There is something very sexy about a woman with brains...

[Obvious Li]

maybe it's because too many of them think like mimi, ghost et al...glad this one doesn't



  are not having the same access as men," said Dr. Lorna Marsden, who chaired the panel that issued a damning report (Strengthening Canada's Research Capacity: The Gender Dimension). "And if that holds for women, it would hold for other minority groups in our society."



What's worse, the men are hogging all the research money. That's because most of that money flows to science, technology and engineering. And most of the researchers in those fields are men. And we know why that is. Women are discouraged from entering those fields because of socialization and stereotypes and the "chilly climate" they face if they do.



Nowhere in the entire 252-page report is there an inkling that anything but men and culture might be to blame for this sorry state of affairs. Nowhere is there any speculation as to why this gender imbalance exists in every developed country – including those with better child care. Nowhere is there a hint that one reason more women aren't entering these fields is that maybe they don't want to.



Don't get me wrong. I approve of doing more to recruit young women into science. I love it when girls take the prize at science fairs. Today, women get 24 per cent of all the PhDs awarded in the physical sciences, computers, engineering and math. Academically, they do just as well as men and often better. That's great. Or is it? Should we aim for nothing less than 50-50? By the way, should we do the same for kindergarten teachers?



We now have plenty of evidence showing that even as equality of opportunity has grown, women continue to express different career preferences than men. Even women who are great at math are more likely to be fascinated by other people than by terabytes, ohms and quarks. But men who are great at math generally prefer to devote their careers to small rotating objects, not kindergarteners.



Yet as far as this report is concerned, it's all about discrimination – both subtle and systemic. Its ideas and its language are as dated as the shoulder pads I used to wear in 1982. The authors – all senior academics, with some gender-studies experts – also claim that the feminization of science and technology would be a very healthy thing. After all, engineering isn't just about making sure that bridges don't fall down. "Variables such as gender, indigeneity, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and sexuality can affect knowledge perspectives," they say. In case you doubt this, they have proof. As an example of the valuable perspective that women can bring, they cite the female engineer who designed a ferry terminal and put diaper-changing tables into both the women's and men's washrooms. So there!



The panic over women in science goes back for years. This particular panic began in 2008, when the results of the first Canada Excellence Research Chairs competition were announced. These were world-class research awards worth millions. To everybody's horror, all 19 of the recipients (who were chosen independently) were men. It was a PR disaster, and the Minister of Industry hastily called an investigation to find out why no women had been selected. The answer turned out to be not all that sensational. The awards had been targeted only to the most senior international researchers in the hard sciences – full professors with at least 25 years' experience. At that time, very few women were in a position to qualify. But the optics were so bad that the government commissioned yet another report – this one.



Canada desperately needs to strengthen its competitiveness in the so-called STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Unfortunately, adopting the recommendations in this report would be a giant step back. In effect, Dr. Marsden and her team want to dilute our research efforts by politicizing the way the money gets handed out. For example, they want more money to go to younger and more junior academics (so that more women will be eligible). They also want to divert more money to areas outside the hard sciences, which are far more female-intensive.



Is gender parity more important than excellence in science? Some people think so. In the U.S., there's widespread talk of extending Title IX to STEM fields. Title IX is the legislation that requires colleges to fund women's sports at the same level as men's. Because women have far less interest in playing sports than men do, Title IX dealt a heavy blow to men's athletics and sent colleges scrambling to assemble women's volleyball teams so that their funds wouldn't be cut off. Saner heads worry that Title IX might do the same thing to academic research.



Personally, I think it's about time we admit that some academic areas matter much more than others, and deserve much more money. And if some of those areas are dominated by men, so what? The stakes are too high to play gender politics. That's not what India and China are doing. Neither should we.

[Obvious Li]

I am an engineer and guess what the overwhelming majority of people in my discipline are men. Most girls I knew in high school wanted to be engineers, but knew they would not be successful because of male oppression.

really ??....i'm shocked you knew so many clairvoyant girls.....and guess what, they were absolutely right.....now they commiserate with ghost during her book readings at the local Starbucks......you can thank them for limiting your competition.....not that they would have stood a chance anyway......



i ask you...when oh when are we going to get over this gender nightmare and just hire the right person for the job....i mean i got over not playing in the NBA because of my color....it took a while but i moved on...... :ugeek:

[Romero]

ghost doesn't blame men for anything and she doesn't have any problems. She's very successful.

[Obvious Li]

ghost doesn't blame men for anything and she doesn't have any problems. She's very successful.

she is a man hating feminist cow.....end of story

[Romero]

"Oh yeah, well she's fat!" is so childish. And false.



She hasn't lied about Korea or anything.

[Anonymous]

Is Ghost a celebrity or a regular on another forum?



Whoever ghost is she cannot deserve the insults being dumped on her by Shen Li and Obvious Li.



My children would have privileges removed if they talked like that about anyone.

[Obvious Li]

Is Ghost a celebrity or a regular on another forum?



Whoever ghost is she cannot deserve the insults being dumped on her by Shen Li and Obvious Li.



My children would have privileges removed if they talked like that about anyone.

lol..fashonista....have you ever heard of the gestapo......lighten up

[Anonymous]

Is Ghost a celebrity or a regular on another forum?



Whoever ghost is she cannot deserve the insults being dumped on her by Shen Li and Obvious Li.



My children would have privileges removed if they talked like that about anyone.

lol..fashonista....have you ever heard of the gestapo......lighten up

Am I that harsh? I want my children to be respectful and courteous towards other people..



It tends to be reciprocated.

[Frost]

I find Ghost to be a very nice, but outspoken person, and very intelligent.

Very nice person in my opinion unless someone is being bad in some way, or pushing something contrary to her belief.

I haven't sen her post in a long time, but rarely go to memebee.

I hope her the best :-)



I also really enjoyed talking with Archibrarian, Blush, Cynical girl, Mandy, and a few others, all intelligent, and very sweet people.

Cynical was a bit Cynical though lol

Believe it or not when M/ Meggs wasn't doing her off the wall stuff she was a very smart person if any know who she was.

[Zetsu]

TBH I can never understand why would you guys bash Ghost, she's nice, cool and sexy, not to mention she has a mind of her own.



@Fashionista



Ahh Ghost is a sucessful author in the other vancouver forum.

[Zetsu]

Hiya Blue Frost  8-)

[Romero]

Yes, she did. On a thread about tattooing in Korea she claimed it was common or something like that. It is a medical procedure and any tattoo artist who is not a doctor is guilty of a serious crime. She was unaware of that little fact before she started shooting off her lying mouth. Anyway, I caught the nasty f*cking blimp redhanded. That is just one example.

She said she saw people wearing tattoos in Asia and one of her South Korean students had one. She's not lying. You can't seriously believe nobody in Asia and South Korea wears tattoos. It's becoming quite popular there.

[Vancouver]

I just won a contest on ghost's forum. She sent me a free book.

[Vancouver]

Shen Li your content really hurts. Why would you say something like that about someone. Sometimes I get upset reading your posts.

[Obvious Li]

Shen Li your content really hurts. Why would you say something like that about someone. Sometimes I get upset reading your posts.

WTF....get a pair...ghost is a whinny, blubbering, obese, man hating liar....Shen Li you are too kind.......