Race, Evolution and Intelligence Dr Linda Gottfredson and Stefan Molyneux
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZPsXYo7gpc
There's a stark difference between the scientific study of intelligence and the pseudo scientific view promoted by the faculties of arts and the media.

I've always considered Intelligence only as good as the environment one is within. If I took a Stockbroker from Wall St. & dumped him in the Southern Saharan Plains, for all his intelligence, would he survive a month. I doubt it & Vici Versa with a Southern Saharan native in Wall St.

The normal Intelligence Tests, given to us in the West, only show how well one is adapted to the Modern World. I suppose that's where most Middle Eastern Peoples have problems when they end up in a modern West World.

Hi Toni,

There is a total fire ban in SA today, so I'll have to store your straw men for a cooler time. Perhaps by March.

Halal: if Muslims don't wish to touch food which may be, as they see it, contaminated, that's fine with me. But as for halal certification on all products, for all of us, i.e. that we all pay a bit extra for something which we don't care about, one way or the other - no, I object to that. There are plenty of halal butchers around; abattoirs don't need to employ religious specialists and add-on the costs for all of us. Apart from the brutality involved, that animals MUST be fully conscious and facing Mecca when they are being killed. No, I don't have to put up with such extortion.

As for posters: they come in all flavours, and most of them are properly ignored anyway. Save the Whales ! Yeah, okay. Land rights now ! Yeah, tick. Recognise homosexual relationships as marriages NOW ! Well, maybe not. And I actually haven't seen any posters "calling for the immediate closure of all mosques, a complete ban on all Muslim immigration" etc. but then, I live a very sheltered life, with only Cracklin' Rosie to keep me happy.

But we do live in a relatively open society, in which people have the right to express their opinions. And lo ! OLO ! After all, some of the most thoughtful people in Australia are on OLO, and even some who have obviously been dropped on their heads, such as myself.

Speaking of which, vegetables: I was unaware that vegetables go through some paid-for halal-certification process. Is that really so ? Are we paying more for vegetables because of halal certification ? Was my lettuce turned towards Mecca when it was being slowly cut ? So onions, which are pulled out, and stone-fruit and grapes which are picked, are not actually halal ? But are we paying for them too ?

What, I pay an unnecessary surcharge for my Cracklin' Rosie ?! Outrageous !

Happy New Year!

Joe

sounds like the salvation army are at it again. Belgium has cancelled their New Years Eve celebrations

http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/belgium-cancels-new-years-eve-celebrations-over-terror-fears/news-story/6ff1c2eaf1dbd3993c2986e0ece8f030

how ironic that the head office of the UN reside there.

Jayb,
Well you'd be wrong, the scientist in that video explains that environmental factors cease to be important after puberty and you're sitting right in the middle of a society which disproves your other point.
The video is important because Dr Linda Gottfredson carefully explains the difference between the actual scientific, psychological and medical consensus on intelligence and the pseudo sciences of sociology and anthropology.
Modern multicultural societies are becoming stratified based on levels of intelligence and the higher IQ people literally have no idea what low IQ people are like, how participaiton in the "knowledge economy" is impossible for the majority of people.
For example, when I did the public service test years ago my IQ was about 110, I'm a lot smarter than most people working on building sites but I'm not smart enough to complete a university Arts degree, I tried and I couldn't do the work.
I would probably struggle with the courses required to become a registered builder so even though I'm considered above average intelligence and most of the people I work with are drastically less intelligent than that I've never been able to cope with more than leading hand type duties or my current, non demanding roles as a sub contractor.
I know what it's like to deal with people who have below average IQ, in the 80's and 90's, I've worked with guys who are unable to complete a task on Tuesday by following instructions given on Monday and I know people who for reason of low cognitive ability are unable to improve themselves at all, they just can't do it because they have such a limited understanding of the world around them.

Toni,

By definition a Muslim takes the qur'an seriously; I have Muslim friends who sold their home in Bankstown (at a profit) and moved to another part of Sydney, for their children's sake, where Muslim influence is not at all strong (as it is in Bankstown).
They freely admit that they have little choice than to follow the lead of extremist Muslims, for to oppose them would mean ostracism and, if push came to shove, mutilation or death.
They saw it in their former country and came here to get away from it, but uncertainty and terror followed them.
Sure there are moderate Muslims, or rather Muslims who would prefer to be moderate or even mild, but there are religious strictures in place that will stop them.