Tuesday evening roundup

When I read this--here's a quote: "Although some may view that sought-after 100% designation as a welcome benefit, Bunker said, being diagnosed with a disease that generally kills people within five years far overshadowed any monetary gains."--I thought, 'that's f*ed up.' Then I read this, which surpasses the f*ed upness of the first article by leaps and bounds.

As with many counterterrorism, irrational fear resulting from misunderstanding health care reform distracts from things we actually should be worried about.

Okay, we're going lighter from here.

Even though I'd never taken a writing class until a year or so ago as part of on-the-job training, I couldn't agree more with Stanley Fish. And if I may say so myself, I think our collective lack of writing skills is sad. I recently thought of that great line in "Sleepless in Seattle," when Rosie O'Donnell's character says, "So he can't write! Verbal ability is a highly overrated thing in a guy, and our pathetic need for it is what gets us into so much trouble." Such a classic.

The Economist, or at least its travel blog, Gulliver, says not to bother with silly travel gadgetry. Sound advice, if I may say so myself (do bother with noise-blocking headphones, which they don't mention). I think it's hilarious that they slam travel pillows, after the Post ran a whole article on them in this past Sunday's travel section.

BTW, Gulliver finds paradise in Russia's metro systems.

I found this article on money management for couples fascinating, but less for the money management angle and more for the idea that opposites attract because of people's sense that their own way of doing something isn't quite right. I've definitely done that (again, not so much with regard to money, but things like decisiveness). And then I've always come to regret it. It's like how for a long time, I really admired people who knew what they wanted to do with their lives from an early age, and thought there was something wrong with me because I was all conflicted and confused. And then I realized that many of those people weren't really any more sure-- they just thought they were because they weren't as introspective--and now they're just as confused. So yes, I'm aware that my ways of dealing with careers/money/food/etc. aren't perfect and so I'm in awe of people who have it figured out, but then I realize there's a reason I handle those things the way I do, that a process of thinking it through and trying out different ways eventually brought me here.

Jay just shared this with me, and I sure wish I could be sure it's a joke.