Sunday morning roundup

More and more people are working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

Corn subsidies in myriad forms are one of the country's most infuriating wastes of money.

What else is in processed food? Petroleum.

Times have changed--get with it, Mr. President--and it's much harder to hate who you know. And being organized helps.

Why do we stigmatize shyness? We "watchful, slow-to-warm-up types" don't need Zoloft. A lot of this really explains some of RM's cluelessness:

Relaxed and exploratory, the rovers have fun, make friends and will take risks, both rewarding and dangerous ones, as they grow. According to Daniel Nettle, a Newcastle University evolutionary psychologist, extroverts are more likely than introverts to be hospitalized as a result of an injury, have affairs (men) and change relationships (women). One study of bus drivers even found that accidents are more likely to occur when extroverts are at the wheel.

In contrast, sitter children are careful and astute, and tend to learn by observing instead of by acting. They notice scary things more than other children do, but they also notice more things in general. Studies dating all the way back to the 1960’s by the psychologists Jerome Kagan and Ellen Siegelman found that cautious, solitary children playing matching games spent more time considering all the alternatives than impulsive children did, actually using more eye movements to make decisions. Recent studies by a group of scientists at Stony Brook University and at Chinese universities using functional M.R.I. technology echoed this research, finding that adults with sitter-like temperaments looked longer at pairs of photos with subtle differences and showed more activity in brain regions that make associations between the photos and other stored information in the brain...

Sitters’ temperaments also confer more subtle advantages. Anxiety, it seems, can serve an important social purpose; for example, it plays a key role in the development of some children’s consciences. When caregivers rebuke them for acting up, they become anxious, and since anxiety is unpleasant, they tend to develop pro-social behaviors. Shy children are often easier to socialize and more conscientious, according to the developmental psychologist Grazyna Kochanska. By 6 they’re less likely than their peers to cheat or break rules, even when they think they can’t be caught, according to one study. By 7 they’re more likely to be described by their parents as having high levels of moral traits such as empathy.

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me comes to the Times.

Saturday morning roundup

I imagine Lewis Carroll is turning over in his grave knowing that the Japanese nuclear industry used his characters to perpetuate a safety myth.

Don't let your elected representatives gut food system reform.

Did I already post this piece about food waste?

Last week's Post article focused on the uber-rich, but there's that other side of inequality.

Best quote out of New York:

Senator Mark J. Grisanti, a Republican from Buffalo, was the 33rd vote for the bill. “I apologize for those who feel offended,” Mr. Grisanti said, adding, “I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the people of my district and across this state, the State of New York, and those people who make this the great state that it is the same rights that I have with my wife.”

The Tea Party Patriots, however, apparently disagree that all taxpayers are created equal.

Real estate bidding wars are back, except they're more like skirmishes.

GOOD on vegan accessories, if you know what I mean.

Friday morning roundup and ramble

Environmentalists are all riled up with nowhere to go.

Really? That dolls define girls' personalities is news to me, even if there's one that apparently fits my demographic.

***
There's a lot of talk about how women have trouble saying 'no' to people, to their own detriment. I'm not saying I have this one figured out--after all, my roommate chronicles show that while I said 'no' all the time, I was uncomfortable being constantly put in that position and I often felt bad about it. I also found it especially difficult because RM was especially good at phrasing the demand as if it were a given. How do you say no to "we're family!" In retrospect, I should have just said, "really? what makes you say that? because I just met you." But that's easy to write after the fact and very, very difficult to say at the time.

And yet, I think I'm better than many women at saying 'no.' I did it at work just the other day. It was the perfect storm for a 'no': someone asked me something that (1) I didn't have to do; (2) didn't want to do; and (3) didn't have time to do; and the someone didn't ask very nicely.

When you go to ask someone to do something extremely tedious that they don't have to do, you ask like my friend/colleague Bill does: "I'm really sorry to ask you to do this, but we're really pressed for time and you're one of the only people who can do this." To which I always say, "of course! it's my job."

But when someone said, "do you have time to do [this extremely tedious task]?" I said no. He said 'what about next week?' At which point his teammate said, 'let's find someone else to do it.' But I would have been in my right to say 'no.'

Quick Thursday morning roundup

In memory of E.M. Broner.

Steve Pearlstein has had it with political discourse, and, thus, with punditry.

Very late Tuesday evening roundup

Fascinating FP article on the reality behind the collapse of the Soviet Union. I tend to distrust anything coming out of the AEI, but this is quite good and not ideological. Not the most important excerpt, but a good one:

Those who instilled this remarkable "break in consciousness" were no different from those who touched off the other classic revolutions of modern times: writers, journalists, artists. As Alexis de Tocqueville observed, such men and women "help to create that general awareness of dissatisfaction, that solidified public opinion, which … creates effective demand for revolutionary change." Suddenly, "the entire political education" of the nation becomes the "work of its men of letters."

See also Anne Applebaum's lament on what Mikhail Gorbachev has done with his post-Soviet life.

Ricks calls out Kristof and smug veterans.

Really great discussion about The Book of Mormon, most posts are worth reading (sadly, Arun Gandhi's is the most vapid). In keeping of the tradition of sharing pertinent Lewis Black clips, see this one: and here's Ricky Gervais for good measure:

Summer solstice roundup

In memory of Elena Georgievna Bonner.

Ambassador Eikenberry says what needed to be said. Which is not to say that our aid programs aren't inefficient. Dave Brooks says it's all irrelevant because the violence is rooted in tribalism, not poverty. I'm sure his colleague Tom Friedman would have something to say about that, but he's busy writing about the two-state solution.

It sucks to be poor in London.

For the sake of their eyesight, let your kids play outside.

There's no such thing as anonymity, says the anonymous blogger.

Monday evening roundup

Check out the hilarious shrimp-on-a-treadmill video at the bottom of this fact-checker post. Though it makes me feel kind of bad about eating shrimp (not that I do so often--I've been mostly completely vegan of late). Besides, Umbra says we sometimes-pescatarians needn't worry. Although Umbra also kind of annoys me by falling into the soy-has-issues-too trap--not because she says that soy has issues, but because she cites genetic engineering as the issue. Let me tell you, again, that you're more likely to consume genetically engineered soy by eating meat, because that's what your meat probably eats. It's nearly impossible to buy genetically engineered soy milk or tofu--Whole Foods and Trader Joe's only sell organic (which is not GE) and even H-Mart's store-brand tofu is non-GE. Now, if you're consuming a lot of Boca burgers or other processed foods, chances are GE soy was used, but it's also probably the least of your concerns if you eat processed foods often.

The Post had a big article on income inequality over the weekend but it's kind of blah. Ezra Klein's explanation of why reminds me of Lewis Black's personal ball washer:

Oh, here's another newsflash about as surprising as growing income inequality: Fox News has a partisan ideological agenda.

Props to CNN for pointing out, in this era of antagonism toward bikes, that bicycles are an amazing thing. Minus props to CNN for the incredibly silly summary to the side, which counts on people not knowing who Susan B. Anthony was. Besides, what does "stay-at-home wives or daughters" even mean?

Title of Show to the rescue, again

I'm once again experiencing some doubt and frustration with regard to something I've written, and "Die, Vampire, Die!" doesn't quite fit what's plaguing me. But "Nine People's Favorite Thing, also from "Title of Show," does:

We can either follow our instinct
Or take advice from every joker
We can either be distinct
Or wind up merely mediocre

Sunday morning roundup

Mexican cartels have diversified.

Another idea for a Yemen policy.

Our latest import from Japan seems to be chemical suicide, which can also physically harm other people. What does it also say about what's in our household products?

The Archbishop of New York is a hypocrite.

For anyone else drowning in CSA greens, here's Mark Bittman to the rescue.

Questions can be more fun than answers. This concept sums up my gradual transition in college from hard science to social science to literature.

I'll get the Post later.

Real America

The metro area I call home is not known for its kindness. This is where people come to lose touch with what it's like in the rest of the country. Stay here, in the nation's capital, too long, and lose sight of everything that's important. And while I'm not going to defend the nation's politics, which have been making me especially sick to my stomach of late, I'm going to defend my adopted hometown. To neglect to do so would be ungrateful.

On Thursday, my bike acted up on the way to work. I was able to get there and figured I'd be able to get home, but a few miles from my house--thankfully once the rain had ceased to pour itself down--my bike just stopped. I turned it over to try to figure out what was wrong. Three people biked by within minutes, all of whom asked if they could help (by the third, I said yes). He helped me identify the problem, and I was soon on my way. Then, this morning, I blew a tire on the beltway, called emergency roadside assistance, and took out the spare and the tools (I've changed a tire before, years ago, but my memory was rusty and I didn't want to be hanging out outside the car). But two guys pulled over and helped me before the company got there. Then, when my car wouldn't start, they turned their car around and jumped mine. It took them ages to turn back around safely. And they were totally nice about it.

None of this is extraordinary, I guess. I'd do the same--I've stopped to help people with their bikes, and I'd do so with cars if I were better at it. But it is kind of amazing, and my week is that much saner for it.

On a less cheezy note, never leave the house by car without a spare or jumper cables!

Saturday morning roundup

Some states are playing politics with people's livelihoods. Of course, there is a small part of me that I am not entirely proud of that has little sympathy or at least much annoyance for people on cholesterol medication (including my parents). Stop eating animals and see if you'll still need that medication. Yes, yes, I know high cholesterol can be genetic and also unrelated to dietary cholesterol, but seriously: stop eating animal products. See where that gets you.

The rash of Navy firings over unprofessional behavior made me think of my former roommate.

Another consequence of cheap food is food waste on an epic scale.

Mint has dinged me for exceeding my "arts" budget this month, mostly because it's the time of year to renew theater subscriptions. But it got me thinking whether I was "overspending" on theater and ballet, whatever that means. Without comparing my own spending to anyone else's, I answered 'no,' not only because "arts" is one of the best things to spend on/an investment in my soul/support for arts institutions, etc. Which are the most important reasons. But also for the very basic arithmetical fact that if I weren't out at a play, I'd probably be out shopping, spending the same amount of money on crap (clothes, household goods, etc.). Furthermore, since Mint made this handy video, I see that I spend on two plays what the average Mint user spends on a month of fast food. And my monthly arts spending is less than half--maybe a third--of what people spend in bars and restaurants.

Friday evening roundup

Don't do it, Senator.

Why are my people so tacky?

This is about scientists, but I know that creative types also suffer from imposter syndrome.

Your non-vegan guide to the countries of the Middle East.

Your vegan guide to dessert.

Eat shit, not meat.

Quick Friday morning roundup

Okay, I still don't think it's fair to compare atheists to other groups subject to discrimination. But that may be because the discrimination is most felt among some families and some employers (friends in the military, for example, have complained), so the rest of us are oblivious to it.

It's the middle of 2011, and you're telling me that just offering vegetarian choices in restaurants is revolutionary?

Last night's Word

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Wednesday morning roundup

Another shameful subsidy: coal. And for what? Cross-state pollution? And please don't bullshit us about how renewable energy takes a higher toll.

Eat your fruits and vegetables; pesticides are no excuse. Just don't get tomatoes from Florida.

Wednesday morning roundup

As Sicily's mafia tries to get in on the green energy industry, businesspeople say they prefer dealing with them than with corrupt politicians.

Your tax dollars at waste.

Save the very ceremonious graduations for after fifth grade.

Gum-wad art is awesome.

Tuesday morning roundup

Glenn Kessler fact-checks last night's debate.

It's not a good time to have ever been a moderate or pragmatist.

The point I'm about to make is not the main one of this column asking that we reclaim Uncle Tom, but it's related: it's unfortunate that dramatizing a book led to its oversimplification and to undue sentimentality, at the expense of depth and truth to the characters.

Monday evening roundup

I've been wondering whether it'll get to the point where I'll get so disaffected that I'll sit out the next election because I'll figure it won't make a difference. Why does this Administration hate the ocean? I know what you're going to say: the other candidate not only hates the oceans but hates women and hates clean air and sustainable agriculture even more than this President. But I'm starting to wonder whether it's diminishing returns.

The government doesn't subsidize what it preaches. Still, there's hope.

If the antibiotics fit hitting the shan isn't enough impetus to stand up to Big Ag, I don't know what is.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/10/liberte_egalite_virilite

Monday morning roundup

Weinergate is about narcissism, not adultery.

Only get local tomatoes. Seriously--it's not a pretty industry.

Bruce Babbitt is disappointed with the President's environmental negligence, and so is the Times' editorial page, and so am I.

Sunday morning roundup

The Pakistani government tortures journalists.

Reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is very treacherous journalistic territory. And there's a chance of turbulence ahead.

I've walked away from buying tickets because of exhorbitant Ticketmaster fees.

The comedians are spot-on.

Alexandria residents want parks, not hotels, along the waterfront. Did you know that that story is on the front page of the Metro section, but nearly impossible to find online?

DC loses its bike lady.