Not many days go by without some sociologist or psychologist saying something silly on EurekAlert. Today there were at least two such cases. Let's have a look at one of them:

The acute economic downturn that began in 2008 sometimes is called the "mancession" to reflect its harsher impact on men than women. As recently as last November, 10.4 percent of adult men were unemployed as compared to 8 percent of adult women.

The Space Shuttle has just been cleared for its last landing marking the end of a 30 year space programme less succesful than its predecessor. Meanwhile the US economy is deteriorating day by day and its hard to see how the 1969 feat of putting a man on the moon is to be outdone anytime soon.

In many ways, the moon landing might have been the peak of Western state sponsored space exploration. The US economy is not likely to recover unless Ron Paul gets elected president and even then it is unlikely that the US will be able to afford a truly ambitious space programme.

A while back a woman participant at an atheist conference was propositioned by a man in an elevator sometime during the wee hours of the night. Her interpretation of the incident was of a man not knowing his place. Men are not supposed to talk to women in elevators - and keep your gaze down too, you neanderthal!