Saturday roundup

If you're not loving what's going on in Egypt, I guess there's the Yemen model?

Lake Urnia has very sadly dried up.

Friedman explains the global economy by way of Turkey.

No, I don't think it should ever be illegal to raise a question, no matter how offensive, but I can tell you--coming from a family of Blockade survivors--that it's a really f*ing offensive question.

North Dakota is flaring--wait for it--a third of its natural gas.

Also needlessly wasteful: chicken wings.

Even those who are OK with eating some meat might want to pay attention to just how many dead animals Sunday’s wing binge requires: about 312.5 million dead chickens, if the NCC’s figures are correct.

Bad "facts" generally lead to bad policy, and the Superbowl human trafficking myth is no exception.

While we're clearing up misconceptions perpetuated by media cluelessness: Prof. Strassler on black holes.

I was about to go into fight mode but she's right: you don't need to worry about pesticides in your food for health reasons. You should, nonetheless, be mindful of pesticides in your food out of concern for the health of (1) the planet and (2) the people who grow and pick your food.

You probably also don't have to worry about parabens in your health and beauty products, but it would be nice if there were less of them.

The Times says ladyscaping is no longer cool, so make sure you adjust your lifestyle accordingly.

I don't disagree with this nuanced argument about Twitter being an equalizer and Jezebel being bestowed with some semblance of status as an institution, thus maybe having more responsibility for message than it would as an indie outlet. That piece also links to the haters, some of whom, predictably, seemed to have missed the point. And part of the point is that words do matter (and trolls are rampant) but we lose something by pouncing on every possible offense rather than finding common ground. And we especially need common ground when by the very definition of intersectionality, no one has a monopoly on being marginalized, and there's a lot at stake. Again, I'm not arguing for silencing anyone or drowning out anyone's voices; I'm merely making the case for more constructive dialogue.

Also not cool: pouncing on women for their appearance. I know it can be tempting--I've done it, too, because I couldn't help myself. 

See a Superbowl ad that's part of the problem? Let everyone know that you're #notbuyingit.

I don't need to add my two cents to the response to the "I saw a black woman at yoga" post but I will (1) link to this hilarious parody and (2) comment on the (non-racial) aspects of this response:
Yoga is/should be non-competitive; in any group exercise class, participants look at others for guidance (especially if you don't have a clear line of sight to the instructor), and the class should be challenging--if it's too easy, you're not getting enough out of it. As for skinny white girls like the one who wrote the original article--my friends and I were recently talking about this, and one friend recently described a group of them as a "gaggle"--we are so over twentysomethings. Grow the f* up.

We've been talking a lot about how marriage is not exactly a prize for women, in spite of society's best efforts to keep the myth alive because if women catch on and only start marrying for the right reasons (i.e., meeting someone compatible that they love), more and more dudes would have to fend for themselves and society may just collapse. Anyway, it's men who let themselves go after marriage.

Two thoughts, based on thoughts from Jennifer Ouellette's new book: shy is not the same as introverted and we are our stuff, but not in obvious ways, so be careful about your assumptions.

You can skip That Awkward Moment, says everyone and her grandmother.