Perrye has an eye out for items of interest, and directed me to this article on autistic adults and studies done on studying intelligence and so forth.

I found it to be highly informative and here excerpt a portion of it (for it's long) for your review:

On the matter of autistic intelligence, Kanner spoke of an array of mental skills, "islets of ability" — vocabulary, memory, and problem-solving that "bespeak good intelligence." Asperger, too, was struck by "a particular originality of thought and experience." Yet over the years, those islets attracted scientific interest only when they were amazing — savant-level capabilities in areas such as music, mathematics, and drawing. For the millions of people with autism who weren't savants, the general view was that their condition was tragic, their brainpower lacking.

The test typically used to substantiate this view relies heavily on language, social interaction, and cultural knowledge — areas that autistic people, by definition, find difficult. About six years ago, Meredyth Goldberg Edelson, a professor of psychology at Willamette University in Oregon, reviewed 215 articles published over the past 71 years, all making or referring to this link between autism and mental retardation. She found that most of the papers (74 percent) lacked their own research data to back up the assumption. Thirty-nine percent of the articles weren't based on any data, and even the more rigorous studies often used questionable measures of intelligence. "Are the majority of autistics mentally retarded?" Goldberg Edelson asks. "Personally, I don't think they are, but we don't have the data to answer that."

In our family, Cartoon Ranger has not displayed any amazingly off-the-chart talents, but he has shown unusual glimpses of a sense of humor, a fascination with things mechanical, and an eye for detail in subjects of interest that is wonderful.  Additionally, he knows how to get what he wants, and will circumvent the usual processes in place to achieve his personal goals.

It can be frustrating, but it's good to know he can -- when able! -- plot his own course on occasion. :)

The title of this article, that an embarrassingly high number of Americans believe that the sun revolves around the Earth, is only one point argued by the Washington Post’s Susan Jacoby, in her attempt to prove that Americans are in serious intellectual trouble, facing a virulent mixture of anti-intellectualism, anti-rationalism and low expectations.

What else is signaling that Americans are becoming increasingly dumbed-down as a society?

• Reading -- of books, newspapers and magazines -- is on the decline. A 2007 study even found that 80 percent of American families did nt buy or read a book in 2006. 

• Attention spans are declining; Jacoby suggests this is due to television and videos. For instance, between 1968 and 1988, the average sound bite on the news for a presidential candidate dropped from 42.3 seconds to 9.8 seconds. By 2000, according to a Harvard study, the daily candidate bite was down to just 7.8 seconds.

• General knowledge is eroding. This is evidenced not only by the fact that one in five U.S. adults believe the sun revolves around the Earth, but also many others.

Yet, it’s not bad enough that knowledge is quickly declining in the United States. On top of that, there is an arrogance about this lack of knowledge, almost as if a good portion of the population is saying, “We know we’re ignorant, but we don’t care!”

Consider, for instance, that a 2006 survey by National Geographic-Roper found that nearly half of young Americans did not think it was necessary to know the location of other countries in which important news was being made. And another one-third felt it was “not at all important” to know a foreign language.

Why is this so concerning? Because …  

Fear and Ignorance Go Hand in Hand

The more that you are kept in the dark, either due to your own lack of inquisitiveness or the workings of an unscrupulous industry (such as the food industry that markets junk foods and soda to children as though it is something they should be consuming), the easier you are to manipulate.

And this is where a population of people who do not possess their own knowledge base will easily believe, for instance, that they must quickly get vaccinated to protect themselves against an imaginary pandemic like the bird flu, or that food from their local supermarket is somehow safer than food grown by a farmer down the road.

Obviously, most of you reading this do not fall into this category, as you are actively seeking more knowledge, just by reading this.

So, last night while working at AP, Meg and I had a little fun. In order to celebrate the new merger between HCL and the city of Minneapolis libraries, we had a display of balloons. There were 4 small, multicolored, mylar balloons and one HUGE gold mylar balloon (like I couldn't wrap my arms around it kind of huge). Well, as it turns out, leaving the balloons on display in the library has been setting off the alarm because the movement of the balloons activates the motion detector. 
Well, on Tuesday night, someone decided that the balloons needed to be placed in a bag and left under a desk in order to not set off the alarm. Our fearless security guard, Ernestine, took care of this little task; and from what I hear, she did a great job. Last night, it was time to go home and the job was still undone. Meg said that she would go get Ernestine to get it done. My response was, "Meg, really, between us we have 3 Master's degrees, I think we can manage to get a few balloons in a bag." Boy was I wrong. Between us, we managed to pop the HUGE gold balloon and nearly pop one of the smaller balloons. We pretty much destroyed the idea of the balloon display, though with grace and humor.

 

As it turns out, all that book learnin' we got does us no good when it comes to balloons. At least we ended our Wednesday night with a laugh.

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

 

Jan. 7, 2008 - Violence has dropped in southern Iraq, but Iranian-influenced "special groups" remain a concern, the commander of the U.S. brigade that provides theater security said today.  Army Col. Charles Flynn spoke to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from his headquarters at Coalition Operating Base Adder at Talil Air Base near Nasiriyah, Iraq. The 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division has had the mission since July.

 

The brigade ensures that the ground lines of communication and supply lines to multinational forces remain open.

 

"We're not landowners per se, but our area of operations spans across every multinational division's battle space," Flynn said. "We range as far as south as the Kuwaiti border, extend as far north as the Balad Airfield and operate west all the way out to the Iraq-Jordanian border. And we essentially fight along the main and alternate supply routes throughout Iraq."

 

Flynn said that overall, security in southern Iraq is stable and improving. Jaysh al-Mahdi, a militia formed by Shiia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, has lost significant public support in the region, the colonel said. "As a result, we expect Muqtada al-Sadr to take a more active role in the political arena," he said.

 

Still, the 'special groups' – Shia groups that are trained, financed and take orders from Iranian extremists -- remain a concern. "We believe they'll continue to be influenced by those who seek to disrupt the government of Iraq and coalition forces," Flynn said.

 

Since July, the colonel told reporters, attacks on coalition and Iraqi bases have steadily declined. "I attribute this decline to Muqtada al-Sadr's standdown and the resulting fractures within Jaysh al-Mahdi," Flynn said. Increased patrols, improved intelligence, the use of joint security stations and better outreach also have helped, he said.

 

The brigade is working with Iraqi allies to reduce improvised explosive device attacks – especially those that use armor-piercing explosive projectiles. U.S. soldiers are working to build combat outposts along the supply routes, and are working to develop strong partnerships with Iraqi army and police units in the region.

 

The command also reached out to Iraqi civilians to organize road crews known as Community Transportation Improvement Teams throughout southern Iraq. The crews clean and maintain highways, Flynn said. "We have multiple contracts covering nearly 800 kilometers of highway," he said. "These crews remove debris, fill in holes, and their mere presence has reduced the ability of EFP and IED cells to operate."

 

The program has engaged local sheikhs and encouraged the population to participate in security, he said.

 

The colonel said the brigade's second line of operations is developing partnerships. U.S., Australian and Romanian troops, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the 10th Iraqi Army Division and the Iraqi police and highway forces have all worked together, he said.

 

With help from the provincial reconstruction teams of Dhi Qar, Muthanna and the Maysan province, "We've made huge gains with the provincial government leaders in delivering essential services," the colonel said.

 

The unit also is working with local authorities to protect the Great Ziggurat of Ur, near the base at Adder. The ziggurat – a pyramid-shaped tower -- is at least 4,000 years old and has been off-limits since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled.

 

"We're working closely with the Ministry of Antiquities, our coalition partners and the PRT to preserve this site, along with refurbishing a visitor and conference center," Flynn said. "The goal is to return this rich and traditional historical site back to the Iraqi people and instill a sense of pride and achievement in the local population."

 

Partnerships with police and army units, though, remain the main focus for the brigade.

 

"Since arriving, our partnership has matured and we now conduct joint patrols and joint checkpoints," Flynn said. "This work is enabled by establishing those joint security stations to build trust and share information and intelligence. These are powerful positions as they afford U.S. and Iraqi forces to partner in defeating any extremist threats that may emerge."

Another reason to be happy you've got hips! Scientists say curvy women are smarter and have smarter children!

 

Study: Curvy Women Live Longer, Give Birth to Smarter Children

Monday, November 12, 2007

 

Real women don't just have curves, they also are smarter, live longer and give birth to smarter children, according to a new study.

 

In the research, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and University of California, Santa Barbara, used data from a study of 16,000 women and girls, which collected details of their body measurements and their scores in cognitive tests. The study was published in the journal of Evolution and Human Behavior.

Click here to see an abstract of the study (full study available for purchase)

 

They found that women with a greater difference between the waist and hips scored significantly higher on the tests, as did their children, according to a report in The Sunday Times Online.

For study purposes, curvy women were defined as those whose waists are smaller than their hips. The researchers suggest that the fat around fuller hips and thighs holds higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for the growth of the brain during pregnancy. Fat around the waist, on the other hand, may have higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which are less suited to brain growth, the researchers said.

Waist fat can also be a contributory factor in diabetes and heart disease, which is why curvy women are also believed to live longer than their straighter counter parts, research shows.

Thinner or linear-shaped women lack both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids around their waists and hips, which would be likely to boost longevity, but have little effect on intelligence.