patrick.net

MMR says

Not a fan, but he isn't a basic science researcher on HIV, but rather a neurosurgeon in an academic setting for years at Emory. He's published extensively in his field in the past but nothing groundbreaking.

He's kind of a pussy because he failed to use his position to objectively discuss the science of marijuana and towed some politically correct bullshit line only to backtrack years later because it was politically convenient to do so.

My point was that Neil DeGrasse-Tyson has a great personality, which is what a science communicator basically needs to make shit interesting, rather than to support (or rip on) Dr. Gupta.

Tyson is like Mr. Wizard or Jack Horkheimer.
www.youtube.com/embed/MhoNffiu3Q0

The latter basically does DeGrasse-Tysons job in a Miami Planetarium, and is all over PBS affiliates doing the "Here's what's in the night sky this week" stuff. That Tyson is some kind of minority hire taking the job of some incredibly qualified (white) person who is laboring away in obscurity having brillant insights but no recognition is absurd.

Some guys have the personality, some don't. And getting on the "Science Communicator" Track needs a great deal of luck. Lots of Physicists are colorful characters, Surfer Dudes, Goofy Dudes, Hot Italian Chicks, but not all of them get Michio Kaku's slot. Basically this guy and Tyson are to Astronomy/Astrophysics what Scott Willard was to Meteorology.

"Think of all the white male Physicists laboring away in obscurity as this person takes away their job!!"
www.youtube.com/embed/wWdedrPkeVc

I fucking hate youtube. its millions of soft porn videos and gore porn. its like junk food for your mind. like most of the net actually.

TL;DR: I like Tyson, I listen to his podcast:
http://www.startalkradio.net/

It's one of, if not the, top rated science podcast. If he was a diversity hire who sucked, he wouldn't get the traffic he does.

Some folks may not like him, but I don't think his popularity is due entirely to him being black.

here's how Tyson got his job

We need a strong leader like Adolf Hitler to cut through the bullshit.

Mexicans get Mexico. The Chinese get China. Why can't white people have America to themselves, same as it has always been.

I'm not racist, but has anyone else noticed how blacks are really stupid?

And women are fat and give bad head. They should be smacked around whenever they talk or eat a cookie.

Hydrocarbon youre trying to be ironic but virtually everything you say is true

you dont hate blacks because youre wealthy enough that you dont have to be around them. Instead you rely on these comical "fair" depictions of their culture and lifestyle. Why not spend an afternoon in Oakland if you love blacks so much?

you agree with feminism because it shuts your wife up and they just take the money from broader tax base, generated mostly by working class whites whom you look down on as inferior "hicks" and "flyover country".

re. youtube. I actually hate social media mostly. Why the fuck would I want to read opinions from random slobs who think they are informed because they read something that agrees with their idiotic psychological patterns? social media is the opposite of intelligence.

when did we decide that because something is popular, it's true? usually things that are true are unpopular, thus everything useful on the net would never "trend" on twitter or reddit. social media is brain damage.

HydroCabron says

I'm not racist, but has anyone else noticed how blacks are really stupid?

hang out in a mcdonalds in an inner city area for a few hours and tell me blacks are on the same level as whites.

most of the time, they can barely make out the menu. forget about doing simple math and determining bargains, they are completely incapable of that level of reason.

While the facts show there are racial differences in, say, average intelligence, averaging all blacks together obscures large difference among the various tribes of Africa.

And those tribes can be very different from each other. My favorite example tribe is the Igbo people of Nigeria, who routinely outperform Chinese and Indians academically, even in Europe and the US.

http://www.gistmania.com/talk/topic,96122.0.html

You sometimes read that "Nigerians" in America are highly educated, but that almost always refers to Igbo people, who are only about 18% of Nigerians.

http://globalreportersnews.com/2016/04/igbo-young-geniuses-ekeh-and-nna-triumph-in-new-york/

Another interesting tidbit:

When we look at the eight Ivy League colleges alone, according to the study, 40.9 percent of all black students had at least one parent born in a foreign land.

I bet the preponderance of those are also Igbo.
http://www.jbhe.com/news_views/56_race_sensitive_not_helping.html

certainly there are smart ones, and Im absolutely sure beautiful ones, but that is not the situation in america.

if blacks are indeed as smart as whites, why are they always complaining and always poor, incarcerated, etc. you will find total hypocrisy in practically everything they do.

we should simply let them do what they do naturally, by giving them money and "reparations" we empower their anti-social behavior and then it grows. The good ones will rise to the top and yes, likely end up breeding into white america.

I blame the Jews.

Just saying there are large differences among black people. They are far less "one group" than white people are.

thunderlips11 says

I blame the Jews.

jews run this world and certainly this country.

they are blamed for racism, for race mixing, for homosexuality and for the origin of sexual restraint.

rando says

They are far less "one group" than white people are.

I agree. Our policy towards blacks actually emphasizes the worst elements of black people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans#Genetics

Correspondingly, Montinaro et al. (2014) observed that around 50% of the overall ancestry of African Americans traces back to the Niger-Congo-speaking Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria and southern Benin, reflecting the centrality of this West Africa region in the Atlantic Slave Trade. The next most frequent ancestral component found among African Americans was derived from Great Britain, in keeping with historical records. It constitutes a little over 10% of their overall ancestry, and is most similar to the Northwest European ancestral component also carried by Barbadians.[150] Zakharaia et al. (2009) found a similar proportion of Yoruba associated ancestry in their African-American samples, with a minority also drawn from Mandenka and Bantu populations. Additionally, the researchers observed an average European ancestry of 21.9%, again with significant variation between individuals.

So it looks like the largest genetic component of American blacks is Yoruba, not Igbo.

and dont forget they have selectively bred for low intelligence, physical aggressiveness and short generations via slavery and later ghettoization.

so whatever genes they started with, all the intelligent traits the longer gestation periods, etc. all got bred out.

here's how Tyson got his job

here in the real world not butthurt white male racist land:

http://www.openculture.com/2014/04/carl-sagan-writes-a-letter-to-17-year-old-neil-degrasse-tyson-1975.html

Tyson hustled and made his future happen.

selectively bred for low intelligence, physical aggressiveness and short generations via slavery and later ghettoization

in White Racist Land black people were enslaved under strict Mendelevian conditions for millenia I guess.

again, here in the real world their ancestors here did have a rough physical time for several centuries (the free boat ride alone was usually pretty lethal), which certainly pruned the physically weak over the decades.

But it took smarts and sexual prowess to survive (in the Darwinian sense) too, and that's of course what we Whites fear most from the black man today

Their big, big black darwinian dicks, so much bigger and thicker than our puny pink & purple ones, flaccid from too many years of having it easy as the master race.

Bellingham Bill says

Tyson hustled and made his future happen.

Agreed. But I don't think he hustled less or more than others. I think there are many differences as Patrick mentioned and while there may be a small IQ gap (this topic is effectively censored) it may not be significant enough to make a difference, similar to the slight edge Asians have over whites or Ashkenazi Jews over the rest. The issue is not one of race, but one of culture. And the problem is that leftists whites have been telling those perpetrating a violent and thug culture that this is the white man's fault and that they are simply eternal victims. In a way they have contributed more to the decline of black neighborhoods than those actually challenging them to leave this narrative. Because in the real wold there are only so many academic positions where you can get in if you play your race card right, while the rest will still be suffering from poverty.

The Original Bankster says

you dont hate blacks because youre wealthy enough that you dont have to be around them. Instead you rely on these comical "fair" depictions of their culture and lifestyle. Why not spend an afternoon in Oakland if you love blacks so much?

Also agreed. Most people have no exposure to the toxic culture but live in mostly white and/or wealthy enclaves from which they can safely label everyone as a racist. Those who do live in or close to an area like many Oakland hoods would never talk so far removed from reality. When you wake up every night and wonder if somebody is knocking at your door but realize it's "just" the nightly gunshots on MacArthur echoing and resounding into your hood, then you realize something is and has been fundamentally wrong here, and it's not white racism.

HydroCabron says

And women give bad head.

Has that been your experience? Compared to whom? Men? Goats?

mell says

The issue is not one of race, but one of culture.

I totally agree with this, but go further and say it's also a problem of socio-economics and the in-built economic advantages wealthier communities enjoy over the less wealthy.

Step back 10,20,30,40,50 years and you see how the economic deck was stacked against minorities, and we inherit these unfair board positions today.

And the problem is that leftists whites have been telling those perpetrating a violent and thug culture that this is the white man's fault

generally a strawman of the "leftist white" argument.

An egalitarian society is one where success comes from one's merit in creating wealth people want to buy.

Instead, here in the real world we get corrupt operators like the Trumps impoverishing people left and right.

Bellingham Bill says

it's also a problem of socio-economics and the in-built economic advantages wealthier communities enjoy over the less wealthy.

True, but poverty has become colorless, more and more disenfranchised and poor whites without any lobby whatsoever, the new Trump voter base.

Bellingham Bill says

Instead, here in the real world we get corrupt operators like the Trumps impoverishing people left and right.

We will likely never see whether a Trump presidency would impoverish more people or actually help the disenfranchised, but if you look at TPP/NAFTA and such it is more likely that Hillary and generally globalist, anti-nationalist politicians will do more damage. Trump is opposed to poor trade and immigration deals at least if you disregard all the other stuff he blurts out. Btw. this is a general trend also in European countries, the populace becomes more globalist-opposed and the rise of traditional/nationalist parties follows - none of those are truly racist as per its original definition. You have the German president (who used to march with the people in the ex-DDR back then) now openly say that the elites are not the problem, but the people are, and politicians wonder that the populace turns to nationalist movements?? Same here for Hillary/Obama, way to removed from reality. Or look at Poland with its - one may argue - very conservative nationalist - government, and a strong anti-immigrant stance, which has become an economic powerhouse over he past years and its people have been enjoying a rising standard of living. Why would they vote otherwise?

mell says

We will likely never see whether a Trump presidency would impoverish more people

wasn't talking about his presidency -- but good luck with passing the Ryan Plan -- but the Drumpf family business in real estate.

Scamming people from the day they arrived in this country.

We should send HIM back.

The Original Bankster says

here's how Tyson got his job

Bankster illustrates one of the fundamental problems with Affirmative Action. People will assume that all minorities got their jobs because of quotas even when it is not the case. Tyson is a great scientist and popularizer of science. He's the spiritual successor of Carl Sagan in that he has taken on Sagan's quest of bringing science to the masses, and Tyson is largely successful in this. So clearly the cartoon does not apply to Tyson, yet the stigma continues because Affirmative Action sows doubt.

mell says

but if you look at TPP/NAFTA and such it is more likely that Hillary and generally globalist, anti-nationalist politicians will do more damage.

I've personally benefitted immensely from NAFTA, and being a Japanese-speaker would benefit from TPP immensely too.

It's really not economical to pretend unskilled labor here is worth $20+ an hour.

That's what Trump was saying in one of his gaffes -- i.e. when the truth slips out:

“I can’t be…and the reason I can’t be is because we are a country that is being beaten on every front,” Trump said on Tuesday night. “Taxes too high, wages too high, we’re not going to be able to compete against the world.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/donald-trump-wages-215812#ixzz4HKrT43y0
Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook

Let's not pretend that the conservative side isn't 90+% bullshit on these issues, k?

he's never discovered anything

second time im saying this

The Original Bankster says

he's never discovered anything

second time im saying this

Unlike Sagan, whose massive list of research achievements is just too huge to mention here.

AFAICT what was really screwing us was the trade deficit, which until recently was half goods imports and half oil-related:

(real per-capita annual trade deficit)

better now, but still as bad as it got in the 80s.

Similar to that wealth-tap out of the consumer economy, we've seen rising corporate profits since 2000:

(real per-capita corporate profits)

you want to fix the working-class, paycheck economy, get corporate profits back to where they were in the 50s.

Somehow this is missing from the Trump / GOP economic message.

HydroCabron says

Unlike Sagan, whose massive list of research achievements is just too huge to mention here.

funny thing about astronomy is whatever they discover is utterly useless in any big-picture economic analysis, but can be quite enlightening on the personal, philosophical level.

what's the economic value of knowing our galaxy is 100,000 light-years across??

not worth a fart in a jar.

The Original Bankster says

he's never discovered anything

second time im saying this

That's not his job. He's not a research scientist. He's the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History, an author of many science books, the host of PBS's NOVA ScienceNow, host of the new Cosmos series, and a featured speaker on many science shows and lectures, and served on a commission on the future of the aerospace industry, and was a presidential advisory. That's a shitload of jobs, and you expect him to do research as well? I'd like to see you do have as much work as this.

Not all scientists are in research. Tyson is essentially the dean of Earth's science department, and that's a pretty big job. To say that Tyson is slacking off is just plain ridiculous.

Bellingham Bill says

funny thing about astronomy is whatever they discover is utterly useless in any big-picture economic analysis

If the human race goes extinct, the economy will suffer, so I don't think you're right on this. Astronomy, specifically the study of Mars and Venus, has taught us about both the runaway greenhouse effect and the destruction of ozone by chlorofluorocarbons, and either of those things could cause a massive die-off of humans or even an extinction. That alone has a big economic impact.

Then there's the possibility of us being wiped out by an asteroid or comet impact. This would also cause a stock market crash.

Oh, and there's more gold in the asteroids than in all of Earth. Not to mention platinum, silver, and lots of other precious metals.

Also imagine increasing energy production by one million fold or more by redirecting solar energy as microwaves and sending it to collectors around Earth's poles. That might impact the fossil fuel industry as well as any business that uses electricity.

Bellingham Bill says

funny thing about astronomy is whatever they discover is utterly useless in any big-picture economic analysis

Depends on the bigness of the picture.

Early observations of the orbits of Jupiter's moons led to a conundrum: they appeared from behind Jupiter sooner or later, depending how far away Jupiter was:

The first real measurement of the speed of light came about half a century later, in 1676, by a Danish astronomer, Ole Römer, working at the Paris Observatory. He had made a systematic study of Io, one of the moons of Jupiter, which was eclipsed by Jupiter at regular intervals, as Io went around Jupiter in a circular orbit at a steady rate. Actually, Römer found, for several months the eclipses lagged more and more behind the expected time, but then they began to pick up again. In September 1676,he correctly predicted that an eclipse on November 9 would be 10 minutes behind schedule. This was indeed the case, to the surprise of his skeptical colleagues at the Royal Observatory in Paris. Two weeks later, he told them what was happening: as the Earth and Jupiter moved in their orbits, the distance between them varied. The light from Io (actually reflected sunlight, of course) took time to reach the earth, and took the longest time when the earth was furthest away. When the Earth was furthest from Jupiter, there was an extra distance for light to travel equal to the diameter of the Earth’s orbit compared with the point of closest approach. The observed eclipses were furthest behind the predicted times when the earth was furthest from Jupiter.

Source

Further measurements of the speed of light led inexorably to special and then general realtivity, with a huge confirmation coming during the 1919 solar eclipse (light bent by the sun).

Our understanding of orbital mechanics led to our satellite industry; adding in general and special relativity allowed the timekeeping on the GPS satellites - massive economic benefit from that.

You are more likely to die in an asteroid impact than by terrorism. If we are able to prevent such impacts in the future - governments are just starting to take this seriously - the economic benefits are effectively infinite.

And if we become an interstellar civilization, then the economic upside positively dwarfs whatever we'd see from asteroid mining.

The Original Bankster says

he's never discovered anything

second time im saying this

Give credit where credit is due.
1. He furthered the interest in science and astronomy, which is lacking among American students. (especially among Black students)
2. He contributed towards the progress of astronomy, which leads to important discoveries. Most achievements are team efforts.

HydroCabron says

And women are fat and give bad head.

Not true. Fat women give the best head.

Neil is a dickhead. Even to little girls:

http://rebrn.com/re/neil-degrasse-tyson-corrects-a-girl-for-opening-a-question-with-112342/

Strategist says

Most achievements are team efforts.

this is nonsense women made up to get credit for work men do.

every great scientific discovery was made by an individual who is driven.

Bellingham Bill says

Somehow this is missing from the Trump / GOP economic message.

Agreed with your message regarding corporate profits but it's disingenuous to think that someone who kowtows to Wall Street is going to do better on that front.

Bellingham Bill says

It's really not economical to pretend unskilled labor here is worth $20+ an hour.

True, but secret trade deals don't make this crap better, esp. if accompanied by lots of unskilled immigration. Trade should be truly free without any secret deals, but open Tarrifs are still better than secret deals nobody gets a look into.

Bellingham Bill says

but the Drumpf family business in real estate.

Scamming people from the day they arrived in this country.

This is simply untrue. Yes, he used the system to his advantage, but he has been employing many people for many years. If you think that the "scammed" the populace and should be sent back then you have to be consequent and send Hillary straight to prison, along with Pelosi the insider trader. Making use of bankruptcy laws while employing people doesn't even compare to passing and abusing a law that by itself should be regarded unconstitutional, robbing people in the market blind by way of insider info while taking money from the taxpayer for lavish salaries at the same time all the time while employing not a single person. These people are so criminal (yes and some are Republican) that Trump is a fucking saint in comparison.

Bellingham Bill says

Let's not pretend that the conservative side isn't 90+% bullshit on these issues, k?

Sure, I have issues with both parties, especially regarding handouts and subsidies.