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is your bank on the skids?
Check TheStreet.com’s new Bank & Thrift Index. There are 2518 ranked D or lower in the US.
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Does Exposure to Powerful Women Reduce Prejudice?
“In July 2006, women accounted for just under 17% of parliamentarians worldwide. A woman was the head of government in only seven countries.” This could be due to short supply, higher cost to entry due to family, or to voter attitude, which previous research has found may be “distaste” for female leadership.
Is that “distaste” why we’ve seen such out lash against Palin? As Laura Bush suggested in an interview with ABC’s Brian Williams this week, “No one would be talking about a man’s children and how many children they had, or any other thing about their children.” And as Giuliani last night proclaimed, “How dare they question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president? When do they ever ask a man that question?” Instead of attacking Obama’s lack of experience, the media attacks Palin’s, arguing she would be unfit to step in as President if circumstances required it. So is this more than just the typical media bias?
Researchers at the Center for International Development at Harvard have found that voters, men in particular, are prejudiced against female leaders. At least those in certain villages in India, where the 73rdAmendment mandates that at least 1/3 of government positions be filled by women. This mandate allowed the researchers to study the attitude toward female leaders and how exposure to female leadership changed those attitudes.
They found that the voters in a village with its first female leader give evaluations of the woman’s performance that are lower than those of her men counterparts (even when the woman outperforms the men). However, that “distaste” dissipates over time – when a village is exposed a second time to a female leader, the woman’s evaluations are on par with those of her male counterparts. It appears, per the research, that exposure to a female leader reduces prejudice by 50 to 100% (depending on the village).
The study is both preliminary and incomplete, and it certainly may be a stretch for me to apply the findings to our current political situation, especially considering Hillary’s 18 million popular votes do not exactly scream “distaste.” One could think that Hillary paved the way for Palin’s nomination. But if certain states swing red, it may be Palin who could pave the way for Hillary in 2012.
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St. Mark’s: The Next Times Square?
Will this become this? Venice’s Piazza San Marco is in need of restoration but can’t foot the bill. To help fund the project, Venice may resort to electronic advertising billboards, much like those adorning our beautiful Times Square.
The plan, yet to be officially approved, calls for five screens, each measuring about 2,500 square feet, to be hung on scaffolding throughout the square. Sad times.
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QQs: The Democratic National Convention
How much did it cost to attend the DNC?
Free for everyday adults. Some special seats cost at least $1,000.
How many seats does the Mile High Stadium (aka Invesco field) hold?
Aboout 76125
How old is Biden’s “drop dead gorgeous” wife?
57
What is her PhD that he says is “a problem”?
She received her PhD in education from the University of Delaware.
How old is Biden’s mom?
90
How cute are Obama’s daughters?
Very.
Who cares that Eisenhower’s granddaughter supports Obama?
I don’t know.
Do (young) people know why Ted Kennedy could never have been President?
A quick poll shows no. Though he did put in his bid in the 1980 election, the Chappaquiddick Incident was poor form.
Where were the Clintons at Obama’s speech?
Apparently Hillary supposed to be there (but I never saw her), but Bill did not attend. It was a way of passing the baton to the next generation, I suppose.
Did McCain really congratulate Obama in an ad?
Yes. View it here.
Has a candidate ever delivered a congratulations commercial to the other party’s nominee?
I don’t know, I tried to research that but had little success.
Has McCain really voted with Bush 90% of the time?
Per Congressional Quarterly Voting Studies here is McCain’s support since ‘01,
2001: 91%
2002: 90%
2003: 91%
2004: 92%
2005: 77%
2006: 89%
2007: 95%
Does Obama actually have a platform?
Prior to tonight, he seemed more like a trendy brand than a Presidential nominee. Here are his planks, as they were finally outlined in his speech:
Energy
- End dependence on oil from middle east – support natural gas, clean coal, nuclear power, solar power, wind power.
- Spend $150B in clean energy the next decade, and add 5 million new jobs that can’t be outsourced.
- Retool our failing auto companies so they can make fuel-efficient cars.
Education
- Every child a “world class” education
Healthcare
- Affordable accessible healthcare for every American – equal to what members of Congress give themselves.
- Stop insurance companies from discriminating against the sick.
Economy
- Change bankruptcy laws
- Close corporate tax loopholes
- Tax breaks to companies that create jobs at home (rather than outsource)
- Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses & start ups
- Eliminate bunk programs in the federal budget
- Reduce taxes for 95% of American families (increase the middle class)
Social Security
- Change it
Equality
- Equal pay for equal days of work
Foreign Policy
- Time frame to remove troops from Iraq
Abortion, Gun Control, Same Sex Marriage
- He quickly noted some sort of hybrid between both sides on these
Change, Hope, etc.
- A lot of it.
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