Equality in Science - The ways the wind blew when MLK had a dream

Equality between races and sexes is a long and storied debate. It isn't a single revolution by a single man, a campaign of suffrage in a single nation or parallel between fields. It is a progression of the tide, washing away the loose sands and weathering away the weakest of stones, leaving a bed rock representing the truths of ourselves. No single wave can move a beach, nor can any beach withstand centuries of exposure to the tide. Each wave, each tide will carry a grain with it out to sea, where it can settle and be forgotten from our memories. Martin Luther King Jr. was a tide marker, making millions aware now was when sands would be carried out to sea. We thank him for his courage in marking the times for us, but we should never forget, there were those before him that fought for equality and won, and people who came after him and still fight today. I want to present to you three people who helped expose the bedrock in science and set for people to follow, broke the social norms and laid a path for others like them to proceed into the hollowed courts of our greatest pursuit.

While many examples of black women and men breaking barriers down in modern society will be cheered for in the media, and I do pay tribute to Arnaldo Tamoya Méndez and Carol Moseley Braun, they have their equality thanks to many before them who fought for peer ship. Not all fit the image we have of pioneers on this day, but Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt of a time when race, gender and age wasn't taken into account, not just equality between black and white men. I will start by presenting to you a female scientists for the 18th Century, a period when theories on womens' place in society and relation to men ranged from total equality to complete inequality and included the Equal but Different line the world most famously knows from South Africa. It is a time when academic pursuits were seen as incompatible with the domestic duties expected of women.

Maria Margarethe Kirch was the first significant astronomer of her time, on top of being the only significant female astronomer at the time. What is impressive about her contribution to science doesn't only include her discovery of a comet, but the fact women were not allowed to attend universities at the time; Maria Kirch was taught by her father and her uncle. She later met her future husband, Gottfried Kirch through her employer, who gave her further instruction in astronomy. While she never attended the university, she would join Gottfried in his field work and many saw Maria Kirch as his assistant rather than equal. It wasn't until later in her career she was accepted as a peer, but several factors still limited her; she never was published in Germany's journal of science nor was she accepted into the German Royal Academy of Science. She was slighted by the Academy, when they replaced her recently departed husband with an inexperienced man; they Academy did not want to set a precedent by accepting her as a peer, but were happy to further insult her by suggesting she becomes her late husband's replacement's assistant. The British Royal Academy, in a wise decision, accepted her as a peer later in life. While she may not have rocked the boat, she quietly carried a handful of sand away and helped women in science by example. Her contributions to equality shouldn't be forgotten below the more brazen people who fought for equality before the public eye.

My next example is not a bold or difficult fight. I wish to illustrate the humble side of equality in science. During Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous work, this man quietly contributed to academic pursuits as a physicist, graduating with a Ph.D. in the 30's. His gradual rise shows areas of our society were well on their way to the equality Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt about. Herman Brandson started his career in 1941 as an assistant professor of physics and chemistry at Howard University. He worked at Howard University for 27 years, becoming the head of the physics department, program director and working for the Office of Naval Research and Atomic Energy Commission Projects in Physics at Howard University. This is all during the riots, protests and civil liberty demonstrations that mark Martin Luther King Jr.'s contribution to equality. Herman Brandson shows us, it isn't great minds who make the greatest of progress, but it is the progress made by each and every individuals', accumulating with the contributions of others, that drives the tide. Every choice you make every day can help or hinder the tide.

Contemporary physicists come from a rich background. To pick one is futile in proving anything about equality in science today for the individual. Instead, this example in an entire field. Physics today is blind to race, where ideas are presented and tested, with no prejudice over who came up with the idea first. While many laboratories can be profiled, the ideas these laboratories work with today come from every part of the world, where small parts contribute to grander theories. No one part can be removed without collapsing a theory as a whole and no one nation leads the pack. The call of science has helped transplant many families who carry with them the ideas and concepts we cherish so. It has helped drive multi-cultural societies for centuries and brought us out of the dark ages when all we saw were the grains of sand the privileged relaxed on. Each physicist today brings a small hand full of sand out to sea to be forgotten. On this day, when we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., please take a moment to celebrate those who have worked towards his dream, one grain at a time.

-Servus

Coalition agreement on Wind Energy; The Poor Pay

With a coalition consisting of all but one party, Liberal Alliance, Denmark's parliament had reached an agreement through 2050 to develop wind energy production, so 50% of electricity is produced by wind farms in Denmark by 2050 and financed through 2020 with excise taxes on central heating. This sets the stage for a transformation of Denmark's industries, providing a huge boost for companies like Vestas, who produce windmills and fulfill a large portion of the worlds demand in wind energy, but face competition from companies in China and India. Denmark will become a world leader, not in production of the windmills, but in taking the leap from coal and oil to renewable and independence from foreign energy. That last 50% will not seem like a major hurdle afterward. This article is however critical of the agreement and will cover two points; how this agreement will be financed and the mystic influence the Red-Green Party, Enheds Listen (Literal translation: The Unity Party).

While this seems like an ambitious plan for Denmark and should benefit everyone, the burden of finance is carried by the lower class, because the transport sector, cars and trucks, and furnaces, typically of the wood burning variety found in upper middle class and on the way up homes, are exempt. Central heating is more common in apartments, small town homes in the incorporated part of a city and the public sector. Collective energy production is more often used, and financed, by the lower class in Denmark. In effect, exempting private energy from any taxes, including cars, taxes specifically the people who already are economically stressed.

There are two dangers in financing such a reformation with revenue solely from the lower class. If unemployment goes up again, capital to finance this energy reformation will dry up and work will come to a halt. While everyone needs to heat their homes, people will turn down the radiator to save a little money here and there. The effects on local economies can also be traced directly back to funding short falls.

Wind farms are a collection of windmills in an area considered prime for wind energy production and put to the side specifically for that purpose. Wind farms can be found out at sea or on land and sometimes on agricultural farms. Projects to construct windmill installations can create hundreds of jobs in the local economy for years. This breath of life in the local economy can lift the standard of living for the area and continued growth after the project is completed can be expected. However, if funding for a project is cut before it is complete and people are suddenly and unexpectedly out of a job, investments made in the local economy can be lost. This lost investment, which could have gone to other projects that return the investment, adds insult to injury. Along with the lost jobs, further funding for the transformation evaporates and other projects will come to a halt. It is called an economic bubble.

The second point of this post is a question. What did the Red-Green party do exactly? They have participated in the negotiations, but kept their contribution behind closed doors. Why?

The Boob Job; Better than the real thing?

This is one of those Off Beat stories. Danish researchers have concluded fakes are better. (Danish)
No, seriously. They have become the object of reality TV shows, donation drives for breast implants and the focus of debate for years.
That doesn't mean the implants are accepted as normal across the wide social spectrum, but it is very popular for a small circle in society and the media likes to shine a light on this circle for the ratings they get.
Funny none the less.

-Servus

Denmarks 'Retsforbehold'

Denmark is indeed a member of the EU, but has stipulated and won preconditions regarding monetary policy, military actions and policy, justice and home affairs and EU citizenship. Recently, Denmark's Radikal Venstre, or Radical Left, which is a centrist party, has expressed the desire to drop the precondition on justice and home affairs in reaction to debates currently ongoing in committees Denmark, despite holding the chair for the EU, cannot participate in. These debates center on human trafficking and Denmark's access to information. Currently, the situation was described by Sofie Nielsen, 'R', as similar to Norway's; Denmark stays quiet and copies the EU in these areas.

When Denmark recently passed new legislation raising the penalties for human trafficking from eight to ten years, an amendment was desired, granting visas to prostitutes victimized by traffickers if they turned over the people behind the scenes. This amendment never became law because the EU had not included this in its own version, which Denmark was copying. Radikal Venstre is seeking influence in the EU in areas of justice for Denmark, but to become influential, Denmark must drop its precondition on matters of justice and home affairs and seeks a referendum on this issue before 2013.

Such a referendum will signal a trend in Denmark towards Euro-centric attitudes and the tides of time will remove the remaining preconditions on matters of military, money and EU citizenship. However, this also will lead to a conflict in treaties. Denmark, a member of NATO, also as a special precondition allowing the nation to spend only 1% of its GDP on defense instead of 2% stipulated in the charter, in exchange for voluntary engagement in all NATO conflicts. This is why Denmark has been so active in the Middle East compared to most other NATO countries and the United States has been nothing be grateful for this. EU directives could interfere with this arrangement though.

Currently, the referendum would see over 40% support while under 30% oppose surrendering Denmark's preconditions. The last time a referendum on the Euro was held, the vote was split down the middle with a slight advantage to striking down the proposal. Over all, the next five years will likely see the Euro replace the Krone in Denmark and home affairs dealt with outside of Denmark, depending on the outcome of the referendum.

Radikale vil af med Forbehold 

Mississippi - Immigration Law and Southern Poverty Center's Reaction

Mississippi has recently passed a bill aimed at expelling illegal immigrants from the state. The bill specifically voids contracts illegal immigrants signed illegally, bars state held organizations from any business transactions such as issuing drivers licenses and requires the police to check the immigration status of all detainees. It has so far been compared to similar laws in Arizona and Alabama.

The uproar about laws in Arizona and Alabama was about how Arizona was opening the door for police to racially profile people for immigration status and how Alabama was ripping apart families. Southern Poverty Law Center has already promised to sue the state, which may gain some concessions from the state in settlement. I am not holding my breath though.

I view these laws as reactionary to the recession of the economy. As growth stops and an economy shrinks, room for people to put down roots and start a life becomes limited. The space available becomes scarce and fierce competition for what is there starts. If there was growth and prosperity, I doubt these laws would ever be on the table unless there was a serious and threatening issue with criminal activity. However, in a move to protect their own jobs and income, the electorate has decided to start expelling those it can from even competing in a free market.

The Public Relations aspect of Southern Poverty's promise will put it on the wrong side of many in Mississippi who are struggling. They are looking for relief from a poor economy to save their homes and feed their families. People view illegal immigration as a serious contributing factor to their current situation and they are partly correct. Immigration increases competition for what is available on the Job Market.

However, the electorate still does not have the right to abuse illegal immigrants to preserve its own status. As the adage goes, Democracy is two wolves and a lamp deciding what's for dinner; Liberty is a well armed lamb. Southern Poverty in this case is on the side of liberty through law, a principle of our republic and I applaud them for protecting the liberty of the few.

Scandinavia's Job Market

Let me first, for the layman reader, separate the concept of Job Market from Labor Market.
The Job Market can be thought of as a street market, where the supplier, in this case the employer, advertises a product, the job to a customer, the potential employee.
The Labor Market can be thought of as the reverse. Each job seeker is selling him or herself to employers.
The products and services in each market can be lumped together to give a picture of the capabilities and demands of an economy. Each Job Market is competing against other Job Markets to attract the most talented employees to its associated Labor Market. Each Labor Market is competing against other Labor Markets to attract jobs to its associated Job Market.

If you have noticed how the two are interdependent, then you should also see how immigration policy sets up a gate and control for employers and employees entering the market from outside. Denmark's job market is suffering a bit of internal strife at the moment because of actors that wish to restrict immigration and a mismatch between what the Job Market demands and what the Labor Market is offering. Dansk Folke Parti, or the Danish Peoples' Party, is the nationalist party represented in the Danish parliament at the moment. The party has set immigration reform, closing the borders to far more immigrants than before, as a priority for the ruling administration. However, such policy will hamper the Labor Markets ability to fulfill the Job Markets demand and put over qualified or misqualified people in positions that are better suited for people with either on the job training or trade educations.

Currently, the service economy in Denmark is supplied by a highly educated, mostly domestically trained, labor market. 27% have a university or equivalent education. But the Job Market demands employees with basic schooling to fulfill jobs such as garbage man, retirement orderly or janitor. Sourcing people to fill these jobs at the local Labor Market is difficult because few people with a full education are willing to work, what most feel, in a position beneath them. While people strive to the top of commerce and industry, there are too few to support the service economy's activities with basic services. Putting down the gate for immigration will prevent the Labor Market fulling market demands. Yet this also may reveal some of the short comings of the current education policy. Restricting supply will force both markets to adapt to do more with less and perhaps be in a better position for future changes in the global economy.

Sweden on the other hand has an open education policy that ensures the Swedish Job Market's supply of basic service jobs will always be in demand and the Labor Market's supply of new immigrants will be snapped up by the Job Market as second and third generation immigrant families advance themselves and require services. It is a rapid growth, which looks a bit like a bubble...

The Power of the Purse - A Democrat Defends Earmarks

On Febuary 3rh, 2012, a senator from Hawaii defended earmark spending and actually had a solid argument against banning the practice. His argument is rooted in the constitutional separation of powers which grants Congress the Power of the Purse and implied if earmarks were banned, funding for local projects that meets the needs of the state the earmark funds would be left to the White House, bureaucrats not elected by the people and only be achieved through political horse trading, which is something a certain former Governor from Illinois claimed as a defense for corruption. He however also misses the point. Earmarks are seen as a corrupt way of opening the purse strings for project completely unrelated to the bill they are written into. Senators should instead seek to ensure funding is available to the Governor they represent to spend as he or she sees best fit, not grant a favor to 50 residents with a 400 million dollar bridge to nowhere.

Here is the video.