Links - 2nd August 2012

"Ay me! for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth"
- William Shakespeare

***

Where Do Baby Carrots Come From? - "In 1986, Yurosek came up with a solution to his ugly carrot problem. He would cut the carrots into smaller, sleeker, better looking forms, like a plastic surgeon for vegetables. He took the culled carrots and cut off any lumps and twisted parts. He was left with a perfect-looking mini-carrot just a few inches long, which he then peeled."

Decriminalisation integral to the fight against HIV - "This week in New York, a report by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law was delivered to the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, recommending the decriminalisation of sex work, homosexual adult activity, and individual drug use. Its core message is that criminalising the actions of those who are vulnerable to HIV hampers efforts to fight the spread of the disease. This is a lesson that Australia was quick to learn after the global AIDS epidemic struck in the 1980s. Unfortunately, it remains a lesson much of the world is reluctant to accept."

$168 for Men’s Self-Pleasuring Tenga Eggs, Choice of 6 Tantalising Textures ($594 value) - "Like a super hero, there are always times that men have to stand alone against the mighty, vicious evil. But even with extraordinary strength and greatly amplified powers, warriors still need a good weapon for the fight. Get ready for the battle cry with Today’s Groupon."

Foreign Men Boast About Sexual Conquests in China, Reactions - "At a glance, a foreign man of 18 years old to 81 years old, regardless of physique and regardless of appearance, sleeping with tens of Chinese women over 1-2 years of staying in China is basically the average. If effort is made, even sleeping with 1-2 hundred Chinese women is an easy affair (this is referring to women who aren’t prostitutes). Many [of these women] are students, white-collar workers, Chinese women with character and looks. What more, not a penny is needed, with many Chinese women instead paying money for laowai to sleep with them, even taking them out to show them off to others, as if it gives them “face”... 'I have had a great deal of sucess with the Married birds here. Most of them are so discusted by their worthless Chinese husbands they are easy targets. All they want is good sex, someone who showers regurarly and can last more than 2 minutes in the sack'"
Comments: "It only shows that Chinese girls are really considerate of the next generation, as mixed-raced children have very big advantages." "Hehe, calm down, Chinese men going to Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar also have this treatment."

Can We Reverse The Stanford Prison Experiment? - "Their approach was to try to catch youth doing the right things and give them a Positive Ticket. The ticket granted the recipient free entry to the movies or to a local youth center... According to Clapham, youth recidivism was reduced from 60% to 8%. Overall crime was reduced by 40%. Youth crime was cut in half. And it cost one-tenth of the traditional judicial system"

Woman quits her job after discovering her pubic hair shaved off
Malaysia Boleh!

Brazilian inmates can reduce their sentence by providing human-powered electricity

Wall Streeters Buying Testosterone for an Edge - "If you wake up in the morning and the only thing stiff is your back, you should be taking testosterone!"

Literacy study: 1 in 7 U.S. adults are unable to read this story - "an estimated 32 million adults in the USA — about one in seven — are saddled with such low literacy skills that it would be tough for them to read anything more challenging than a children's picture book or to understand a medication's side effects listed on a pill bottle"
"if I remember correctly, we actually have a higher standard of English literacy than America"

Facebook Determined to Ruin the Last Fun Thing About Facebook: Stalking - "Starting yesterday, when you visit group pages on Facebook, you can see which group members have viewed each post."

Study: Muslim extremists not looking for world domination - "Muslim extremists are more concerned with defending against foreign intrusion than foisting Islam on the world, according to a new study of extremist texts. The study suggests that a Western approach of claiming extremists are seeking world domination is misdirected, and instead should seek to counteract claims of victimhood... One result that surprised the researchers, the "near absence" of citations from one of the most extreme passages, the "Verse of Swords," that encourages "all-out war against world domination." "Widely regarded as the most militant or violent passage of the Quran, it is treated as a divine call for offensive warfare on a global scale," the researchers wrote. "It is also regarded as a verse which supersedes over 100 other verses of the Quran that counsel patience, tolerance and forgiveness"... The insights led the researchers to suggest alternative approaches to counteracting the extremist messages, rather than focusing on the fear factor. The Arizona group cites a recent effort by the State Department to counteract al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who said in a 2011 video that "there is no hope to remove the corrupt regimes in Muslim countries except by force. And there is no chance to bring change through peaceful action." The State Department Digital Outreach Team posted a video intercutting that video, which included Zawahiri daring someone to find a single example to prove Zawahiri wrong, with video of Arab Spring protesters in Egypt... "They have not unseated any apostate rulers, and their victims are overwhelmingly likely to be Muslims". The study cites data from the West Point Combating Terrorism Center that estimated al Qaeda militants were 38 times more likely to kill a Muslim than a Westerner, based on data from 2006 to 2008"

Ode to Saturday mornings past by *JessKat-art on deviantART - "From left to right, starting from the top: Kit Cloudkicker (TaleSpin), a Care Bear of Care Bears fame (I could never bother to remember their names), Bonkers D. Bobcat (Bonkers), Willie and Maya (Maya the Bee), Spider-Man and lieutenant Psi and captain Peter (Once Upon a Time...Life*).
Lower row, left ro right: Freakazoid, Lady Lovely Locks and her furry little hair-parasites, Michaelangelo (my favorite of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Mr. and Mrs. Barbapapa, the Pink Panther, Captain Planet, some chick from Beverly Hills Teens (never learned their names either, except for the evil one), the elephant king Babar, Denver the Last Dinosaur, an Ewok (The Ewoks - yes, there was an animated series and no, I never cared to memorize their names either), Willy Fog and princess Romy (Around the World with Willy Fog**), Candy and her pet raccoon (Candy Candy***), Dr. Snuggles and Dennis the Menace.
Lower row, left to right: Babs and Buster Bunny (Tiny Toons), Max (Goof Troop), Dewey, Huey, Louie and Scrooge McDuck (DuckTales - woo-o!), under them are Tom and Jerry, doing their usual cat-and-mouse routine, and a random My Little Pony****), next to them there's Alice and her bunny, Benny (Alice in Wonderland), Dogtanian (The Three Muskehounds*****), the two scheming lab mice Pinky and the Brain, that daring duck of mystery, Darkwing Duck , Winnie the Pooh, Charlie Brown and Snoopy from (duh) The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show******, Alfred J. Kwak, and little Miss Piggy from Muppet Babies, about to have her little letter block tower carelessly knocked over by Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden from The Moomins.
Lower row, left to right: a snork from The Snorks (again: names, don't remember, don't care, yadda yadda), Tao Tao the panda playing with Jacky and Jill from Jacky the Bear Cub, Mrs. Pepper Pot (I'm pretty sure that was her name in English), Brainy Smurf from The Smurfs (he wasn't my favorite or anything, just easily recognisable), Nils Holgersson with his pet hamster (The Wonderful Adventures of Nils), David the Gnome, two killer tomatoes on the attack (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes), Garfield the cat, and finally Chip 'n Dale, Rescue Rangers."

51 Explicit Thai Food Pictures that Will Make Your Mouth Water
Pork is featured 14 times

Tsinghua professor pitches 'Chinese Union' bloc - "The concept of a "Chinese Union" consisting of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Mongolia has suggested by professor Ju Jiandong, director of the Center for Economic Research at Tsinghua University in Beijing"
Hurr hurr

What is wrong with service in Singapore? - "The quality of service in Singapore’s food and beverage establishments has long been a national bugbear. Frankly, there are two reasons why service is invariably so wanting – the pay is crap, and (please, no hate mail) the average Singaporean diner is an ill-mannered boor... the Singaporeans I served were rude and patronizing. The nicest bunch I encountered were the ex-pats. Almost without exception, the Americans, British and Australian tables I served would look me in the eye and engage in animated conversations. They made requests with smiles and reciprocated with, ‘Thank you!’ Almost without exception, the locals treated me like a maid (or how I imagined they would treat their maids)"

Women Perform Worse When Focusing on Their Looks - "In one study testing this, these authors had women try on a bathing suit or a sweater. After trying on a swimsuit, but not a sweater, women performed worse on a math test. These same effects did not occur for men"
Women objectify themselves

Venin de serpent dans le sang humain - "La vipère de Russell, une espèce de serpent que l'on rencontre en Asie du Sud, est responsable de milliers de morts chaque année. Voici l'effet d'une goutte de son venin sur le sang humain. En l'espace de quelques secondes, le sang se solidifie (coagulation extrêmement rapide)."
What snake venom can do to blood (Video)

Live Cis Excellence - "“Abnormal psychology classes may hurt the feelings of people suffering from mental disorders”
“Freudian psychology may be triggering to victims of sexual assault”
“I took a class in sociology so I know what I’m talking about”
"You are a faggot. Case dismissed""

Photos: Guangzhou sets concrete spikes under bridges to drive away homeless people | Ministry of Tofu 豆腐部

Soshiok.com - 5 must-try Fried Hokkien Mee - "Formerly working in old hotels, Mr Lim described his method as "double-coated with oil". After being fried with lard, the noodles are given another dose of lard after they have absorbed the stock."

Why You Should Cut Disgruntled DMV Employees Some Slack - "people in positions with power but low social status often use their authority to demean others.The lesson is not just that power corrupts, but that putting people in demeaning roles leads them to demean others. In other words, it's a real life reminder of the trope that "misery loves company""