Links - 19th December 2014

Java's Hinduism Revivial - Magazine Web Edition > October/November/December 2004 - Publications - Hinduism Today Magazine - "While the majority of the population did become Muslims along with their rulers, for many Javanese this was a change in name only. And even though an ever-more popular and educated acceptance of Islam was gained in the colonial and post-colonial era, through the work of independent and government Islamic organizations, the victory of Islam has remained incomplete. Most recently, a back-to-Hinduism movement which first emerged in Java in the 1960s, has gathered new momentum in the turmoil of Indonesia's economic and political crisis. Some of its members are prophesying that a natural cataclysm or final battle is at hand, in which Islam will be swept from the island and Hindu civilization restored to its past glory. The movement in Java is part of a wider national phenomenon of reconversion to Hinduism. In part, this is a reflection of the rapid Islamization of Indonesian society in recent decades, and especially after the fall of Suharto in 1998, which has made it difficult for many Javanese to carry on their Hindu traditions and retain a nominal Muslim identity. As a result, the Hindu community of Java is now the largest in Indonesia... Many of my informants portrayed their return to Hinduism, the "religion of their mighty Majapahit ancestors, " as a new expression of national pride... Pondering the secret to the economic success of their Balinese neighbors, many locals have concluded that Hindu culture may be more conducive to the development of a lucrative international tourism industry than is Islam"

Addy Satija's answer to What is white liberal racism? Have you experienced it? - Quora - "Me: "Excuse me Sir, Hi. (smile) I think the line starts back there."
"Dude! Give him a break. You have no idea what he has had to go through. It is really hard for Black people in this country."
Me: "Umm, what does that have to do with cutting the dining-hall line?""

Two Brave Men Who Ate Nothing But Meat for an Entire Year - "No clinical evidence of vitamin or calcium deficiency was noted, despite the diet being both acidic and low in calcium. In addition, the mild gingivitis Stefansson had suffered from, cleared up entirely during the meat diet. Interestingly, Andersen reported that his hair stopped falling out shortly after the meat diet was started; Stefansson also noted his hair started growing thicker and his scalp was healthier."

The Name Of His Wife | Lizard's Gaming and Geekery Site

Why I loathe feminism ... and believe it will ultimately destroy the family | Daily Mail Online - "when feminism exploded onto the scene, I was often mistaken for a supporter of the movement. But I have never been a feminist, because, having experienced my mother's violence, I always knew that women can be as vicious and irresponsible as men. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the movement, which proclaimed that all men are potential rapists and batterers, was based on a lie that, if allowed to flourish, would result in the complete destruction of family life... when I later opened my refuge for battered women, 62 of the first 100 to come through the door were as abusive as the men they had left... when feminists started demonising all fathers, these stark images continually reminded me of the truth - that domestic violence is not a gender issue... Feminism, I realised, was a lie. Women and men are both capable of extraordinary cruelty. Indeed, the only thing a child really needs - two biological parents under one roof - was being undermined by the very ideology which claimed to speak up for women's rights. This country is now on the brink of serious moral collapse. We must stop demonising men and start healing the rift that feminism has created between men and women. Harriet Harman's insidious and manipulative philosophy that women are always victims and men always oppressors can only continue this unspeakable cycle of violence. And it's our children who will suffer"
Also see: Refuting 40 years of lies about domestic violence -
Comment: "I am a domestic violence therapy student I will have my B.A. in three years and I would like to say here in Colorado it is against the law to teach that men are also abused as equally as women are"

Vegetarians have much lower sperm counts - "Vegetarians and vegans had significantly lower sperm counts compared with meat eaters, 50 million sperm per ml compared with 70 million per ml. They also had lower average sperm motility – the number of sperm which are active. Only one third of sperm were active for vegetarians and vegans compared with nearly 60 per cent for meat eaters. The team believes that vitamin deficiencies may be to blame but also believe that replacing meat with soy could be responsible... Separate research from Harvard University also found that a diet high in fruit and vegetables may impact fertility because men are consuming high quantities of pesticides"

The Apprentice: A lesson from Sweden - "in Scandinavia it is a very different kettle of dried fish. There they have the Law of Jante, a way of describing the custom - which draws its modern name from a novel of 1933 by Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose - that forbids individuals emphasising their own success over that of the group... The Law of Jante normally comes into play when people are asked: "What do you do?" "When I was in the States, starting a business in computer animation, I would be asked, 'What are you doing?' and answer, 'I have my own business'. "There the reaction would be to view that as great. That's what you do - in some ways, the ultimate expression of self-confidence. In Sweden, the reaction would be much more suspicious. 'Do you think you are better than regular workers?' ""

Sorry, Emma Watson, but HeForShe Is Rotten for Men - "Watson deserves credit for wanting to end the idea that “fighting for women’s rights [is] synonymous with man-hating.” But she cannot do that if she treats such notions only as unfair stereotypes. How about addressing this message to feminists who complain about being “asked to modify our language so we don’t hurt men’s feelings” when talking about misogyny — for instance, not to generalize about all men as oppressors? Or to those who argue that “Kill all men” mugs and “I bathe in male tears” T-shirts are a great way to celebrate women’s empowerment and separate the “cool dudes” who get the joke from the “dumb bros”? Or to those who accuse a feminist woman of “victim-blaming” for defending her son against a sexual assault accusation — even one of which he is eventually cleared? Men must, indeed, “feel welcome to participate in the conversation” about gender issues. But very few will do so if that “conversation” amounts to being told to “shut up and listen” while women talk about the horrible things men do to women, and being labeled a misogynist for daring to point out that bad things happen to men too and that women are not always innocent victims in gender conflicts"

Throwing domestic violence victims to the wolves - "perhaps the most depressing spectacle was witnessing advocates for one group of abuse victims throw another group of abuse victims to the wolves. I refer of course to the journalist Sandra Laville and interviewees from women’s organisations attributing their dire situation to the need to provide services to male victims too... there are a grand total of 58 refuge places around the country that can be used by men. Only 13 of those are specifically reserved for men, the others can be (and usually are) taken up by women. By contrast there are around 4,000 refuge beds for adult women, 7,000 that can be used by women and/or children. The total number available for men is actually slightly lower than it was five years ago. Another way of thinking about this is that even if it were still true that women are 89% of those victimised six times or more (a statistic from 2001, by the way), men would represent one in nine of those victimised repeatedly, two in five of those subjected to incidents of severe violence, and are able to access fewer than one in 100 available refuge beds. To blame the shortage of facilities for women on the availability of services for men is not just misleading, it is downright perverse."

China Broadcaster Says KFC’s Ice Dirtier Than Toilet Water - China Real Time Report - WSJ - "China is not alone in serving ice cubes that make toilet water seem clean by comparison. In June, the British newspaper Daily Mail said it conducted the same experiment with samples of ice from 10 fast-food chains and found six that had higher bacterial levels than toilet water."

Jackie Chan Blu-ray disc boosts solar panel efficiency by a massive 22%

Our focus is money, not turf: Gang member - "The 27-year-old - who claimed to be part of the Omega gang - refused to give his real name to avoid getting into trouble with the law. He also declined to be photographed, out of fear that he might be targeted. The name Omega, Mr Rahmat claimed, is an acronym for "Orang Melayu Enter Gangster Area". Orang Melayu means "Malay people"."
I've also seen: "Only Malay Enter Gangster Area"

Central Java Governor bans ancient sex ritual on Mt. Kemukus - "Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has banned residents from performing an ancient tradition of engaging in sex at the tomb of Prince Samodra on Mount Kumukus in Sragen regency. Mt. Kemukus is recognized by parts of the community as a place of worship to seek riches. Those who seek wealth are encouraged to have sexual intercourse on the mountain with someone other than their legal partner in order to achieve prosperity... Sexual intercourse on the mountain has been practiced by parts of the community for generations. It is believed to relate to a message from Prince Samodra, who was buried on the peak of the mountain together his lover and stepmother, Ontrowulan... Before his death, Prince Samodra left a message stating that for any person willing to engage in intercourse with a person other than his or her legal partner seven times on Pon Friday, the day when Samodra died alongside Ontrowulan, the person’s wishes would be fulfilled."

Douglas Todd: Is gender balance in university programs worth pursuing? - "of the 2,800 students enrolled in UBC’s psychology and counselling programs, only 27 per cent are male. That means Canadian males (or females) suffering from anxiety or depression will run into a barrier if they hope to work with a psychotherapist who is a man... The health sciences at UBC also have a majority of women. Overall, 58 per cent of the 4,053 students studying various aspects of health and medicine at UBC are females. How many will become doctors? Women make up slightly more than half the 1,102 students training to be physicians. Meanwhile, in dentistry, 64 per cent of the students are female. Pharmacy is also predominantly female. And nursing has especially remained stubbornly resistant to men. Of the 910 nursing students at the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses of UBC, only nine per cent are male. However, unlike in engineering, UBC has no formal plan to “broaden the current talent pool” by encouraging men into nursing — despite its high value as a career; one which offers strong salaries, benefits, union protection, frequent overtime and pensions... Given the wide sex disparities in many faculties and departments across UBC, it is perplexing the university is putting so much money, publicity and energy into redressing an imbalance in just one department: Engineering."