. Dominating the news today is, of course, the award of the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine to Chris McManus, University College London, for his seminal work on scrotal asymmetry. See synopsis of the original Nature article and the Popular-Science article which is the source of the extract presented below. "Medicine: scrotal asymmetry in art. A 1976 scholarly article on "Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and in Ancient Sculpture." . . . took top honors for analyzing the asymmetrical positioning and size of gonads on antique nude statues . . . ancient artists correctly made the right testicle hang higher than the left, but they incorrectly assumed the lower testicle was larger. In reality, research shows that a man's right testicle is usually larger . . ." Lawrie Miller author BA n 4 Weeks - "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to be degreed" http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks .
I hereby nominate George W. Bush for the Ig Nobel Peace Prize for threatening to kill a great many people in the name of peace.
. The efforts of other winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize deserving of attention (extracted from from http://www.improb.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig2002) CHEMISTRY Theo Gray of Wolfram Research, in Champaign, Illinois, for gathering many elements of the periodic table, and assembling them into the form of a four-legged periodic table table. ECONOMICS The executives, corporate directors, and auditors of Enron,. . . Arthur Andersen, [et al, for their pioneering work on imaginary numbers - LM]. TECHNOLOGY Awarded jointly to John Keogh of Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, for patenting the wheel in the year 2001, and to the Australian Patent Office for granting him Innovation Patent #2001100012. and of particular interest to contributors to degreeinfo, perhaps . . . PSYCHOLOGY David Dunning of Cornell University and Justin Kreuger of the University of Illinois, for their modest report, "Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments." [Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 77, no. 6, December 1999, pp. 1121-34.] SOCIOLOGY Steve Penfold, of York University in Toronto, for doing his PhD thesis on the sociology of Canadian donut shops. Lawrie Miller author "BA n 4 Weeks" http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks .
Whitehouse spokesman Ari Fleischer today denied that the award of the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine to Chris McManus for his work on scrotal asymmetry, represented a kick to the groin of the Administration. In a related note, when asked by CNN reporter, Alessio Vinci, on what side senior members of the Administration 'lie', Fleischer replied, "Probably both sides". Lawrie Miller author "BA n 4 Weeks" http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks .
That may be a little harsh. In support of the President, in a speech commemorating his squadron's defense of West Texas from Mexico during the Vietnam War, '43' cited Pentagon estimates of few Republican casualties in the event of a precision carpet bombing of Baghdad. Lawrie Miller BA in 4 Weeks http://geocities.com/BA_in_4_Weeks .
Lawrie: "...analyzing the asymmetrical positioning and size of gonads on antique nude statues..." John: I remember noting, while visiting the Vatican Museum, that the mediaeval popes had ordered fig leaves applied to the antique nude statues of men, but not of boys. Where, I wondered, was the dividing line? I envisioned the pope strolling through the museum, accompanied by the Cardinale Incaricato del Fico Parte (Cardinal in Charge of Fig Leaves), and his clip board, saying, "That one. That one. Not that one. Maybe that one -- what do you think, Giancarlo? Hand me the ruler."
POOR poor UCL... About a falf dozen Nobel Prizes for UCL, and now the Ignobel... Will they ever lieve it down? Will resident Jeremy Bentham ever rest in peace? THe mind reels.
A Counter-argument for Rich: But since, after 20 some years of war in Afghanistan, Bush has made it posssible for some sone 1.6 million refugees (latest estimate; most formerly aided by the UN) to go home--because of a war, don't you think GW derserves at least nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize? Arguably, he has made even MORE of a material difference in lives of more people through war than Carter has through peace. P.S I didn't vote for the guy, but I can give credit where credit is due--especially since the famine of millions was the worry before the swift end of a mercifully short war. It's simply true: sometimes war does a lot of good.
Bush? Peace? He came into office shrugging off his diplomatic and foreign affairs responsibilities, he's bullied the U.N., he won't get involved in the Palistinian/Israeli situation to any meaningful extent, and his peacekeeping in Afghanistan, while temporarily effective, won't have any long-term effect after the Americans leave. (And they will leave.) This whole thing is hardly about peace. It is about popularity. Bush has sabre-rattled an enemy country that is in far more restrictive shape than when his dad pulled out 10 years ago. Americans love a quick win, but they won't stand for a long engagement. And like his father before him, Bush 43 will find the lustre of his shiny new war growing very dull as Americans turn their attentions back to the failing economy. Oh, and those American soldiers in body bags will serve only to speed up the process.
Well, these are... excellent points here (as elsewhere), Rich--and I concede them. Nontheless, 1.6 million lives changed for the better from when famine stalked millions throu civil war and conquest is no major improvement About a month ago, on CSPAN I saw a US General complain that Euro food aid to Afghanistan was only one-13th of what was promised--haven't heard this in the mainstream media. So please don't tell me, as others do, that ONLY the US neglects its obligation. True--IF it is only about popularity. I doubt that (Bus is not Clinton--who set an almost insurmountable standard in sucking-up to the public--something he continues to pine for. Read the Bill Keller profile on Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in the N Y Times Magazine (early- or mid-September), and then tell me that the War on Terrorism is irelevant to these Bush policies. Still--I do appreciate your cynicism.
Orson: Quite right, the rest of the world coudn't give a crap about Afghanistan, either. And yes, it does seem better there. So it sounds like a job that remains very much incomplete (especially in light of the Bali bombing.) So why Iraq? So the President and his Republican colleagues don't have to run on the other issues, like the economy. Bill Clinton? A suck-up? Sure, but the American public wants the best liar. That's why they elected him TWICE. Clinton did show how one could recover from disaster (like his first two years trying to work his ultra-liberal agenda) by running and ruling from the middle. Cynacism, rules. Without it, we don't have democracy. We are mere lemmings going over the edge.
