Monday roundup

Cow's milk (or other animal-based milk) is not a nutritional necessity.

Two of my least favorite things--confined cows and static electricity--make for an explosive combination.

How do we feel about Monsanto cross-breeding for more nutritious veggies (without genetically modifying)? Syngenta's doing the same, through genetic modification.

The "ideology" of "gender" is a threat in Poland (seriously, read that--that $hit is hilarious) and "all your daughters will become lesbians" is a "surprisingly powerful" line of argument in Russia against Westernization (read that, too; it's Anne Applebaum's column on the myth of color revolutions).

Providence is the least bible-minded city in country.

Suketu Mehta responds to the Chua op-ed with many, many excellent points.

Yeah, marriage doesn't solve existing issues.

I'm not going to go around telling other people how to look, so I'm not arguing with the request not to tell the writer she looks better without makeup, but I'm going ot take issue with some of her assumptions--and with Matt Smith's (even though I generally appreciate his post, which I also linked to the other day). I can't speak for anyone else, nor do I claim to, but makeup is not an expected part of my professional uniform, and if it ever has been, I've chosen to ignore that expectation. (She acknowledges that it's not a part of every woman's, so I guess we hear each other.) As for Mr. Smith:

I do not need to spend tons of time putting on make-up every day.  Many women don't have that luxury.  And I don't have to spend all the money those cosmetics cost.  That's my male privilege.

It's also the privelege of every woman who says "f*, no, I'm not wasting time or money on that $hit." And yes, per the earlier post, I realize that not everyone has equal say in the matter, but that seems much more job-specific than gender-specific. I guess, along those lines, every woman can also say "f* no" to his next point, which is having to take greater precautions--or self-imposed limits--for safety, but that is much more gender-specific and the trade-off that everyone must make for herself, between limits and risks, is very real. No matter where any of us step on that spectrum, we're constantly reminded of our choices. Makeup is just not that salient (I realize that neither writer is suggesting that it is, but the point I'm making is that women don't have to wear makeup).

Makeup belongs more along the spectrum of things people try to sell us by fabricating imperfections. Case in point: eyebrow implants are a thing (certainly not one I have any need for).

I remember when I stopped weighing myself. It was long after I stopped caring--for a while, I weighed myself out of habit (and some curiosity). And then I really stopped caring. Now I weigh myself when I weigh my cat (I weigh us together and then myself to subtract my weight to get hers).

Sloths are so f*ing adorable. Each is also an ecosystem in and of itself.