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Damore is arguing against the position that 100% of gender differences are due to discrimination. All that is required is to show some evidence of gender preferences, and you have an alternative explanation that has to be taken seriously. Ironically, the it is you and the gender warriors who look at different outcomes and claim that they are evidence of bias. And that is mistaking correlation for causation. Jim Edwards should apply his own logic to his own position.

Logic? If as feminists and parts of society believe that gender differences are due to discrimination, we need to understand the reason why there are almost no male veterinarians in training any more. https://www.avma.org/News/JAVM... Less than 25 percent male now, and still dropping.

Oddly enough, in this strange world where women can do no wrong ever, even this drop is being blamed on men. "Pre-emptive flight" http://blog.smu.edu/research/2... is where sexist men - apparently almost all men - see that there are women at a school, so they don't go to that school.

With as much certainty as I can muster up, most women are simply not interested in STEM.

What should be interesting is after all of the efforts to make STEM attractive enough to achieve the slight female majority which is apparently desperately needed fail, what happens then? Will we finally realize that we will have to aptitude test, then force those women that have potential into STEM careers? It is difficult to imagine pre-emptive firing of men to achieve the goal.

Because for most people, STEM is simply boring. http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/peop... And that includes young men. But less young men than young women find it boring.

And that was the feedback that I got from years of efforts to get young ladies involved in STEM in about as friendly an environment as you can imagine for women. They didn't find it interesting. But they went for law or business for those who were interested in a career, or women's studies for those who had an axe to grind. Law and business have some horrid sexual discrimination and practices that border on sexual assault, yet young ladies eagerly sign up for those majors. Hard to imagine the stereotypically shy introvert guys in STEM are that much of a problem for them.

So yeah - boring. It simply doesn't interest most of the young ladies. Just as it doesn't interest a lot of young men, even if more young men do find it interesting. For myself, the work is exciting, and has made for a good career, so I'm not at all certain how excitement can be generated for a large number of people who are more interested in externalities than the more internalized joys of science and technology.

But that does not fit within some people's agendas. Perhaps if this guy had phrased it as simply boring, he might not have been fired. Then again....

If your depression is indeed low thyroid, that's one of the very easiest things to fix, and that in turn fixes loads of other stuff. And if you can persuade 'em to prescribe natural desiccated thyroid instead of or in addition to synth, that's usually better (not always. But I definitely do better on NDT.)

Yeah, the spay/neuter craze has done dogs no good. (In most of Europe it's considered mutilation, and in some countries is even illegal, but that's changing -- not for the better.) Cancer rates skyrocket (four times higher in some breeds). Other health issues that increase significantly: temperament issues, especially fearfulness and inappropriate aggression. Joint disorders, notably ACL and hip dysplasia. Immune issues including fatal blood disorders.

A good overview:
http://speakingforspot.com/blo...

another, with numerous citations:
http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs...

a few studies I happen to have bookmarked:

http://journals.plos.org/ploso...

http://avmajournals.avma.org/d...

a vet's rant:
http://www.angryvet.com/neuter...

Unwanted puppies? There's an ancient invention that adequately covers that problem. They use it in Europe. It's called a leash.

Be well. I'd miss you. :)

Here are the current guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association regarding euthanasia of animals. For pets, the first choice is an intravenous injection of a barbiturate or similar compound, such as pentobarbital. https://www.avma.org/kb/polici...

Children are even smarter than cats, they can quickly learn a cat can defend itself.

And no, you don't "declaw a cat to keep it from damaging furniture" - even according to veterinary association of the place in question it "should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively" - but those ethical guidelines are apparently simply ignored in 95% of cases; strong majority of the amputations takes place in the first half a year of life of the cat - which means no serious effort at teaching it proper manners with humans took place; it's still a relatively stupid kitten, weak, and which just plays.

(again all this ignoring how declawing-induced behavioral problems result in ~2x higher ratio of owners abandoning their cat)

My family raises cattle on a farm in Iowa. Speaking from our experience, I'll tell you that putting a pound of meat on a steer takes in the neighborhood of ten pounds of feed -- and much more than that, if you're feeding them exclusively grasses (including hay). ...

Either way you're talking about raising the prices of basic foodstuffs. You won't inconvenience the rich: the rich will still be able to afford filet mignon and Kobe beef. After all, they're rich.

If your family raises cattle, then you should know that farmers have been culling cattle herds like crazy for the last ~5 years or so. Beef prices have gone through the floor because the recession seriously dampened demand and caused a glut in the market. At the same time, corn prices have been zooming up because of the ethanol push. This isn't just limited to cattle, as the pork and chicken industries have been cutting production too.

Just so no one things I'm pulling this out of my ass, here's the first relevant google result for "culling cattle herds"
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-27/u-s-cattle-herd-falls-to-1958-low-as-losses-climb-survey-says.html

Here's another article, this time from April 2009, talking about 2008 herd numbers for the various industries:
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/apr09/090415a.asp

Moving to grass fed beef would resolve the market price problem (grass fed commands a premium) and the cost problem (grass is free, more land is cheap, corn feed is not).

The fact is, for a college educated professional (the very definition of middle class) - [150K a year is] an average salary with a decades or so experience.

In certain industries, perhaps. But look at the salary stats for say, teachers, or veterinarians (two established middle-class professions which require college educations). Way less than 150k.

Seriously, if you think 150k is an average middle class salary, you're leading an insular existence. In fact, if you look a the historical stats on income from the US Census Bureau, you'll see that you're coming in at the lower limit of the the top 5 percent. Now, unless you're going to argue that only people in your income bracket are truely solidly middle class, and so redefine the problem away, you have to admit that you are, at the very least, upper middle class.

Cats are being genetically engineered to make them hypo-allergenic. I would love to see a follow-up on the above article, it's been a year and I want my non-sniffly cats soon please!

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