Saturday morning roundup

Not that much has changed in Russia in the way of rule of law since Stalin's day.

China tries cap and trade.

Poaching is evil regardless of the other evils it may fund.

Another excellent point about the humanities: they make you good at life as well as good at your career.

If you only click on one link, make it Tom Philpott's review of "Denialism," the author of which is apparently guilty of some really egregious scientism. It's as bad as telling someone who disagrees with you that he/she hates god, to tell someone who disagrees with you (about GMOs, for example) that they're anti-science.

The short answer is because it's just a big mindf*. Could someone who has his or her head around that mindf* explain to me how that second article distinguishes particles of matter from particles of radiation, because I thought the same thing becomes radiation when it radiates. But what the f* do I know, in spite of how much I have to read about this $hit for work.

Human males lack a baculum.

Actually, if you only read one thing, read about this crazy way to conceive (which I don't recommend).

The more I read about Austen-Twittergate, the more appalling information I come across. Then again, there's the "Slapping Hillary" game. Classy.

Is The Best not the best role model?

Woman tries, fails to intimidate nursing mom.

I never got what the big deal was supposed to be about wearing the same outfit as someone else.

Look, these cheetah cubs have Bitchy Resting Face and Gracie's doppelganger is a kori bustard chick.

Self-esteem means that when your spouse tells you he cheated because "you're not pretty enough," you realize you're beautiful just the way you are and that the actual issue is that your spouse is a douche-bag. So I suppose self-esteem could be an ego trap but the real issue is how Scientific American is defining (or failing to define, until late in the article, "self-esteem." Superficially-focused, achievement-driven self-worth is not what I'd call self-esteem. Self-esteem is valuing yourself and respecting yourself no matter what. The article says,

If you are wondering, “Do I have worth?” “Do I have value?” the answer is not yes, no or maybe. The answer is simpler: change the subject.

Partly true. The answer is simpler: "of course I have value." And then change the subject. Of course we've all come across people like this:

People focused on boosting their own self-esteem tend to put their own needs before those of others. Because they are preoccupied with questions about their own value, their friends, family and acquaintances serve mainly as potential sources of validation or invalidation, making their interactions with others ultimately all about themselves.

But isn't the issue there that those people lack intrinsic self-esteem? But what I really have a hard time with is this:

High self-esteem seems to have at least one serious drawback: difficulty in seeing your own shortcomings. A great deal of research conducted for several decades shows that people with high self-esteem tend to have unrealistically positive views of themselves. They think they are more attractive, successful, likable, smart and moral than others do—and are unaware of their deficits or incompetence. When they get negative feedback, they tend to be defensive, blaming the test or the messenger, rather than owning up to a mistake or deficiency. In this way, high self-esteem can impede learning and growth and impair personal relationships.

The first person that comes to mind is RM, so yes, there are people like that. But this, again, is a different concept than the very basic idea of "I'm worthy of love and respect just because I'm here." Which can come with, "and oh, by the way, I want to be as good a human being as possible." This issue is not self esteem, but achievement-oriented self-worth:

The hunt for self-esteem through a focus on achievement makes us emotionally vulnerable to life's inevitable travails and disappointments. It also causes us to engage in behaviors that can actually harm our chances of success, our competence and our personal relationships. A far better way to bolster your sense of self-worth is, ironically, to think about yourself less. Compassion toward others and yourself, along with a less self-centered perspective on your situation, can motivate you to achieve your goals while helping you weather bad news, learn from your mistakes and fortify your friendships.