tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post543456836513491119..comments2024-03-27T18:24:19.683-07:00Comments on Steve Sailer: iSteve: Micronutrient supplementationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-11355014298794955602012-09-09T01:58:05.152-07:002012-09-09T01:58:05.152-07:00I also suspect that the early start in force feedi...<i>I also suspect that the early start in force feeding the Scandinavian population Christianity, is a major explanation for the all the Scandinavian atheist you find today. </i><br /><br />What "early start"? Christianity did not become the established religion in Scandinavian countries for centuries after it was established in Southern Europe.<br /><br /><i>A fascinating scenario might play out if Egypt - another over populated country - declares some sort of Koranic justification for invasion. </i><br /><br />Invasion of whom - South Africa? If Egypt starts any wars, I can think of some more likely targets, including their northern neighbor...Lucillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-80138933849118197692012-09-08T15:21:06.555-07:002012-09-08T15:21:06.555-07:00" But I do wonder if some West African cultur..." But I do wonder if some West African cultures have a caste-like system whereby higher IQ may be selected for smaller sub-groups. "<br /><br />This is true for EVERY population. Third generation middle class African Americans are allergic to the ghetto blacks and they are highly suspicious of the first generation out of the ghetto. Higher class Jews are completely disgusted with the vulgar, embarrassing specimen of Brighton Beach. I know that in East Asia and Eastern Europe, the division between the classes and the contempt that the "betters" feel for the "lessers" is even more pronounced. There is no such a thing as an egalitarian society, and extraordinary talent is always required for a member of a lower class to be allowed into the breeding pool of the class above it.Mayanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-70843042575340531792012-09-08T11:05:25.136-07:002012-09-08T11:05:25.136-07:00Remember this stuff. Half the kids I knew sprinkl...Remember this stuff. Half the kids I knew sprinkled it on their cereal every morning. I can't imagine why it went out of fashion.<br /><br />http://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_detail.asp?id=1143Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-86025595209160760942012-09-08T05:34:47.857-07:002012-09-08T05:34:47.857-07:00If native Africans have lower IQ than African Amer...If native Africans have lower IQ than African Americans, why is it that African immigrants to the US are smarter than African-Americans? I've known and worked with enough African immigrants to make this generalization. Obviously, the US is able to impose tighter immigration controls on Africans than Mexicans, so you do get the cream of the crop. But I do wonder if some West African cultures have a caste-like system whereby higher IQ may be selected for smaller sub-groups. This would be similar to Indians, another group whose emigrants have substantially higher average IQ than their homeland's people.Hapalong Cassidynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-5951183391244550772012-09-07T18:44:16.724-07:002012-09-07T18:44:16.724-07:00You know, one thing Gates could do that would have...You know, one thing Gates could do that would have a major impact here at home would be to preserve middle and working class families. <br /><br />Simply keeping these families intact would provide the resources for hundreds of thousands of would-be engineer and programmer boys, who could do wonders for his company and our nation. <br /><br />So why doesn't he focus on this very easy project? Is it too politically dangerous to take on the lesbians? Is Bill Gates scared of the lesbians [probably yes]?<br /><br />This gives me an idea for activism. I think I'll make a big banner and row my canoe out to the lakefront of his estate, and then unfurl it. <br /><br />It will read something like:<br /><br />"Stop American Family Destruction -- Save our Future Innovators from Mediocrity"<br /><br />Imagine what would have happened if Steve Jobs' mom had done an "Eat Pray Love" routine and kicked his dad Paul out of Jobs' life. No Apple. Without his dad around, Steve never, ever would have pulled it off. Same with Bill Gates. <br /><br />Don't these guys get it?Billhttp://www.welmer.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-58673017823202070032012-09-07T15:06:20.685-07:002012-09-07T15:06:20.685-07:00"...Sooner or later they will look across the..."...Sooner or later they will look across the Indian Ocean with hungry eyes....A fascinating scenario might play out if Egypt - another over populated country - declares some sort of Koranic justification for invasion."<br /><br />India and Egypt; yeah, a couple of military POWERS with the might to start wars halfway around the world!<br /><br />I remember you once being angry that colleges would only let you teach IT courses instead of history: Dude, they were right.Truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286755693955361308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-84901863765552125542012-09-07T12:40:08.979-07:002012-09-07T12:40:08.979-07:00problems with cretinism in inland states caused by...<i>problems with cretinism in inland states caused by a lack of iodine in the diet. </i><br /><br />"In the early 1960s, iodine was added to bread as a dough conditioner. <br />...In the 1980s, thanks to iodophobia, iodine was replaced with bromine in the bread-making process. Bromide is a goitrogen and interferes with iodide utilization by the thyroid gland<br />...Currently 15% of the US adult female population excreted in their urine less than 0.05 mg iodide/L, a level classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as iodine deficiency. <br />...a trend of increasing prevalence of cancers of the mammary and thyroid glands was reported."<br /><a href="http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-05/IOD_05.html" rel="nofollow">link</a> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-36175060782730025812012-09-07T12:00:55.953-07:002012-09-07T12:00:55.953-07:00It seems to me that China is most likely to initia...<i>It seems to me that China is most likely to initiate the reconquest of South Africa. Next would be India and then possibly Russia. It is also certainly possible for some relatively small Islamic country to mount an invasion.</i><br /><br />Frankly, those countries would invade each other before South Africa. Also for some strange reason you assume old fashioned military conquest and colonialism is acceptable in 2012 (barring "regime change" justified by self-defense, which only the U.S. can get away with). Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-36267427112991012942012-09-07T11:30:27.118-07:002012-09-07T11:30:27.118-07:00Then apparently Africans know a lot more about ric...<i>Then apparently Africans know a lot more about rice than they do about basic hygiene and sanitation. In at least some parts of Africa, the people are unwilling to dig pit latrines for their own use and safety even when that's a condition of receiving government grants.</i><br /><br />Actually yes. They know <i>a lot</i> more about food preparation than sanitation. That is true of most undeveloped places, from medieval Europe to modern India. Adding salt when preparing food is a <i>pre-existing</i> behavior, obvious to African cooks and requiring no "coaching" or great expense. Give them iodized salt or something similar and they will use it. A Sailer points out, it's really an easy win.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-82630305983767962482012-09-07T11:03:08.392-07:002012-09-07T11:03:08.392-07:00The modern correlation between height and IQ is on...<i>The modern correlation between height and IQ is only about .10. Almost all of that comes not from general intelligence ('g') which is normally distributed but from the bumps in the distribution from various IQ lowering conditions that also lower height. Down's syndrome is the most obvious example. But most other aneuploidy or point mutations that lower IQ also lower the victim's height.</i><br /><br />Within generations height reflects the quality of your genes. BETWEEN generations height reflects the quality of your (biological) environment. Both affect IQ, but he Flynn Effect is an environmental phenomenon.The Legendary Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-77630232752785534712012-09-07T10:21:55.697-07:002012-09-07T10:21:55.697-07:00Yes, the NYT spins. That's why I don't sub...Yes, the NYT spins. That's why I don't subscribe. That's your job.<br /><br />Albertosaurus<br />Pat Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13477950851915567863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-69514766767795034552012-09-07T10:20:22.877-07:002012-09-07T10:20:22.877-07:00There used to be an old "Show of Shows" ...There used to be an old "Show of Shows" routine where Sid Caesar introduced a beaming Carl Reiner as the man who had a high school diploma. Even then that was funny.<br /><br />The joke was based on a simple truth - only a small sliver of society got through high school and college attendance was very rare. So if in 1900 the high school curricula was aimed at only the top 5% of the population who were likely to attend, then that could be a very challenging curricula. Modern high schools assume that everyone will attend and that there is something wrong with the school if very many don't graduate. Obviously the comparison of modern universal education schools with those that were aimed at an intellectual elite will be tricky.<br /><br />The modern correlation between height and IQ is only about .10. Almost all of that comes not from general intelligence ('g') which is normally distributed but from the bumps in the distribution from various IQ lowering conditions that also lower height. Down's syndrome is the most obvious example. But most other aneuploidy or point mutations that lower IQ also lower the victim's height.<br /><br />There is every reason to believe that a millennium ago in Europe the correlation between height and IQ was much more substantial. Peasants ate poorly. A consequence was that they were short, short lived and stupid. The prejudices of the nobility (tall and smart) were quite justified. The social gulf reflected a biological gulf. <br /><br />Albertosaurus Pat Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13477950851915567863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-62212415229976819952012-09-07T10:16:21.186-07:002012-09-07T10:16:21.186-07:00The children of Barbados (higher average living st...The children of Barbados (higher average living standards than Portugal) who were not even moderately malnourished had an average IQ score (against 1979 British norms) of 83. The reason that the score was slightly lower than the standard result for African Americans is not that African Americans eat better. It is that the children of Barbados have less white admixture on average.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-14160944617206546322012-09-07T09:53:18.731-07:002012-09-07T09:53:18.731-07:00China is taking over Africa these days, for their ...<i>China is taking over Africa these days, for their minerals. Which benefits the Chinese far more than our aid does us.</i><br /><br />It seems to me that China is most likely to initiate the reconquest of South Africa. Next would be India and then possibly Russia. It is also certainly possible for some relatively small Islamic country to mount an invasion.<br /><br />What doesn't seem at all likely is that South Africa can long endure under rule by its native population.<br /><br />The reasons for this prediction are quite simple and well known. South Africa is good land. It has a temperate climate and less tropical disease that countries further north and closer to the Equator. When the white invaders ruled it was prosperous. But the native population have made a hash of it. It leads the world in several crime rate areas. It's buildings and roads have crumbled. It is sliding back into barbarism.<br /><br />Nature, I'm told, abhors a vacuum. China and India are overpopulated. Sooner or later they will look across the Indian Ocean with hungry eyes. The Indians have more experience in Africa but China right now seems more expansionist. <br /><br />A fascinating scenario might play out if Egypt - another over populated country - declares some sort of Koranic justification for invasion. All of this speculation is about the motives of the potential invaders. The government of South Africa hardly come into it. They have no military worthy of the name and they have little money to buy mercenaries. There only defense is worldwide public opinion. Right now we are still in the thrall the legend of Mandela and the fight against Apartheid, but that will change. The reality is just too distant from that myth.<br /><br />So should Africans get micro-nutrients? We should ask their new masters the Chinese.<br /><br />Albertosaurus<br />Pat Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13477950851915567863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-38857716992770217832012-09-07T09:50:20.131-07:002012-09-07T09:50:20.131-07:00The idea that "parents" in sub-Saharan A...<i>The idea that "parents" in sub-Saharan Africa are going to remember to sprinkle the magic pixie dust on their children's UNWFP rice every day is simply ludicrous.</i><br /><br />While I personally do believe that the black/white achievement gap is partially genetic, statements like this are ignorant, insulting, and reflect badly on the HBD community. Even the least advanced humans know a lot and are capable of a lot. Farmers know how to grow their crops. The Bushmen know how to process particular types of insect grubs into poison for their arrows. And so on.<br /><br />All human societies have complicated technologies that are not easy for outsiders -- including Westerners -- to learn. Certain ideas -- like the need for rigorous schedules for medications -- may be kind of alien and difficult for some peoples. But the idea of a magic powder that is good for children is well within the grasp of any society that I have ever heard of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-71953688839521666682012-09-07T09:06:56.277-07:002012-09-07T09:06:56.277-07:00Does anybody know if chimps suffer from iodine def...Does anybody know if chimps suffer from iodine deficiency? If not this seems conclusive proof that for most of evolutionary history we were shore living creatures.neil craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09157898238945726349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-15269641099226805722012-09-07T07:59:51.972-07:002012-09-07T07:59:51.972-07:00"And what percentage of children were actuall..."And what percentage of children were actually reading those textbooks a century ago? What percentage could even read? We've seen a massive rise in literacy over the last 100 years. And just because IQ was lower back then does not mean it was lower in every area."<br /><br />You must come from a background in social sciences, and must be projecting the stupidity of the social scientists a century ago, to other areas you know nothing about. <br /><br />Somebody who have studied math, and have seen that the curriculum haven't really changed for a century in linear algebra and calculus, is a lot less likely to say they must have been stupid a century ago. <br /><br />Even less likely to call people stupid a century ago, is the ones that works with crafts where a lot of knowledge have been lost, as in building boats of wood.<br /><br />Modern log house builders are also in awe for their ancestors, when they compare what they do with modern equipment, to what our ancestors did centuries ago, with the tools they had then. Volksverhetzernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-74883830559783489672012-09-07T07:34:04.320-07:002012-09-07T07:34:04.320-07:00the Legendary Linda:
What's your basis for be...the Legendary Linda:<br /><br />What's your basis for believing that "we've seen a massive rise in literacy in the last 100 years?"<br /><br />From what i've been able to gather, it's been nearly the reverse--with greatest literacy rates having been recorded in the first 50 years or so of the Republic. Places like Philly (at that time the largest English-speaking city but London), Boston, NYC--all had literacy rates in the 90s (though not necessarily in English, as many were immigrants).<br />Even before the U.S. came into existence, the colonies had more newspapers than existed in the entire "rest of the world" and in about as many languages as from which we had immigrants. Only in America could a young man (or even, possibly, a young woman) have had a reasonably good chance to earn a living by becoming a "writer." <br /><br />In his book, DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, published c. 1835, de Toqueville marvelled not only at frontier marksmen "driving nails," but equally at how eagerly they digested recent "papers" brought<br />in by stagecoach and made such news the subject of their dinner conversation.<br /><br />In 1818, the New York Board of Regents discussed whether there was a ned for publicly-funded schools. Their conclusion was that almost no youngster whose parents desired their education would be denied an opportunity at one of the many private (often religious) schools in existence (and that most such schools had endowments to assist the needy); and, further, that such schools made no religious demand on either regular or charitable enrollees. The major reason some remained uneductaed was that they were farm kids more remote from any school and whose parents needed their contribution of labor to the farm.<br /><br />About 5 years ago, there was circulated on the net a copy of the exit exam from the public school (8th grade) of Salinas, KS, which when given to present-day college students, few could pass.<br />Although some of the difficulty was due to unfamiliar and archaic measures (rods, furlongs, bushels, pecks), most was straightforward.<br />You could probably find that piece via Google. Just recently, someone sent me an email containing 20 questions that I'd call a "Civics"<br />test was abe to answer all 20 correctly. According to the email, only about 40% of college students (and 60% of college professors!) were able to even pass the test (don't remember what "passing" score happened to be). Also, about 5 years ago, NYC had all teachers in public schools take an exit exam required (by NY State Board of Regents) for HS graduation. Again, I forget the specific pass/fail numbers but it was about <br />58%--terrible either way.<br /><br />I don't claim to know the "facts" about any of these things--they're just what I've read from time to time. But, back when I was going to HS, I never heard of teachers and school administrators engaging in schemes and conspiracies to raise their students' test scores; today, it's a regular and recurring phenomenon.<br /><br /> <br /> Gene Bermannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-21995071181585532452012-09-07T07:21:56.206-07:002012-09-07T07:21:56.206-07:00Another thing. Most traditional diet were probably...Another thing. Most traditional diet were probably better than a lot of the crap we eat now. Why are soda, chips, cup cakes and frozen dinners (even fortified) better than the whole grains, vegetables, dairy, meat and fish eaten --everywhere.<br />The reason for fortification was because so much was lost in the processing, not because there was so little to begin with.<br />That doesn't mean everybody does well on every diet--if all there is to eat is whole grain oatmeal, and you are grain intolerant, you've got problems. unixnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-71057204387366563842012-09-07T07:18:03.273-07:002012-09-07T07:18:03.273-07:00" what percentage of children were actually r..." what percentage of children were actually reading those textbooks a century ago? What percentage could even read? We've seen a massive rise in literacy over the last 100 years. And just because IQ was lower back then does not mean it was lower in every area."<br /><br />Not all that "massive." Just about everybody went to school. Literacy was 90% by the end of the 19th century. The rural south did have a small percentage. But even there, a census for 1870 Mobile, Alabama, shows virtually all young kids under 14 in school -- even blacks. <br />If you read any of Laura Ingalls Wilder stories of growing up on the American frontier, you will get a good idea of what farm kids were studying. She became a teacher at barely 16, before she even finished all the readers. The texts were standardized (I think Horace Mann was instrumental) by the 1860s, and completing the sequence of "Readers" meant you completed school. Usually kids were 17 or 18 when this occurred. Eventually the system morphed into "High School." <br />So the 8th grade tests that most of us could not pass today, were indeed what was taught in schools. Now how well most kids did on them is another story.<br />I think what is being said here is that a predominantly rural environment does seem to make for lower IQ, while urban environments somehow stimulate the IQ to higher points. This is what people mean when they talk about the immigrants of the 1890s with their 85 IQ. New language, rural background, and unfamiliarity with the new world were in effect. By the next generation the actual level was manifest, and it was in the average range of 100. <br />unixnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-73594014434773917502012-09-07T06:13:57.165-07:002012-09-07T06:13:57.165-07:00Not-So-Off-Topic Muslim cousin-marriage in the sci...Not-So-Off-Topic Muslim cousin-marriage in the science news:<br /><br /><b>Amino-acid deficiency underlies rare form of autism</b> <br />Ewen Callaway<br />06 September 2012<br /><a href="http://www.nature.com/news/amino-acid-deficiency-underlies-rare-form-of-autism-1.11375" rel="nofollow"><b>nature.com</b></a> <br /><br /><i>A rare, hereditary form of autism has been found - and it may be treatable with protein supplements.<br /><br />Genome sequencing of six children with autism has revealed mutations in a gene that stops several essential amino acids being depleted. Mice lacking this gene developed neurological problems related to autism that were reversed by dietary changes, a paper published today in Science shows.<br /><br />"This might represent the first treatable form of autism," says Joseph Gleeson, a child neurologist at the University of California, San Diego...<br /><br /><b>The children came from three families with Middle Eastern ancestry; in each case the parents were first cousins...</b></i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-52010320977022033302012-09-07T06:11:12.197-07:002012-09-07T06:11:12.197-07:00This is something that has real validity, but it s...This is something that has real validity, but it seems like it is too boring for decision makers to jump on. I might be wrong though.<br /><br />Reading these Flynn Effect and IQ posts with their discussion of the culture bias on IQ tests, I had a recurrence of a thought I've had several times.<br /><br />The importance of literacy, particularly in being taught how to read and write at an early age.<br /><br />I'm no expert, but I am convinced this changes the brain at an important time, having an effect that can't be duplicated by becoming literate at a later age.<br /><br />And in a round about way, this is one of the reasons I don't think Libertarians or Randians have a clue about how to run a society.<br /><br />Education is too important to be left to the vagaries of a parent's whims, or the ebbs and flows of an economy.<br /><br />This seems like heresy, but let me ask you something: how useful for anything is a population of illiterates? What exactly can they do in the world as it exists now? As time goes on every last niche they ever filled is being eliminated.<br /><br />And yes, I think a society set up the way Libertarians apparently want to would inevitably produce this. Including amongst a lot of the white population to be blunt about it.<br /><br />If you look at the literacy rates of previous eras before public schooling, I think you can find a lot of support for this.<br /><br />This is only one of the reasons I personally think Libertarianism is stupid.<br /><br />Although I'd gladly swear off foreign wars, and have no problem with marijuana being legal.sunbeamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16540822135478202229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-40527812342379554832012-09-07T05:59:01.680-07:002012-09-07T05:59:01.680-07:00"We've seen a massive rise in literacy ov..."We've seen a massive rise in literacy over the last 100 years."<br /><br />Sweden has had compulsory schooling since 1686, and it was not implemented in Scandinavia primarily to get the population to be able to read, as a large part already knew that, but to get control over the religious education, as you did not want the population to read the bible unguided. <br /><br />Only at a later time, did reading and writing become a separate subject from education in the one true faith. <br /><br />I also suspect that the early start in force feeding the Scandinavian population Christianity, is a major explanation for the all the Scandinavian atheist you find today. <br />Volksverhetzernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-36024404950238313892012-09-07T05:33:38.177-07:002012-09-07T05:33:38.177-07:00If previous Europeans were so stupid from malnutri...If previous Europeans were so stupid from malnutrition, then the ones living in areas where there was good nutrition, should be a lot smarter. <br /><br />For instant all the fishermen farmers along the coasts of the North see, lived on a diet of salt water fish, while extra nutrients came from their vegetable garden and from having a cow for milk. It was also common to have a few goats and perhaps a pig. <br /><br />The food these people ate might not have been the most tasty, but it contained all the main nutrients that is supposed to give a low IQ. <br /><br />So if the theory about Europeans being stupid from malnutrition is correct, you should see differences between coastal areas and inland areas, a difference I have not seen. <br /><br />You do find differences in blondism though, as the agricultural areas needs blonder hair to get enough vitamin D, while this isn't really a problem for those whose diet mainly consists of fish. <br /><br />You don't find the same differences in blue vs brown eyes when comparing the coast to the inland areas, as it was better for both to be able to see better in the dusk. When we know that the nights don't really become dark in the northern part of Europe, to be able to walk or sail around after the sun has set, is a major advantage. Volkverhetzernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-2287882113168931332012-09-07T03:06:20.347-07:002012-09-07T03:06:20.347-07:00"People generally inflate the difficulty of p...<em>"People generally inflate the difficulty of past course work. I saw the Harvard entrance exam from c. 1900. Not too impressive."</em><br /><br />It doesn't have to be <em>harder</em> than today's to prove my point; it only has to be comparable. Linda suggested that the <em>average</em> American 100 years ago had an IQ barely above what today would have him put in a special Ed class. People with Down's syndrome have an average IQ of 50, so she thinks the average American in 1910 -- a person who ran a farm, held down a factory or office job, and/or raised children -- was as close in intelligence to a Down's sufferer as he was to the average person today. That's just ludicrous.<br /><br /><em>"We've seen a massive rise in literacy over the last 100 years."</em><br /><br />Nope. Our guvmint says illiteracy among white Americans was 4.6% in 1900. Pretty good for a bunch of people who probably spent most of their time tying to keep their shoes because Velcro hadn't been invented yet.<br /><br /><em>"And just because IQ was lower back then does not mean it was lower in every area."</em><br /><br />Since you used the word "average," I assumed you knew what it meant.Aaron B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15629153841120627618noreply@blogger.com