- Top scientist Susan Greenfield told to quit her job -The former director of the Royal Institution, “is now planning to make a sex discrimination claim following the institution trustees’ move to axe her position. Friends claim an “old boys’ club” culture in the institution has led to the move.”
- Judge dismisses Keanu Reeves paternity suit – The woman who brought the suit claimed that Reeves had fathered her 4 children and had done so through using hypnosis and disguises.
- Agent Smith was right, we’re part virus – From Steve.
- What God really wants for you – From Madfishmonger.
Hmm… Susan Greenfield fired? “The RI … is struggling with a financial crisis following a £22m development programme masterminded by Greenfield.” Probably for the best then. Just a shame the first woman in charge utterly screwed the institution’s finances.
Ha, Greenfield going is no bad thing, franky. See these for why
http://bengoldacre.posterous.com/a-clarification-why-people-have-been-concerne
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/jan/11/susan-greenfield-sacking-royal-institution
Embrace your bonrnavirus identity.
@John Ellis: Yes, Rebecca mentioned the “oh noes Facebook will ruin teh childrenz!” article in an email.
I didn’t realize it would cause this much trouble when I disguised myself as Elvis Presley, disguised as Keanu Reaves, disguised as someone’s ex-husband and hypnotized her into bed.
Mea Culpa.
if Keanu Reeves could impersonate this woman’s husband well enough to get her to unknowingly participate in intercourse, he’s a way better actor than he ever let on.
Directors of non profit institutions are generally given the responsibility of being the primary fund raiser above anything else and ultimately being responsible for the bottom line. I’m the board president of a small non profit organization which is solvent and within its budget. Were that not the case I would resign and consider my efforts a failure.
@mikerattlesnake:
Maybe her husband speaks in monotones with the meter and overstated lack of intensity generally expressed by 7th graders forced to read out loud in class.
Greenfield wasn’t fired, she was made redundant. The distinction is very very important, particularly relating to her lawsuit. Redundancy is when a job role is no longer required, regardless of who is doing that role and what their performance is like. You do not make a person redundant, you make a role redundant, and as such that role cannot exist again (for a period of 12 months usually).
So Greenfield’s performance is irrelevant, other than in the long-winded manner of “she presided over the refurbishment that led RI close to bankruptcy, and that bankruptcy is the reason the role is now redundant (i.e. they can’t afford a full-time director, or are scaling back activities to the point where one is no longer needed).
If I get time I’ll write a full post on this issue because it’s an important one, not least because if she can prove gender discrimination, the resulting payout could well see the end of the RI, which would be a massive blow to UK science.
@mikerattlesnake:
COTW
@Tracy King: So do you think her lawsuit has less merit because of her being made redundant as opposed to being fired? My information is solely from the above article.
@Elyse: Husband upon hearing the details of the lawsuit:
“whoah.”
The Keanu Reeves story is really sad. I know someone who had a similar delusion – not about Keanu Reeves, but that the father of her children was not the father of her children. Fortunately with treatment she’s stable and pretty much back to her old self, but it was a horrible ordeal for her, her husband, and their kids. It sounds like the Keanu Reeves lady wasn’t so lucky.
@Tracy King:
WRT Greenfield, there is a very long thread rumbling thru the badscience.net forum http://www.badscience.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14119