Links - 23rd September 2011

"Of all noises, I think music is the least disagreeable." - Samuel Johnson

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Online gamers crack enzyme puzzle

Letters of Note: With great respect, Marge Simpson - "Barbara Bush received a letter from the unlikeliest of sources in 1990, after an article in People magazine quoted the First Lady as saying The Simpsons "was the dumbest thing [she] had ever seen." Marge Simpson's polite response can be seen below"

Is Nicolas Cage a Vampire from the 1800’s or a Doppleganger? [PHOTO] - "Nicolas Cage is a vampire, according to one eBay user who attempted to sell a photo from the 1800's of a man with an uncanny resemblance to Cage... Nicolas Cage has not commented on the photo since it was posted on eBay Saturday, but he is no stranger to odd news. Last week, he told reporters at the Toronto Film Festival that he was once awoken by a naked man holding a Fudgesicle in the middle of the night. "It was two in the morning...I opened my eyes and there was a naked man wearing my leather jacket eating a Fudgesicle in front of my bed""

Vee is for VendeTTa: Sing-ga-pao crazy rants - ".'accidentally' I came across this page- http://gssq.entori.net/writings/malaysia_quality.htm... Look, if a Malaysian wrote all this things I dun care la, bcoz as a tax payer + the rakyat, clearly Msians hv right to make comments abt Msian product lar, but who r u as a Sing-ga-pao want to say bad things on sumthing which won't affect ur everyday life at all?... if the 'shit' from Msia is shove down to ur ass, then blame Pak Cik Lee Kuan Yew n the gang lar..i.e. ur own politicians. Msian products are shit, then y they r still importing it? or is it bcoz there is limited freedom of expression there?"
I loved the Malaysian logic

5 Signs That A Woman Is A Cock Tease

Social Change and Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever

Don’t blame us for rape, say miniskirted Jakarta women - "Women carried placards saying “Don’t tell us how to dress, tell them not to rape”, and “My body is not porn, instead it’s your dirty mind”. “Public officials should remain silent rather than making discriminatory statements against women”"
"Don’t tell us to lock our cars, tell them not to break into them"

We're all terror suspects now - "The one thing the 9/11 attacks have achieved, for those of us who spend too much time in airports, is to make suspicion universal; fear and discomfort are equal-opportunity employers now. The world is flat in ways the high-flying global theoreticians don't always acknowledge; these days, even someone from the materially fortunate parts of the world – a man with a ruddy complexion, a woman in a Prada suit – is pulled aside for what is quixotically known as "random screening""

France's burqa ban: women are 'effectively under house arrest' - "There has been "an explosion" in the number of physical attacks on women wearing the niqab. Many women say that their attackers were middle-aged or old people... Rachid Nekkaz, a French property developer, explains why his association, Don't Touch my Constitution, was the only group to stage high-profile protests when the law came into force... his association announces its plans to field a woman in niqab for president in 2012. Nekkaz is personally opposed to the niqab and thinks it is fair to ban it in French state buildings. But he thinks outlawing it in all public places is "a gross attack on personal freedoms and the French constitution""
Not many people can follow Rachid Nekkaz's example of opposing something but upholding the right of others to do it

Ikea’s Manland: Insulting Men, Upholding Patriarchy? - "Lately we’ve seen a number of instances in which men are portrayed as babies... It tells women that they can’t expect men to be grown ups. And if men can’t be grown ups, they we certainly can’t expect them to do their share of the dishes or the hard work of raising families or, for that matter, be a true and equal emotional partner"
Claiming this upholds patriarchy is like saying the Allies kept Hitler in power during World War II by providing an external enemy. Or that providing tough training is the best welfare you can give your soldiers: YES, BUT...

New Dad Goes on All-Breast-Milk Diet - "Potential adverse effects include weight gain, nutrient deficiencies and hyperlipdemia. "

Assange criticises unauthorised Wikileaks memoir - "Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has accused a UK publisher of a breach of contract for releasing drafts of his autobiography without his approval"
FAIL!

Son, 41, won't leave home - "An Italian couple are taking legal action in a bid to make their 41-year-old son leave home. The Venetian parents, who have not been named, say their son has a job but refuses to leave home and wants his clothes washed and his meals prepared. It's the latest case to highlight the phenomenon of Italy's stay-at-home "bamboccioni" or mummy's boys"

Jupiter police focusing on victim-assisted crimes - "Locking your car doors, keeping the garage doors shut and securing valuables out of plain view. It sounds like common sense. But Jupiter Police are pushing folks to be more aware of actions that could easily make you an easy victim of crime."
VICTIM BLAMING! Don’t tell us to keep our valuables, tell them not to steal them

Animal rights group PETA to launch pornography website - "Jill Dolan, director of the program in gender and sexuality studies at Princeton University, was critical of the PETA campaigns. "Exploiting porn to get people's juices going seems lame; exploiting pornographic images only of women to make their point is retrograde and misogynist," Dolan said in an email. "Come on, PETA. Don't be Neanderthals." Rajt denied that PETA has been insensitive to women. "Our demonstrators, the models, all chose to participate in our campaigns ... It's not a very feminist thing to do to turn to women and tell them whether or not they can use their voices, their bodies to express their voice.""
It's great how everyone is trying to Silence each other

NUS ENS - How do NUS students decide their food? - "What associations come to your mind once you hear the term “economics”? Money supply? Fiscal policy? Hedge funds? Cobb-Douglas utility function? What about mee goreng or cheese prata? No? Well, actually economic theory can be applied to a great deal of situations, even though one might not see any connection at first. And so we set out to find a topic where not only the theory of economics could be applied, but which would also be relevant to our readers. And with all the variety of foods in Singapore, the answer was obvious – can economics help us understand how students choose foods in a canteen? Do they act in a rational way? Is the decision to eat one or another dish different from similar decisions that students (or other people) make day to day? Is behavior in the canteens different from the one in hawker centers or restaurants off campus? While having lunch we decided that creating a survey would be of much help. And so, equipped with the results of the survey and the deep knowledge of microeconomics, consumer behavior and behavioral economics from all the NUS courses, we tried to create a model that would clarify the seemingly simple process that most of you experience at least once every day"

The evolution of the mistress - "Mistressdom, like celibacy, is a crucial lens through which to explore how women relate to men other than in marriage; mistressdom is, in fact, an institution parallel and complementary to marriage. Mistresses, it seems, are everywhere"

Local men going for Thai mistresses - "According to a senior lawyer, 20% of local adultery cases now involve Thai women... men in the past tended to have affairs with local or Chinese national women. In comparison, Thai women often have less demands on men and are now popular among white-collar professionals... one man even borrowed money from his wife to spend on these Thai women... Even more astonishing is that these men's wives are not usually housewives but new-age women with their own careers. "These wives are in their 30s and no less attractive than the Thai women so it is difficult to understand why the men stray"... A man who divorced his wife of nine years to marry a Thai woman he met in a nightspot... thinks that Singaporean women are too "princessy" and Thai women are more gentle and likeable. He also feels that Thai women are "more independent", have less expectations of men, and know how to please them. He recalls that his Singaporean ex-wife often demanded his company. "When I couldn't accompany her, she'll quarrel with me""

Singapore pair corners 'halal ramen' market - ""It's exciting because globally there are not many halal Japanese cuisine players," said Tan, the 46-year-old executive director of the two companies. Much of Japanese cuisine depends on pork or alcohol for flavors. So Tan and Lim had to devise their own recipes to replace those elements with halal ingredients while still maintaining the traditional taste. This was a particular challenge when it came to ramen because most depend on a soup made from pork bones. "Now some of our fans love our ramen more than other Japanese traditional ramen," Lim said. She added that the popularity of Japanese food has been on the rise because people "like the lifestyle and like to be involved in a sushi session together." "Japanese food is something that is very rich in Japanese culture and a very healthy alternative. Japanese restaurants have also got a unique ambience and people like to be seen in them," she said"
"Much of Japanese cuisine depends on pork or alcohol for flavors". YOU DON'T SAY

Singaporean to set new Guiness World Record for SMS-ing - "Mr Ong Eng Huat, President of Singapore Book of Records, said: "SMS texting at that kind of speed requires the discipline and training like those of the other sports. And in no other sport has Singapore been so consistently best in the world. It is the only sport which we have broken the world record for the fourth time.""

Lessons from behavioral responses to international taxation. - "The available international evidence implies that investment location and tax avoidance activity are more responsive to tax rate differences than is typically implied by domestic evidence. Taking the international evidence at face value, it follows that governments seeking a combination of adequate tax revenue and efficient economic performance are well advised to impose low taxes on mobile factors such as FDI."