Big, huge Wednesday evening roundup

Let the pipeline from South Sudan be a win-win-win (please).

It's a happy day for equality and the Twitterverse and other satire:

Dear self proclaimed Christians: You know God can see your twitter feeds right?
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) June 26, 2013

How can we be abortion worshiping leftists if we also spend all our time worshiping the God of two guys doin' it? #GetTheHateStraight
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) June 26, 2013

Apparently Melinda Henneberger hasn't considered the details of the proposed Texas law or public opinion, nor understood the heartbreaking stories of women with unviable fetuses. Also, Christina Hoff Summers strikes again.

Sucking at math could cost you.

China is becoming increasingly herbivore-friendly, responding largely to home-grown demand.

Apparently The Atlantic cover story is some inane argument for low-fat junk food, and since it doesn't appear to merit a link, I'll just point you first to Tom Philpott's take-down (and then another). And I'll excerpt the possibly most-absurd part:

First of all, the "real food" we push includes—gasp—fat. "Many of the dishes glorified by the wholesome-food movement," Freedman frets, "are as caloric and obesogenic as anything served in a Burger King." He reports watching aghast as Bittman, appearing on the Today Show, whipped up a "lovely dish of corn sautéed in bacon fat and topped with bacon." He adds: "Anyone who thinks that such a thing is much healthier than a Whopper just hasn't been paying attention to obesity science for the past few decades."

I'm the last to glorify or defend bacon, but I'd argue that it's not obesogenic when you have to put in the effort to make it yourself every time rather than pick it up on the cheap at a fast food place. And don't even get me started on the scourge of fake guacamole; what's the point? It's just green goo. Trader Joe's is guilty, too--last time I visited my parents, their local store was hawking "lower-fat" "guacamole." They made it lower fat by mixing in Greek yogurt. Gag me.

And keep your taxes off my avocados and pistachios.

If you read only one thing here, make it Erik "@vegan" Marcus's take on why Michael Pollan's often wrong, but he's the best we can do right now (with Paula Deen at the other end of the spectrum). Also, here's a reminder about how meat of any provenance, in large quantities, is not sustainable.

Eating plants helps you avoid tricky flatware etiquette.

I appreciate this perspective on (not really) toxic chemicals in food, but I really need something similar with regard to skin and hair care products.

Turn off your routers when you're not using them.

I stand by my complaint that quantum physics is confusing as hell, but bring on the more efficient solar panels and the animated TED-Ed lessons. Also, I'll tolerate anything that involves (vegan) pasta and electromagnets, even when they don't look like lady-parts. Especially when they lead to this awesomeness:

And many were convinced Brookhaven scientists were using the cover of darkness to transport a UFO.

For decades, there has apparently been a persistent rumor that scientists at Brookhaven once responded to a UFO landing and have been secretly housing an alien spacecraft. The Muon g-2 ring, wrapped in white and covered in flashing lights, did nothing to dissuade these rumors.

“That’s a spaceship,” one man said. “I’m telling you. That’s a spaceship.” And he would hear no other explanation.

***
This kind of Facebook "advice" confuses me. I know I've said this before, but it's worth repeating: Facebook is a tool for people to overshare, show off, and post baby pictures; why are Facebook users offended when that's what their Facebook friends do? And what is it about other people's fabulous vacation pictures that are so threatening to you? Maybe channel some of that bitterness into planning a fabulous vacation for yourself? I'm not on Facebook, but I'm guilty of many of these behaviors on this blog. I try not to be overly solipsistic, but you've heard about my wisdom teeth drama (specifically mentioned in that article!) and my travels and my first-world problems. Look, if you don't want to read about it, don't read the blog.

Whether or not you're interested in the concept of the monomyth... I think this is my favorite thing, ever (this week):