Taking benefits AND the jobs !

"Nobody can quite decide whether migrants are a problem because they work so hard that they’re taking all the jobs (the biggest fear of a working class pummelled by unemployment and falling wages) or because they’re too lazy to work so they’re taking all the benefit money (the biggest fear of a middle class suffering with rising rents and cuts to social services)."

Originally shared by Katherine Phelps

We have the same creep happening in Australia.
We have to get beyond outrage and fear, that is what the Abbot goverment is feeding on. We have to boldly speak about the value of peace and what it really means.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/08/europe-shouldn-t-worry-about-migrants-it-should-worry-about-creeping-fascism

You Are Not Stupid (probably)

Originally shared by Brian Koberlein

You Are Not Stupid

“So what do you do for a living?” I always cringe a bit when that question comes up among strangers, because when I reveal that I’m an astrophysics professor the response is almost always the same. “Um…wow…. You must be really smart!”

While it’s often intended as a compliment, it really isn’t. Smart didn’t allow me to become an astrophysicist. Hard work, dedication and the support of family and friends did. It’s also one of the most deeply divisive misconceptions about scientists that one can have: scientists are smarter than you. Part of this stems from the idolization of brilliant scientists. Albert Einstein was so smart that fictitious quotes are attributed to him. Media buzzes whenever Stephen Hawking says something about black holes. Any quote by Neil Tyson is a sure way to get likes on Facebook. We celebrate their genius and it makes us feel smart by association. But this stereotype of the “genius scientist” has a dark side.

For one there’s expectation that to do science you must be super smart. If you struggle with math, or have to study hard to pass chemistry, you must not have what it takes. The expectation to be smart when you don’t feel smart starts to foster a lack of self confidence in your abilities. This is particularly true if you’re a girl or minority where cultural biases presume that “your kind” aren’t smart, or shouldn’t be. Lots of talented children walk away from science because they don’t feel smart.

Then there’s the us vs. them mentality that arises from the misconception. Scientists (and fans of science) are smart. Smarter than you. You are stupid. But of course, you’re not stupid. You know you’re not stupid. The problem isn’t you, it’s the scientists. Scientists are arrogant. For example, when I criticized a particular science website for intentionally misleading readers, the most popular rebuttal was that I (as a scientist) was being elitist.

Where this attitude really raises its head is among supporters of fringe scientific ideas. Some of the strongest supporters of alternative scientific ideas are clearly quite intelligent. Presidential hopeful and evolution denier Ben Carson is a neurosurgeon. Pierre Robitaille made great advances in magnetic resonance imaging, but adamantly believes that the cosmic microwave background comes from Earth’s oceans. Physicist and Nobel laureate Ivar Giaever thinks global warming is a pseudoscience on the verge of becoming a “new religion.” None of these folks are stupid.

If there’s one thing most people know about themselves it’s that they’re not stupid. And they’re right. We live in a complex world and face challenges every day. If you’re stupid, you can quickly land in a heap of unpleasantness. Of course that also means that many people equate being wrong with being stupid. Stupid people make the wrong choices in life, while smart people make the right ones. So when you see someone promoting a pseudoscientific idea, you likely think they’re stupid. When you argue against their ideas by saying “you’re wrong,” what they’ll hear is “you’re stupid.” They’ll see it as a personal attack, and they’ll respond accordingly. Assuming someone is stupid isn’t a way to build a bridge of communication and understanding.

One of the things I love about science is how deeply ennobling it is. Humans working together openly and honestly can do amazing things. We have developed a deep understanding of the universe around us. We didn’t gain that understanding by being stupid, but we have been wrong many times along the way. Being wrong isn’t stupid.

Sometimes it’s the only way we can learn.
https://briankoberlein.com/2015/08/30/you-are-not-stupid/

Evangelic atheism

". An atheist, we tend to assume, is someone who thinks science should be the basis of our beliefs and tries to convert others to this view of things. In the type of atheism that's making the most noise today, religion is a primitive theory of how the world works - an intellectual error without human value, which we'd be better without."

Which tells you an awful lot about the state of modern atheism.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34054057

In France, you can be allergic to electricity

"A French woman has won a disability grant after telling a court she suffers from an allergy to electromagnetic radiation from gadgets. Marine Richard, 39, was told she may claim €800 (£580) per month for three years as a result. She said it was a "breakthrough" for people affected by electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS)."

Riiiiight.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34075146

Corbyn for deputy PM !

Corbyn is probably better suited to being a Deputy Prime Minster, a.k.a. a mad uncle of British politics, with more influence than actual power and a certain license to say ridiculous things like this.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34059249

A culture of badgers

"It doesn’t take an expert to grasp that a person being unable to earn an income because of Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis is not a sign of a “sickness benefit culture” but a sign that someone is sick. Something is not a “culture” because I want it to be. You may as well say Britain has a culture of badgers. Sure, it’s true there are badgers in the country. But knowing that doesn’t make me want to paint myself black and white."

Originally shared by Jenny Winder
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/08/five-most-dangerous-myths-about-sickness-and-disability-benefits

A world without mental images

Another fascinating medical condition I never knew existed.
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34039054

Probably one of the greatest speeches Star Trek ever did.

Probably one of the greatest speeches Star Trek ever did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMqGlSjAbwA#t=1m0s

No Ferrero Rocher for you

""Almost everyone who comes to the house says, 'Oh Ambassador, you are spoiling us.' That image of a bunch of stuck-up aristocrats eating ridiculous chocolates - I'm sure they're very nice - and swilling champagne at taxpayers' expense… it's just not what we're like.

"I do not keep a single Ferrero Rocher."

Well I did always wonder about that. Now I know.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34040175

The nearest thing to real-life Vulcans

This is absolutely fascinating.

"...a damaged neural circuit involved in emotional processing might prevent sadness, happiness or anger from bursting into consciousness. (Using the analogy of the Russian doll, their emotions are breaking down at the second shell of feeling – their bodies are reacting normally, but the sensations don’t merge to form an emotional thought or feeling.) "

"Without the emotional outlet, however, the mind could get stuck on the physical feelings, potentially amplifying the responses. As Goerlich-Dobre puts it: “They are hypersensitive to bodily perceptions, and not able to focus on anything else, which might be one reason why they develop chronic pain.”

"Caleb may not have been transported to ecstasy by his wedding or the birth of his child, but he has spent most of his life looking within, striving to feel and understand the sensations of himself and the people around him. The result is that he is certainly one of the most thoughtful, and self-aware, people I have ever had the pleasure of interviewing – someone who seems to know himself, and his limitations, inside out."
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150818-what-is-it-like-to-have-never-felt-an-emotion

Lobster immortality

I'd heard it was an IFLScience myth that lobsters are biologically immortal,  but apparently there's something to it after all.
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150622-can-anything-live-forever

BERNIE SANDERS WANTS TO STOP YOUR CATS FROM POOPING AND ALSO MURDERYOU !

BERNIE SANDERS WANTS TO STOP YOUR CATS FROM POOPING AND ALSO MURDER YOU !

I felt that this little tirade needed to be saved for posterity. If you don't agree that the last comment is batshit crazy, I strongly suggest you go home and rethink your life.

The brothers Sanders

Bernie has a fair crack at becoming President of the United States, while his brother Larry fails to become an MP for the Green Party in the UK. They must have some interesting conversations...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33254500

Blair is wrong about Corbyn

I would have agreed with Blair not so long ago. After all, whatever you think of the man or his policies, he was an absolute consummate politician.

But, after listening to Corbyn, I'm not so sure. Labour were smashed in Scotland by a clear policy of anti-austerity. Ed Milliband's message was mixed and delivered poorly. I think there might be a value in presenting an alternative that's undeniably different from the Tories, plus Corbyn is just about the only Labour figure who has any sense of charisma at the moment. The other candidates just, well, don't.

I think Corbyn is going to need someone to reign in some of his more radical ideas, but at least he's presenting radical ideas and no focusing on micro-policies. I say give him a year. See how he does in the opinion polls and what happens in by-elections.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-33896414

I'm offended that you're offended

"Emotional reasoning dominates many campus debates and discussions. A claim that someone’s words are “offensive” is not just an expression of one’s own subjective feeling of offendedness. It is, rather, a public charge that the speaker has done something objectively wrong. It is a demand that the speaker apologize or be punished by some authority for committing an offense."

"The thin argument “I’m offended” becomes an unbeatable trump card. This leads to what Jonathan Rauch, a contributing editor at this magazine, calls the “offendedness sweepstakes,” in which opposing parties use claims of offense as cudgels. In the process, the bar for what we consider unacceptable speech is lowered further and further."

"...All of these actions teach a common lesson: smart people do, in fact, overreact to innocuous speech, make mountains out of molehills, and seek punishment for anyone whose words make anyone else feel uncomfortable."

Originally shared by Simon Urquhart (welshkid)

Fascinating article. Originally shared by Prof. Brian Cox
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/

Learning to devalue

It does make me wonder : at what point are we taught to devalue others/things ?

Originally shared by Dennis Breen
http://flip.it/dSWEV

I'm beginning to like this guy

I didn't want to, but I'm really beginning to like this man. Not yet convinced the rest of the electorate will, but Scotland suggests... maybe... ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33839819

I wish I were this lucky

"An amateur radio enthusiast managed to get a quick chat with the International Space Station (ISS) after a month of trying to get through from his shed."
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-33806298

Lab-grown meat is a big deal

The Agricultural Revolution was the biggest development in human history. True, crops were the main achievement, but the domestication of livestock was no small feat either. And now that's about to change.

Originally shared by Betsy McCall
http://gizmodo.com/the-future-will-be-full-of-lab-grown-meat-1720874704