Links - 12th July 2013

Trying to Learn a Foreign Language? Avoid Reminders of Home - "reminders of one's homeland can hinder the ability to speak a new language. The findings could help explain why cultural immersion is the most effective way to learn a foreign tongue and why immigrants who settle within an ethnic enclave acculturate more slowly than those who surround themselves with friends from their new country."

Fares: Maybe buses should be free | The Economist - "a group of engineers at New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) calculated the amount of time wasted as passengers waited to board and pay fares on a single run of the Bx12 Limited bus route in the Bronx. The answer was 16 minutes and 16 seconds, or over a quarter of the entire run. A proof-of-payment system would save much of that. Since that study, MTA has moved to proof-of-payment systems on several lines, including the Bx12 Limited. Waiting times have fallen and average speeds have improved. But making the buses free could work even better. It's not as crazy as it sounds. Fares bring in a lot of money, but they cost money to collect—6% of the MTA's budget, according to a 2007 report in New York magazine. Fare boxes and turnstiles have to be maintained; buses idle while waiting for passengers to pay up, wasting fuel; and everyone loses time. Proof-of-payment systems don't solve the problem of fare-collection costs as they require inspectors and other staff to handle enforcement, paperwork and payment processing. Making buses and subways free, on the other hand, would increase passenger numbers, opening up space on the streets for essential traffic and saving time by reducing road congestion."

You probably didn’t read the most telling part of Orwell’s “1984″—the appendix

Scientific faith: Belief in science increases in the face of stress and existential anxiety
People are not entirely wrong when they describe Science as a Religion

Russian-Chinese marriages: Love or convenience? - ""I like Russian women for their openness, for not being shy to show their feelings. Chinese women, even after 40 years of marriage, often remain very closed and are not particularly sincere"... Despite active cooperation between the two countries and their geographic proximity, there has not been a significant increase in the number of Russian-Chinese marriages... Usually, in these families the husband is Chinese, while the wife is Russian. This is partly due to demographic factors: in Russia, like in the most of the world, there are more women than men, whereas in China the situation is the opposite and men greatly outnumber women. But this is not all. There are several other reasons that are believed to prompt Chinese men to look for their other half among Russian women. First, it is considered prestigious; second, the "one family – one child" policy does not apply to mixed marriages; and third, it gives them an opportunity to get Russian citizenship... "As for Chinese men's good qualities, they are great at fixing things around the house, they care about their family, they treat their wives with respect and as their equals"... Russian girls are more understanding, are very good at housework, support their men, do not look only for rich guys and are ready to overcome difficulties together... "Women in China are too pragmatic, true love does not exist for them, money is more important to them. They put up so many demands before a wedding: a place to live, a car, etc." "I am not sure if I would want a Russian woman for a wife. Chinese women, albeit they are more capricious, are often better brought-up and do not have bad habits," says Yang Shibo (杨世博), who has spent a year studying in Russia and is now back in China. "When I was staying in Barnaul, I liked one Russian girl but I did not risk starting a relationship with her. I thought that my wife should be Chinese. But now that I am back here, I sometimes think of going back and trying my luck with that Russian girl after all," he adds. While Chinese men, who think that Chinese women are mercenary and spoilt, are looking for wives among Russian girls, women in China have developed a new fad too: they are looking for husbands among foreigners. Very often it is just a "means" to go abroad or improve their financial situation"

35 Years Of Failed Economic Forecasts In One Chart
"As Nate Silver has pointed out, the worst thing about the bad predictions isn't that they were awful; it's that the economists in question were so confident in them... Why do people listen to economists anymore? Scott Armstrong, an expert on forecasting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has developed a "seer-sucker" theory: "No matter how much evidence exists that seers do not exist, suckers will pay for the existence of seers." Even if experts fail repeatedly in their predictions, most people prefer to have seers, prophets, and gurus tell them something – anything at all – about the future"

The Town with a Subculture of Secret Tiny Doors - "In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a series of what is known as ‘fairy doors’, began popping up around the area in 2005, built into buildings, shops and restaurants and quickly acquired a cult following"

Swallowing Semen - "Some studies suggest that absorption of semen via the vaginal mucus membrane lining its inner walls has positive effects like reducing depression and also reduces the risk of breast cancer. Some women are infertile or lose pregnancies due to miscarriages due to their inherent presence of antibodies that destroy the proteins or antigens present in her sexual partners semen. Having oral sex and swallowing the semen of the partner may help make the pregnancy safer and more successful as the woman is swallowing her partner's antigens."

Matan Shelomi's answer to Do silverfish eat human sperm? - Quora - "...
Why does this question exist? Why?"

Sword Girls - "Sword Girls is an online collectible card game featuring stunning anime artwork and strategic game play. Sword Girls offers an engaging experience whether it’s your first card game or you’re a seasoned veteran. The game offers hundreds of unique and alluring cards to collect."

Contraceptive Use in the United States - "About one in 10 women at risk of unintended pregnancy are currently not using any contraceptive method. The proportion is highest among 15–19-year-olds (19%) and lowest among women aged 40–44 (8%).
Eighty-four percent of black women who are at risk of unintended pregnancy currently use a contraceptive method, compared with 91% of their Hispanic and white peers, and 92% of Asian women...
Ninety-two percent of at-risk women living at 300% or more of the federal poverty line are currently using contraceptives, compared with 88% among those living at 0–149% of poverty...
Only 2% of at-risk Catholic women rely on natural family planning; the proportion is the same even among those women who attend church once a month or more.
More than four in 10 at-risk Evangelicals (41%) rely on male or female sterilization, the greatest proportion among religious groups"

Comics of Ice and Fire - "Luwin Paying The Iron Price"

LOL: Write it. Text it. But never, ever say it. - "lol is so flexible that it no longer means anything literal, and instead has become a functional, grammatical part of casual written speech... there’s the literalist objection to lol, rofl, et al. These terms, opponents say, are almost always dishonest—if people were really laughing out loud at the rate that they’re typing lol, the Earth would be an unlivably mirthful place. This is a weird one. In casual conversation we use loads of expressions that we don’t mean literally—“it cost me an arm and a leg,” “he’s off his rocker,” “hold the phone”... The other day I heard someone say the word sadface in conversation, and I must confess that I threw up a little in my mouth. Lol!"

10 Charts About Sex « OkTrends - "Curvy women pass skinny ones in self-confidence at age 29 and never look back. They also consistently have the highest sex drive among the groups"

The Most Controversial Math Problems

Are Human Mating Preferences with Respect to Height Reflected in Actual Pairings? - "men were taller than their partners in 92.5% of the couples, significantly more often than the expected 89.8% when mating was random with respect to height"
This was a weaker preference for taller men than I'd expected - it seems women in the UK are more open-minded than in Singapore (and Hong Kong, and Malaysia)

The Ethics of Not Hiring Smokers - "Many health care organizations, such as the Cleveland Clinic and Baylor Health Care System, and some large non–health care employers, including Scotts Miracle-Gro, Union Pacific Railroad, and Alaska Airlines, now have a policy of not hiring smokers — a practice opposed by 65% of Americans... it results in a failure to care for people, places an additional burden on already-disadvantaged populations, and preempts interventions that more effectively promote smoking cessation... it seems paradoxical for health care organizations that exist to care for the sick to refuse to employ smokers. Many patients are treated for illnesses to which their behavior has contributed, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, diabetes, and infections spread through unprotected sex or other voluntary activities... The broader claim that it is fair to exclude smokers because they are responsible for raising health care costs is too simplistic. It ignores the fact that smoking is addictive and therefore not completely voluntary... all other diseases — and many healthful behaviors — also result in additional health care costs. People with cancer burden their fellow workers through higher health care costs and absenteeism. People who engage in risky sports may have accidents or experience trauma routinely and burden coworkers with additional costs. Having babies increases premiums for fellow employees who have none"

Thailand Trip #1 - Bangkok - La preuve par moi - "Je vais vous la faire courte, l’image parle d’elle-même, mais le PPS consiste à mater des putes danser (se tortiller) sur un podium et qui lance une balle de ping-pong de leur vagin dans un bol. Avec des variantes infinies : Elles sortent des mètres de rubans, des orchidées, des demies bananes, des fléchettes qui crèvent des ballons, des lames de rasoirs (Yeurk !), fument des clopes… Il y a même un show avec une pauvre meuf camée jusqu’à l’os qui se fait f***k dans tous les sens. J’ai été traumatisée et j’ai fais des cauchemars durant 2 nuits."
Son PPS me semble tellement plus passionnant que le mien

Le secret de l'homme. - La preuve par moi - "Faut qu’vous sachiez une DONNEE INDISPENSABLE sur les mecs. Je sais pas si personne ne vous l’a dit ou bien si vous avez décidé de totalement occulter cette info, mais je m’y colle. LES MECS NE SONT PAS MEDIUMS... C’est comme si t’allais chez le médecin :
- Vous avez mal où ?
- BAH DEVINEZ !!...
L’autre situation super commune est le moment où tu commences à vraiment bien kiffer ton plan cul. Ca fait plusieurs jours /semaines / mois (rayez la mention inutile) que vous baisez et tu commences à vraiment bien l’aimer et envisager autre chose. Et t’es là, t’attends, t’attends… Tu crois que tu baises Madame Irma et que son 3ème oeil va s’ouvrir pour lire ton esprit impénétrable ? Bah non. Désolée mais non... Remballe ta boule de cristal et remplace la par des boules de Geisha... P.S : Le 2ème secret, c’est qu’ils pensent avec leur bite."