Links - 10th April 2017 (1)

Agenda for Women’s March has been hijacked by organizers bent on highlighting women’s differences – Women in the World in Association with The New York Times – WITW - "the attempted hijacking of the march’s agenda and all the nasty tit-for-tat between white versus black/queer/Muslim/trans and other identities tells a very disturbing story about the divided state of feminism today. The separatist, inward-looking politics that helped drive Trump to power and Clinton into oblivion is not going away — in fact it is becoming more entrenched, and all for the better, say organizers bent on highlighting women’s differences rather than their commonality as American and international citizens. Just go to the official Facebook page of the march and associated events, read the online discussions, and there amid the enthusiasm and excitement you will witness the unfiltered and unedifying spectacle of women going at each other not because of the content of their character but because of the color of their skin, their gender, ethnicity, or religion... It saddens me to see the inclusive liberal feminism I grew up with reduced to a grab-bag of competing victimhood narratives and rival community-based but essentially individualist identities jostling for most-oppressed status... The emphasis on a particular perspective regarding religion appears to have something to do with one of the march’s lead organizers. Linda Sarsour is a religiously conservative veiled Muslim woman, embracing a fundamentalist worldview requiring women to “modestly” cover themselves, a view which has little to do with female equality and much more of a connection with the ideology of political Islam than feminism. Could we imagine a wig-wearing Orthodox woman emerging from a similar “purity”-focused culture predicated on sexual segregation and covering women, headlining such an event?... Muslim reformer Asra Nomani has been abjectly harassed and vilified for admitting she voted for Trump, mainly due to her concerns over the Obama administration’s response to radical Islamic terrorism and healthcare... no one deserves to be told they are “betraying” their race or religion for exercising their democratic rights."

Rationally Speaking | Official Podcast of New York City Skeptics - Current Episodes - RS 155 - Uri Simonsohn on "Detecting fraud in social science" - "I think this is a euphemism that people use quite a bit, but the data were “not collected as described in the article.”

Majulah Singapura - The First Version - YouTube - "Majulah Singapura is the National Anthem of Singapore composed by the late Pak Zubir Said. This is the original version that was presented in 1958 for the Municipal Council and in 1959 when Singapore became self-governing. In this version there are 8 bars of music that was later taken out for the present version. The two recordings are presented here as a video that is based on a Timeline Music Annotation software which allows writing and manipulating graphics directly to the sound - a revolutionary new way of explaining music. Timeline technology and pedagogy is being developed by Sonic Asia in Singapore"

I Knew Chelsea Manning in Basic Combat Training. Here’s the Story You Haven’t Heard. - "Chelsea Manning was not picked on or harassed because of her gender or identity; she was not bullied because she was small or appeared easily overpowered or dominated. No, Chelsea Manning was ostracized. Because some unknown in her character prevented her from ever truly entering into that covenant of self-sacrifice upon which collective group defense depends, she could not ever satisfactorily contribute to the welfare of the group. In a social schema where the defense of the group becomes the perpetual rationale for why the group should even continue existing, Chelsea Manning either could not or would not sacrifice enough of herself to inspire loyalty among comrades"

Google Has Finally Started Penalizing Mobile Websites With Intrusive Pop-Up Ads - "Google is targeting what they call “problematic transitions,” and gave three specific examples of pages that would be affected. The first is pages that show a pop up that opens right after a user clicks a link or as they scroll through a page, hiding the page’s content. Also affected are pages that show an interstitial ad that must be closed out before the user gets to their desired content and pages that keep content “under the fold” with an interstitial on the top of the page."
Down with SPH!

Good Friends — “Single Ladies” synced up with the DuckTales theme...

The Ghostbusters Honest Trailer Is So Vicious, But Nails Every Problem With The Reboot

20th Century Hairstyles: The Poodle Cut, the Beehive, the Mohawk, the Mullet, and Other Hair Fashion Trends

Disney World Gaston Actor Dead: Devon Staples Dies After Shooting Firework off Head - "Devon Staples attempted to launch a firework off of his head on Saturday in Maine and died instantly. Staples used to work at Disney World in Orlando and would dress up as Gaston and Goofy"

Progressives Attack Jennifer Lawrence for Scratching Her Butt on Some Rocks - "The actress previously raised the ire of the regressive left when she called for non-violence and calm in the wake of the recent surge in street violence over the election of Donald Trump. Lawrence says that while filming The Hunger Games on an island in Hawaii, she scratched her ass on some of the rocks there while in a wetsuit... On cue, The Mary Sue didn’t take kindly to her retelling of the story, stating (without evidence) that her butt-scratching faux pas angered locals, while admonishing her for not being apologetic about it"

Are kids today getting enough physical contact? - "whatever benefits may come from being raised in a low-touch environment, they are costs too. And those costs may be steep. Most people understand that child neglect — including a lack of friendly touch and physical affection — can cause serious developmental delays. What may be less obvious are the effects of milder deprivation…the disadvantages a “playpen” child faces compared to someone who is raised in the traditional primate way. In the short-term, an act of physical affection soothes anxiety, fear, and pain. In the long-term, friendly touch influences brain development, “programming” the body to react less dramatically to stress and pain. It may even reduce inflammation. And of course, there is the unspoken truth we all know very well. Nothing communicates love to a young child better than responsive, caring touch. So when we feel cultural pressure to avoid physical contact — or simply find ourselves too busy to make time for a puppy pile — we should consider the consequences and bigger picture: Where we came from and how our bodies respond to friendly touch. If a child isn’t getting enough physical contact at home, where else can he go?"
Meanwhile some feminists are teaching their kids it's okay to reject hugs from family members if they're uncomfortable, because that supposedly prevents sexual assault

The truth about sexuality in ancient Greece and Rome - "In this world the notion of sex between two grown men was deeply taboo as it was seen to reduce the passive partner to the level of a woman. Indeed if the Greeks and Romans did not outlaw it, it was because the shame of the act was punishment enough – though the weight of shame fell mostly on the penetrated. Of greater taboo still was for an older man to allow himself to be penetrated by a younger man – the modern word ‘pathetic’ derives from the Latin for such a man... Where sex between males was deemed acceptable to occur was between men and youths, and in theory it was only supposed to be inter-crucial (where one partner grips the other’s penis between his thighs) though from the writings the Greeks and Romans have left to us, it was often not... Sex between men in the Roman world was a mostly more sinister affair. Having sex with a free born Roman male could see you up on charges for ruining the youth’s future reputation. But slaves and foreigners were all fair game... Homosexual characters were often mocked as figures of fun in bawdy Roman comedies"
Ancient Greece and Rome certainly weren't gay utopias

K Shanmugam warns of a Muslim community that grows apart from the rest - "The Minister said, among sections of our younger Muslim population, sentiments against wishing Christians ‘Merry Christmas’ or wishing Hindus ‘Happy Deepavali’ have been picked up. “Some Muslim groups preach that it is wrong for Muslims to recite the National Pledge, or sing the National Anthem, or serve National Service, as doing so would contradict the Muslim faith,” Mr Shanmugam said. “Or that the democratically elected Government that we have in Singapore is incompatible with Islam, and that we should be a caliphate.” “These are worrying trends and if these sentiments become widespread, a Muslim community that grows apart from the mainstream is not good for Singapore and will have serious long-term implications,” he stated... Pointing to Malaysia, Mr Shanmugam said that it has become more Islamic and politics led the change. A survey last year showed 60 per cent of Malays identified themselves as Muslims first, rather than as Malaysians or Malays, and more than 70 per cent of Malays support hudud laws that punish theft by chopping off the criminal's hands, and adultery by stoning. Against the backdrop of such changes, some Malaysians have begun to support extremist terrorist ideology. A recent Pew Research Centre study showed 10 percent of Malaysian Malays had a favourable opinion of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)."

Some lessons from privatizing national airlines - "I didn’t realize that national airlines often have spotty track records. But it’s a common problem found all over the world. An article in Handshake, IFC’s quarterly journal on PPPs, points out that overregulation, overstaffing, excessive debt, political interference and poor management are all too common. The authors, James Morley and Brian Samuel, describe the record of state-owned airlines as “abysmal” and flatly state that “governments have no business being in this business.”"

Togs or swimmers? Why Australians use different words to describe the same things - "Australian English developed from the speech of colonists from various parts of the British Isles, so sometimes the word used in a particular Australian region is the result of one option winning out among people from different British backgrounds. Others might be derived from the names of people or brands, or borrowed from local Indigenous languages... Striking examples of this phenomenon can be seen for border towns such as Albury-Wodonga, where a short walk across the bridge means you’ll hear a majority of people using a different word for swimwear"

Australian Jarrod Allen is recreating profile pictures of girls he comes across on Tinder App. - Album on Imgur

You have 1 knife? I have 2: Chinese noodle shop owner chases off would-be robber in Australia - "A teenager's plan to rob a noodle shop owner in Brisbane armed with a knife backfired spectacularly when his victim retaliated with twice the firepower."

Humanitarians of Tinder: Turn Your Voluntourism into Sexual Capital and Reap the Rewards – The Sceptical Voluntourist - " If you’ve got a photo of some volunteering you did, be sure to capitalise on its potential to bag that extra sexy someone by adding it to your Tinder profile and reaping the sexual rewards. For maximum impact, ensure your picture involves black children, the more happy they look to have been blessed with your presence the better. If you can make clear you’re in Africa by appropriating some kind of traditional ethnic garb all the better. Next thing you know, potential conquests will recognise you for the blessing you are to this world and the black children in it and you’ll bag yourself a hottie. Finally that week you spent building a school in Kenya was all worth it... Perhaps the worst story I’ve ever heard was about a girl who paid £700 to take part in Brazilian conservation survey deep in the Amazon jungle, and helped carry the equipment, only to have it dawn on her halfway through that the men she was with were actually oil prospectors... an organisation that charges £920 for a week working in an elephant orphanage is a profitable business, not a volunteer opportunity"

A Politician Went on Tinder and Here's What Happened - "One thing he did learn from the experience — women are more inclined to talk about politics."

Exclusive: Law firm director boasts about giving “damn good” fellatio - "RollOnFriday’s favourite Singaporean law firm TSMP Law has been left red-faced after one of its managing directors took to Facebook to boast about how good she is at giving blowjobs.. Stefanie Yuen, who is married to her co-managing director, Thoi Shen Yi, unwittingly shared her prowess at oral sex with the entire world

White House 'Champion' Blasts Muslims Who Work With Jews - "Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour took to Twitter last month with a quick, venting post: “You know what I can’t stand? Bitter people. That’s all.” Sarsour spoke at the annual American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) conference three days later. Evidently, she can’t stand herself. Sarsour, who describes herself as a “racial justice and civil rights activist,” lashed out at Jews who extended a hand of friendship and solidarity to Muslims. And she lashed out at fellow Muslims who accepted the gesture and joined in a new interfaith dialogue"

Madonna at Women’s March: ‘I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House’ - "In her speech at the pre-march rally, the pop megastar declared that she was angry and that “good did not win this election.”"
Apparently you can be a terrorist and be on the side of good

Americans have seen the last four presidents as illegitimate. Here’s why. - "What is it about the past three presidencies that helped bring us to this moment? That question will no doubt inspire many dissertations in the coming decades, but one obvious similarity is that the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations, unlike those that came before them, had to navigate in a political environment shaped by the close of the Cold War, the rise of instantaneous, doomsday-style political fundraising, the emergence of a highly balkanized and ubiquitous 24/7 media, and the disruption of traditional politics by the Internet and social media... It is much easier to get people to send you $20 if you accuse the president of being a threat to the American way of life instead of an honorable man with whom you happen to disagree on a certain topic... By the time the 2016 presidential campaign was underway, neither Democrats nor Republicans retained enough credibility in sounding the alarm about Trump being outside the mainstream; they had cried wolf too many times. This has left us with President Trump: a leader befitting our own hyperbole"

The Man in the Zebra Suit Knows the Secret of the Stripes - "Caro and his colleagues did a map analysis, overlaying the ranges of various biting flies and insects with the places where zebras, and their non-striped cousins like the Asiatic wild ass, ranged. “It’s a slam dunk, if you like,” he says. “You find striping where you have high biting fly abundance.”"

The French are not rude, it's just one big misunderstanding - "Peaches are warm on the outside, and share personal stories, but make the mistake of thinking that is genuine intimacy and you’ll hit the core ‘inner self’ stone, Lewin argues. Whereas coconuts seem aloof and cold at first, but once you get through to their tough outer shell, they become genuine and open... “The French are much more direct with negative feedback than any Anglo-Saxon country” says Meyer, “this is a big part of why any culture is considered to be arrogant”... the French criticism isn’t reserved for others, they’re just as critical of themselves. In the same Pew study, French people also ranked their own country as the most arrogant in the EU, which ironically, is actually quite humble."

'Incredible number' of tree species in small area - "In Singapore, researchers have found that a 1ha plot within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, possibly the world's most ancient small rainforest reserve, contains more tree species than the whole of North America."

Giving nasi lemak extra oomph with wild boar curry