Arts as Astra

The astronomical community has finally come to its senses.

A small, petty part of me is glad I don't have to re-teach DS1 about what is or isn't a planet. And maybe now I won't be bugged by acquaintances and distant relatives every time a new Kuiper Belt object is discovered about whether or not it counts as a new planet.

Pepsico's new CEO is a woman. Which is great, because so few Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs. On the other hand, it's kind of sad that this kind of thing is still big news in the 21st century.

I heard an interesting report about Indra Nooyi on the radio yesterday, and one of the comments that stood out was this: "Nooyi is respected by colleagues for being smart, funny, and very female."

It's a dilemma that successful women face: if you're competing against men and you start competing like a man, that turns people off and you end up losing. And often it's uncharted territory: how do you figure out how to succeed as a woman if you have no role models to go by?

This news is a tad old by now, but there's a very interesting article in last week's issue of Nature (requires subscription to read full text) written by Ben Barres, a scientist who used be known as Barbara Barres, about how sexism in the scientific community keeps women from succeeding. He cites a number of studies documenting gender bias in addition to his own anecdotes. A particularly choice one:

Shortly after I changed sex, a faculty member was heard to say, "Ben Barres gave a great seminar today, but then his work is much better than his sister's."

The NY Times had an interview with him. (thanks to fredrickegerman for the tip.)

Ah yes, yet another way I can worry about how I might screw my kids up for life: how I parent them might make them fat.

Notice that the study only really looked at white mothers. So perhaps I can say that it doesn't apply to me, since I'm not white and DH does his share of the parenting, so I don't need to worry if I'm being too strict, too permissive, or too neglectful. Or maybe it's too late, and it's already been added to my mental list of angsts about trying to be a good mother.

Maryland Democrats might actually have backbones. The Washington Post reports that a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage failed to pass the Maryland House of Delegates.

(Sorry about not providing a link to the article, but I don't like it when they link back here.)

Of course, across the Potomac, Virginians will be voting on a constitutional ban on gay marriage this fall. *sigh*

So, apparently, a student at a New England high school is claiming gender discrimination. The interesting thing is, the student is a boy. A white, middle-class male, suing for discrimination.

Certainly it's true that more women are entering college these days than men. But shouldn't we be saying, "You Go Girl!" instead of "ZOMG!! Save the boys!!!"

I cannot believe that education has changed so dramatically in this country over the last 10 or even 20 years that it's suddenly become biased toward girls. The educational system in this country was originally just for white males. Just 40 years ago, Harvard University did not allow women in some of its libraries. At the same time, the majority of elementary school teachers over the last century or more have been women, and while I won't rant about that issue now, it didn't seem to have hurt the legions of boys who were educated by them and went on to become successful men within the patriarchy.

Yes, it's true that boys have more behavioral issues than girls, and that will affect their educational opportunities. But is this really more of an issue today than in the past? Has boyhood really changed that much?

I recall being one of just a handful of girls in my high school science and math classes. I recall that when my calculus teacher handed out M&Ms to highest achievers in her class, that my candy was sometimes stolen when I turned my back, and at least one student complained that the girls always got the awards, even though we were vastly outnumbered by the boys.

Now I'm the mother of two boys myself. But I expect them to exert self-discipline in school. I expect them to do their best with their studies. I will help find opportunities within the educational system for them to get ahead. I will not tolerate them making excuses for themselves by saying they were discriminated against. If I've managed to succeed against the odds, they can too.

This is just so exciting. I had to share.

Since I don't seem to be the only one interested in losing weight and getting in shape, I thought I'd share this article on tips for losing weight.

Basic message: cut calories, get active. Real weight loss involves a lifestyle change, but keeping it up gets easier as you go along. It's mostly common sense really, but it's useful to see things spelled out. Other tips include enlisting support, eating breakfast daily, setting small goals, expecting weight loss plateaus, and rewarding yourself.