The boy who lived, to tailor for generations of presidents.
The truth about Poland (and missile defense).
Mexico notices poor kids when they look white.
We'll notice climate change when it costs us celebrities.
DC notices crime when people get killed or have Halloween candy stolen.
Canadians are generally not averse to immigrants from across the border.
Is it petty that listening to Mayor Bloomberg speak Spanish pains my ears? Could he have found an aide with better pronunciation to do it?
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Thursday morning roundup
China's successful professionals are leaving in droves "...to live in a more transparent and democratic society."
France's socialists are fighting amongst themselves.
The late Letitia Baldridge would not have us clink our glasses.
Twitter is a medium like any other. Users can use it for good or evil, i.e., truth or misinformation. It's up to the community and people's common sense (what a dangerous thing to rely on!) to filter through the crap. But you can't assign the medium itself a policing or censorship or fact-checking role.
New Yorkers will be New Yorkers.
This is pretty cool throughout, but if you're in a hurry it gets real around 2:30.
I practically inhale chipotles, but these super-hot peppers are scary.
France's socialists are fighting amongst themselves.
The late Letitia Baldridge would not have us clink our glasses.
Twitter is a medium like any other. Users can use it for good or evil, i.e., truth or misinformation. It's up to the community and people's common sense (what a dangerous thing to rely on!) to filter through the crap. But you can't assign the medium itself a policing or censorship or fact-checking role.
New Yorkers will be New Yorkers.
This is pretty cool throughout, but if you're in a hurry it gets real around 2:30.
I practically inhale chipotles, but these super-hot peppers are scary.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday evening roundup
Some of those lost to the storm.
So maybe instead of holding colleges to the lower standard of the rest of the justice system, we should call for justice system reform to more effectively address sexual assault? Put the "justice" back in the system, if you will? Rather than saying, 'look, that's just the way it is because that's the nature of the crime' (rarely are there witnesses; perpetrator exploits victim's sense of confusion about events; and especially in the case of students, that confusion leads to delayed reporting and submission of medical evidence), let's create a justice system that deals with this hugely widespread crime. The writer probably doesn't intend it, but her argument reads like 'boys will be boys, women do themselves no favors, and there's only so much college administrations and courts can do.' She does make some useful proposals (education, etc.) but let's take some of the onus off of the victims, which will in turn deter the crime.
Speaking of colleges, if you're going to protest sweatshops, do it intelligently.
It's not easy having a difficult mother.
I don't care what the study says, I'm going to say 'hell no,' and I have plenty of data points.
So maybe instead of holding colleges to the lower standard of the rest of the justice system, we should call for justice system reform to more effectively address sexual assault? Put the "justice" back in the system, if you will? Rather than saying, 'look, that's just the way it is because that's the nature of the crime' (rarely are there witnesses; perpetrator exploits victim's sense of confusion about events; and especially in the case of students, that confusion leads to delayed reporting and submission of medical evidence), let's create a justice system that deals with this hugely widespread crime. The writer probably doesn't intend it, but her argument reads like 'boys will be boys, women do themselves no favors, and there's only so much college administrations and courts can do.' She does make some useful proposals (education, etc.) but let's take some of the onus off of the victims, which will in turn deter the crime.
Speaking of colleges, if you're going to protest sweatshops, do it intelligently.
It's not easy having a difficult mother.
I don't care what the study says, I'm going to say 'hell no,' and I have plenty of data points.
I love the text of this tweet, which tells us a lot about the pressures of parenting in our society: @HugoLindgren "'How do you raise a prodigy?' Rare parenting story that doesn't make you hate the author, yourself or other parents." My favorite excerpt:
And another:Natasha later said she saw nothing strange in a musician’s ability to express emotions she has not experienced. “Had I experienced them, that wouldn’t necessarily help me to express them better in my music. I’m an actress, not a character; my job is to represent something, not to live it. Chopin wrote a mazurka, Person X in the audience wants to hear the mazurka and so I have to decipher the score and make it apprehensible to Person X, and it’s really hard to do. But it has nothing to do with my life experience.”
My research on prodigies echoed my study of children with other differences. Sue Petersen compared her experience to having a child with a wooden leg; May Armstrong saw common ground with parents of disabled children; and I realized that parenthood always entails perplexity and that the valence of that perplexity matters less than the spirit with which parents respond to it. Half the prodigies I studied seemed to be under pressure to be even more astonishing than they naturally were, and the other half, to be more ordinary than their talents. Studying their families, I gradually recognized that all parenting is guesswork, and that difference of any kind, positive or negative, makes the guessing harder.Amen to raising our standards for dating.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday evening roundup and ramble
This is what happens when you let religious institutions restrict options for women's medical care.
Yoko should be credited for inspiration at the very least, not blamed for destruction.
The Post has some Sandy before-and-afters but you have to check out the crazy pictures on the Times' site, especially the submerged cabs in Hoboken.
I talked to my parents, all our New Yorkers are okay. One lost her car to flooding, but that's the least of her concerns.
***
A friend of mine took me to task the other day for not having hosted a cheese fondue party in a while. You have to understand, he and I have both spent lots of time in France (and in my case, in Switzerland) and we love our fondue. I told him I'd come up with a nut-cheese recipe and host a fondue dinner. I bought Russell James' Cheese book (and the others as well) but had to turn to Pinterest for a fondue recipe.
Yoko should be credited for inspiration at the very least, not blamed for destruction.
The Post has some Sandy before-and-afters but you have to check out the crazy pictures on the Times' site, especially the submerged cabs in Hoboken.
I talked to my parents, all our New Yorkers are okay. One lost her car to flooding, but that's the least of her concerns.
***
A friend of mine took me to task the other day for not having hosted a cheese fondue party in a while. You have to understand, he and I have both spent lots of time in France (and in my case, in Switzerland) and we love our fondue. I told him I'd come up with a nut-cheese recipe and host a fondue dinner. I bought Russell James' Cheese book (and the others as well) but had to turn to Pinterest for a fondue recipe.
Tuesday afternoon rambles
I always knew there was a problem with that caveman diet. As with every other high-protein/low-fat diet, people see results because it's preferable to the standard American diet of Cheetos and Hohos. But it's still problematic:
***
I'm not the only one who had to make sure I had enough wine to get me through the storm. The storm also had me craving comfort foods, so even more decadence today. Yesterday, all my fats were healthy; today, less so, since I had a quesadilla (Follow Your Heart jack cheese). I've also been snacking on the extra real-pumpkin muffins I made to bring to work (though those are made entirely with healthy fats--flax for eggs and rice bran for oil--and not too much sugar). But really, I need to stop snacking on them nonetheless.
***
I spent the morning working from home, which served to remind me why I don't do it more often, unless it's absolutely necessary: slow connection, one monitor, too much isolation--even for me. and Gracie was even quiet this morning; usually she's whining at my heels when I'm trying to work. Still, I'm glad I was able to do it; otherwise, tomorrow would be even more of a stress monster.
***
Per AAdvantageGeek's advice, I called Bose. They were professional, polite, and on it. We'll see whether the points post, but I really should have just dealt with them in the first place rather than AAdvantage customer service.
A new chemical analysis of modern diets suggests Stone Age humans ate less meat than thought.
The findings, published in the November issue of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, may explain why many archaeologists estimate that prehistoric people got most of their calories from lean meat or fish when modern humans would be literally poisoned by such a protein-heavy diet.
"When you look at estimates of people's diets in early archaeological interpretations, it's very animal-protein heavy, and that's very hard to explain physiologically," said study author Tamsin O'Connell, a University of Cambridge researcher. "We are suggesting that animal proteins were less important overall."You know there's a problem when your 'paleo' friends snub their noses at oats, possibly the healthiest food on the planet, because the cavemen didn't eat it.
***
I'm not the only one who had to make sure I had enough wine to get me through the storm. The storm also had me craving comfort foods, so even more decadence today. Yesterday, all my fats were healthy; today, less so, since I had a quesadilla (Follow Your Heart jack cheese). I've also been snacking on the extra real-pumpkin muffins I made to bring to work (though those are made entirely with healthy fats--flax for eggs and rice bran for oil--and not too much sugar). But really, I need to stop snacking on them nonetheless.
***
I spent the morning working from home, which served to remind me why I don't do it more often, unless it's absolutely necessary: slow connection, one monitor, too much isolation--even for me. and Gracie was even quiet this morning; usually she's whining at my heels when I'm trying to work. Still, I'm glad I was able to do it; otherwise, tomorrow would be even more of a stress monster.
***
Per AAdvantageGeek's advice, I called Bose. They were professional, polite, and on it. We'll see whether the points post, but I really should have just dealt with them in the first place rather than AAdvantage customer service.
Tuesday morning roundup
Democracy in the Ukraine is really, really hurting.
Matt Bai on the importance of narrative.
Do you verbify?
The people had better had compelling reasons to be on the road. I am very lucky to have gotten through (most of) this thing with my roof intact, trees upright, and power sustained. It's actually perfectly still out right now, just very wet. I'd go to work, but the Metro's still down. The old fence--the privacy fence adjacent to my neighbors' yard--came down, but all the new fencing has stood up.
Okay, since I have power, I should telework.
Matt Bai on the importance of narrative.
Do you verbify?
The people had better had compelling reasons to be on the road. I am very lucky to have gotten through (most of) this thing with my roof intact, trees upright, and power sustained. It's actually perfectly still out right now, just very wet. I'd go to work, but the Metro's still down. The old fence--the privacy fence adjacent to my neighbors' yard--came down, but all the new fencing has stood up.
Okay, since I have power, I should telework.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Monday night roundup
It's annoying and interesting that the Post organizes its columns by 'left wing' and 'right wing,' because I don't normally go searching for one or the other, and what does it mean that the Post expects people to? I agree and disagree with writers of both persuasions. I think Jennifer Rubin is an angry, disingenuous waste of space, not necessarily because I disagree with her but because she's blatantly selective with her facts. I find that Kathleen Parker makes at least as many good points as bad ones, and I rarely if ever find fault with Anne Applebaum. Below, I praise David Frum. From the other side, Richard Cohen has been bothering me a lot lately. Starting with when he wrote about 'leading from behind' being an 'indictable offense.' Please. What would you do with Syria? Realistically. What. Would. You. Do. If you were actually responsible for military forces and intelligence assets and funds, and their consequences, i.e., if your job weren't just waxing idealistic about other people's foreign policy decisions.
More recently, or just now, this piece just irked the hell out of me. Like I said/implied, I don't have a problem with legitimate policy disagreements or critiques, but I can't help but find that Cohen is using his column to air his personal dislike of the President, which is largely based on the President's being an introvert. I don't care what Richard Cohen personally thinks of anyone, and I'm not surprised Nora Ephron hated him when she first met him (by his own admission). More importantly, I don't understand why the Post pays Richard Cohen to air his personal dislikes. If I wanted to hear someone's unsubstantiated personal opinion, I'd call my mother. I gave Cohen a pass when he took cheap shots after Amb. Holbrooke's funeral, because Cohen himself was in mourning, but where does it stop? Just because someone doesn't handle a situation with the same outward effusiveness that you would, it doesn't mean he or she doesn't care. This isn't a political argument. If anything, it's personal; as someone who's had to contend with others' (my mother, RM) accusing me of heartlessness for not showing affection or emotion the same way they do (or in the way to which they for some reason feel entitled), I just don't think it's fair.
Look, the internet is a big series of tubes where people can express themselves, without an editor or publisher determining whether those expressions are worthy of publication. I appreciate that, especially as a blogger. But at what point does it threaten the Post as an institution when its columnists take to its albeit-online pages to administer petty personal critiques?
***
This starts out as the best response to the Mourdock comments yet.
Best collection of dating advice, ever.
***
Did I tell you that mom's talking to me again? And in the few Skype video calls since, including tonight (I've been staying off the cell during the storm in case I lose power), she asked me what was wrong with my hair. Twice. I'm not sure how anyone would answer that question, unless the 'wrong' pertained to a style formed by voltage. So she asked me whether I 'always' wear it 'like that.' I said no, not always. Apparently, like the busybody at the party the other day, mom thinks I need to invest in a beauty day.ocxz
More recently, or just now, this piece just irked the hell out of me. Like I said/implied, I don't have a problem with legitimate policy disagreements or critiques, but I can't help but find that Cohen is using his column to air his personal dislike of the President, which is largely based on the President's being an introvert. I don't care what Richard Cohen personally thinks of anyone, and I'm not surprised Nora Ephron hated him when she first met him (by his own admission). More importantly, I don't understand why the Post pays Richard Cohen to air his personal dislikes. If I wanted to hear someone's unsubstantiated personal opinion, I'd call my mother. I gave Cohen a pass when he took cheap shots after Amb. Holbrooke's funeral, because Cohen himself was in mourning, but where does it stop? Just because someone doesn't handle a situation with the same outward effusiveness that you would, it doesn't mean he or she doesn't care. This isn't a political argument. If anything, it's personal; as someone who's had to contend with others' (my mother, RM) accusing me of heartlessness for not showing affection or emotion the same way they do (or in the way to which they for some reason feel entitled), I just don't think it's fair.
Look, the internet is a big series of tubes where people can express themselves, without an editor or publisher determining whether those expressions are worthy of publication. I appreciate that, especially as a blogger. But at what point does it threaten the Post as an institution when its columnists take to its albeit-online pages to administer petty personal critiques?
***
This starts out as the best response to the Mourdock comments yet.
Best collection of dating advice, ever.
***
Did I tell you that mom's talking to me again? And in the few Skype video calls since, including tonight (I've been staying off the cell during the storm in case I lose power), she asked me what was wrong with my hair. Twice. I'm not sure how anyone would answer that question, unless the 'wrong' pertained to a style formed by voltage. So she asked me whether I 'always' wear it 'like that.' I said no, not always. Apparently, like the busybody at the party the other day, mom thinks I need to invest in a beauty day.ocxz
Frankenstorm roundup
Lakes have tsunami potential.
India has potential to become less of a clusterf*.
I know duty is duty, but please give these guys the day off when the weather worsens.
Um, Mourdock expected high-fives?
We had a great laugh over this last month when it hit the print edition. Men. Yes, ladies: this guy is for real; get out your helicopter skis.
For the thirtieth time, isolated nutrients are not the answer.
Another list of food label definitions. Do be wary of the 'multigrain' trap; I didn't know about the dyes, but it doesn't surprise me. I rolled my eyes at 'free range isn't necessarily healthier'--I guess it's not enough that it would be less cruel (if it actually meant anything, but as the article pointed out, it's not enforced in any way). On the topic of whether organic's healthier... a friend noted, and I agreed, that sometimes you can taste pesticide residues on food and it tastes gross. I liken it to bug spray. I've experienced this almost every time I've had to buy conventional apples, and she and I both noted it with respect to grapes.
Yup, this was me two months ago.
F*. I really wanted to go to work tomorrow. Not least because Gracie is driving me crazy, but also because I have $hit to do. Like, a lot of it.
India has potential to become less of a clusterf*.
I know duty is duty, but please give these guys the day off when the weather worsens.
Um, Mourdock expected high-fives?
We had a great laugh over this last month when it hit the print edition. Men. Yes, ladies: this guy is for real; get out your helicopter skis.
For the thirtieth time, isolated nutrients are not the answer.
Another list of food label definitions. Do be wary of the 'multigrain' trap; I didn't know about the dyes, but it doesn't surprise me. I rolled my eyes at 'free range isn't necessarily healthier'--I guess it's not enough that it would be less cruel (if it actually meant anything, but as the article pointed out, it's not enforced in any way). On the topic of whether organic's healthier... a friend noted, and I agreed, that sometimes you can taste pesticide residues on food and it tastes gross. I liken it to bug spray. I've experienced this almost every time I've had to buy conventional apples, and she and I both noted it with respect to grapes.
Yup, this was me two months ago.
F*. I really wanted to go to work tomorrow. Not least because Gracie is driving me crazy, but also because I have $hit to do. Like, a lot of it.
Monday morning roundup and ramble
Liberal Europe has a Jewish problem.
This is eerily reminiscent of one of the bullets I dodged when my last relationship ended. More on that in my ramble.
Those of us with CSA veggies will love this quinoa-vegetable paella recipe (turnips and fava beans and carrots and more!). I don't know where one gets "very young artichokes" so I'll use canned ones; That reminds me, I meant to get asparagus. Would it be foolish to make a run to Giant some time today?
Speaking of recipes, the Times (Recipes for Health) features kabocha (or butternut as a replacement, but I love kabocha). These recipes are mostly very easily veganizable; only the lasagne could be iffy, but I intend to try it.
I was actually tempted to go to work but Metro is shut down and I'm not biking. I'm really hoping things (i.e., work, Metro) are open tomorrow.
***
Ramble: I was talking to an acquaintance (at the party I went to on Saturday) who's not quite a smug married but still feels positioned to pry and give unsolicited advice. This all came up because she had offered to set up another friend who was there, and then turned to me. I had not talked to her about my relationship (she'd heard that it ended from a mutual friend), and when she asked what happened, I said politely that I was done talking about it. But she asked again on Saturday: "Was it that your ex-bf didn't call back? Because sometimes people change their minds..." I let her know that that was not the issue and that I was infinitely better off out of that relationship than in it. Even in the first days post-breakup, when I was busy divesting myself with material (and digital) signs of him (stuff he left around the house, stuff he gave me, his info that would autofill on my computer) friends urged me not to be so hasty, I was certain beyond a doubt that I wanted that man out of my life. She couldn't have known that, but she might have figured that I didn't need someone who hardly knew me to offer advice. She then proceeded to suggest that I spring for a 'beauty day,' like a friend of hers did--get my hair and make-up done, etc. Shrug (see my "read a book or something" comments in other posts). Done-up hair and especially make-up is not me, and so it is counterproductive to try to attract someone with a look that I have no intention of maintaining, ever. The men out there who want to date women who like like Barbie are entitled to do so, but they have no business dating me and I have no business playing Barbie for a day in order to convince them to date me. Let them date Barbie. I want to date people who want to date me.
To be clear: I've ranted on in these pages about the general state of unwash (not to mention the state of illiteracy) of the eligible men in this city. I am not trying to match their level of unwash (it would be a challenge if I were). What I am saying is that someone who already puts a basic level of care into my appearance, and whose definition of basic care does not include face-painting, it would be best to date someone who is comfortable with that level.
The irony was, I'm not sure when the woman providing this unsolicited advice last put any thought into her own appearance. That is her choice, but is it also her hypocrisy? Or is it her double-standard: she's married, so she's in a position to let herself go. This brings me back to my point: my relationship or marital status will never put me in a position to let myself go, because I set my level of maintenance for me. Not everyone has to like it, and not everyone has to date me, but I'm going to date the people who want to date me as I am.
This is eerily reminiscent of one of the bullets I dodged when my last relationship ended. More on that in my ramble.
Those of us with CSA veggies will love this quinoa-vegetable paella recipe (turnips and fava beans and carrots and more!). I don't know where one gets "very young artichokes" so I'll use canned ones; That reminds me, I meant to get asparagus. Would it be foolish to make a run to Giant some time today?
Speaking of recipes, the Times (Recipes for Health) features kabocha (or butternut as a replacement, but I love kabocha). These recipes are mostly very easily veganizable; only the lasagne could be iffy, but I intend to try it.
I was actually tempted to go to work but Metro is shut down and I'm not biking. I'm really hoping things (i.e., work, Metro) are open tomorrow.
***
Ramble: I was talking to an acquaintance (at the party I went to on Saturday) who's not quite a smug married but still feels positioned to pry and give unsolicited advice. This all came up because she had offered to set up another friend who was there, and then turned to me. I had not talked to her about my relationship (she'd heard that it ended from a mutual friend), and when she asked what happened, I said politely that I was done talking about it. But she asked again on Saturday: "Was it that your ex-bf didn't call back? Because sometimes people change their minds..." I let her know that that was not the issue and that I was infinitely better off out of that relationship than in it. Even in the first days post-breakup, when I was busy divesting myself with material (and digital) signs of him (stuff he left around the house, stuff he gave me, his info that would autofill on my computer) friends urged me not to be so hasty, I was certain beyond a doubt that I wanted that man out of my life. She couldn't have known that, but she might have figured that I didn't need someone who hardly knew me to offer advice. She then proceeded to suggest that I spring for a 'beauty day,' like a friend of hers did--get my hair and make-up done, etc. Shrug (see my "read a book or something" comments in other posts). Done-up hair and especially make-up is not me, and so it is counterproductive to try to attract someone with a look that I have no intention of maintaining, ever. The men out there who want to date women who like like Barbie are entitled to do so, but they have no business dating me and I have no business playing Barbie for a day in order to convince them to date me. Let them date Barbie. I want to date people who want to date me.
To be clear: I've ranted on in these pages about the general state of unwash (not to mention the state of illiteracy) of the eligible men in this city. I am not trying to match their level of unwash (it would be a challenge if I were). What I am saying is that someone who already puts a basic level of care into my appearance, and whose definition of basic care does not include face-painting, it would be best to date someone who is comfortable with that level.
The irony was, I'm not sure when the woman providing this unsolicited advice last put any thought into her own appearance. That is her choice, but is it also her hypocrisy? Or is it her double-standard: she's married, so she's in a position to let herself go. This brings me back to my point: my relationship or marital status will never put me in a position to let myself go, because I set my level of maintenance for me. Not everyone has to like it, and not everyone has to date me, but I'm going to date the people who want to date me as I am.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday evening roundup
Now that I've had my meltdown--induced by multiple attempts to shrink-wrap my back door-windows--here's the rest of your roundup.
Meningitis victims--and surviving relatives--have not been accorded honesty and transparency.
A Montgomery County synagogue grapples with a case of endless moral dilemmas, and no easy answers. Either way--and I cite these words without applying them to the conflict in question--let us all, this election season, keep in mind the following:
Japan is stuck in a state of 'meh.'
Russia's dissidents keep on keepin' on (and getting arrested for it).
It should surprise no one that Anne Applebaum's "Iron Curtain" is deemed sophisticated and edifying.
A new book about the stupidly depleted Atlantic is a cautionary tale for the planet as a whole.
A book and an article each raise questions about Army leadership (past, present, and future).
Not for the first time, Mark Bowden advocates for torture.
My theater-going is certainly down from last year, but that has nothing to do with the election; it's because so much of what I saw last year, disappointed. And I got sick of wasting my time (and money) at disappointing shows. So I've become more careful.
Many have slammed Naomi Wolf's latest book, but none (to my knowledge) as amusingly as Liza Mundy. And it's tragic that the book disappoints, because I'm enamored of its message: "Men, show some effort. It's not that hard! "Make the restaurant reservation.""
Also amusing: the Style Invitational (report from week 990).
Mark Bittman on the term 'foodie':
Wait, I don't have to go to work tomorrow? But, I have $hit to do. Like, a lot of it. And I can't do any of it from home. I almost don't know what to do with myself. Oooh, I'll read a book or something (more likely, the New Yorker, since I'm an issue behind). And I'll make the most of my new exercise bands and dozen stability balls. Ooh, and I'll seal the front door windows and call Bose.
Meningitis victims--and surviving relatives--have not been accorded honesty and transparency.
A Montgomery County synagogue grapples with a case of endless moral dilemmas, and no easy answers. Either way--and I cite these words without applying them to the conflict in question--let us all, this election season, keep in mind the following:
Generosity of thought, willingness to explore the concepts and words of the other side, is a core criterion of holy, righteous communication...
Mordechai Kaplan, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, wrote: “From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth; from the laziness that is content with half-truths; from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth – O, God of truth, deliver us.” Amen.
To hold our positions humbly means knowing we could be wrong. God knows all; we don’t. We should continually try to learn more, surrounding ourselves with people whose experiences and knowledge bases differ.Cory Booker has managed his share of miracles, but needs more.
Japan is stuck in a state of 'meh.'
Russia's dissidents keep on keepin' on (and getting arrested for it).
It should surprise no one that Anne Applebaum's "Iron Curtain" is deemed sophisticated and edifying.
A new book about the stupidly depleted Atlantic is a cautionary tale for the planet as a whole.
A book and an article each raise questions about Army leadership (past, present, and future).
Not for the first time, Mark Bowden advocates for torture.
My theater-going is certainly down from last year, but that has nothing to do with the election; it's because so much of what I saw last year, disappointed. And I got sick of wasting my time (and money) at disappointing shows. So I've become more careful.
Many have slammed Naomi Wolf's latest book, but none (to my knowledge) as amusingly as Liza Mundy. And it's tragic that the book disappoints, because I'm enamored of its message: "Men, show some effort. It's not that hard! "Make the restaurant reservation.""
Also amusing: the Style Invitational (report from week 990).
Mark Bittman on the term 'foodie':
I hate that word. Everybody eats. So these are people who are obsessed with ingredients but don't know how to cook, or people who are obsessed with eating in restaurants but don't know how to cook or don't think at all about how food is raised or where it comes from? If those are foodies, I want no part of that. If foodie describes someone who is obsessed with things, I don't want any part of that either. If it were agreed that foodie describes people who care about the food they eat, where it comes from, how it was prepared, I'm fine with it, but I don't think that that's what it describes. I think it describes, more often than not, a vague hipster who eats in restaurants all the time and knows who just won Top Chef. I'm more interested in cooks -- a perfectly fine word -- and people who care about real food.I have no idea who won Top Chef, ever. Actually, I know one of one guy, because an actual foodie told me about him and he just opened an overpriced restaurant near my office. I do, as you know, care about real food. And I was just pondering the joys of my decadent high-fat diet (just today: flax seeds, pistachios, avocado, pesto, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, turnip fries, tofu scramble...). I also thought about how skin-friendly so much of my food was, since I ended up putting the excess avocado and the inner pumpkin peel on my skin.
Wait, I don't have to go to work tomorrow? But, I have $hit to do. Like, a lot of it. And I can't do any of it from home. I almost don't know what to do with myself. Oooh, I'll read a book or something (more likely, the New Yorker, since I'm an issue behind). And I'll make the most of my new exercise bands and dozen stability balls. Ooh, and I'll seal the front door windows and call Bose.
Sunday morning roundup, Part I
If you think the political rhetoric on rape is absurd stateside, India's will bring your head to the brink of explosion:
So maybe universities in the US can aspire to handle sexual assault at least somewhat better than Indian villages do. The competition is on. And maybe we can build the political will in this country to get rid of parental rights for rapists, now a despicable reality in 31 states. Don't forget to vote next Tuesday.
Tom Friedman reclaims what it really means to be pro-life.
***
Can we all just lay off the gifs? It's really distracting when you're trying to read otherwise worthwhile articles. In terms of the content of the article, once you get past the annoying gif, I couldn't agree more: anything billed as "one weird trick," whether its' for weight loss or finding love, is BS. I'd never clicked on the "one weird trick" ads, so I can't tell you what it was, but I can still confidently tell you it's BS. I have listened to a lot of "self-"help advice about dating, and I've come to find the "one thing" highly offensive, because it's usually blaming women for not sufficiently catering to men's egos. Search these pages for the review of "Celeste and Jesse Forever," [bottom line: fun movie, hilarious, great lines, but disturbing message of 'woman punished for not accommodating the man-child that is her husband'].
***
Tom Philpott on Ikaria:
On a related note, someone at a party yesterday said to me, upon the hostess' referencing something I couldn't eat, "being vegan must be very hard." I should prepare a more articulate statement, and maybe have cards printed with the response. How much of the question is based on people's not realizing that they eat food that happens to be vegan all the time, without noticing? When the hostess had apologized that there wasn't anything vegan--she'd planned on making something but ran out of time--I reassured her that there was plenty of vegan food on her table (hummus, guacamole, salad, fruit, etc.).
***
Jessica Bennett's clueless rant makes me roll my eyes, even though it's just a few years old. She entirely misses the point of fashion writing in general, and in particular, the genius of Robin Givhan's fashion writing, which so acutely captures the social significance of people's style choices. You might notice that nowhere in the original article does she criticize Elana Kagan; she just does what a fashion writer does: she observes (and writes up) what's different about her style and body language. I guess my position on this--Bennett's umbrage leaves me nonplussed--reflects the position I articulated yesterday: style matters, and so does body language. It's not the be-all-end-all, but it has an influence that can't be shamed away. It bothers me when people of either gender who command our attention display poor posture. And Givhan is absolutely right to point out that style choices can age you. And otherwise help define you to others. She puts it more artfully:
And is this really true?
And in the words of a third (already excerpted above), "the commercially minded are selling a fantasy." And an easy fix to all that is lacking, in our minds. People selling us things are going to make it look like, in the absence of those things, we're ugly losers; that's their job. Our job is to roll our eyes and love ourselves the way we are. To realize that there's not 'one weird trick' that'll fix all our problems, not even if it gives us Doutzen Kroes' abs (which, by the way, are more formidable in the 'before' pictures).
And fashion writers are going to analyze the style choices of public figures, which includes putting those choices in context to better convey their meaning to the reader. That's their job. There is so much real misogyny out there to be upset about (see parental rights for rapists, above), and sure, minor cases of objectification do fit into a larger societal message of "women's bodies are not theirs." But let's pick our battles and not stifle reasonable commentary by crying 'sexist,' etc. at every turn.
***
Alright, all: I'd better bring the plants in and stuff. Then I'll get you whatever's good in the Post.
“I think that girls should be married at the age of 16, so that they have their husbands for their sexual needs, and they don’t need to go elsewhere,” the village leader, Sube Singh, told IBN Live, a news channel. “This way rapes will not occur.”
So maybe universities in the US can aspire to handle sexual assault at least somewhat better than Indian villages do. The competition is on. And maybe we can build the political will in this country to get rid of parental rights for rapists, now a despicable reality in 31 states. Don't forget to vote next Tuesday.
Tom Friedman reclaims what it really means to be pro-life.
***
Can we all just lay off the gifs? It's really distracting when you're trying to read otherwise worthwhile articles. In terms of the content of the article, once you get past the annoying gif, I couldn't agree more: anything billed as "one weird trick," whether its' for weight loss or finding love, is BS. I'd never clicked on the "one weird trick" ads, so I can't tell you what it was, but I can still confidently tell you it's BS. I have listened to a lot of "self-"help advice about dating, and I've come to find the "one thing" highly offensive, because it's usually blaming women for not sufficiently catering to men's egos. Search these pages for the review of "Celeste and Jesse Forever," [bottom line: fun movie, hilarious, great lines, but disturbing message of 'woman punished for not accommodating the man-child that is her husband'].
***
Tom Philpott on Ikaria:
The typical American impulse would be to identify some wonder substance driving the Ikarians' good health, concentrate it (if not synthesize it in a lab first), stick it in a pill, market it heavily—and then find out the wonder substance is all but worthless. We've learned that isolating nutrients, stripping away the context of their presence in whole foods, is not a recipe for health, as Michael Pollan showed in his In Defense of Food. Consuming beta carotene in the context of a carrot is good for you; gulping down a beta carotene pill, it turns out, not so much.He goes on to talk about how easy it is for Ikarians to make healthful choices, because the infrastructure, so to speak, supports them. Everyone else is doing it, and the good stuff is easily available.
On a related note, someone at a party yesterday said to me, upon the hostess' referencing something I couldn't eat, "being vegan must be very hard." I should prepare a more articulate statement, and maybe have cards printed with the response. How much of the question is based on people's not realizing that they eat food that happens to be vegan all the time, without noticing? When the hostess had apologized that there wasn't anything vegan--she'd planned on making something but ran out of time--I reassured her that there was plenty of vegan food on her table (hummus, guacamole, salad, fruit, etc.).
***
Jessica Bennett's clueless rant makes me roll my eyes, even though it's just a few years old. She entirely misses the point of fashion writing in general, and in particular, the genius of Robin Givhan's fashion writing, which so acutely captures the social significance of people's style choices. You might notice that nowhere in the original article does she criticize Elana Kagan; she just does what a fashion writer does: she observes (and writes up) what's different about her style and body language. I guess my position on this--Bennett's umbrage leaves me nonplussed--reflects the position I articulated yesterday: style matters, and so does body language. It's not the be-all-end-all, but it has an influence that can't be shamed away. It bothers me when people of either gender who command our attention display poor posture. And Givhan is absolutely right to point out that style choices can age you. And otherwise help define you to others. She puts it more artfully:
Tied up in the assessment of style -- Kagan's or anyone else's -- is the awkward, fumbling attempt to suss out precisely who a person is.I feel the same way about Jezebel's umbrage over Victoria's Secret photoshopping. People selling stuff have been altering images since they could. How many of you have shopped for a house and found that actual houses look little like their corresponding photos in brochures? I'm not suggesting that advertising isn't offensive ever; I've seen all the "Killing Us Softly" films. But photoshopping stray hairs out of a picture and slightly altering the lighting is the least the marketers can do. Is it necessary to remove creases in flesh and make armpits look less unflattering? That's a debate we can have, but do you think anyone's going to get an armpit complex because of it?
And is this really true?
Regular consumers aren't in a position to be privy to that same information; that's the point. Photoshop in advertising is supposed to fool us into thinking that what's depicted is perfect — but real.Please. Who is this so easily fooled "us"? And is the difference between the 'before' and 'after' photos significant enough to throw an otherwise mentally healthy person into a complex? Even Jezebel thinks not. In Fashionista's own words, "if you’re looking for an ego boost, look elsewhere." I'd add to that--in contextual paraphrase of another Jezebel article, already quoted a few times on these pages, "go read a book or something."
And in the words of a third (already excerpted above), "the commercially minded are selling a fantasy." And an easy fix to all that is lacking, in our minds. People selling us things are going to make it look like, in the absence of those things, we're ugly losers; that's their job. Our job is to roll our eyes and love ourselves the way we are. To realize that there's not 'one weird trick' that'll fix all our problems, not even if it gives us Doutzen Kroes' abs (which, by the way, are more formidable in the 'before' pictures).
And fashion writers are going to analyze the style choices of public figures, which includes putting those choices in context to better convey their meaning to the reader. That's their job. There is so much real misogyny out there to be upset about (see parental rights for rapists, above), and sure, minor cases of objectification do fit into a larger societal message of "women's bodies are not theirs." But let's pick our battles and not stifle reasonable commentary by crying 'sexist,' etc. at every turn.
***
Alright, all: I'd better bring the plants in and stuff. Then I'll get you whatever's good in the Post.
Response to comment
AAdvantageGeek: Thank you for the explanation, and also for introducing yourself so articulately so I couldn't mistake you for one of those spammers who pretends to comment on the topic, only to implant an ad link onto the site (the joke is on those people, because very few people actually read this blog). But thank you for the explanation--I will call Bose and let you know what happens--and for the kind words about the blog.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Saturday morning rambles
Thankfully, most of my married friends are a lot like this writer: supportive, not smug. It's been years since I've continually experienced smug marrieds, at least at a sustained level. And not really ironically, the smugs, like the other bridesmaid referenced in the story, ended up divorced. The writer attributed it to karma, but
there's more to it than that: if you're really happy, you don't need to
go around feeling superior to people and vocalizing that perceived
superiority. I would argue that the only person who goes around preaching
"I'm so happy I'm married, you must be so miserable, being single"
is the person trying to convince herself she's happily
married even though she's not. Maybe she's trying to convince herself
that being married is worth being unhappy, because look at the pathetic
single people. Or maybe she's just trying to convince herself that she's
happy, period. But if she were, she'd feel no need to manufacture superiority out of her married status.
There's another issue here, though: that of the metaphorical cheesecake. Sure, there will be people who will want to dangle it in front of (metaphorical) diabetics, and those people are assholes, but as with every area in life where there will be assholes, it's up to the you (the target of the assholish behavior) to be so happy in your life (and with the food you do eat) to shrug it off. I'm not jealous of happily married people (probably because, as I've mentioned, the ones I know are not smug and obnoxious) any more than I'm jealous of people who eat cheesecake. Not to go all self-helpy on you, but we, as a society, have got to acknowledge any negative jealousy that pops up within us and channel it into positive aspiration. See happily married couple, think not "f* them for having something I don't" but "how great that they have that connection." I don't have a cheesecake follow-on to this part of the analogy, because frankly, I don't aspire to cheesecake. But that's also part of the point: I don't aspire to cheesecake because there's so much other good food available to me that doesn't contribute to animal abuse or environmental degradation and doesn't make me feel like $hit.
***
I moved offices at work this week, or, specifically, I moved from a cubicle into an office. I lost no time: I made phone calls I had delayed making, and I was able to talk on speakerphone while I unpacked. But I digress.
The old "stuff" I came across in the process of packing included various brochures and printouts I'd picked up at health fairs. These ranged in topic from ideas for stretching at your desk to the nutritional content of certain foods to how to better focus to how to cultivate a healthy body image. It was this last one that caught my eye; one of the bullets said to take note of your reaction to others to others and channeling it away from the external and toward the more meaningful. For example, when you catch yourself thinking, "wow, she's in great shape" or "she's so put-together," redirect your thoughts to, "wow, she seems like a really good person." This is very pertinent to me: I'm not judgmental about women's shapes, but I'm sometimes judgmental about their style. For example, a week ago, the coordinator of the volunteer event--whose general inefficiency and ineffectiveness encouraged me to mentally roll my eyes at her appearance--was wearing the most horrendous mom jeans. That she was generally overweight was none of my business; I just wished she'd chosen a pair of jeans that better flattered her figure. Of course, her choice of jeans was none of my business, either, but my mind did go there.
I can't help noticing people's style, for better or for worse. I'm not going to stop thinking, "good lord, why would someone leave the house like that," or "oh, honey," or, for that matter, "wow, she has a great sense of style!" I'm not focused on it to the exclusion of more meaningful characteristics; it's just the first thing we all notice. I can think, "she has a great sense of style but she's embarrassing herself at that dais," or "I wish her sloppy appearance weren't distracting from the valuable content of her presentation." It's just too much to ask not to notice the external. Right?
***
Okay, time to shut up and do yoga.
There's another issue here, though: that of the metaphorical cheesecake. Sure, there will be people who will want to dangle it in front of (metaphorical) diabetics, and those people are assholes, but as with every area in life where there will be assholes, it's up to the you (the target of the assholish behavior) to be so happy in your life (and with the food you do eat) to shrug it off. I'm not jealous of happily married people (probably because, as I've mentioned, the ones I know are not smug and obnoxious) any more than I'm jealous of people who eat cheesecake. Not to go all self-helpy on you, but we, as a society, have got to acknowledge any negative jealousy that pops up within us and channel it into positive aspiration. See happily married couple, think not "f* them for having something I don't" but "how great that they have that connection." I don't have a cheesecake follow-on to this part of the analogy, because frankly, I don't aspire to cheesecake. But that's also part of the point: I don't aspire to cheesecake because there's so much other good food available to me that doesn't contribute to animal abuse or environmental degradation and doesn't make me feel like $hit.
***
I moved offices at work this week, or, specifically, I moved from a cubicle into an office. I lost no time: I made phone calls I had delayed making, and I was able to talk on speakerphone while I unpacked. But I digress.
The old "stuff" I came across in the process of packing included various brochures and printouts I'd picked up at health fairs. These ranged in topic from ideas for stretching at your desk to the nutritional content of certain foods to how to better focus to how to cultivate a healthy body image. It was this last one that caught my eye; one of the bullets said to take note of your reaction to others to others and channeling it away from the external and toward the more meaningful. For example, when you catch yourself thinking, "wow, she's in great shape" or "she's so put-together," redirect your thoughts to, "wow, she seems like a really good person." This is very pertinent to me: I'm not judgmental about women's shapes, but I'm sometimes judgmental about their style. For example, a week ago, the coordinator of the volunteer event--whose general inefficiency and ineffectiveness encouraged me to mentally roll my eyes at her appearance--was wearing the most horrendous mom jeans. That she was generally overweight was none of my business; I just wished she'd chosen a pair of jeans that better flattered her figure. Of course, her choice of jeans was none of my business, either, but my mind did go there.
I can't help noticing people's style, for better or for worse. I'm not going to stop thinking, "good lord, why would someone leave the house like that," or "oh, honey," or, for that matter, "wow, she has a great sense of style!" I'm not focused on it to the exclusion of more meaningful characteristics; it's just the first thing we all notice. I can think, "she has a great sense of style but she's embarrassing herself at that dais," or "I wish her sloppy appearance weren't distracting from the valuable content of her presentation." It's just too much to ask not to notice the external. Right?
***
Okay, time to shut up and do yoga.
Saturday morning roundup
China has overplayed its rear-earth hand.
Bangalore is trashed.
College campuses are starting to reform their policies and practices regarding sexual assault. Gail Collins parses the latest political rhetoric on the matter. Note how different the conversation is in France.
Sandy's definitely on its way to DC.
Bangalore is trashed.
College campuses are starting to reform their policies and practices regarding sexual assault. Gail Collins parses the latest political rhetoric on the matter. Note how different the conversation is in France.
Sandy's definitely on its way to DC.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thursday evening roundup
While Pakistan's bulletproofing buses for cricket players, maybe they could work on the school buses, too.
Aw! Nigerian kidnappers up their game for the holidays:
Tina Fey is wondering whether she's a secretary on Mad Men.
Ikaria: the island of life. Here's a shocker:
Aw! Nigerian kidnappers up their game for the holidays:
Police say kidnappings often increase towards Christmas, when gang members need more money for festivities and gifts.God's all, "I don't think so."
Tina Fey is wondering whether she's a secretary on Mad Men.
Ikaria: the island of life. Here's a shocker:
She noted that the Ikarians’ diet, like that of others around the Mediterranean, was rich in olive oil and vegetables, low in dairy (except goat’s milk) and meat products, and also included moderate amounts of alcohol. It emphasized homegrown potatoes, beans (garbanzo, black-eyed peas and lentils), wild greens and locally produced goat milk and honey.and
“One explanation why they live so long is they eat a plant-based diet. Or it could be the absence of sugar and white flour. From what I know of the Greek diet, they eat very little refined sugar, and their breads have been traditionally made with stone-ground wheat.”Most importantly,
That’s what the $70 billion diet industry and $20 billion health-club industry do in their efforts to persuade us that if we eat the right food or do the right workout, we’ll be healthier, lose weight and live longer. But these strategies rarely work. Not because they’re wrong-minded: it’s a good idea for people to do any of these healthful activities. The problem is, it’s difficult to change individual behaviors when community behaviors stay the same. In the United States, you can’t go to a movie, walk through the airport or buy cough medicine without being routed through a gantlet of candy bars, salty snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages. The processed-food industry spends more than $4 billion a year tempting us to eat.Conveniently, a companion blog entry links to a few plant-based recipes (note that the Times avoided the 'v' word).
Thursday morning roundup
In addition to the crass reduction of women to mere vessels, the "God's will" comment was a theological error.
Smoking is not a victimless event.
Is free speech on campus curtailed?
Kids are not starving because of the new school lunches.
Lots of good stuff in this profile of Hilary Mantel.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Wednesday morning roundup
Dana Milbank on social media and groupthink.
Hampton Roads processes the 'horses and bayonets' comment with a 'meh.'
Throwing Israel under the bus: a political history.
Hampton Roads processes the 'horses and bayonets' comment with a 'meh.'
Throwing Israel under the bus: a political history.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Tuesday evening roundup
Meet India's incorruptable, and so, easily-fired, government official.
People want to live in India. The comments are pretty good.
Is the best way of squelching trolls to ignore them? (Clearly, this is not an option when they're distributing topless pictures of you in your schools).
Compounders deliberately avoided cooperating with the FDA.
The sun sent out some X-class flares. Unrelated, but the colors on my ride home were beautiful all around--great colors in the tidal basin, then the Potomac, then the trees along the path.
Did anyone think the ag industry would take action voluntarily to reduce its (ab)use of antibiotics?
Forbes is convinced you don't need to know what's in your food, and convincing you that you do is a big conspiracy.
Multivitamins are okay, but they don't replace good food.
Teff pancakes! Sub flax, chia, or hemp for the eggs, and vinegar+soymilk for the buttermilk.
You can't go wrong with chickpeas and lentils, and other pulses.
People want to live in India. The comments are pretty good.
Is the best way of squelching trolls to ignore them? (Clearly, this is not an option when they're distributing topless pictures of you in your schools).
Compounders deliberately avoided cooperating with the FDA.
The sun sent out some X-class flares. Unrelated, but the colors on my ride home were beautiful all around--great colors in the tidal basin, then the Potomac, then the trees along the path.
Did anyone think the ag industry would take action voluntarily to reduce its (ab)use of antibiotics?
Forbes is convinced you don't need to know what's in your food, and convincing you that you do is a big conspiracy.
Multivitamins are okay, but they don't replace good food.
Teff pancakes! Sub flax, chia, or hemp for the eggs, and vinegar+soymilk for the buttermilk.
You can't go wrong with chickpeas and lentils, and other pulses.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Monday morning roundup
The world wants anti-censorship tools.
Nicholas Kristof says, cuddle your kids. Or, if they're rats, lick them.
Ezekiel Emanuel says, chew xylitol-sweetened gum.
Fairfax County--particularly the clusterf* that is Tyson's Corner--is starting to think awfully highly of itself.
The entitled generation is so regardless of race. An excerpt:
Nicholas Kristof says, cuddle your kids. Or, if they're rats, lick them.
Ezekiel Emanuel says, chew xylitol-sweetened gum.
Fairfax County--particularly the clusterf* that is Tyson's Corner--is starting to think awfully highly of itself.
The entitled generation is so regardless of race. An excerpt:
It could be something as simple as your cousin thinking he deserves to be famous just because he has more than seven followers on Twitter and figured out how to upload a YouTube clip. Ditto for the opinion of a random blogger who thinks belaboring your opinions is synonymous with holding informed ones.I kind-of feel bad for Abigail Fischer. If there's anything teenagers are entitled to, it's to f* up and move on. But in her case, her f*up is so public that she's stuck with it, unless she finds a way to outgrow it.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Sunday evening roundup: stay strong edition
There's a problem when people are afraid of anatomical terminology. The irony is, that neutralizes the term for racier connotations.
I don't understand the offense some take at outing trolls. I do understand exposing the double standard:
I don't understand the offense some take at outing trolls. I do understand exposing the double standard:
But, as the scholar Mary Anne Franks has observed, women haven’t actually achieved this “bodiless” freedom online. They are embodied in distributed pictures and in sexual comments, whether they like it or not. The power to get away from yourself, like everything else, is unevenly distributed. Women have become, as Franks put it, “unwilling avatars,” unable to control their own images online, and then told to put up with it for the sake of “freedom,” for the good of the community. And then they are incorrectly told, even if the public is behind them, that they have no remedies in the law. They are shouted down by people with a view of freedom of speech more literal than that held by any judge.And don't think it's not all about power.
It’s not a coincidence that it’s right around the age of 12 that a girl begins to come to an understanding of her potential for power. Not just her sexual power. But her intellectual and physical mettle as well. She’s still very much a child – a child in need of support and protection – but early adolescence is the beginning of a girl coming into her own as an independent person. With a brain and a body she’s going to control. How terrifying that is for the hateful, misogynistic jerks of the world. (And I’m not letting sabotaging, self-hating females off the hook here for their bullying and divisiveness either; they’re a huge part of the problem too.) They pick on girls because it’s easier than dealing with adult women; that’s how weak they are.The writer's message to young girls:
I hope you and your friends grow up to be everything that scares the crap out of these idiots. I hope you all stay loud and strong and refuse to be pushed around by dirty weirdos hiding in their basements, anonymously trying put you down, rewarding each other with encouragement and bobbleheads. I hope you change the world. I hope you all can stay brave and autonomous and bullyproof and be their worst nightmare. Because they’re been trying to be yours for way too long.
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