Wednesday roundup

Don't blame your genes; manage them. And don't fall for the misconception that overweight is healthier. Also, don't be afraid to eat fruit out of wariness of fructose.

Quote of the day (from my New Yorker cartoon calendar): "Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying."--Fran Lebowitz

Please don't abuse science as a legitimate policy basis by labeling everyone who disagrees with you--say, who has concerns about GMOs--as anti-science. Speaking of the limits of GMOs: they're not the answer to the soybean aphid.

I can't tell whether this invocation of science is awesome, sad, or both.

There's a downside to having huge balls. It's still okay (and preferred) to have large proverbial balls, as long as you use them for good.

David Roberts apologizes for his crass tweet.

Excellent analysis of the difference between "nice" and polite/good. The ignorant comments she shares (on the original NYT piece) remind me of some of the responses I got from my own friends and family when I set boundaries against RM (the roommate from hell). Note also the ingrained behaviors women adopt--I talked about this the other day in relation to the profiling issue--to not get hassled by men on an everyday basis.

I love, love Reza Aslan's phrasing in response to a question about his faith:

I’m a person of faith, and the language that I use to define my faith, the symbols and metaphors that I rely upon to express my faith, are those provided by Islam because they make the most sense to me. The Buddha once said, “If you want to draw water, you don’t dig six 1-ft. wells, you dig one 6-ft. well.” Islam is my 6-ft. well. But I recognize that I am drawing the same water that everyone around me is.

Feast your eyes on the cutest thing ever, this week.