["Heroes" who stand up to Trump/bullying thread]

Heros? They got big bucks from the teachers unions. nothing 'heroic' about it.

Murkowski's also gotten over 40k from the DeVos family. . .

[2017 Democratic Thread]

There was no shooting at Berkeley.

Pretty sure it happened on the anniversary of the Bowling Green Massacre. . .

[Your new Supreme Court nominee is....]

Paul Wellstone, for example.

I felt called to come back to Soxtalk, and what do I see, but a mention of a politician I still pine for.

[The Democrat Thread]

This still goes on here? Hahaha

What he said.

[The Democrat Thread]

If there's a small sample size though I'd have to figure that anything one could reasonably call "Error bars" would be smaller than the ones they present. But if the standard error on the test itself is 15, then it seems like it would require an overwhelmingly large sample to get the error bars that they've reported.

I would assume that as well, but since they aren't specifying what the error bars are--I'm not going to give them the benefit of the doubt. (Or much detail about sampling methods which is probably most crucial for IQ distributions.)

 

This may be my bias (as an experimental psychologist), but in general people distort the f*** out of psychological research. I'm sure that's true in Geology too. But everyone thinks they understand Psychology, so any data we put out just gets distorted and messed up beyond belief. I simply don't trust anything I read based on a "psychology" study in the media.

 

Now, if this was in a top tier journal, I'd go for it. But Psychology Today, no way.

[The Democrat Thread]

To make it a bit clearer what you're saying...when you say "the test itself has a 15 point standard deviation" does that mean that if a single person took the test n number of times, the final distribution of IQ numbers would be normally distributed with a 1σ value of 15?

Single person.

 

So, if they used a small enough sample size, this range of means wouldn't be totally unheard of simply by chance.

[The Democrat Thread]

The standard deviations presented in Figure 1 are on the order of ~1.0 points in IQ or less, while showing 10 points of spread, and the very liberal and very conservative groups are at least 5 error bars apart. Are you bringing outside info here or is there something in the article I'm missing suggesting that the actual error bars in that figure should be 5x larger than presented?

The IQ test is relatively unique because it has been used so extensively that we know the range of scores. Basically, we (psychologists that are not me) know that the test itself has a 15 point standard deviation. So, if we gave the test to everyone in the country 68% would score between 85-115 and 96% between 70-130. (This is actually how the range for mental retardation and "gifted" were determined.) Of course this is only true for individual scores, group means have a much smaller likely range. (I used to know this, but it's crazy rare to have a mean be more than 5 or so points away from 100.) Basically, I find it unlikely that this was due to anything other than chance. Maybe if I read the original peer reviewed article, I would be less skeptical. But this seems to prey on people that don't know a ton about the IQ distribution, statistics, critical thinking, or how not to piss me off.

 

My question was more if those are standard deviation, standard error, or some other type of confidence range.

 

Plus, it's psychology today. Weekly World News : Reality :: Psychology Today : Psychology.

[Republican 2012 Nomination Thread]

Wait, what? The human verbal trip-up has been one of his best assets? If it is true that the GOP will negotiate with him because he is Not Obama, than that would work for anyone he picked as a VP.

 

Not that he would ever pick Huntsman or any other Republican, but still, I don't see how Biden has done anything to help Obama, at least in the public eye. What he might do behind closed doors I don't know.

No way, if he had picked Clinton there would have been no chance they would play ball with her.

[The Democrat Thread]

Since liberals' patriotism was allowed to be a valid question and discussed like it actually meant something, you're going to enjoy the hell out of this article:

 

Why Liberals Are Smarter Than Conservatives

Dude, those differences are like 2/3 of a standard deviation. In those measly 10 points you probably have around 50% of the population. What do those error bars represent?

 

Your article fails the Soxy Peer Review. Rejected outright, please do not resubmit.

 

In related news, I might need a vacation because it is not good that these are my first thoughts upon reading this article. Dear science and statistics, you are ruining my life.

 

On a related note: has anyone on here ever actually taken an IQ test? I never have.

[U.S. launches airstrikes on Libya]

So if the regime falls (I guess it will sooner rather than later)... then what? The last time we asked that question after a round or three of triumphant chest-beating it became clear nobody had a clue what the f*** to do and the s*** hit the fan and kept flying. Not really keen on having that happen again.

That's exactly it.

 

There was actually an interesting piece on Al-Jezeera English about leaders and possible fractures within the rebels a few days ago.

[Republican 2012 Nomination Thread]

I'm not sure i'd agree that life begins at conception, but I also think allowing abortion up through 28 weeks is wrong. As of now I'd say that it's acceptable up through 5-6 weeks probably. I dunno how having a heartbeat and having brain function doesn't make you "alive." "Life" is obviously an incredibly difficult word to define, but let's compare it to its opposite - death. "Death" is when you have no heartbeat and you have no brain function. So if you have both...

 

Under my definition of being alive or of "life" (which is obviously the sticking point here), he's still emphasizing "innocent life" in believing that capital punishment is wrong. IMO abortion is doing the same thing.

I think the problem I have with this is that your biology is a bit off--at 6 weeks you have neural cells that seem to be functioning. I will grant you that. However, in general they are just that undifferentiated neural cells. To say we have a functioning brain at 6 weeks post conception is overly simplistic and borderline wrong.

[Republican 2012 Nomination Thread]

It's clearly not just the strawpoll, his fundraising has been awful. He probably has had people behind the scenes telling him to get out, and now Parry is in there in the "playing to the base but former governor" role.

Fair point. And Pawlentry probably wouldn't even have been able to carry his homestate.

[Republican 2012 Nomination Thread]

Wow, I'm surprised also. usually people don't fall out this early.

 

Especially after such a meaningless poll.

 

It'd be like quitting because an AP Poll showed you were down a few points (although the AP Poll might more reliable and more valid).

[Republican 2012 Nomination Thread]

I'll beat Balta to the bad news Republican post

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/paw...?tid=sm_twitter

 

This surprises me. I thought that he could have been a contender. He seems like a pretty traditional Republican.

[Catch All Anything Thread]

I found this on facebook, and couldn't say it any better.

One of my friends posted that this was the stupidest thing since Pat Robertson said one of the Teletubbies was gay. Totally right.

[Republican 2012 Nomination Thread]

Reports are alleging that Bachmann won the Iowa straw poll.

 

I would make a joke, but I'm too scared.

 

 

[London Riots]

Can you please give me a linky to page 3?

Just google Page 3 girls--it's a cottage industry there.

 

Although be warned: that's where Jordan (oops--I mean Katie Price) came from.

[Hurray for civility...]

Look ya'll, I disagree with Alpha as much as everyone else about why Islam is the worst. But what point is this serving now? Do you think you're going to change his mind? 'Cause it feels like you're just ganging up on him. He's not going to change his mind any more than you are (and by ganging up on him you're making other people more sympathetic to his beliefs because you seem unreasonable).

 

This ceased being a productive discussion, oh, months ago.

[Hurray for civility...]

Never said it did. I was just pointing out that there are a lot of horrid developments in that epidemic that have done nothing except make life unbearably worse for millions of people. Someone ought to use their moral authority to tell people that raping a child won't cure their pain and suffering, but instead, will only spread it to others.

 

The whole thing is f***ing sad.

I can't help but think that all the humanitarian efforts/churches involved have passed that tidbit on.

 

It is tragic.

[Hurray for civility...]

A widespread myth in sub-Saharan Africa that sex with a virgin will cure AIDS hasn't helped much either.

No, it hasn't. That doesn't minimize the fact that a moral authority is saying condoms don't slow (but actually worsen) the spread of AIDS.

[Hurray for civility...]

2. Christianity isn't killing anyone (at least not in the last few decades), and the few people who HAVE done stuff in the name of Christianity (abortion clinic bombers, etc.) are not supported and celebrated by the masses for their actions. Don't have funds set aside to pay the families of abortion clinic bombers after they get caught. And despite Christianities 'suppression' of gays, they hate the 'sin' not the 'sinner'. Islam would just kill them and be done with it.

 

1. Do you disagree with any other parts, or the main premise of the thing, or do you just want to play semantics? They get that treatment because ti makes the pic 'work'. Just like they got thrown into the original, just to make it 'work'.

I would argue that in some ways the "condom" stance by the Roman Church has killed more than a few people particularly in Africa. (I.e. don't use them, they don't protect against AIDS. The current Pope has made statements as recently as 2009 saying that condoms would make the AIDS epidemic in Africa worse.)

 

No the abortion bombers/whatever aren't celebrated and cheered by most Christians (unless you count Yahoo! commenters), but I don't think terrorist actions are cheered by most Muslims either.

 

Oh, and Norway says hi.

[London Riots]

The Daily Fail? Ugh. Sorry, I just refuse to get my news from a paper with a topless chick on page 3. It's like treating the NY Post as reputable (which is actually an insult to the Post).

 

Anyway, the mainstream (i.e. credible) papers have been spouting a very similar line.

 

I also don't think that the situation is terribly similar to ours. This has been going on a lot longer. They've had much higher unemployment than we have for a really long time. The only surprising thing to me is that this took this long; I honestly started expecting this when France was having all those troubles (last year?). (Okay, and I'm surprised that this is being confined to England. I would have thought Glasgow would be up in smoke by now too.)

[Education bubble?]

Just a couple of notes.

 

The legislature is trying to crack down on the for-profits.

The Chronicle: colleges scramble to comply with 90/10 law

The Chronicle: Senators mull changes to 90/10 law

The Chronicle: many for-profit colleges manage defaults to mask problems

 

Personally, I'm concerned about the Pell grants and the constant threat to make them go away.

 

This was a rather interesting and, mostly, related article about education, wealth and poverty. But we still are seeing very, very, very low levels of baccalaurate attainment among the lower classes. I imagine as we continue to see prices increase we're going to see over all lower and lower levels of attainment across the board.

Franklin's Sister

 

Also, according to that original graph, I am VASTLY underpaid.

[The Democrat Thread]

Yup, just like the Tea Party - who uses national funds to roll in the brownshirts. Right.

 

Gotta make sure the "FREE" health care and "FREE" retirements continue.

 

(Which, by the way, there's no easy answer here because these people aren't eligible for retirement like the private sector per se... so it's not as easy as turn it on and turn it off... but to ask to pay into the programs isn't too much to ask, either).

 

Oh f***ing bite me. If you consider the giant f***ing pay cut many state workers take just for working for the state there is no free. I had a job offer at a private institution for over 10k more than my current job. But I, stupidly, thought it would be a better idea to teach kids that couldn't afford 50k a year in tuition.

 

Like I f***ing said earlier (if you'd read instead of just turned into your typical giant f***ing douchebag) I said I agreed that state workers should pay in. But pay in to the tune of a 14% paycut? f*** off.

 

Jesus f***ing Christ. No wonder I stopped posting here.

[The Democrat Thread]

Oddly enough, SOME of Walker's tactics would be more beneficial here than in Wisconsin. I think Walker is acting like an ass, but he's trying to make deep and difficult cuts, which Illinois needs. Quinn is raising taxes but making only small and insufficient cuts, which is more what Wisconsin needs.

 

Here's the thing: I don't have a problem with paying more into my pension and healthcare. 8-12% suddenly dropping from my paycheck? Ouch. It sucks, but at least I'm single and kid free. I feel worse for our custodians and the healthcare workers who are making $9 an hour (or the single parents). So, for those of us that are highly skilled workers (and can contribute to the inevitable brain drain) not a giant deal. Yes, it sucks that there hasn't been a cost of living increase in my institition in over 5 years. I know I have to make sacrificies--but I resent that he is painting public servants so negatively and making us bear a HUGE burden in this budget crisis (some of which he artificially created).

 

Part of the problem is that he wants public sector employees to pay the same rate for benefits as private sector employees--at least in the UW system you make much less than you would at a private college or in industry. So, he's taking away any possible benefit to working for the state.

 

None of this, of course, has a single f***ing thing to do with our right to collectively bargain. Nothing.