Saturday, January 4, 2014

Big Perihelion morning roundup

Those who fled last year's religious violence in Uttar Pradesh are not buying assurances that it's safe to return, in spite of their miserable and dangerous conditions as refugees. 

Much of Europe's unemployment is apparently structural; the powerst that be, suffering from a STEM shortage, is discouraging study of social sciences and humanities.

Mike Tyson  on recovery:
No, in order to kick it, I had to replace the cravings for drugs or alcohol with a craving to be a better person.
I’ve learned that being sober is more than just avoiding drugs or alcohol. It’s a lifestyle focused on making moral choices and elevating the things that make life worth living to the forefront. Don’t get me wrong. If I craved drugs or alcohol, I’d still give in. I could never fight those cravings. But when I am focused on doing good and being good, and practice the day-to-day mechanics of a sober, healthy life, I don’t get those urges to do bad things to myself.
See also Peter Kinderman's op-ed on why resolutions fail, and Discover Magazine's piece on why--consistent with the truth of relapse being a part of recovery," failure isn't the end if you keep moving.

Maia Szalavitz offers an earnest critique of the Brooks and Marcus pot columns, but Juli Weiner's satirical column is just as spot-on.

Dogs really do poop in line with the earth's magnetic fields, and Jupiter is the best place to make French fries. The climate's changing even though it's cold out, and the Times was an exception among "major news outlets" in its light coverage of climate change. Meanwhile, Grist gets props from the Times for its GMO coverage (even while the Times dismisses Grist readership as stupid hippies).

The world in one list, according to (mostly) Wikipedia.

It's normal for girls to have a 'pretty' faze, but it's great for them to have influences to point out that there's so much more to life than pretty.

More on "nice guys," in comics form.



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