I recall hearing about the lack of appeal of equations, and their negative impact on book sales The first time I heard this one was in Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time: The author notes that an editor warned him that for every equation in the book the readership would be halved, hence it includes only a single equation: E = mc2 10 million copies were sold, so if they eliminated E=mc2 they could have sold 20 million!

Who was the guy who said he would never join any organization that would invite him? I think it was some comedian or entertainer. 
 
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Groucho_Marx 
 
"Please accept my resignation. I don?t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member".  
 
As quoted in The Groucho Letters (1967) by Arthur Sheekman. The sentiment predates Groucho, however; it likely originated with John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga, chapter II: Old Jolyon is said to despise the club that took him as a member after another refused him because he was in trade.

Anyone who lives in the real world ought to know this. They don't need to pay academic people to figure what we already know. 
 
As James Taranto in the Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web" column would say, "What would we do without academic studies?" 
 
"The single women really, really liked the guy when he was taken," says Melissa Burkley of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, who conducted the "mate-poaching" study with her colleague Jessica Parker. 
 
Ah! There's your answer! Of course! One of the researchers is also the star of Sex and The City!

There are too many interesting books to read, too many museums, exhibitions, concerts, etc. to go to in NYC to ever really be bored. Money and time are the only real obstacles to enjoying everything.  
 
The only time I'm ever truly bored is when I'm doing something I absolutely HAVE to do - my job, grocery shopping, clothes shopping, cleaning up around the house, etc.  
 
Must not be any fans of the Pet Shop Boys here, the lyrics to their best song, "Being Boring" sum it up quite well: 
 
We were never being boring,  
We had too much time to find for ourselves, 
And we were never being boring,  
We dressed up and fought, then thought ?make amends?,  
And we were never holding back, or worried that, 
Time would come to an end??

I think that the main difference between the two runners is body type. Sprinters tend to be muscular since it takes a lot of power to get limbs moving quickly, and long-distance runners tend to be thin, so they use less energy per stride and are less likely to overheat. Still, it's an interesting idea. I think it would be neat if there was a correlation. 
 
My unscientific observations: long distance runners seem to have a more "humble" termperament. When was the last time you've seen a Kenyan, Ethiopian, Moroccan, or even American marathon runner engaging in "trash talk" or braggadocio? (Come to think of it, how often do you even see marathon runners on TV, other than NYC and Boston marathons?) 
 
As for sprinters, we have Michael Johnson and his "gold shoes", Florence Griffith Joyner and her long nails. Edwin Moses, gold medal hurdler, said about Carl Lewis: "A little humility is in order. That's what Carl lacks."  
 
Yes, these are three selective anecdotes, just food for thought.  
 
long distance runners train a lot more. 
 
Indeed! I have enough trouble following a marathon training program that builds up to a peak of 40 miles a week. I can't believe that the pro runners do 80+ miles a week, that's insane!

"Haw haw haw! We like meat -- but we like women better." 
 
I read that somewhere recently - where was it? 
 
My first guess is The Blank Slate, or was it Before The Dawn? 
 
C'mon, help me out!

The Neel Kashkari photo is hilarious! He's quite an odd looking guy, almost looks like he's starring in some bad B-grade movie wearing a "bald wig"!

but i'm a very special person 
 
Yes, we're all special, just like everyone else!

Scientists have repeatedly told us that genes don't vary much from one race to another, and psychologists have pointed out the role that language and other cultural barriers can play in depressing minority test scores, and no one disputes that children whose mothers smoke crack when they're pregnant are going to have developmental problems. 
 
Good thing that a white politician didn't make this statement, especially the bolded portion. There would be all sorts of insinuations as to the "hidden agenda" in that statement. 
 
To close that gap, we're going to have to do more than denounce Mr. Murray's book. We're going to have to take concrete and deliberate action. 
 
And of course, this concrete and deliberate action will involve billions of dollars spent on more government programs, hiring legions of "affirmative action" officers, special programs, blah blah blah, which ultimately will accomplish nothing, just like the billions spent on foreign aid programs.  
 
Yawn. Pass the valium.

Oh come on, surely no one on GNXP buys that rubbish about peaceful indigenous tribes who'd neeeever hurt anyone?  
 
I do! I'm a product of the American university system, and I believe everything I was told in my required anthropology, sociology, and psychology courses! Why, indigenous peoples were living in a harmonious, peaceful state with nature before the arrival of those bad Europeans. It was all similar to one giant Grateful Dead concert! I read somewhere that the Mohawks invented tie-dye, and the Europeans gave the Mohawks something like $24 dollars worth of plastic beads for the trademark rights!