of the van then allegedly got out of the vehicle brandishing a pipe in his hand, and approached the Maserati.
"I was thinking, 'What's wrong with this guy?' " said Adam Falek, who was seated in the 2012 two-door GranTurismo S Maserati with his wife, Lori. "He blocked all the traffic. I had no place to go. He got out with a metal pipe. I have my wife in the car. I didn't want him to hit my wife or my car."
So Mr. Falek, who weighs 240 pounds and can bench-press 400 pounds, stepped out of his car.
"He was starting to swing the pipe," Mr. Falek said Sunday. "I grabbed his arm and got the pipe away, and threw him back in his van."
Police said that Mr. Falek tossed the pipe into the woods, and that the van driver then found the pipe, got back in his van, and fled.
"I said to him, 'You're going to jail.' He took off," Mr. Falek said.
Because the van had blocked traffic in both directions at a busy time of day, several vehicles had been forced to stop and at least one of the other drivers phoned the police. Within minutes, the van driver was apprehended by town police on Gay Lane in East Hampton Village and questioned.
Mr. Falek got back into the Maserati to comfort his wife. "It was a scary situation," Ms. Falek said. "You come out here to relax. You don't expect something like this to happen."
It was at that point that an officer approached Mr. Falek, whose story was corroborated by at least one other witness interviewed by police, and asked him if he wanted to press charges against the driver of the van.
Mr. Falek declined to press charges, and the driver of the van was released by police. Police did not identify him, because he was not charged with a crime, but said he could have faced a charge of menacing in the second degree, a class-A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
"I told my wife I don't think he'll be doing that again."
When asked about his ability to disarm his alleged attacker, Mr. Falek said. "I've sort of been around awhile."
Mr. Falek, a Brooklyn native who has a house on Staten Island and owns a Manhattan-based pest-control business, bought a house with his wife of 28 years in Springs several years ago, and now considers Springs his primary residence. "We moved out here for the quiet. I guess this just followed me."
Road rage can get out of control real fast and cause dangers if people don't keep their heads on straight and realize that the end results of it aren't worth it.


text:
Dear Dr. Don,
How long must you be married before you can draw off of your husband's Social Security? I married a year ago at the age of 64. Due to my health, I took early retirement at age 63. My husband recently died.
Continue Reading Below
-- Linn Limits
Dear Linn, I'm sorry for your loss. Generally speaking, for you to claim a survivors benefit on your husband's Social Security record, you need to have been married for at least nine months before he died. There are multiple exceptions to this nine-month standard that I won't list here. Instead, I suggest you discuss your situation with a representative at your local Social Security office.
If you qualify for survivors benefits, how much you receive depends on your age at the time of your retirement. A widow younger than full retirement age, but at least age 60, receives between 71.5% and 99% of the deceased worker's benefit amount. At full retirement age, the survivor receives 100% of the deceased worker's benefit amount. Your full retirement age is 66.
Your husband's age does not affect the amount of your survivors benefit. But if your husband started receiving retirement benefits before his full retirement age, then your survivors benefit will be reduced because it is based on his reduced benefit amount.
Thanks to Edward Lafferty, a public affairs specialist at the Social Security Administration, for helping me with this reply.
Get more news, money-saving tips and expert advice by signing up for a free Bankrate newsletter.
Bankrate's content, including the guidance of its advice-and-expert columns and this website, is intended only to assist you with financial decisions. The content is broad in scope and does not consider your personal financial situation. Bankrate recommends that you seek the advice of advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances before making any final decisions or implementing any financial strategy. Please remember that your use of this website is governed by Bankrate's Terms of Use.
Copyright 2012, Bankrate Inc.


text:
Differing Definitions of Fossil Fuel Subsidies Hinder Subsidy Reduction Efforts
|Ending fossil fuel subsidies by 2020 would decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 4.7 percent. Photo credit: LC Nottaasen
In early January, thousands of Nigerians took to the streets in what has been dubbed Occupy Nigeria. However, unlike the Occupy movement in the United States, Occupy Nigeria was spurred on by one issue: the government's decision to reduce fossil fuel subsidies. Overnight, gas prices in Nigeria more than doubled as a result of the government's new policy. The government argues that it is bringing gas prices closer to the global market price, but the price increase has caused significant economic hardship.
Globally, advocates of renewable energy have called for the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies in order to make alternative technologies more competitive. If fossil fuel consumption subsidies were phased out by 2020, energy demand would be reduced by 4.1 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 4.7 percent due to increased energy conservation and development of renewable resources. Furthermore, these subsidies tend to be regressive by benefiting more affluent populations globally, with only 9 percent of electricity subsidies going to the poorest 20 percent of the population.
By raising the end-user price of fossil fuels to market prices, countries can discourage inefficient industry and promote renewable energy projects and green jobs. In 2009, the G-20, recognizing their negative environmental impacts, pledged to eliminate or rationalize all inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. No country has begun cutting subsidies as a result of this pledge, however, partly because popular pressure and differing conceptions of subsidies.
According to the 2011 International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook, 80 percent of global consumption subsidies since 2007 have been implemented by countries that are net exporters of fossil fuels. In 2010 alone, subsidies in net exporters totaled US$331 billion as opposed to US$78 billion in net importers. Subsidies in the Middle East alone totaled US$166 billion, or 41 percent of the global total. Iran's subsidies equaled US$81 billion, and subsidies in Kuwait were roughly US $2,800 per person. Fossil fuel subsidies in Iran, Iraq, and Uzbekistan all equal roughly 10 percent of the nations' GDPs and almost 20 percent in Turkmenistan.
Reducing subsidies in net exporting countries would have the greatest impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, scaling back subsidies in these countries also proves to be the most politically contentious.
|In Nigeria, a sharp increase in gas prices mobilizes protesters at Occupy Nigeria. Photo credit: Temi Kogbe
Nigeria is a clear example of how fossil fuel subsidy reductions can cause massive protests. Since most Nigerians live on less than US$2 per day, the immediate increase in gas prices from US$0.40 to US$0.86 per liter made gas significantly less affordable and caused economy-wide inflation. State and local governments have promised that the money saved in subsidies will be used to build infrastructure. However, many of the protestors have little faith in the government, and some believe that fuel traders profited the most from subsidies. One widely circulated (though disputed) statistic among the protestors is that the actual cost of production in Nigeria is around US$0.25, and thus some protestors argue that there have never been subsidies as the domestic price of oil has always remained above this level.
Regardless of the validity of this statistic, it nevertheless indicates a popular conception of subsidies as calculated from a baseline of production cost rather than international market price. In fact, the G-20 initiative to reduce subsidies has been hindered by this dispute in the definition of a subsidy. Most net importing countries advocate for a "price gap" approach to calculating subsidies, in which the average market price is compared to the actual end-use price. Some oil exporters, on the other hand, want subsidies to be defined as the difference between production cost and end-use price. In these oil exporting nations, production costs are significantly lower than market prices, and thus the nations are able to offer oil products to their citizens at prices well below the market price but still above production cost. Saudi Arabia has the best articulation of this position, arguing that this low end-user cost represents a "comparative advantage" in global oil production rather than a subsidy.
In the 1970s, OPEC was able to exercise its control over productive oil fields and collectively charge higher prices for extraction to oil companies operating within its countries' borders. These high charges for oil production are the main cause of the difference between oil production costs and the global market price. Thus the 'comparative advantage' that Saudi Arabia claims to have derives from its ability to charge its citizens a price for oil closer to the production cost, reducing the impact of the charges levied on oil production within its own borders.
Literature on subsidies tends to take an especially negative view of subsidies in oil exporting countries, often invoking the rentier economy hypothesis, which states that because resource exporting states do not need to rely on tax income, they do not need to create state legitimacy through government services. Large energy subsidies are seen as a way for these nations to bribe their people into political passivity, and anti-subsidy campaigns frequently use the rentier discourse to argue that such subsidies serve no purpose other than to support oppressive regimes in oil exporting nations. This is partially due to a historical bias against rent as a form of profit, which is sometimes characterized as "a break in the work-reward causation." Overall, the rentier economy hypothesis tends to gloss over cultural differences between exporters and other economic factors, and ignore state building efforts and welfare programs aimed at building state legitimacy.
|Despite bold pledges at 2010's G-20 summit, net-importing countries have not taken the necessary steps towards reducing costly fossil fuel subsidies. Photo credit: IEA
The conventional discourse surrounding the aim of reducing global fossil fuel consumption subsidies fails to engage with oil exporters on their own terms. In defining subsidies, entities like the G-20 tend to view market price as the "natural" price of oil in the world, failing to take into account the fact that the market price is artificially inflated by extramarket factors and instead regarding subsidies as perpetuating a "fundamentally unfair trading system." Thus, the notion that subsidies must be "rationalized," essentially assuming that they are unnatural but can occasionally benefit society, goes against the logic of exporting nations that views subsidies as acceptable unless proven harmful.
Overall, reducing fossil fuel subsidies globally is important for the advancement of renewable technologies. Literature on subsidy reduction should focus on the negative impacts of subsides, most notably their tendency to promote inefficient industry, encourage transnational smuggling, and provide benefits regressively. Literature on subsidies should avoid broad generalizations and instead should examine subsidies on a case-by-case basis in each country. Alternative subsidies that shelter the poor from the negative effects of fossil fuel subsidy reduction should be investigated. Net importers must reduce fossil fuel subsidies as well, which they have failed to do since the G-20 pledge was signed, in order to avoid a perception of holding a bias against OPEC or the Middle East by demonstrating a shared commitment.
More importantly, as seen in the failure of fossil fuel subsidy reductions in Nigeria, governments need to work with their people and gain their trust in order to avoid public backlash. Popular resistance has been further strengthened by conflicting statistics from Nigeria's different government ministries, and what is regarded as some of the highest levels of government corruption in the world. In countries like Nigeria, fossil fuel subsidies cannot simply be reduced by fiat. Instead, governments must lay out a framework for how alternate support systems will be implemented to shelter people from the negative effects of subsidy reductions and how increased government revenue will be reinvested in the community.
Eric Anderson | March 14, 2012
Read more from the Climate & Energy team at Revolt.
Homepage image: USFWS
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State of the World 2008:


text: These sculptures by artist James Capper are working hydraulic implements. Their primary colors, spare design, and steel build make the pieces out to be purely utilitarian construction tools. However, these aren't actual power tools and they don't necessary build anything. Instead they sit menacingly with feeling like of the premonition of violence. You can almost hear the hiss and huff of air powering the blades. Perhaps the tools are a hint at the violence implicit in production and progress.


text:
One can now execute and enhance his/her research studies to a thriving extent with the exclusive clues and hints obtained from the Laramie County land data search engine of the state of Wyoming. Impeccable studies regarding the forefathers' life are now possible only with the help of this site. Incredible clues and crucial hints regarding pedigree are at your doorstep right here without any hassle.
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To obtain the Wyoming Laramie County Records, please provide the information below. When you fill-up the form, make a note : The more fields you fill in, the more detailed result you will get.
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text:
Why snowboarding instead of skating?
What's the deal with the ramp at your house?
Best place to snowboard if you're from Newport?
Are you jealous of Louie Vito being on Dancing with the Stars?
Weren't you supposed to be on a snowboarding reality show?
What is the most you have ever spun on a fun box?
What is the Yes Tour all about?
Explain your involvement in the Yoga surf video?
Last words?
Chanelle Sladics is sponsored by: Omatic, Flux, Oakley, Capix Helmets & Gloves, Nixon, Kicker Audio, Jones Soda & Breckenridge Resort.


text: Pool, The Alchemy of Blue by Australian artist Lizzie Buckmaster Dove poetically celebrates the relationship between the moon and the ocean. The stone-like pieces found in these images are the remnants of swimming pool found near the ocean in Dove's hometown of Coledale. The nearby ocean was slowly destroying the pool with each tide. The two installations pictured here are a kind of homage to the powerful force of the moon on the ocean below. She constructed the circles below with her friends to coincide with the lunar cycle. One arrangement featured the concrete fragment's blue hued side facing up for the corresponding blue moon. Dove and her friends organized an empty circle with the concrete at its perimeter for another arrangement to coincide with the new moon. [via]


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The World Bank Institute's Leadership Practice, the World Bank Group's External and Corporate Relations, Operational Communications Department, the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California are pleased to announce the 2014 Summer Institute in Reform Communication: Leadership, Strategy and Stakeholder Alignment. The course is designed for leaders, strategists and advisors who want to strengthen the critical competencies necessary to support change agents and reform leaders in developing countries.
The Summer Institute will be held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, June 2 - June 13, 2014. During the 10-day program, participants will learn the most recent advances in communication and proven techniques in reform implementation. Participants will develop the skills required to bring about real change, leading to development results. Leaders will connect with a global network of development professionals working on initiatives in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
Participants will acquire critical skills in five key areas:
- Interpreting and using political economy analyses;
- crafting multi-stakeholder collaboration, coalition and network building strategies and tactics to support reform;
- providing communication skills that support the implementation of reforms;
- leveraging social/digital media tools and analytics effectively; and
- developing communication metrics and applying monitoring and evaluation frameworks relevant to reform.
The program has been developed on a premise that successful implementation of policy reforms depends significantly on non-technical, real-world issues that relate to people and politics -- lack of political will, resistance from middle managers, vested interests, hostile public opinion and weak citizen demand for accountability -- and without strategic plans to tackle these issues, policy reforms can face severe challenges.
In 2011, the World Bank along with the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania piloted a 10-day Executive Course aimed at strengthening the capacity of developing country professionals by focusing on communication strategies that can help enhance political, social and organizational will for reform and development.
The course introduced cutting-edge knowledge in three complementary areas: political economy analysis, strategic and political communication; and 40 senior development practitioners and communication professionals from 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East were selected to participate. Please see our promotional video featuring 2013 participants.
Please visit http://www.wbasc.net for more information, including materials from previous Summer Institutes, the online application, and a link to the flyer. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2013.
Here are links to blog posts on previous Summer Institute (2013).
The 3rd Summer Institute on Communication and Governance Kicks Off!
The People Who Can Connect the Dots – Graduates of 2013 Summer Institute
Follow PublicSphereWB on Twitter
I wish the deadline could be
I wish the deadline could be extended for this summer course. I just found out about it and hope to catch up next time the course is announced.
Dear Chinara,
Are you still accepting
Are you still accepting applications for this course?
Hi Daryl,
Yes, you may still apply.
I wonder if you are still
I wonder if you are still accepting applications.
My name is Humay, I was a JPA at the Bank and I am currently Head of Operational Management at the Central Bank of Azerbaijan.
Hi Humay,
Yes, we are still accpeting applications.
just saw this. am i too late?
just saw this. am i too late?
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Yes! We are still accepting applications.
So I can apply :)
So I can apply :)


text:
By now most of us are aware of the term "fiscal cliff." The term refers to the economic mayhem that is expected if tax increases, spending cuts and the budget deficit rules go into effect in January 2013.
Continue Reading Below
But while a fiscal cliff threatens the economy as a whole, real estate has its own fiscal cliff that's quickly approaching. And unless certain rules, laws and programs are extended, we could see a huge falloff in the recovery of the housing market.
Potential borrowers might want to get their transactions completed in front of those changes, since they might push rates and fees higher in their respective wakes.
Here are five items with approaching expirations that could seriously threaten the strides we've made so far:
- Expiration of the mortgage interest deduction
- Expiration of the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act
- Tax-deductible mortgage insurance
- Expiration of Operation Twist
- Foreclosure reviews
No. 1: The mortgage interest deduction. Not that anyone purchases a home solely to claim the deduction, but the tax break certainly makes homeownership more attractive, affordable, and according to some, a stabilizing factor for housing markets.
But the long-considered cornerstone of American homeownership is in jeopardy as the government still hasn't voted to extend the tax break. A mounting national deficit is the main reason the deduction could be allowed to expire. Presently, interest on loans of up to $1,000,000 can be deducted, including primary and secondary homes.
"I believe the deduction won't be eliminated, but scaled back to coincide with the current conforming loan limits for high-cost areas," says Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH.com. "So rather than a million dollar maximum limit, the total might be scaled back to $625,500, for example. Interest accrued on mortgage debt in excess of that figure would no longer be deductible."
No. 2: The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act and Debt Cancellation. Short sellers beware: The tax break that allows mortgage debt to be forgiven is also staring down the barrel of expiration.
If this law is allowed to expire on Dec. 31, unpaid mortgage debt will be treated as taxable income by the IRS, a huge financial burden for struggling homeowners who have recently engaged in a short sale or those who were planning to in the near future. The desirability of short sales could all but disappear if this law is not extended.
"If not extended, this has the potential of immediately reducing home sales by as much as 20%," said Dave Liniger, RE/MAX co-founder and chairman, in an open letter to President Obama and Governor Romney. "Troubled homeowners who meet the qualifications for a loan modification or short sale are not likely to pursue either of these options if the remaining mortgage balance is considered taxable income."
No. 3: Mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance is required for all FHA and conventional mortgages that have down payments less than 20% of the purchase price. Homeowners who are refinancing may be surprised to find out that they too need to pay mortgage insurance if they have less than 20% equity in their home.
While mortgage insurance is currently tax deductible, it's set to expire at the turn of 2012. Unless it is renewed or revived by Congress, you will no longer be able to deduct it going forward. This will mean a fair-sized tax increase for many homeowners.
The IRS allows homeowners who pay mortgage insurance in connection with a home acquisition to deduct the premiums from their taxes along with their mortgage interest payments. In order to be tax-deductible, the mortgage insurance contract must have been issued after 2006.
For complete details about taxes and mortgage insurance, check IRS Publication 936.
No. 4: Operation Twist. The Federal Reserve's Operation Twist is scheduled to come to a close at the end of the year. Operation Twist is a money-recycling program in which the Fed has bought longer-term Treasury bonds while selling shorter-term bonds in order to hold down rates.
While it sounds technical, the program is essentially an effort is to lower long-term interest rates, including mortgage rates.
No. 5: Independent foreclosure reviews. Originally slated to end on July 31, consumers now have until the end of this year to submit a request for a foreclosure review at http://www.independentforeclosurereview.com. To request a foreclosure review, you must log on and first check your eligibility. You must be a customer of one of the participating servicers. If you are, your next steps are to fill out and submit a "Request for Review Complaint Form." Forms must be sent online or postmarked before Dec. 31. For general questions or for help completing the form, call 1-877-465-0428.
The five items above aren't the only issues threatening the real estate market as we come to the turn of the year. A nearly insolvent FHA and a still-undetermined definition of what a "Qualified Residential Mortgage" should be are bound to also have a profound influence on the mortgage market moving forward.
The original article can be found at HSH.com:Real estate's fiscal cliff: 5 items to watch out for


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Single-Cycle Collective Communication Over a Shared Network Fabric
In the multicore era, on-chip network latency and throughput have a direct impact on system performance. A highly important class of communication flows traversing the network is collective, i.e., one-to-many and many-to-one. Scalable coherence protocols often leverage imprecise tracking to lower the overhead of directory storage, in turn leading to...Download Now
Recent Contributions to Cryptographic Hash Functions
Hash functions are cryptography's most widely used primitives, in that they are a fundamental building block used for a wide variety of constructions. The recent attacks of Joux, Wang, and others against the current generation of hash functions has stimulated a resurgence of research into these primitives as well as...Download Now
Requirements and Risk Management
First and foremost one needs to learn what is meant by "requirements" in a security and engineering context, why requirements are useful for managing risk and what IOT requirements may look like. Risks will manifest themselves in relation to "requirements" or project goals: what do you need to get from...Download Now
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This article describes composition of the IOT. In order to manage risk you need to understand not only the applications, devices, or services under assessment, but also the other types of devices that will at some point certainly share parts of the underlying infrastructure of the IOT.Download Now
The Dark Cloud: Understanding and Defending against Botnets and Stealthy Malware
The proliferation of botnets reveal a worrisome trend in the spread and sophistication of computer viruses and worms in the Internet today. (A botnet is essentially a collection of compromised distributed computers or systems, known as bots because of their zombie-like nature, under the control of a bot-herder, by virtue...Download Now
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The goal of service orientation is to attain a structural cost reduction in the delivery of IT services through reuse and standardization. However, the transition from a traditional system to one based on services requires breaking monolithic applications into standard services, often with Web front ends to facilitate reuse not...Download Now
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Floor Plan Details
The Grand Reserve II | $1,735.00 - $1,795.00
- 3 Beds
- 2 Baths
- 1539 Square Feet
- $100.00 Deposit
Water, trash, and cable included. Resident takes care of electric & wifi.
Call us today to request a tour of this floor plan (479) 251-0700
Floor Plan square footage, layouts, and measurements listed on this page are an approximation for illustrative purposes only. Floor Plans are subject to vary between individual homes and should be viewed to determine the suitability for space requirements. Rental rates, deposits, availability, and specials are subject to change without notice. Rental rates and deposits may also fluctuate based on features, locations, lease terms, credit and rental history, income, and other qualifying standards. Occupancy guidelines will apply. Again, the information listed on this page is to be used as a point of reference and is not a binding agreement.
Apartment Amenities
Gourmet Kitchen
Stainless Steel or Black Appliances*
Built-In Microwaves
Granite Countertops*
Designer Cabinetry
Kitchen Pantries
Stylish Fireplace with Mantels*
Nine-Foot Ceilings
Triple Crown Molding*
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Large Bay Windows*
Hardwood Floors*
Ceramic Tile Entries*
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* Select apartment homes only
Get In Touch
Reserve At Steele Crossing
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(479) 251-0700


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Pianist Arunesh Nadgir will perform at Hope College on Tuesday, March 12, at 7:30 pm in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The program will include four pieces. He will open with "Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant-Jésus, XI. Première communion de la Vierge," by Oliver Messiaen. Next will be Claude Debussy's "Images Book II: Cloches à travers les feuilles, Et la lune descend sur la temple qui fut, and Poissons d'or," followed by "Sonata in C Major, Hob XVI:50, Allegro, Adagio, and Allegro molto," by Joseph Haydn. After the intermission, Nadgir will perform "Fantasie, Op. 17: Durchaus phantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen, Mässig, and Langsam getragen," by Robert Schumann.
Praised for his passionate, sensitive, and thoughtful musical style, Nadgir has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. He has performed in venues including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre, and Jordan Hall, and has participated in several international music festivals, including the Millennium International Piano Festival, The Moulin d'Ande Festival and the Kneisel Hall Summer Music Festival.
He has been heard on Nashville's WPLN live radio broadcast titled "Live from Studio C," and New York's WNYC broadcast, "A Global and Literary Salon: Beyond Bollywood." The 2012-13 season includes a performance of Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2" with the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, solo recitals in Tennessee and Michigan, as well as the world premiere performance of John Marvin's "Sonata for Oboe and Piano" with Roger Wiesmeyer and the Grammy-nominated ALIAS chamber ensemble.
An accomplished teacher, Nadgir is an assistant professor of piano at Middle Tennessee State University. He also maintains a private piano studio and is the president of the Middle Tennessee Music Teachers Association. He has previously held teaching positions at the Eastman School of Music, where he was an instructor of primary and secondary piano and the teaching assistant to Professor Natalya Antonova, New England Conservatory's Preparatory and Continuing Education Departments, Point CounterPoint, The Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and the Palisades School of Music.
He has performed in master classes conducted by many world-renowned musicians, including Julian Martin, Joseph Kalichstein, Roger Tapping, Pamela Frank and Daniel Pollack. Nadgir holds degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, The Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th Street.


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Forget two weeks notice. How about an interpretive dance instead?
Continue Reading Below
That's just what Marina Shifrin did when she decided to quit her video editing job in China, due to its demanding hours and what she described as value of quantity over quality of content. Shifrin uploaded a video of herself dancing to Kanye West's' hit "Gone" with text streaming over the video explaining why she needed out. The clip soon went viral, and needless to say, her boss accepted the resignation.
While Shifrin's move was attention-catching and displayed her creativity and editing skills, Nicole Williams, career expert for LinkedIn, says she wouldn't suggest any copycat videos find their way to the Web anytime soon.
"On a positive note, she will get noticed by the virtue of this, because it demonstrates her talent," Williams says. "The second, third, and fourth time something like this happens, it won't get you any traction. It's a slippery slope."
So unplug your video camera and step away from Twitter. Here are a few tips for leaving your job on the right foot:
Tell your boss first. No boss wants to hear from the office rumor mill that an employee is leaving, Williams says. "They want to hear it first from you," she says. "It's a private conversation."
Just like Shifrin's video, which leaves her boss nameless, Williams also says to never go out trashing your higher-ups. This is a surefire way to burn bridges.
Thank everyone. It sounds simple, but Caroline Ceniza-Levine, career expert, SixFigureStart®, says many forget how much being humble matters on their way out of a job.
"You never know when you will see these people again," Ceniza-Levine says. "Even if you don't feel this way—thank people for being good coworkers, your team for helping you, your bosses for mentoring you. Work out how to make the smoothest transition."
Make it painless. Your most memorable time in the office? Williams says it's your first and last week on the job. "You could have worked your butt off for three years, then you do something outrageous and it reflects badly on the company," she says. "You screw this up if you don't depart gracefully."
Think of timing. Even though you are leaving, sometimes giving more than two weeks heads-up is a smart way to preserve your reputation, says Ceniza-Levine.
"If you are in the middle of a big project that is rolling out in three or four weeks, you want to see that through," she says. "It may be shorter or longer, depending on what the company wants. You want to show you are at least flexible."
Keep it positive. Do not trash your old company or bosses at your new job, Williams says. "They may see you as kind of a risk or loose cannon," she says.
Stay away from social media. Quitting or speaking poorly of your place of employment on social media is a definite no-no, says Williams. "This is not the way to go, because the distribution is so fast," she says. "You want to have the conversations you need to have independently and privately, so they can absorb it."
Leave the door open. Even if you don't necessarily want to stay in touch, Ceniza-Levine says you need to appear as though you do. "Give your personal contact information out, and collect that information from everyone—especially for references in the future," she says. "These are the things that endear you to everyone."


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end of section
The Department is an executive branch agency headed by the Secretary of Commerce. Appointed by and directly reporting to the Governor, the Secretary of Commerce also serves as a member of the Governor's Cabinet.
The following pages provide biographical information for members of the agency's management team.


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Life has challenges and yours are unique to you;
You have the capacity and strength within you to heal anything.
If you want to improve or change something about your life, there are always barriers or blocks paired with the passage toward what you want to accomplish. The emotional blocks can be surprising because you would never guess that an incident when you were three-years-old can be that powerful to establish a belief system or that the struggle has been a pattern of failure in the family for three generations. The key is to experience how life unfolds after the healing or shift occurs. It is unexpected and THEN, it all makes sense to you
The key is to experience how this work unfolds into your life, often times it is unpredictable. It is unexpected and THEN, it all makes sense to you.
Deep inside of you, at your core, you know what you need to do to be freer and happier in your life. You feel the nudges and listen to the whispers, but the solution is not always in hand, and that is where I come in as a Facilitator for Change.
Core Healing Initiatives, a multi-faceted, 3-dimensional dive into the power of the subconscious mind, where your life is organized. Lurking or hidden within the symptoms you have resides the core issue, and it may not be yours, and the wisdom that a part of you already knows, but has not accessed yet.
Right now, it might be hard to believe that symptoms are the directives that guide you to view some aspect of your life or your ancestors for healing. In the Core Healing Initiative entering into the problematic experience through various portals garners a broader perspective so you achieve your goals.
I know how easy it is to get lost in your pain. I did, yet I did not learn in psychotherapy training that the pain is actually the way out, and within the pain is where the gold is contained. Many recognize this now and it cannot be ignored, medicated, glossed over or rehashed over and over again.
You've been suffering and may be at a loss to find the solution and relief. Understand that the solutions do not reside in thinking about the problem, or telling and retelling the narrative. I left the field of psychotherapy as a profession and for my personal problems because I felt like more of an advisor or reflector, and I sensed that something was sore;y missing.
The Core Healing Initiative is unlike traditional therapy. Of course, we also talk, yet the unique discussion delivers the aspects of the struggle and how you experience it. As I take the facilitative lead, you might experience psychological acupressure, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique, deep mind work through Alchemy, guided journeys, essential oils and the powerful work of inherited family trauma.
Whether your eyes are open or closed or we are mapping the Energetic Family TraumaGram, you will discover truths, power, and how to navigate your life and how you can best step forward with a new vision and greater personal strength.
Whether you have experienced trauma, suffered medical trauma, have a phobia, can't breathe, have an upcoming surgery, need to take an exam or increase athletic competency, I can assist you.
Read more about services options below and also, review the client profile as you decide on your next step.
If you experience a personal crisis, I will refer you to the emergency room, a mental health hotline or phone the proper authorities. Pittsburgh area crisis phone numbers are as follows:
- Resolve Crisis Network (1-888-7-YOUCAN)
- Allegheny County Peer Support Warmline Network (1-866-661-WARM)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK).


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Tedy Bruschi inducted into college football Hall of Fame
In annual ceremonies on Tuesday, former Arizona defensive standout Tedy Bruschi was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
"It's an honor to be here," Bruschi said in a press conference Tuesday morning. "I thank of all my teammates being here, so many guys that helped me rush the passer because that's basically all I did in college. And all I really loved about football was rushing the quarterback. It was something that I always thought was really the true essence of football, lining up across a guy that was as twice as big as me and twice as strong and finding some way to get pass him to sack the guy with the ball. That's all I ever wanted to do."
Bruschi is the fourth Arizona player to join the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, joining Ricky Hunley (1998), Chuck Cecil (2009) and Rob Waldrop (2011). He also joins three Arizona coaches who've been inducted – Warren Woodson (1989), Jim Young (1999) and Darrell Mudra (2000).
With Bruschi as a key component, Arizona's Desert Swarm defense led the nation in scoring defense in 1992. In 1993, Desert Swarm led the nation in rushing defense and defined a squad that achieved UA's first 10-victory season, defeating Miami, 29-0, in the Fiesta Bowl. Bruschi was named Fiesta Bowl MVP.
"Dick Tomey, my head coach, was so instrumental in me becoming a player," Bruschi added. "My defensive coordinator, Larry MacDuff, and there are so many coaches and players that I think about being here. For me, it's tough to be individually recognized because of all the players I've played with, but to be up here with all of these guys is an honor because I think all of us know what it takes to get here and I know our names are the only ones that are recognized but we have so much to be thankful for from all the people that helped us get here. To the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, thank you for this honor. It's probably the biggest individual honor you can get as a college football player. I'm proud to be named in this class and proud to be here with all of these guys."
Bruschi (1991-95) ended his career with 52 sacks, tied for the most in NCAA history. He was a consensus All-American in 1994 and a unanimous All-American in 1995.
Bruschi's celebrated senior season included the 1995 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors and winning the Morris Trophy as the league's best defensive lineman. He was a two-time finalist for the Lombardi Award and graduated with 74 tackles for loss, which ranked sixth in FBS history. Bruschi was named all-conference three times and he led the Wildcats to three bowl berths under head coach Dick Tomey.
The San Francisco native was a third-round selection by the New England Patriots in the 1996 NFL Draft. Bruschi enjoyed a 13-year career, winning three Super Bowls with the franchise. The Pro Bowler was named the Associated Press' Comeback Player of the Year in 2005 following a stroke.
A committed spokesman and advocate for stroke survivors, Bruschi founded Tedy's Team, in conjunction with the American Stroke Association, which has raised more than $1.5 million. He wrote a book, "Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL," detailing his NFL comeback after his own stroke in 2005. Bruschi is also an active participant in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting wishes for numerous children through the organization. Bruschi currently works as an NFL analyst on ESPN.


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Coach Jody Wynn couldn't help but smile while scanning the stat sheet.
Long Beach State got its desired output from the perimeter gang: Lauren Spargo hitting three 3-pointers to lead a 9-for-18 effort from beyond the arc in Saturday's 71-61 win over UC Irvine at the Walter Pyramid.
But the 49ers also scored 38 points in the paint, almost doubling UC Irvine's output, making it a nice, cohesive team win. The 49ers improved to 11-8 on the season and 4-3 in Big West Conference play. Alex Sanchez had 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, Spargo 16 points, and Devin Hudson 12 points and seven rebounds.
"Down the stretch, we showed we're battled tested," Wynn said. "We've been stressing being mentally and physically tough enough regardless of what the situation is.
"It's nice on a night when we had nine 3-pointers that it wasn't the only (storyline)."
The 49ers came back from a 23-16 deficit in the first half on Spargo's shooting to take a 34-33 halftime lead.
UC Irvine had a three-point lead midway through the second half, but the 49ers outscored Irvine 21-8 the rest of the game. The most impressive part of the run was the way the 49ers pounded the baseline with dribble drives or passes to take advantage of UC Irvine's concern with the perimeter.
With the 49ers down by three, Hudson scored off a rebound, Mary Ochiltree used the glass for a short-range jumper after a step drive, and Jade Wilson followed with an inside basket to give the 49ers a lead.
Sanchez had three nice baskets during the game in which she nicely used an Anteaters defender as a screen as they turned to peel off toward the basket.
"I was watching the way they were defending and Hallie (Meneses, the 49ers' injured junior) told me they were going underneath and to look for my shot," Sanchez said. "They did it once and I scored, then they did it again.
"All week long, we talked about being physical and making sure we got a touch in the paint on every possession, even if we had an open shot."
The 49ers once again began a conference game chilly, missing their first six shots from the outside before Spargo hit a baseline 3-pointer. They still struggled after Spargo's shot and fell behind 23-16.
But Ochiltree, Sanchez and Spargo hit consecutive 3-pointers to get the 49ers close. Sanchez followed with a nice body fake for an inside basket and Spargo drove the lane and netted a nice scoop shot for a lead.
Spargo then netted her third 3-pointer, this one from the left baseline, and the 49ers took a 34-33 lead into halftime.
After their 53-50 lead was extinguished, the Anteaters (4-15, 0-7) drew within one twice more in the second half, but Chantel Dooley and Sanchez hit 3-pointers and the 49ers converted their free throws down the stretch.
The 49ers hit the road next week to meet UC Davis, which just destroyed Cal State Fullerton 88-44, and Big West leader Pacific (15-3, 5-1).


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Just as my Department of State colleagues witnessed the entrepreneurial spirit of the Arab Spring with Jordanian entrepreneurs in Washington, D.C., I experienced that same spirit energizing the halls of the Ryad Mogador Agdal in Marrakech, Morocco.
I recently participated in the second U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference, initially launched one year ago in Algeria just weeks before the uprisings in Tunisia that sparked the Arab Spring. The conference was the annual partnership meeting of the North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity (NAPEO), part of the global alliance Partners for a New Beginning (PNB) initiated by Secretary Clinton in April 2010.
This year the conference was hosted by the PNB-NAPEO local advisory board in Morocco. The 450 conference participants were almost entirely from the private sector, including Maghreb and U.S. entrepreneurs, early-stage investors, prominent business leaders, Maghreb diaspora leaders, job trainers, academics and professors, members of civil society, and youth. The creativity, ambition, and know-how of the people gathered were awe-inspiring; these are truly the people who will catalyze economic growth in their countries and throughout the region.
The three winners of the PNB-NAPEO TechTown Detroit start-up competition, selected on our recent entrepreneurship delegation to the Maghreb, provide an excellent example. Youghourta Benali of Algeria started an electronic payment system that could help address the gap in e-commerce in the region. Dr. Souad Rouis of Tunisia launched the first medical biotechnology company of its kind there. Yassine El Kachchani of Morocco developed an innovative mobile phone application for the restaurant industry in Morocco. These three are perfect examples of the creative minds and innovative spirits who represented the Maghreb at the Conference in Marrakech.
My role as a government official -- and as the U.S. government partner in the PNB-NAPEO inititative -- is to listen and observe that creative process, and to help encourage policies that enable entrepreneurs and young job-seekers to create and grow businesses. In discussions with my counterparts from the governments of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, I came away with the impression that we are all in alignment in the desire to support youth and entrepreneurs to the fullest extent possible.
This is a critical feature of PNB-NAPEO -- to provide a public-private conversation that transcends borders in the United States and the Maghreb. PNB-NAPEO represents a new paradigm of public-private partnerships in foreign policy. Partnerships will play an increasingly important role as public budgets continue to shrink and private leaders, as we heard recently from Davos, are under pressure to respond to the imperative of job creation, especially for youth.
We have come a long way since PNB-NAPEO was launched in December 2010. The more than 20 locally-owned and locally-driven projects created in the past year are a testament to the positive impact PNB-NAPEO is having in the region. Like the local PNB-NAPEO board in Morocco that organized the Conference, we have established local advisory boards to support the partnership's work in Algeria and Tunisia, with a new board in Mauritania just launched and a board in Libya is in the works. It was thrilling to see members of the local boards representing the new voices of the region come together to share ideas for promoting job creation and entrepreneurship in the Maghreb. The current global economic situation has proven the need for innovation in job creation and for economic integration to boost growth. I am certain that the creative minds and entrepreneurial spirit of PNB-NAPEO can help accomplish this.
I look forward to the conference's third installment -- 2013 in Tunisia!
Learn more about the North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity here, and more about Partners for a New Beginning here.Stay connected with the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs on Facebook and Twitter.


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An editorial in the June 3 Tomahawk Leader:
Here's your chance to try one of Wisconsin's great pastimes with very little investment. Make it a family affair during the annual Free Fishing Weekend, hosted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources this coming weekend, Saturday-Sunday, June 7-8.
During the special statewide event, residents and non-residents alike can fish without a license or trout or salmon stamps. However, keep in mind, all other fishing regulations regarding length and bag limits apply. All the waters of the state will be open, including inland lakes and streams, state waters of the Great Lakes and rivers bordering Wisconsin.
The event is designed to encourage families to get outdoors and fish together. And, there are lots of opportunities right in our own back yard. Wisconsin is home to 165 fish species, and anglers in Wisconsin have 15,000 inland lakes, 42,000 miles of streams and rivers, plus the Great Lakes Shoreline and 260 miles of the Mississippi River to fish. About 1.4 million licenses are sold each year to adult anglers in the Badger State, with Wisconsin trailing only Florida in the number of days nonresident anglers spend fishing here.
If a hike is more to your liking, you're in luck, too. Saturday is also National Trails Day, with a variety of special events planned.
Wisconsin State Parks will do away with admission stickers on Sunday, making that an ideal time for a visit.
Locally, on June 8 from 9 a.m. to noon, Council Grounds State Park, off Hwy. 107, Merrill, will tie in with the free fishing weekend by hosting casting games, offering prize drawings and providing fishing assistance. The target ages are 1-12.
State history also will come to life during Visitor Appreciation Day at Wisconsin historic sites (Circus World Museum excluded) this Sunday for a special day of discounted family fun. Stroll through the villages and farms of Old World Wisconsin, travel back to 1860s Wisconsin at the Wade House, visit the Victorian-era hallways of Villa Louis and much more. Children under the age of 5 are free.
For more information about these and other events, visit travelwisconsin.com or call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's toll-free number at 1-800-432-TRIP/8747.
Try fishing for free ...
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