Friday evening roundup

China is not inspiring fear among its neighbors.

Did you think Venezuela couldn't get worse? That level of repression, though, can only be a sign of desperation.

Let's be thankful for terrorist incompetence.

More and more women are speaking out.

Metro, that's pathetic:

Metro is hashtagging their weekend "service" RT @wmata: #wmatawknd
— Unsuck DC Metro (@unsuckdcmetro) April 26, 2013

Can scientists save conventional supermarket tomatoes?

The onus is on industry, not consumers, to ensure worker safety. I'm glad someone has come out and said that. It's the same with food (see this morning's and/or yesterday's posts). Again, I take issue with (1) slamming people who like food and (2) creating a dichotomy between food worker welfare and other aspects of the food system (such as animal welfare and environmental impact). Caring about animals and the environment does not come at the expense of people; it opens the door to better treatment of the people who grow, pick, and handle our food.

Ag gag backfires because people start to think about where their food comes from.

I myself have come across this patronizing "everything is a chemical" attitude among some scientists, and it's not cool:

Arrogance and paternalism are still all too common across the sciences, and it’s entirely understandable that sections of the public treat us as villains.

and

I’m not chemophobic, but I think there’s good reason for presumptive distrust of corporations that see consumers as walking wallets rather than as folks deserving information to make their own sensible choices.

The earth's core is hotter than previously thought.

Don't pin your climate change prevention hopes on black carbon.

People generally love blue.