CHANGE: U.S. girls begin menstruating at younger ages. “A girl’s weight appears to partially explain why periods are starting earlier, researchers said. In other words, childhood obesity — already known to be a risk factor for early puberty — could be contributing to earlier menstruation.”
Author Archive: Glenn Reynolds
May 30, 2024
TRUE:
Say what you will about the Iranian regime, but you can't deny they're unsentimental about who their allies are. https://t.co/D945S7MYXF
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) May 30, 2024
WELL, INFLATION HAS “SLOWED,” BUT IT HASN’T REVERSED. People Are Still Feeling the Pain of Inflation.
THE ENEMY WITHIN: Whooping cough toxins shipped to China by U. Florida student leader: report.
The leader of a Chinese student organization is facing federal charges for her alleged role in shipping whooping cough toxins and illegal drugs back to China.
Nongnong “Leticia” Zheng and others “have been implicated in an illegal, multi-million dollar scheme investigated by the Justice Department to fraudulently buy thousands of biochemical samples of dangerous drugs and toxins,” according to the Associated Press.
I wonder whqt else is going on out there.
NEITHER VERY IMPRESSIVE NOR VERY DIVERSE: Meet the University of Texas at Austin students and staff arrested at Hamas-endorsed protest.
DICTATORIAL REGIMES ABUSE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO SUPPRESS THEIR POLITICAL OPPONENTS: The ‘Hong Kong 47’ Convicted in the City’s Largest Trial to Crush Democracy.
SETH BARRETT TILLMAN: “By Unlawful Means” and Jury Instructions.
WELL, MSNBC: Liberal Media Scream: MSNBC regular cites Clarence Thomas’s white wife in racist rant.
They’re really going after Justice’s wives.
NOW OUT FROM KEITH WHITTINGTON: You Can’t Teach That!: The Battle over University Classrooms.
INSURRECTIONIST RHETORIC:
On @TheView, author @JohnGrisham fantasizes about killing SCOTUS justices 'again,' 2 years after attempt on Kavanaugh https://t.co/rEIR52WFgh
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 29, 2024
WELL, YES, THAT’S THE GOAL: Trump Jury Instructions Invite Conviction Based on a Hodgepodge of Dubious Theories.
Related:
Judge Instructs Jurors They Need Not Believe Trump Is Guilty To Convict Him https://t.co/QVptl3fP0J pic.twitter.com/s0TpTXNTAS
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) May 28, 2024
PROBABLY THE ONE THAT’S TRYING TO IMPRISON ITS POLITICAL OPPONENTS: Ron Hart: Which Party Is The Real ‘Threat To Democracy’?
TED BALAKER: TikTok Might Not Agree with Harrison Butker’s Speech, But Guess Who Does. Basically everyone else outside the Lefty Outrage Bubble:
Reporters eagerly hunt for dissenting female students to quote, but it seems clear that most women in attendance stood with Butker. His “homemaker” line sparked a 16-second applause break and, at the end of his speech, the audience gave him a standing ovation—one that, from the looks of the short clip below, included just about everyone in attendance. . . . Skimming TikTok to gauge public opinion is something I’d expect from Jezebel or Teen Vogue, but The New York Times should aim higher.
Did the most prestigious name in news even consider venturing outside the outrage bubble? After all, a large and representative survey could help us determine how well the howlers’ opinions overlap with public opinion in general.
Enter sociologists Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang.
They turned to the General Social Survey (GSS)—the nation’s preeminent social barometer—and this is what they found:
M]arriage and family are strongly associated with happiness. The GSS shows that a combination of marriage and parenthood is linked to the biggest happiness dividends for women. Among married women with children between the ages of 18 and 55, 40% reported they are “very happy,” compared to 25% of married childless women, and just 22% of unmarried childless women.
In other words, the high value placed on family life stretches beyond a small Catholic college in Kansas. A Pew Research Center global survey shows just how far it stretches: When asked what makes their lives fulfilling, men and women of all ages around the world ranked family first, ahead of wealth, work, friends, and health.
And the fact that women were usually “more likely to mention family as a source of satisfaction in their lives than men” will be unsurprising to those who don’t spend their lives online or on campus.
Takeaway: “Maybe what the Eight Percenters want for women isn’t what many women want for themselves.” Nope. Gender relations in America are run mostly by a group of neurotics who prescribe behaviors for the general population based on their own neurotic preferences, not the needs and wants of the general population.
The media outrage/amplification cycle is what has allowed them to do this. It needs to be broken. And maybe this speech was a harbinger of change.
May 29, 2024
WELL, THAT’S NEWS: The Disappearing Gender Gap. Support for Trump and Biden divides evenly between men and women. Who wins and loses from that?
OPEN THREAD: Hump day.
THE NEW SPACE RACE: Chang’e-6 set for weekend landing attempt as sun rises over Apollo crater.
SCIENCE, UNSETTLED: No, All That Sugar Won’t Make Your Kid Hyperactive. Even if They Have ADHD.
JUSTICE ALITO ON THE FLAG FLAP: Sod off, swampy.
YALE HAS A NEW PRESIDENT. “Yale University named Maurie McInnis, currently president of Stony Brook University and a Yale trustee, as its next president. McInnis, 58 years old, will take the helm of the New Haven, Conn., school in July. She will be the first woman to hold the role on a permanent basis.”
I don’t know much about her, but an Ivy League friend who actually follows these personnel matters is unimpressed: “I work with a lot of talented women. I don’t think she’s likely to join their rank.” Plus:
From her intro email, “I was welcomed into a community that valued curiosity, connection, excellence, and impact.” Like, okay, so does a gang?
“Our talented staff…bring excellence to all they do. Similarly, our students excel in their studies.” 1. I never put staff before students in communications. It’s tacky. 2. Was this written by Chat GPT? She’s a humanities PhD, and it’s terrible.
It’s getting easier for AI to replace humans, because the humans it would replace keep getting worse.
MEDITERRANEAN DIET: Turning Back Time: Study Links Key Nutrients to Slower Brain Aging. Sit in the sun with a glass of red wine. Even if it doesn’t add years to your life, it’ll add life to your years.
“DO YOU MIND IF I COME IN? THERE ARE ALL THESE WOMEN IN THE WOODS LOOKING FOR ME.”
@susankehoe1 This bear likes my company. So he climbs on the deck and sits nearby. I truly believe he likes my company. Please don’t say otherwise🙏 #foryou #bear #love #wildlife #viral #woods #funny #laugh #smile #spirituality #bear #animals #enjoy #hangout #mountains #camp #country ♬ original sound – Susan Kehoe
LOST WORK SECRETS OF THE PAST MILLENNIUM: Young People Have No Idea What We Used to Do After Work. Let Me Regale You. “The very idea that, once work hours were over, no one could get hold of you—via email, text, Slack, whatever—is completely alien to contemporary young people, who never let their cellphones leave their hands. Yes, it’s because they’re addicted, but it’s also because we’re all expected by bosses, co-workers, and friends to be online and available pretty much every time of day.”
One of the big changes since that era, of course, is that back then Slate, and even Salon, offered interesting reading.
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: University Of California Professor Quits After Learning Her TA Would Be Paid More Than She Was. “As the instructor for both classes, Reiterman would be responsible for designing the course content, lecturing, and creating lessons plans for discussion sections, while her TAs would provide support by helping with grading or leading discussion sections, for example. Reiterman, who holds a Ph.D. and has taught as a part-time lecturer at the university since 2020, recommended a former student of hers who had just graduated with a bachelor’s degree and would be pursuing a master’s in education. But when administrators started the hiring process and copied Reiterman on the emails, she was shocked to learn that the teaching assistant would earn $3,236 per month — about $300 over Reiterman’s own monthly pay.”
Related:
College Grad Finds Perfect Spot On Wall To Hang First Unemployment Check https://t.co/o2d4aZnye4 pic.twitter.com/f6Ci54H0wv
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) May 28, 2024
NEWS YOU CAN USE: The Shooting Drill You’re Most Likely To Actually Use In Self Defense.