L'origine de Bert
Saturday, July 17, 2010
La petite robe noire
"On ne s'habille pas pour éblouir les autres femmes ou pour les embêter. On s'habille pour se déshabiller. Une robe n'a de sens que si un homme a envie de vous l'enlever, je dis bien l'enlever pas l'arracher en hurlant d'horreur. Un homme ne vous aime pas pour une robe. Seulement, un jour, il vous réclamera aigrement " cette robe bleue tu sais " (aux orties depuis deux ans), qu'il n'avait pas semblé voir. Les hommes se souviennent des robes, mais leur mémoire est sélective. Evitez les barboteuses. Celles-là ils les " voient " d'abord. Et s'en souviennent ensuite."
Post ID: 8700383710837043704
Friday, July 16, 2010
Links - 16th July 2010
"Everything you've learned in school as "obvious" becomes less and less obvious as you begin to study the universe. For example, there are no solids in the universe. There's not even a suggestion of a solid. There are no absolute continuums. There are no surfaces. There are no straight lines." - R. Buckminster Fuller
***
Yvette's Wedding Dresses Panama City Florida Yvette's Yvette's
This is Geocities x10. And it doesn't seem to be a joke
Animated stereoviews of old Japan
The Creativity Crisis - "The age-old belief that the arts have a special claim to creativity is unfounded. When scholars gave creativity tasks to both engineering majors and music majors, their scores laid down on an identical spectrum... The lore of pop psychology is that creativity occurs on the right side of the brain. But we now know that if you tried to be creative using only the right side of your brain, it’d be like living with ideas perpetually at the tip of your tongue, just beyond reach... When creative children have a supportive teacher... they tend to excel. When they don’t, they tend to underperform and drop out of high school or don’t finish college at high rates. They’re quitting because they’re discouraged and bored, not because they’re dark, depressed, anxious, or neurotic. It’s a myth that creative people have these traits. (Those traits actually shut down creativity)... Rather, creative people, for the most part, exhibit active moods and positive affect. They’re not particularly happy—contentment is a kind of complacency creative people rarely have. But they’re engaged, motivated, and open to the world."
Late-blooming lesbians: women can switch sexualities as they mature - "As many as two-thirds of women who feel lesbian attractions may have changed their sexual orientation over time. The findings appear to pose a challenge to the scientific consensus that a person's sexuality is determined more by their genes than environment... Lisa Diamond, professor of psychology and gender studies at Utah University... tracked nearly 100 women who felt some degree of attraction to the same sex... Over the course of a decade two-thirds of the women changed their sexual orientations"
Everything you always wanted to know about Japanese schoolgirls (but were afraid to ask) - "It is easier for those doing the idolizing to develop an attachment to "a pure, awkward young woman" than to an accomplished performer. Thus even when they are professional, idols strive not to appear too professional, to give the impression that they ended up in the spotlight by accident."
Toyota Is a Symptom of Japan's Decline - "In the early part of the last decade, particularly under the maverick administration of celebrity prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, Japan made fleeting attempts to promote itself as the land of the new new thing: nano-this, bio-that. Nothing stuck. There is still no Japanese Google... [Toyota] suffered from an insularity and parochialism, and a hierarchical structure that discouraged innovation or input from others... Toyota is symptomatic of a nation that has lost its way. According to a 2008 Pew survey, Japanese were more dissatisfied with the direction of their country than almost any other nation, including Pakistan and Russia... A shrinking, bargain-hunting, risk-averse population translates into a deflationary spiral, low wage growth, and decreased tax revenues... Japan will continue to give up, fade away, and blame its limitations on demographics and the changing international balance of power"
Miroslava Mikheeva-Duma: Best dressed mum
WikiAnswers - What is an italian chandelier - "I think it's either a chandelier made in Italy or a really posh chandelier. But I'm not sure! Hope that helps evn tho i don't think it will! lol! x"
Study: Why Older Women Have Higher Sex Drive - "Women in their 30s and early 40s are significantly more sexual than younger women. Women ages 27 through 45 report not only having more sexual fantasies (and more intense sexual fantasies) than women ages 18 through 26 but also having more sex, period. And they are more willing than younger women to have casual sex, even one-night stands. In other words, despite the girls-gone-wild image of promiscuous college women, it is women in their middle years who are America's most sexually industrious. By contrast, men's sexual interest and output... peaks in the teen years and then settles to a steady level (an average of three orgasms per week) for most of their lives... [an earlier study] found that women in their early 30s feel more lustful and report less abstinence than women in other age groups. In both studies, these findings held true for both partnered and single women, meaning that married women in their 30s and early 40s tend to have more sex than married women in their early 20s; ditto for single women. Also, whether the women were mothers didn't matter. Only age had a strong affect on women's reported sexual interest and behavior."
Nine Ways to Crack The Office Dress Code - "The more intellectual or powerful your work environment, the more fashion fripperies are frowned upon. Perfectly dreary but true. Chanel understood this principle and designed for women with work ethic accordingly. “Be a caterpillar by day and a butterfly by night,”‘ she chided, wearing her invisibly elegant little suits everyday. Office chic shares that sense of focus. It is clothing that looks good but doesn’t get in the way of what you have to do and what you have to say. If you need an eccentric expression siphon it into intense little accessories"
Of course, it's much harder for men
One in five adults in love with someone other than partner - "One in four are not entirely happy in their current relationship. And of those who are now completely content with their other half, just over 50 per cent have experienced feelings for someone else. Worryingly, one in six of those who love another will follow it through and become involved in a long-term affair. But better news for the long-suffering partners of those with a wandering eye is that falling for someone else usually only happens once during each relationship. And only six per cent said they were planning to leave their long-term partner for the other man or woman... "The research shows just how many people believe that it's possible to hold feelings for more than one person.""
Doomsday: How BP Gulf disaster may have triggered a world-killing event - "251 million years ago a mammoth undersea methane bubble caused massive explosions, poisoned the atmosphere and destroyed more than 96 percent of all life on Earth... If the methane bubble—a bubble that could be as big as 20 miles wide—erupts with titanic force from the seabed into the Gulf, every ship, drilling rig and structure within the region of the bubble will immediately sink. All the workers, engineers, Coast Guard personnel and marine biologists participating in the salvage operation will die instantly. Next, the ocean bottom will collapse, instantaneously displacing up to a trillion cubic feet of water or more and creating a towering supersonic tsunami annihilating everything along the coast and well inland. Like a thermonuclear blast, a high pressure atmospheric wave could precede the tidal wave flattening everything in its path before the water arrives."
Sounds more entertaining than 2012
The tuition nation - "Private tuition – together with the trade in test papers – has become a booming industry, probably raking in hundreds of millions of dollars and providing jobs for thousands of people.... a Chinese-language newspaper reported a father spent almost half his monthly salary, or S$960, to pay for his son’s English lessons... In this small city of 700sq km, there are at least 500 tuition centres, each with a database of home tutors for parents to select from... With the weak employment market for graduates, this is useful. It has allowed many retrenched professionals and executives to survive the crisis of unemployment."
Report: Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High - "Kids around the country are getting high on the internet, thanks to MP3s that induce a state of ecstasy. And it could be a gateway drug leading teens to real-world narcotics. At least, that’s what Kansas News 9 is reporting about a phenomenon called “i-dosing,” which involves finding an online dealer who can hook you up with “digital drugs” that get you high through your headphones. And officials are taking it seriously... The educators have gone so far as to ban iPods at school"
Deluded animal rights protestor lets children's pet rabbit loose - "[The note] read: 'This is animal cruelty. Rabbits should not be left in hutches, they should be out in the wild and socialising.' Now Barney is feared to have been let out into local countryside - where rabbit experts say he would be unlikely to survive more than a few days, at the mercy of foxes and other hazards"
Asian millionaires beat Europe in rich list
Shopping centre management install Asian 'stand-up' toilets following cultural awareness course - "They are regarded as unhygienic and backward in many parts of the world - infamously, a controversial sculpture briefly displayed at EU offices in Brussels last year lampooning member states depicted Bulgaria as a squat toilet. Mike Bone, of the British Toilet Association, warned the washing facilities associated with squat toilets could pose a hygiene hazard. 'We really don't see a need for them,' he said. 'Space for public toilets in places like shopping centres is already at a premium, and if this is meant to cater for Muslims we would point out that the vast majority use normal toilets in their own homes.'"
Why A Good Memory Is Bad For You - "Memory is useful because it allows foragers to find food without the effort of searching. "But excessive memory use prevents the forager from updating its knowledge in rapidly changing environments""
Grief-stricken mum breaks taboo - "Weeping inconsolably, the woman, who appeared to be in her 60s, flung her body against the side of the hearse, her wailing a sorrowful counterpoint to the toneless chants of Buddhist monks in the background."
This is one of the most scummy newspaper articles I've ever read
YouTube - Chalk Funny Commercial - Japan Dairy Council
Revealing Japan's low-tech belly - "Police stations without computers, 30-year-old "on hold" tapes grinding out tinny renditions of Greensleeves, ATMs that close when the bank does, suspect car engineering, and kerosene heaters but no central heating... This technological divide goes hand in hand with Japan's much touted "Galapagos" status. Like the plants and creatures on those islands Japan's tech standards and business practices have developed a unique character incompatible with anything beyond its borders"
New book puts death penalty on trial - "1. When foreign governments have clout over our economic interests and are willing to use that clout, their citizens will not face the death penalty;
2. When local citizens come from rich, well-connected families, or when a case threatens to involve others from this stratum of society, a way is found to avoid having them face the death penalty or even severe penalties;
3. When the state is convinced that an accused who is poor and “low-class” is guilty, and provided that exception no. 1 above does not apply, due process is less important than putting him on the fast-track to the noose...
Because so many laws mandate the death penalty, tying the hands of judges, the real decider as to who hangs and who does not is the prosecutor through his ability to pick and choose what charges to level at the accused. It stinks when the quantum of drugs the accused is charged with handling can go up or down depending on the day of the week or phase of the moon"
YTMND - What Women Want
Mel Gibson
Performance and Identity: The Music of Lady Gaga - "I am soliciting essays on a range of subjects that illustrate the influence and impact of Lady Gaga and her music. Essays will come from a range of scholars, including artists, music theoreticians and practitioners, psychologists, sociologists, cultural anthropologists, linguists, literary and theatre scholars, etc."
Marriage isn't a magic fix - "When controlling for differences between the two groups -- namely that cohabitating parents are "typically younger, less well off, less likely to own their own homes, have fewer educational qualifications and are less likely to plan their pregnancies than married people" -- the difference in the likelihood of a split dropped to 2 percent."
Video shows family dancing to "I will survive" at Auschwitz
Star Wars Subway Car « Improv Everywhere - "For our latest mission, we staged a reenactment of the first Princess Leia / Darth Vader scene from Star Wars on a New York City subway car. The white walls and sliding doors on the train reminded us of the rebel ship from the movie"
Honey Pie - "Her lips are full and pink. Her teal green eyes are intense and inviting. Her black eyeliner accentuates her high cheekbones and her strawberry hair complements her light African skin. Her metallic halter dress holds her supple thighs and pushes on her round breast. She is the result of careful attention and workmanship. When you see her up close, you can’t help but stare. At $6000, she’s certainly not a cheap date. For creator, Matt McMullen, she's a work of art. For everyone else, she's a Real Doll."
***
Yvette's Wedding Dresses Panama City Florida Yvette's Yvette's
This is Geocities x10. And it doesn't seem to be a joke
Animated stereoviews of old Japan
The Creativity Crisis - "The age-old belief that the arts have a special claim to creativity is unfounded. When scholars gave creativity tasks to both engineering majors and music majors, their scores laid down on an identical spectrum... The lore of pop psychology is that creativity occurs on the right side of the brain. But we now know that if you tried to be creative using only the right side of your brain, it’d be like living with ideas perpetually at the tip of your tongue, just beyond reach... When creative children have a supportive teacher... they tend to excel. When they don’t, they tend to underperform and drop out of high school or don’t finish college at high rates. They’re quitting because they’re discouraged and bored, not because they’re dark, depressed, anxious, or neurotic. It’s a myth that creative people have these traits. (Those traits actually shut down creativity)... Rather, creative people, for the most part, exhibit active moods and positive affect. They’re not particularly happy—contentment is a kind of complacency creative people rarely have. But they’re engaged, motivated, and open to the world."
Late-blooming lesbians: women can switch sexualities as they mature - "As many as two-thirds of women who feel lesbian attractions may have changed their sexual orientation over time. The findings appear to pose a challenge to the scientific consensus that a person's sexuality is determined more by their genes than environment... Lisa Diamond, professor of psychology and gender studies at Utah University... tracked nearly 100 women who felt some degree of attraction to the same sex... Over the course of a decade two-thirds of the women changed their sexual orientations"
Everything you always wanted to know about Japanese schoolgirls (but were afraid to ask) - "It is easier for those doing the idolizing to develop an attachment to "a pure, awkward young woman" than to an accomplished performer. Thus even when they are professional, idols strive not to appear too professional, to give the impression that they ended up in the spotlight by accident."
Toyota Is a Symptom of Japan's Decline - "In the early part of the last decade, particularly under the maverick administration of celebrity prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, Japan made fleeting attempts to promote itself as the land of the new new thing: nano-this, bio-that. Nothing stuck. There is still no Japanese Google... [Toyota] suffered from an insularity and parochialism, and a hierarchical structure that discouraged innovation or input from others... Toyota is symptomatic of a nation that has lost its way. According to a 2008 Pew survey, Japanese were more dissatisfied with the direction of their country than almost any other nation, including Pakistan and Russia... A shrinking, bargain-hunting, risk-averse population translates into a deflationary spiral, low wage growth, and decreased tax revenues... Japan will continue to give up, fade away, and blame its limitations on demographics and the changing international balance of power"
Miroslava Mikheeva-Duma: Best dressed mum
WikiAnswers - What is an italian chandelier - "I think it's either a chandelier made in Italy or a really posh chandelier. But I'm not sure! Hope that helps evn tho i don't think it will! lol! x"
Study: Why Older Women Have Higher Sex Drive - "Women in their 30s and early 40s are significantly more sexual than younger women. Women ages 27 through 45 report not only having more sexual fantasies (and more intense sexual fantasies) than women ages 18 through 26 but also having more sex, period. And they are more willing than younger women to have casual sex, even one-night stands. In other words, despite the girls-gone-wild image of promiscuous college women, it is women in their middle years who are America's most sexually industrious. By contrast, men's sexual interest and output... peaks in the teen years and then settles to a steady level (an average of three orgasms per week) for most of their lives... [an earlier study] found that women in their early 30s feel more lustful and report less abstinence than women in other age groups. In both studies, these findings held true for both partnered and single women, meaning that married women in their 30s and early 40s tend to have more sex than married women in their early 20s; ditto for single women. Also, whether the women were mothers didn't matter. Only age had a strong affect on women's reported sexual interest and behavior."
Nine Ways to Crack The Office Dress Code - "The more intellectual or powerful your work environment, the more fashion fripperies are frowned upon. Perfectly dreary but true. Chanel understood this principle and designed for women with work ethic accordingly. “Be a caterpillar by day and a butterfly by night,”‘ she chided, wearing her invisibly elegant little suits everyday. Office chic shares that sense of focus. It is clothing that looks good but doesn’t get in the way of what you have to do and what you have to say. If you need an eccentric expression siphon it into intense little accessories"
Of course, it's much harder for men
One in five adults in love with someone other than partner - "One in four are not entirely happy in their current relationship. And of those who are now completely content with their other half, just over 50 per cent have experienced feelings for someone else. Worryingly, one in six of those who love another will follow it through and become involved in a long-term affair. But better news for the long-suffering partners of those with a wandering eye is that falling for someone else usually only happens once during each relationship. And only six per cent said they were planning to leave their long-term partner for the other man or woman... "The research shows just how many people believe that it's possible to hold feelings for more than one person.""
Doomsday: How BP Gulf disaster may have triggered a world-killing event - "251 million years ago a mammoth undersea methane bubble caused massive explosions, poisoned the atmosphere and destroyed more than 96 percent of all life on Earth... If the methane bubble—a bubble that could be as big as 20 miles wide—erupts with titanic force from the seabed into the Gulf, every ship, drilling rig and structure within the region of the bubble will immediately sink. All the workers, engineers, Coast Guard personnel and marine biologists participating in the salvage operation will die instantly. Next, the ocean bottom will collapse, instantaneously displacing up to a trillion cubic feet of water or more and creating a towering supersonic tsunami annihilating everything along the coast and well inland. Like a thermonuclear blast, a high pressure atmospheric wave could precede the tidal wave flattening everything in its path before the water arrives."
Sounds more entertaining than 2012
The tuition nation - "Private tuition – together with the trade in test papers – has become a booming industry, probably raking in hundreds of millions of dollars and providing jobs for thousands of people.... a Chinese-language newspaper reported a father spent almost half his monthly salary, or S$960, to pay for his son’s English lessons... In this small city of 700sq km, there are at least 500 tuition centres, each with a database of home tutors for parents to select from... With the weak employment market for graduates, this is useful. It has allowed many retrenched professionals and executives to survive the crisis of unemployment."
Report: Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High - "Kids around the country are getting high on the internet, thanks to MP3s that induce a state of ecstasy. And it could be a gateway drug leading teens to real-world narcotics. At least, that’s what Kansas News 9 is reporting about a phenomenon called “i-dosing,” which involves finding an online dealer who can hook you up with “digital drugs” that get you high through your headphones. And officials are taking it seriously... The educators have gone so far as to ban iPods at school"
Deluded animal rights protestor lets children's pet rabbit loose - "[The note] read: 'This is animal cruelty. Rabbits should not be left in hutches, they should be out in the wild and socialising.' Now Barney is feared to have been let out into local countryside - where rabbit experts say he would be unlikely to survive more than a few days, at the mercy of foxes and other hazards"
Asian millionaires beat Europe in rich list
Shopping centre management install Asian 'stand-up' toilets following cultural awareness course - "They are regarded as unhygienic and backward in many parts of the world - infamously, a controversial sculpture briefly displayed at EU offices in Brussels last year lampooning member states depicted Bulgaria as a squat toilet. Mike Bone, of the British Toilet Association, warned the washing facilities associated with squat toilets could pose a hygiene hazard. 'We really don't see a need for them,' he said. 'Space for public toilets in places like shopping centres is already at a premium, and if this is meant to cater for Muslims we would point out that the vast majority use normal toilets in their own homes.'"
Why A Good Memory Is Bad For You - "Memory is useful because it allows foragers to find food without the effort of searching. "But excessive memory use prevents the forager from updating its knowledge in rapidly changing environments""
Grief-stricken mum breaks taboo - "Weeping inconsolably, the woman, who appeared to be in her 60s, flung her body against the side of the hearse, her wailing a sorrowful counterpoint to the toneless chants of Buddhist monks in the background."
This is one of the most scummy newspaper articles I've ever read
YouTube - Chalk Funny Commercial - Japan Dairy Council
Revealing Japan's low-tech belly - "Police stations without computers, 30-year-old "on hold" tapes grinding out tinny renditions of Greensleeves, ATMs that close when the bank does, suspect car engineering, and kerosene heaters but no central heating... This technological divide goes hand in hand with Japan's much touted "Galapagos" status. Like the plants and creatures on those islands Japan's tech standards and business practices have developed a unique character incompatible with anything beyond its borders"
New book puts death penalty on trial - "1. When foreign governments have clout over our economic interests and are willing to use that clout, their citizens will not face the death penalty;
2. When local citizens come from rich, well-connected families, or when a case threatens to involve others from this stratum of society, a way is found to avoid having them face the death penalty or even severe penalties;
3. When the state is convinced that an accused who is poor and “low-class” is guilty, and provided that exception no. 1 above does not apply, due process is less important than putting him on the fast-track to the noose...
Because so many laws mandate the death penalty, tying the hands of judges, the real decider as to who hangs and who does not is the prosecutor through his ability to pick and choose what charges to level at the accused. It stinks when the quantum of drugs the accused is charged with handling can go up or down depending on the day of the week or phase of the moon"
YTMND - What Women Want
Mel Gibson
Performance and Identity: The Music of Lady Gaga - "I am soliciting essays on a range of subjects that illustrate the influence and impact of Lady Gaga and her music. Essays will come from a range of scholars, including artists, music theoreticians and practitioners, psychologists, sociologists, cultural anthropologists, linguists, literary and theatre scholars, etc."
Marriage isn't a magic fix - "When controlling for differences between the two groups -- namely that cohabitating parents are "typically younger, less well off, less likely to own their own homes, have fewer educational qualifications and are less likely to plan their pregnancies than married people" -- the difference in the likelihood of a split dropped to 2 percent."
Video shows family dancing to "I will survive" at Auschwitz
Star Wars Subway Car « Improv Everywhere - "For our latest mission, we staged a reenactment of the first Princess Leia / Darth Vader scene from Star Wars on a New York City subway car. The white walls and sliding doors on the train reminded us of the rebel ship from the movie"
Honey Pie - "Her lips are full and pink. Her teal green eyes are intense and inviting. Her black eyeliner accentuates her high cheekbones and her strawberry hair complements her light African skin. Her metallic halter dress holds her supple thighs and pushes on her round breast. She is the result of careful attention and workmanship. When you see her up close, you can’t help but stare. At $6000, she’s certainly not a cheap date. For creator, Matt McMullen, she's a work of art. For everyone else, she's a Real Doll."
Post ID: 4816311849847692540
Thursday, July 15, 2010
My first breast enhancement spam
"Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long." - Ogden Nash
***
I'm so excited. After years of penis-enlargement spam emails, I've finally gotten my first breast enhancement spam (at least that I remember)! Woo hoo!
Subject: Natural Breast Enhance !!!
Message: Increment of bust size from 30A to 32B
Firmer and more toned breasts from 34B to 34C
Pinkish nipples and fairer breast skin
Menopausal customers experience more vaginal secretion
Lesser hot flushes and relief of menstrual symptoms
Achieve breast fullness
Smoother and tighter breast skin
***
I'm so excited. After years of penis-enlargement spam emails, I've finally gotten my first breast enhancement spam (at least that I remember)! Woo hoo!
Subject: Natural Breast Enhance !!!
Message: Increment of bust size from 30A to 32B
Firmer and more toned breasts from 34B to 34C
Pinkish nipples and fairer breast skin
Menopausal customers experience more vaginal secretion
Lesser hot flushes and relief of menstrual symptoms
Achieve breast fullness
Smoother and tighter breast skin
Post ID: 7972525332261147874
Singapore's Mail Order Bride Agency
"Love Bought Together" (from the SDN newsletter)
(this advertises their contest, "A Love Brought Together")
I have created a label called "sdn" to aggregate all my SDN posts!
Post ID: 8799799517471597818
An unbeatable collection
"He was a passionate collector of relics - he had the marriage ring of the Virgin, a cup used at the Wedding at Cana, a fragment of the Burning Bush and a complete body of one of the Holy Innocents, the children murdered by Herod."
Post ID: 5672041295324280655
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Potemkin Trees in Singapore
"I planted the first tree after I took office in June 1959. Many of the trees I planted in various circuses (roundabouts) did not thrive. So before the next time I was to pass the site, they would plant a new sapling"
(via Duck)
(via Duck)
Post ID: 4635342240443209715
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
For all the Champion Grumblers out there
"Complaint can be a powerful political tool. Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King both used it to drive social change" (Blurb for Complaint: From Minor Moans to Principled Protests)
And, as we all know, Marx was the world's biggest whiner, and he never got anything done.
And, as we all know, Marx was the world's biggest whiner, and he never got anything done.
Post ID: 1939673970758974752
On the Myth of Multiculturalism in Medieval Spain
"A stitch in time would have confused Einstein." - Unknown
***
"From the eighth to the fifteenth centuries, the mixing in medieval Spain of the people of three religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - was one of Spanish society's most distinctive elements... Throughout Christian Spain there were large numbers of Jewish and Muslim people, all three groups living together but keeping their separate traditions in what might be described as an early example of multi-culturalism. This coexistence, extremely rare in European history, is often referred to by the Spanish term 'convivencia'. Here's the distinguished historian of Spain, Sir John Elliott:
"Well, as I see it, the essence of multi-culturalism is the preservation of the distinctive identity of the different religious and ethnic communities in a society. And for much of the period of Islamic rule, the policy of the rulers was to accept that diversity, even if it regarded Christians and Jews as adherents of inferior faiths. The Christian rulers when they took over did much the same, because they had no other option really, and at the same time of course, there was really no intermarriage. Intermarriage was forbidden between these communities So it is a limited multi-culturalism""
--- A History of the World in 100 Objects: Episode 62 - Hebrew astrolabe
Also, as with other commonly-mentioned romanticised historical anecdotes of religious tolerance, religions outside the ones mentioned were not treated as well.
***
"From the eighth to the fifteenth centuries, the mixing in medieval Spain of the people of three religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - was one of Spanish society's most distinctive elements... Throughout Christian Spain there were large numbers of Jewish and Muslim people, all three groups living together but keeping their separate traditions in what might be described as an early example of multi-culturalism. This coexistence, extremely rare in European history, is often referred to by the Spanish term 'convivencia'. Here's the distinguished historian of Spain, Sir John Elliott:
"Well, as I see it, the essence of multi-culturalism is the preservation of the distinctive identity of the different religious and ethnic communities in a society. And for much of the period of Islamic rule, the policy of the rulers was to accept that diversity, even if it regarded Christians and Jews as adherents of inferior faiths. The Christian rulers when they took over did much the same, because they had no other option really, and at the same time of course, there was really no intermarriage. Intermarriage was forbidden between these communities So it is a limited multi-culturalism""
--- A History of the World in 100 Objects: Episode 62 - Hebrew astrolabe
Also, as with other commonly-mentioned romanticised historical anecdotes of religious tolerance, religions outside the ones mentioned were not treated as well.
Post ID: 6659125787374092688
Monday, July 12, 2010
Links - 12th July 2010
"Literature is news that stays news." - Ezra Pound
***
jing quek SUPERHYPERREAL photography
I had a hard time finding this site, which I thought was called zingapore. It's the guy who lines up Filipino maids, grasscutters/grass cutters, construction workers, old folks/old people, the 501st Legion, fan-wielding taichi practitioners and trishaw riders up in striking poses. And more amusingly, poses some Singaporean schoolboy fantasies: SCGS girls throwing sports bras in the air on what looks like the ACJC track, 4 schoolgirls (from 4 premium schools) squirting/spraying a schoolboy with Coke, uncles pouring soya bean milk/tao huay zhwee on a girl in a bikini. Oh, and who runs around Singapore with red balloons and in red underwear/briefs. As you can tell, I will never be able to lose this site again.
Wealthier is not necessarily healthier: UK study - "In some cases the health of a population has worsened even as the country's national income was rising. This was because issues of poverty and inequality were ignored by policymakers more worried about economic growth, a strategy that may ultimately cost lives"
Election Strategy and Ethnic Politics in Singapore - "Logistic regression of the 1968-2006 parliamentary election results by constituency indicates that the PAP government did create Group Representation Constituencies in 1988 so as to eliminate districts that had voted disproportionately for the opposition in 1984. Analysis using Gary King’s method of ecological inference suggests that ethic polarization between Chinese and Malays was moderately high in the 1976 election, peaked in 1988, and was minimal in 2006. Indians, meanwhile, appear to have voted with the Chinese in all three elections... These empirical results thus cast doubt on the extent to which Singapore’s elections have been truly free, fair, and devoid of ethnic tension. The findings also suggest that young, middle-class, highly educated Chinese have replaced working-class Malays as the greatest challenge to continued PAP dominance"
A Web Site the Size of Belgium - "Q1) What do you call an area the size of 25,000 golf courses?
Q2) How big was the largest iceberg ever recorded?
Q3) How much of our planet would be destroyed if we were hit by a 1-kilometre asteroid?
The answer to all of these is: A "Belgium".
Have you ever noticed that when there is a need to describe how large a piece of land is, Belgium is often chosen as the comparative measure? (Especially when the reference is to an area of rain forest that has been destroyed.)"
Nanny, 30, died from sexual arousal while watching pornography - "Children's nanny Nichola Paginton was found dead in bed naked from the waist down last October with pornographic material running on her laptop. A sex toy was discovered next to her."
The Bad Webcomics Wiki - "The cold war on bad webcomics commences.
Every day, you and your family could be subjected to bad webcomic radiation. Find out what to do about it.
Your guide to finding the right webcomic."
xkcd is listed here?!
'Hollywood Accounting' Losing In The Courts - "Hollywood sets up a separate corporation for each movie with the intent that this corporation will take on losses. The studio then charges the "film corporation" a huge fee (which creates a large part of the "expense" that leads to the loss). The end result is that the studio still rakes in the cash, but for accounting purposes the film is a money "loser" -- which matters quite a bit for anyone who is supposed to get a cut of any profits... it's a fun glimpse into yet another way that Hollywood lies with numbers to avoid paying people what they owe (while at the same sanctimoniously insisting in the press and to politicians that they're all about getting content creators paid what they're due)"
Homework Makes The Grade - "The heaviest copiers were male, and although most of the students in the classes were freshmen and had yet to declare a major, subsequent analyses turned up an interesting trend: “Copying homework is a leading indicator of becoming a business major”"
Time to kick the gender gap into touch - "If football were to become more caring and sharing it wouldn’t be any fun to watch and the clubs would all go bust. Furthermore, football managers are already showing rather too much of their female side as it is – at least as far as their hairdos are concerned... Part of the reason why women are relatively gaffe-free may be that most slips are made in unguarded moments. Women are most likely to be off-guard when with their own sex, and powerful women are nearly always surrounded by men. It’s also because women don’t go around noisily asserting the first thing that comes into their heads. This may be a bad characteristic when it comes to landing a top job but, given that gaffes are now the number one way of ending a high-profile career, it is a pretty useful trait for survival"
Top 10 des meilleurs vu depuis les toilettes
Scientists Cite Fastest Case of Human Evolution - "Comparing the genomes of Tibetans and Han Chinese, the majority ethnic group in China, the biologists found that at least 30 genes had undergone evolutionary change in the Tibetans as they adapted to life on the high plateau. Tibetans and Han Chinese split apart as recently as 3,000 years ago, say the biologists... Until now, the most recent such change was the spread of lactose tolerance — the ability to digest milk in adulthood — among northern Europeans about 7,500 years ago"
Why You Don't Need to Love Your Job - On Careers - "Most people who merely like, rather than love, their jobs are leading happy and fulfilled lives. Yes, you can get satisfaction and even pride out of doing a decent job well and competently. You can find enjoyment in facets of your work—your colleagues, your geographical location, your schedule—not strictly central to the job but still very important. And you can feed your inner passions in ways other than on the job... Maybe the insistence that it’s essential to adore your job is more distressing and depressing than working at a job that is just OK... every job is temporary. Moreover, it’s not necessary or even possible to be thrilled with what you’re doing every single minute of every single day"
Down for everyone or just me? - "Is [website] down for everyone or just me?"
Besides being useful this is a smart marketing ploy
Snake bursts after gobbling gator - "An unusual clash between a 6-foot (1.8m) alligator and a 13-foot (3.9m) python has left two of the deadliest predators dead in Florida's swamps. The Burmese python tried to swallow its fearsome rival whole but then exploded."
People's misguided ideas of "kindness" towards animals = ecological disaster
Need a Flyer for Your Lost Cat? Don’t Ask This Guy. - "This is a supposed email exchange between co-workers, one of whom (David) is a designer. Shannon is a distraught cat owner who makes the mistake of asking David’s pro bono assistance in creating a Lost Cat flyer."
A Guide To Evil Dictator Facial Hair
Supporting my theory that men with facial hair are evil
Starting school day half-hour later shows big gains for tired teens in Rhode Island study - "Giving teens 30 extra minutes to start their school day leads to more alertness in class, better moods, less tardiness, and even healthier breakfasts... Teens tend to be in their deepest sleep around dawn — when they typically need to arise for school. Interrupting that sleep can leave them groggy, especially since they also tend to have trouble falling asleep before 11 p.m... Starting times were shifted from 8 to 8:30. All class times were cut 5 to 10 minutes to avoid a longer school day that would interfere with after-school activities. Moss said improvements in student alertness made up for that lost instruction time"
And starting half an hour even earlier... No wonder we need Teach Less, Learn More
Why men are attracted to women with small feet - "Women with smaller feet have prettier faces, at least according to the men who took part in this study. So do women with longer thigh bones and narrower hips, as well as women who are taller overall. And the contest isn't even a close one... Atkinson thinks men find these features attractive because they serve as markers of a healthy childhood"
DNA Evidence Frees Man After 15 Years Of Marriage - "Henry "Hank" Doswell, 42, was released from his marriage Wednesday, after DNA tests conclusively proved his innocence in the July 1991 fathering of Spencer Doswell, the solitary charge that has kept him committed for 15 years... "I always said they'd made a terrible mistake, that I did not deserve to be put away in the prime of my life, but no one believed me. If it hadn't been for this DNA test, I might have died in that monogamous relationship... after wasting almost half my life on baptisms and birthday parties meant for some other man, I'm not about to take my single life for granted anymore""
***
jing quek SUPERHYPERREAL photography
I had a hard time finding this site, which I thought was called zingapore. It's the guy who lines up Filipino maids, grasscutters/grass cutters, construction workers, old folks/old people, the 501st Legion, fan-wielding taichi practitioners and trishaw riders up in striking poses. And more amusingly, poses some Singaporean schoolboy fantasies: SCGS girls throwing sports bras in the air on what looks like the ACJC track, 4 schoolgirls (from 4 premium schools) squirting/spraying a schoolboy with Coke, uncles pouring soya bean milk/tao huay zhwee on a girl in a bikini. Oh, and who runs around Singapore with red balloons and in red underwear/briefs. As you can tell, I will never be able to lose this site again.
Wealthier is not necessarily healthier: UK study - "In some cases the health of a population has worsened even as the country's national income was rising. This was because issues of poverty and inequality were ignored by policymakers more worried about economic growth, a strategy that may ultimately cost lives"
Election Strategy and Ethnic Politics in Singapore - "Logistic regression of the 1968-2006 parliamentary election results by constituency indicates that the PAP government did create Group Representation Constituencies in 1988 so as to eliminate districts that had voted disproportionately for the opposition in 1984. Analysis using Gary King’s method of ecological inference suggests that ethic polarization between Chinese and Malays was moderately high in the 1976 election, peaked in 1988, and was minimal in 2006. Indians, meanwhile, appear to have voted with the Chinese in all three elections... These empirical results thus cast doubt on the extent to which Singapore’s elections have been truly free, fair, and devoid of ethnic tension. The findings also suggest that young, middle-class, highly educated Chinese have replaced working-class Malays as the greatest challenge to continued PAP dominance"
A Web Site the Size of Belgium - "Q1) What do you call an area the size of 25,000 golf courses?
Q2) How big was the largest iceberg ever recorded?
Q3) How much of our planet would be destroyed if we were hit by a 1-kilometre asteroid?
The answer to all of these is: A "Belgium".
Have you ever noticed that when there is a need to describe how large a piece of land is, Belgium is often chosen as the comparative measure? (Especially when the reference is to an area of rain forest that has been destroyed.)"
Nanny, 30, died from sexual arousal while watching pornography - "Children's nanny Nichola Paginton was found dead in bed naked from the waist down last October with pornographic material running on her laptop. A sex toy was discovered next to her."
The Bad Webcomics Wiki - "The cold war on bad webcomics commences.
Every day, you and your family could be subjected to bad webcomic radiation. Find out what to do about it.
Your guide to finding the right webcomic."
xkcd is listed here?!
'Hollywood Accounting' Losing In The Courts - "Hollywood sets up a separate corporation for each movie with the intent that this corporation will take on losses. The studio then charges the "film corporation" a huge fee (which creates a large part of the "expense" that leads to the loss). The end result is that the studio still rakes in the cash, but for accounting purposes the film is a money "loser" -- which matters quite a bit for anyone who is supposed to get a cut of any profits... it's a fun glimpse into yet another way that Hollywood lies with numbers to avoid paying people what they owe (while at the same sanctimoniously insisting in the press and to politicians that they're all about getting content creators paid what they're due)"
Homework Makes The Grade - "The heaviest copiers were male, and although most of the students in the classes were freshmen and had yet to declare a major, subsequent analyses turned up an interesting trend: “Copying homework is a leading indicator of becoming a business major”"
Time to kick the gender gap into touch - "If football were to become more caring and sharing it wouldn’t be any fun to watch and the clubs would all go bust. Furthermore, football managers are already showing rather too much of their female side as it is – at least as far as their hairdos are concerned... Part of the reason why women are relatively gaffe-free may be that most slips are made in unguarded moments. Women are most likely to be off-guard when with their own sex, and powerful women are nearly always surrounded by men. It’s also because women don’t go around noisily asserting the first thing that comes into their heads. This may be a bad characteristic when it comes to landing a top job but, given that gaffes are now the number one way of ending a high-profile career, it is a pretty useful trait for survival"
Top 10 des meilleurs vu depuis les toilettes
Scientists Cite Fastest Case of Human Evolution - "Comparing the genomes of Tibetans and Han Chinese, the majority ethnic group in China, the biologists found that at least 30 genes had undergone evolutionary change in the Tibetans as they adapted to life on the high plateau. Tibetans and Han Chinese split apart as recently as 3,000 years ago, say the biologists... Until now, the most recent such change was the spread of lactose tolerance — the ability to digest milk in adulthood — among northern Europeans about 7,500 years ago"
Why You Don't Need to Love Your Job - On Careers - "Most people who merely like, rather than love, their jobs are leading happy and fulfilled lives. Yes, you can get satisfaction and even pride out of doing a decent job well and competently. You can find enjoyment in facets of your work—your colleagues, your geographical location, your schedule—not strictly central to the job but still very important. And you can feed your inner passions in ways other than on the job... Maybe the insistence that it’s essential to adore your job is more distressing and depressing than working at a job that is just OK... every job is temporary. Moreover, it’s not necessary or even possible to be thrilled with what you’re doing every single minute of every single day"
Down for everyone or just me? - "Is [website] down for everyone or just me?"
Besides being useful this is a smart marketing ploy
Snake bursts after gobbling gator - "An unusual clash between a 6-foot (1.8m) alligator and a 13-foot (3.9m) python has left two of the deadliest predators dead in Florida's swamps. The Burmese python tried to swallow its fearsome rival whole but then exploded."
People's misguided ideas of "kindness" towards animals = ecological disaster
Need a Flyer for Your Lost Cat? Don’t Ask This Guy. - "This is a supposed email exchange between co-workers, one of whom (David) is a designer. Shannon is a distraught cat owner who makes the mistake of asking David’s pro bono assistance in creating a Lost Cat flyer."
A Guide To Evil Dictator Facial Hair
Supporting my theory that men with facial hair are evil
Starting school day half-hour later shows big gains for tired teens in Rhode Island study - "Giving teens 30 extra minutes to start their school day leads to more alertness in class, better moods, less tardiness, and even healthier breakfasts... Teens tend to be in their deepest sleep around dawn — when they typically need to arise for school. Interrupting that sleep can leave them groggy, especially since they also tend to have trouble falling asleep before 11 p.m... Starting times were shifted from 8 to 8:30. All class times were cut 5 to 10 minutes to avoid a longer school day that would interfere with after-school activities. Moss said improvements in student alertness made up for that lost instruction time"
And starting half an hour even earlier... No wonder we need Teach Less, Learn More
Why men are attracted to women with small feet - "Women with smaller feet have prettier faces, at least according to the men who took part in this study. So do women with longer thigh bones and narrower hips, as well as women who are taller overall. And the contest isn't even a close one... Atkinson thinks men find these features attractive because they serve as markers of a healthy childhood"
DNA Evidence Frees Man After 15 Years Of Marriage - "Henry "Hank" Doswell, 42, was released from his marriage Wednesday, after DNA tests conclusively proved his innocence in the July 1991 fathering of Spencer Doswell, the solitary charge that has kept him committed for 15 years... "I always said they'd made a terrible mistake, that I did not deserve to be put away in the prime of my life, but no one believed me. If it hadn't been for this DNA test, I might have died in that monogamous relationship... after wasting almost half my life on baptisms and birthday parties meant for some other man, I'm not about to take my single life for granted anymore""
Post ID: 3190953765108176086
Observations - 12th July 2010
"Any great truth can -- and eventually will -- be expressed as a cliche -- a cliche is a sure and certain way to dilute an idea. For instance, my grandmother used to say, 'The black cat is always the last one off the fence.' I have no idea what she meant, but at one time, it was undoubtedly true." - Solomon Short
***
My last Observations post was in March. No wonder I have so much crap in my draft.
On the obsession with homosexuality: RT punslabyrinth: @gssq hahha.. it's the 'in' thing these days isn't it.. to the point that honestly as a non-homosexual i feel marginalised sometimes!
RT @yaarn "Then there are linguists out there who don't want to see these (minority) languages die because then they'll be out of a job"
When someone says you're "overintellectual", "pseudointellectual", "overanalyse" or "think too much", what they are really saying is "I don't know how to answer your question. I shall avoid it and try to distract you with a Jedi mind trick" or "answering your question makes me uncomfortable. I shall avoid it and try to distract you with a Jedi mind trick".
On summarising himself in discussion threads: "Unfortunately this sort of summary is often necessary as I will often lose track of the line of argument myself and after several posts back and forth, will find myself arguing over something completely unrelated to the original post, or worse, find my earlier position completely reversed in later posts without even realising it."
"What have you learnt from Japanese girls?"
bookshopbear: "That make-up solves many of life's problems for them."
It's ironic that Mandarin, literally the language of Mandarins, has become rebranded as what is literally "normal language" ("普通话").
Patriarchy is a reaction to female mate choice and paternity uncertainty.
I am amused that a lot of people (including most women who have expressed an opinion on the topic) think that female bosses are worse than male ones, but no one thinks males are worse.
Of the people I know or know of who are taking or took breaks from employment, only one is male (and he was studying for his CFA). This is definitely something that must be taken into account when examining the gender wage gap (it almost certainly also has interaction effects with childcare).
Besides possible comparative advantage in doing housework (a suggestion that, bizarrely but predictably, got denounced as "deeply misandrist"), another reason that might explain why women do more housework than men is that they are more fastidious, or have higher standards of hygiene. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find studies on this (note: studies, not rhetoric, or baseless popular magazine articles).
If you're race blind, you will offend racial sensitivities.
If you want a ‘safe’ environment, most likely you just want your views to be ‘safe’ from criticism.
Addendum: keywords - "same from critical", "safe from examination", "sarah silverman"
I wonder if someone has done a study of the "racism" and "fear" of the Other inherent in the US banning Kang Kong, Snakehead and Konnyaku Jelly.
Nature is not Destiny, but if you ignore Nature, you're headed for Disaster.
RT @markleggett I like your Tumblr. Did you really find all these pictures on the internet? You're so talented.
RT @greenteacup: Most of the time, listening to girls talking is like Twitter - Most tweets r pointless n redundant.
(Someone asked what my large number of Twitter followers meant)
If Chatroulette had been coded by a PRC Chinese, would it have become so popular and international, given the closed ecosystem that is the Chinese Internet?
Why Singapore abandoned "Goal 2010": PRCs can't play football.
The Northern Chinese incursion into Chinatown is ironically inauthentic.
Maybe they hire Filipinas in hospitals instead of PRCs because unlike in restaurants, here a miscommunication could literally kill you.
The effects of Slavery: instead of getting riled up over politico-social issues, men hunt down men who've been less screwed
RT @infernoxv: thinks it's appalling how singaporeans with their shite mandarin make fun of the way mainland chinese speak mandarin. example: and then hor 我去他的office的時候那個 clerk很 bitchy的咯,每次給我dirty look, 真是 cannot stand it!
RT @ahaspel: A police state should admit error occasionally and pardon a few prisoners; it persuades the populace that the rest are guilty.
All SDN events which have a surplus of one sex have a surplus of women. In other words, the slots for ladies are all taken and only guys can register. Hurr hurr.
***
My last Observations post was in March. No wonder I have so much crap in my draft.
On the obsession with homosexuality: RT punslabyrinth: @gssq hahha.. it's the 'in' thing these days isn't it.. to the point that honestly as a non-homosexual i feel marginalised sometimes!
RT @yaarn "Then there are linguists out there who don't want to see these (minority) languages die because then they'll be out of a job"
When someone says you're "overintellectual", "pseudointellectual", "overanalyse" or "think too much", what they are really saying is "I don't know how to answer your question. I shall avoid it and try to distract you with a Jedi mind trick" or "answering your question makes me uncomfortable. I shall avoid it and try to distract you with a Jedi mind trick".
On summarising himself in discussion threads: "Unfortunately this sort of summary is often necessary as I will often lose track of the line of argument myself and after several posts back and forth, will find myself arguing over something completely unrelated to the original post, or worse, find my earlier position completely reversed in later posts without even realising it."
"What have you learnt from Japanese girls?"
bookshopbear: "That make-up solves many of life's problems for them."
It's ironic that Mandarin, literally the language of Mandarins, has become rebranded as what is literally "normal language" ("普通话").
Patriarchy is a reaction to female mate choice and paternity uncertainty.
I am amused that a lot of people (including most women who have expressed an opinion on the topic) think that female bosses are worse than male ones, but no one thinks males are worse.
Of the people I know or know of who are taking or took breaks from employment, only one is male (and he was studying for his CFA). This is definitely something that must be taken into account when examining the gender wage gap (it almost certainly also has interaction effects with childcare).
Besides possible comparative advantage in doing housework (a suggestion that, bizarrely but predictably, got denounced as "deeply misandrist"), another reason that might explain why women do more housework than men is that they are more fastidious, or have higher standards of hygiene. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find studies on this (note: studies, not rhetoric, or baseless popular magazine articles).
If you're race blind, you will offend racial sensitivities.
If you want a ‘safe’ environment, most likely you just want your views to be ‘safe’ from criticism.
Addendum: keywords - "same from critical", "safe from examination", "sarah silverman"
I wonder if someone has done a study of the "racism" and "fear" of the Other inherent in the US banning Kang Kong, Snakehead and Konnyaku Jelly.
Nature is not Destiny, but if you ignore Nature, you're headed for Disaster.
RT @markleggett I like your Tumblr. Did you really find all these pictures on the internet? You're so talented.
RT @greenteacup: Most of the time, listening to girls talking is like Twitter - Most tweets r pointless n redundant.
(Someone asked what my large number of Twitter followers meant)
If Chatroulette had been coded by a PRC Chinese, would it have become so popular and international, given the closed ecosystem that is the Chinese Internet?
Why Singapore abandoned "Goal 2010": PRCs can't play football.
The Northern Chinese incursion into Chinatown is ironically inauthentic.
Maybe they hire Filipinas in hospitals instead of PRCs because unlike in restaurants, here a miscommunication could literally kill you.
The effects of Slavery: instead of getting riled up over politico-social issues, men hunt down men who've been less screwed
RT @infernoxv: thinks it's appalling how singaporeans with their shite mandarin make fun of the way mainland chinese speak mandarin. example: and then hor 我去他的office的時候那個 clerk很 bitchy的咯,每次給我dirty look, 真是 cannot stand it!
RT @ahaspel: A police state should admit error occasionally and pardon a few prisoners; it persuades the populace that the rest are guilty.
All SDN events which have a surplus of one sex have a surplus of women. In other words, the slots for ladies are all taken and only guys can register. Hurr hurr.
Post ID: 810414165180835385
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Outrage World
"It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled sea of thought." - John Kenneth Galbraith
***
How feminist blogs like Jezebel gin up page views by exploiting women's worst tendencies.
"One of my friends posted a link to last week's Jezebel post titled "The Daily Show's Woman Problem" as her Gmail chat status, alongside the words "Every woman must read this." Obediently, I clicked, and read a lengthy post that began with the assertion that The Daily Show is a "boys' club where women's contributions are often ignored and dismissed." When I finished reading, I was outraged! But not, as the majority of Jezebel readers and commenters seemed to be, at The Daily Show.
Jezebel writer Irin Carmon's argument is essentially this: "Former videogame show host" Olivia Munn may soon become the show's first new female correspondent in seven years, but her potential hiring is nothing to celebrate, because, while she's a woman, she's not the right kind of woman.
The rest of the post was given over to quotes from various comediennes and Daily Show executives who'd been fired, or never hired, by the show... Female Daily Show employees whose stories didn't fit into this narrative... were mentioned very briefly...
[This is] a prime example of the feminist blogosphere's tendency to tap into the market force of what I've come to think of as "outrage world"—the regularly occurring firestorms stirred up on mainstream, for-profit, woman-targeted blogs like Jezebel... They're ignited by writers who are pushing readers to feel what the writers claim is righteously indignant rage but which is actually just petty jealousy, cleverly marketed as feminism. These firestorms are great for page-view-pimping bloggy business. But they promote the exact opposite of progressive thought and rational discourse, and the comment wars they elicit almost inevitably devolve into didactic one-upsmanship and faux-feminist cliché. The vibe is less sisterhood-is-powerful than middle-school clique in-fight, with anyone who dares to step outside of chalk-drawn lines delimiting what's "empowering" and "anti-feminist" inevitably getting flamed and shamed to bits. Paradoxically, in the midst of all the deeply felt concern about women's sexual and professional freedom to look and be however they want, it's considered de rigueur to criticize anyone, like Munn, who dares to seem to want to sexually attract men.
When Jezebel was founded, it proposed itself as an explicit alternative to traditional women's magazines. As any first-year women's studies major will tell you, these glossies make money by exploiting women's insecurities... Jezebel must also sell ad space... the easiest way for Jezebel writers to be provocative is to stoke readers' insecurities—just in a different way... women's insecurities sell ads. The only difference is the level of doublespeak and manipulation that it takes to produce that result...
On the Web, writers tend to play up the most jealousy- and insecurity-evoking aspects of controversy, and then anonymous commenters—who bear no responsibility for the effects of their statements—take the writers' hints to any possible extreme. It's just how the Internet works."
Comments:
"I think you just described the majority of political (not just feminist) discourse in this country in a nutshell"
"Jezebel is a joke. It trades on cheap outrage and dishonest discussion. Note most of the comments are "acceptable opinion" to blatant cheerleaders, nothing else really makes it through. Its rigged as a right wing talk shows hosts call ins. Whether its video games, films, comic books, the answer is always knee jerk screams of sexism. Its like a parody of some chick whos taken a few too many womens studies courses and is raging"
" If you do a little digging, you'll find they don't have any facts--only talking points. It's like the Fox News of feminism. When you try to engage in a thoughtful debate with some of them and they realize they don't have a leg to stand on, they call you names and a traitor to your race... I know feminists aren't a hive mind. But you'd never know it from some of the commenters here, on Jezebel, and on Feministing. It's hard to argue that, generally speaking, the Jezzies' first reaction when confronted with a view that doesn't jive with their own opposing view is to attack or ignore"
***
How feminist blogs like Jezebel gin up page views by exploiting women's worst tendencies.
"One of my friends posted a link to last week's Jezebel post titled "The Daily Show's Woman Problem" as her Gmail chat status, alongside the words "Every woman must read this." Obediently, I clicked, and read a lengthy post that began with the assertion that The Daily Show is a "boys' club where women's contributions are often ignored and dismissed." When I finished reading, I was outraged! But not, as the majority of Jezebel readers and commenters seemed to be, at The Daily Show.
Jezebel writer Irin Carmon's argument is essentially this: "Former videogame show host" Olivia Munn may soon become the show's first new female correspondent in seven years, but her potential hiring is nothing to celebrate, because, while she's a woman, she's not the right kind of woman.
The rest of the post was given over to quotes from various comediennes and Daily Show executives who'd been fired, or never hired, by the show... Female Daily Show employees whose stories didn't fit into this narrative... were mentioned very briefly...
[This is] a prime example of the feminist blogosphere's tendency to tap into the market force of what I've come to think of as "outrage world"—the regularly occurring firestorms stirred up on mainstream, for-profit, woman-targeted blogs like Jezebel... They're ignited by writers who are pushing readers to feel what the writers claim is righteously indignant rage but which is actually just petty jealousy, cleverly marketed as feminism. These firestorms are great for page-view-pimping bloggy business. But they promote the exact opposite of progressive thought and rational discourse, and the comment wars they elicit almost inevitably devolve into didactic one-upsmanship and faux-feminist cliché. The vibe is less sisterhood-is-powerful than middle-school clique in-fight, with anyone who dares to step outside of chalk-drawn lines delimiting what's "empowering" and "anti-feminist" inevitably getting flamed and shamed to bits. Paradoxically, in the midst of all the deeply felt concern about women's sexual and professional freedom to look and be however they want, it's considered de rigueur to criticize anyone, like Munn, who dares to seem to want to sexually attract men.
When Jezebel was founded, it proposed itself as an explicit alternative to traditional women's magazines. As any first-year women's studies major will tell you, these glossies make money by exploiting women's insecurities... Jezebel must also sell ad space... the easiest way for Jezebel writers to be provocative is to stoke readers' insecurities—just in a different way... women's insecurities sell ads. The only difference is the level of doublespeak and manipulation that it takes to produce that result...
On the Web, writers tend to play up the most jealousy- and insecurity-evoking aspects of controversy, and then anonymous commenters—who bear no responsibility for the effects of their statements—take the writers' hints to any possible extreme. It's just how the Internet works."
Comments:
"I think you just described the majority of political (not just feminist) discourse in this country in a nutshell"
"Jezebel is a joke. It trades on cheap outrage and dishonest discussion. Note most of the comments are "acceptable opinion" to blatant cheerleaders, nothing else really makes it through. Its rigged as a right wing talk shows hosts call ins. Whether its video games, films, comic books, the answer is always knee jerk screams of sexism. Its like a parody of some chick whos taken a few too many womens studies courses and is raging"
" If you do a little digging, you'll find they don't have any facts--only talking points. It's like the Fox News of feminism. When you try to engage in a thoughtful debate with some of them and they realize they don't have a leg to stand on, they call you names and a traitor to your race... I know feminists aren't a hive mind. But you'd never know it from some of the commenters here, on Jezebel, and on Feministing. It's hard to argue that, generally speaking, the Jezzies' first reaction when confronted with a view that doesn't jive with their own opposing view is to attack or ignore"
Post ID: 1163819138039563954
Saturday, July 10, 2010
No laser beams
"No laser beams" (it says the same in Japanese)
Perhaps the more amusing bit is the related images at the bottom:
Post ID: 6463425880848797457
Free Elections vs Fair Elections
"Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few." - George Bernard Shaw
***
Like flotsam and jetsam, namby and pamby and helter and skelter, "free" and "fair" are always found together in the context of elections.
Yet, it is important to disentangle the two. Just because elections are free does not mean that they are fair (though it is hard to think of fair elections that are not free).
A classic case is Singapore, whose elections have been described as free but not fair.
To understand what is lacking (and so what should be worked towards), it is important to not just define "free and fair elections", but untangle the two definitions.
An old (and really lame) joke has it that there is Freedom of Speech in Singapore, but not Freedom After Speech (this is on par with lines like "I know Lee Kuan Yew, but he does not know me"). It was similarly suggested to me that like in Singapore, North Korean elections are free but not fair as:
Getting the definitions right is thus important so as to clarify discourse (and smack people who make lame jokes).
In search of these definitions, I had a (relatively) quick look at the Second Edition of "Free and Fair Elections" by Guy S. Goodwin-Gill (and published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union).
After 229 pages, I was still not much closer to getting separate definitions; although the criteria for "free and fair" elections were reasonably clear, the book stubbornly refused to break them down (as far as I could tell). Perhaps this had something to do with how it kept stressing the limitations of definitions, but then one needs something to work towards and assess.
The closest I found was that:
More helpful was CommonBorders (FronterasComunes), a site about elections in Latin America. Their helpful breakdown:
"A 'FREE' electoral process is one where fundamental human rights and freedoms are respected, including:
A 'FAIR' electoral process is one where the 'playing field' is reasonably level and accessible to all electors, parties and candidates, and includes:
***
Like flotsam and jetsam, namby and pamby and helter and skelter, "free" and "fair" are always found together in the context of elections.
Yet, it is important to disentangle the two. Just because elections are free does not mean that they are fair (though it is hard to think of fair elections that are not free).
A classic case is Singapore, whose elections have been described as free but not fair.
To understand what is lacking (and so what should be worked towards), it is important to not just define "free and fair elections", but untangle the two definitions.
An old (and really lame) joke has it that there is Freedom of Speech in Singapore, but not Freedom After Speech (this is on par with lines like "I know Lee Kuan Yew, but he does not know me"). It was similarly suggested to me that like in Singapore, North Korean elections are free but not fair as:
they are free to cross out the name with a red pen, but the agents are free to arrest them.
Getting the definitions right is thus important so as to clarify discourse (and smack people who make lame jokes).
In search of these definitions, I had a (relatively) quick look at the Second Edition of "Free and Fair Elections" by Guy S. Goodwin-Gill (and published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union).
After 229 pages, I was still not much closer to getting separate definitions; although the criteria for "free and fair" elections were reasonably clear, the book stubbornly refused to break them down (as far as I could tell). Perhaps this had something to do with how it kept stressing the limitations of definitions, but then one needs something to work towards and assess.
The closest I found was that:
Amongst others, ‘free’ is about participation and choice; ‘fair’ is about equality of participation and of the vote, and about impartiality and non-discrimination; together, they imply respect for human rights at large and the absence of coercion
More helpful was CommonBorders (FronterasComunes), a site about elections in Latin America. Their helpful breakdown:
"A 'FREE' electoral process is one where fundamental human rights and freedoms are respected, including:
- freedom of speech and expression by electors, parties, candidates and the media;
- freedom of association; that is, freedom to form organizations such as political parties and NGOs;
- freedom of assembly, to hold political rallies and to campaign;
- freedom of access to and by electors to transmit and receive political and electoral information messages;
- freedom to register as an elector, a party or a candidate;
- freedom from violence, intimidation or coercion;
- freedom of access to the polls by electors, party agents and accredited observers;
- freedom to exercise the franchise in secret, and
- freedom to question, challenge and register complaints or objections without negative repercussions.
A 'FAIR' electoral process is one where the 'playing field' is reasonably level and accessible to all electors, parties and candidates, and includes:
- an independent, non-partisan electoral organization to administer the process;
- guaranteed rights and protection through the constitution and electoral legislation and regulations;
- equitable representation of electors provided through the legislation;
- clearly defined universal suffrage and secrecy of the vote;
- equitable and balanced reporting by the media;
- equitable access to financial and material resources for party and candidate campaigning;
- equitable opportunities for the electorate to receive political and voter information;
- accessible polling places;
- equitable treatment of electors, candidates and parties by elections officials, the government, the police, the military and the judiciary;
- an open and transparent ballot counting process, and
- election process not disrupted by violence, intimidations or coercion."
Post ID: 5984903785956153494
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
"This letter is made of so many kinds of fail."
"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." - Mark Russell
***
Caught repeatedly by closing MRT doors
"Caught repeatedly by closing MRT doors
LAST Friday, at about 6.20pm, I took a train from Bedok MRT station to Bugis. The train was packed and when it reached Bugis station, I started to move towards one of the doors.
About 10 commuters were ahead of me and when I reached the door and was about to step out, it shut in my face. I instinctively knocked on it.
The door opened for a moment but as soon as I tried to step off the train, it shut again, hitting me. The opening and closing of the door happened three times, each time hitting me as I tried to step out.
Then the train moved off, leaving this 73-year-old man with no choice but to get off at City Hall station and walk to Bugis Junction in the rain.
I would like SMRT to enlighten me on the following:
- Why did the train door open for only about a second and then shut again? And why did it happen three times, each time after a pause of a few seconds?
- Can the train driver see what is going on in the train?
- Why are there no staff to assist commuters at stations when trains are overcrowded?
- How does the driver ensure that all alighting commuters have safely stepped off the train before it moves off?
I pose the last question because a child could be separated from his mother if he steps off the train and his mother is prevented from alighting. This can also happen to an elderly or infirm person being separated from his caretaker.
Tan Kim Hock"
Comments I like:
"I wonder what safety precaution SMRT had taken to ensure that the train door is idiot proof and will not open when the train is travelling full of commuters on board?" (I can't tell if this is sarcasm)
"I think because of age this man is incoherent. Everything he says can be contested. Driver cannot inside every compartment. He thought the door didnot close properly so pressed the close button. If we use our common sense when there is good crowd we can be smart. (like approaching the door well in advance)"
"If the door is a problem , then do away with doors on smrt train."
"This case cannot blame driver , either he is too slow in getting out, or boarding passengers getting in too fast. Anyway, this 73 years old man is no ordinary elderly, knock 3 times by the train doors, still no problem, steady steady walk all the way from City Hall to Bugis in the rain and worry not about himself but children separating from parent. Wow, MRT need more of such commutors.."
***
Caught repeatedly by closing MRT doors
"Caught repeatedly by closing MRT doors
LAST Friday, at about 6.20pm, I took a train from Bedok MRT station to Bugis. The train was packed and when it reached Bugis station, I started to move towards one of the doors.
About 10 commuters were ahead of me and when I reached the door and was about to step out, it shut in my face. I instinctively knocked on it.
The door opened for a moment but as soon as I tried to step off the train, it shut again, hitting me. The opening and closing of the door happened three times, each time hitting me as I tried to step out.
Then the train moved off, leaving this 73-year-old man with no choice but to get off at City Hall station and walk to Bugis Junction in the rain.
I would like SMRT to enlighten me on the following:
- Why did the train door open for only about a second and then shut again? And why did it happen three times, each time after a pause of a few seconds?
- Can the train driver see what is going on in the train?
- Why are there no staff to assist commuters at stations when trains are overcrowded?
- How does the driver ensure that all alighting commuters have safely stepped off the train before it moves off?
I pose the last question because a child could be separated from his mother if he steps off the train and his mother is prevented from alighting. This can also happen to an elderly or infirm person being separated from his caretaker.
Tan Kim Hock"
Comments I like:
"I wonder what safety precaution SMRT had taken to ensure that the train door is idiot proof and will not open when the train is travelling full of commuters on board?" (I can't tell if this is sarcasm)
"I think because of age this man is incoherent. Everything he says can be contested. Driver cannot inside every compartment. He thought the door didnot close properly so pressed the close button. If we use our common sense when there is good crowd we can be smart. (like approaching the door well in advance)"
"If the door is a problem , then do away with doors on smrt train."
"This case cannot blame driver , either he is too slow in getting out, or boarding passengers getting in too fast. Anyway, this 73 years old man is no ordinary elderly, knock 3 times by the train doors, still no problem, steady steady walk all the way from City Hall to Bugis in the rain and worry not about himself but children separating from parent. Wow, MRT need more of such commutors.."
Post ID: 8175288924622064885
The eventual fate of Singaporeans
(from EDMW)
Incidentally, if you omitted the last panel you might spin a "if animals can do it, so can we - let's all live in harmony" message.
Original photo series (dug up by Ivan): Cheetahs catch impala, and release it alive
"The particular shots of the three cheetah brothers as shot by Michel and Christine Denis-Huot do indeed end with the young impala being eaten. That is the reality of life however much humans wish to anthropomorphiize wild animals." (comment on Daily Mail)
Post ID: 8790945019568202620
Monday, July 05, 2010
Really? I thought it was called a "scholarship"
"The idea of people bonding themselves to a foreign employer in return for the costs of getting to their place of work, and then repaying the debt through labour, has been tried before. In the 19th century it was called indentured servitude"
Post ID: 7888503479161919636
Links - 5th July 2010
"The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we have of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us." - Quentin Crisp
***
China's real estate boom spells trouble for boyfriends - "On the wildly popular TV reality program "Don't Bother Me Unless You're Serious," one woman tried to size up a suitor by asking matter-of-factly, "Do you have money?" The man cut to the chase: "I have three flats in Shanghai." The hard-boiled bachelorette, Ma Nuo, has gone on to become one of China's most recognizable bai jin nu. Marry for love? Fat chance, said the material girl: "I would rather cry in a BMW than smile on the back of my boyfriend's bicycle.""
Diesel banned from using offensive ads - "The first shows a woman holding open the waistband of her bikini bottoms and taking a picture of her groin as a lion prowls behind her. In the second, a woman stands on a step ladder whilst lifting up her top to expose herself to a security camera... "We considered that the image portrayed socially challenging actions that might be attractive to younger consumers who would be interested in the youthful and edgy fashion range and might encourage behaviour that was anti-social or irresponsible." The ASA said the second poster with the lion is "likely to cause serious offence to many adults""
Of course, bashing men is still fine
You need a paper licence to link to the Royal Mail website - "If you want to know why the Post Office is losing money, there we have it. They have an entirely circular process designed to stop you linking to their pages. "
6 Strange and Compelling Workouts For Women - "When it comes to working out, nobody finds stranger ways to try to burn off a few pounds than women. Actually, let me rephrase that: Nobody creates more ridiculous weight loss products than the people that try to sell them to women. Regardless, these creations may not be good for women but they sure are great for comedy"
For $9.99, I'd get the Easy Curves just for kicks
delanceyplace: the future of china - "Thirty years of growth does not mean unending growth. It means that the probability of China continuing to grow at this rate is diminishing. And in the case of China, slower growth means substantial social and political problems. I don't share the view that China is going to be a major world power. I don't even believe it will hold together as a unified country"
Abitare - international design magazine » Guerilla Paint Action in Berlin - "Last week a group of cyclists dumped 13 gallons of paint on the road at Berlin’s busy Rosenthaler Platz, creating a series of colourful lines as cars drove through."
It's time for the graffiti experts from Berlin to come and show that they can break our laws
Why do girls wear thongs? - Yahoo! Answers - "Q: She says she wears them because there comfortable, but then complains about wedgies all day. And then when I tell her that her thong is sticking out she yells at me. Shes constantly playing with the back of her thong as well
A: It's like dental floss for your butt."
Evolution and Creativity: Why Humans Triumphed - "Where population falls or is fragmented, cultural evolution may actually regress. A telling example comes from Tasmania, where people who had been making bone tools, clothing and fishing equipment for 25,000 years gradually gave these up after being isolated by rising sea levels 10,000 years ago. Joe Henrich of the University of British Columbia argues that the population of 4,000 Tasmanians on the island constituted too small a collective brain to sustain, let alone improve, the existing technology. Tierra del Fuego, in a similar climatic and demographic position, experienced no such technological regress because its people remained in trading contact with the mainland of South America across a much narrower strait throughout the prehistoric period. In effect, they had access to a continental collective brain."
Mouse and Snapping Turtle (Animated GIF)
Kuriositas: 10 US Military Aircraft That Never Quite Made It
La sexomnie, un mal très répandu - "Ce trouble qui pousse les gens à faire l'amour pendant leur sommeil toucherait une personne sur 12... Deux pères de famille ont déjà été acquittés pour le viol de leur fille après avoir plaidé la sexomnie"
The most controversial tourism video ads - "So what exactly does this ad promote? That you can “lure fast, blond Danish women home without a condom,” as a sociologist pointed out?"
4/5 come from Australia and New Zealand. Hmm
Gender Differences in Competition: Evidence from a Matrilineal and a Patriarchal Society - "The Maasai represent a textbook example of a patriarchal society whereas the Khasi are matrilineal... Maasai men opt to compete at roughly twice the rate as Maasai women. Interestingly, this result is reversed amongst the Khasi, where women choose the competitive environment more often than Khasi men, and even choose to compete weakly more often than Maasai men"
This paper is interesting not so much for the misleading abstract (the differences in the Khasi were insignificant) as for the mention gene-culture coevolution where the matrilineal system has led to women evolving to become more competitive, and the tidbit that the matrilineal society is also less risk loving than the patriarchal one overall
Tim Ho Wan restaurant, Hong Kong: the hottest meal ticket in town - Telegraph - "Michelle Wranik joins the queue at Hong Kong’s Tim Ho Wan, the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant... "124 dollars," squawked the lady at the counter. Less than £10 for both of us. A wonton-sized price for a princely, Michelin-starred feast"
Post-It notes and the end of written history - "Ministers and officials are so worried about leaks to newspaper and premature disclosure through the Freedom of Information Act that they have simply stopped writing things down."
I love my country, I hate my country - "For a country of 4.5 million people, I believe that there are fewer than 10% who are active readers. From that percentage, even fewer pick up and read works written locally. Readership is a challenge. We don’t have a reading culture. If you look at the bestseller lists, they are works, in a sense, already successfully and globally marketed, like Harry Potter. A lot of self-help books reach the bestseller list. That happens to be the reading diet of the Singapore population. I think it comes from this idea that any kind of reading should be sort of instrumentalist, which means that you don’t read for pleasure alone. You read for some kind of edification. You read for a purpose, like improving your life"
Home Page - "Thai, Malaysian, Chinese Food with an Attitude! Home of the first and only Singha Beer Garden in the US!... 2010 Girls of SATAY Calendar on Sale NOW! Only $10 Includes S&H!"
Cook Your Meat in a Beer Cooler: The World's Best (and Cheapest) Sous-Vide Hack
YouTube - Vuvuzela Concert - "Together, we are the Vuvuzela group of the Konzerthaus-orchester Berlin... we're going to play the famous "Vuvuzela Chorale" from Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms... Already in the 19th century, composers discovered the Vuvuzela's versatility. Used in sorrowful lamenti or comic divertimenti - this instrument is an all-rounder"
The Most Controversial Magazine Covers of All Time
Eyeful of breast-feeding mom sparks outrage - "Babytalk is a free magazine whose readership is overwhelmingly mothers of babies. Yet in a poll of more than 4,000 readers, a quarter of responses to the cover were negative, calling the photo — a baby and part of a woman's breast, in profile — inappropriate... since the August issue came out last week, the magazine has received more than 700 letters — more than for any article in years"
If even many moms of babies are against it, lactivists have a serious paradox to tackle.
When the scientific evidence is unwelcome, people try to reason it away - "People whose pre-existing stereotypes about homosexuality had been challenged by the scientific evidence presented to them were more inclined to believe that science had nothing to offer, on any question, not just on homosexuality, when compared with people whose views on homosexuality had been reinforced. When presented with unwelcome scientific evidence, it seems, in a desperate attempt to retain some consistency in their world view, people would rather conclude that science in general is broken. This is an interesting finding. But I'm not sure it makes me very happy."
The camera never lies, well not when there are so many of them now - "But if we maintain our current levels of casual cameraphone photography, maybe a more accurate cumulative truth about humanity will emerge. We won't fall for the airbrushed glamour shots any more because there'll be so much evidence showing what these people, what all people, really look like on an average Tuesday. We'll realise that the camera can lie, but that 10 million cameras are unlikely to"
YouTube API Blog: Flash and the HTML5 <video> tag - "Standard Video Format, Robust video streaming, Content Protection, Encapsulation + Embedding, Fullscreen Video, Camera and Microphone access"
***
China's real estate boom spells trouble for boyfriends - "On the wildly popular TV reality program "Don't Bother Me Unless You're Serious," one woman tried to size up a suitor by asking matter-of-factly, "Do you have money?" The man cut to the chase: "I have three flats in Shanghai." The hard-boiled bachelorette, Ma Nuo, has gone on to become one of China's most recognizable bai jin nu. Marry for love? Fat chance, said the material girl: "I would rather cry in a BMW than smile on the back of my boyfriend's bicycle.""
Diesel banned from using offensive ads - "The first shows a woman holding open the waistband of her bikini bottoms and taking a picture of her groin as a lion prowls behind her. In the second, a woman stands on a step ladder whilst lifting up her top to expose herself to a security camera... "We considered that the image portrayed socially challenging actions that might be attractive to younger consumers who would be interested in the youthful and edgy fashion range and might encourage behaviour that was anti-social or irresponsible." The ASA said the second poster with the lion is "likely to cause serious offence to many adults""
Of course, bashing men is still fine
You need a paper licence to link to the Royal Mail website - "If you want to know why the Post Office is losing money, there we have it. They have an entirely circular process designed to stop you linking to their pages. "
6 Strange and Compelling Workouts For Women - "When it comes to working out, nobody finds stranger ways to try to burn off a few pounds than women. Actually, let me rephrase that: Nobody creates more ridiculous weight loss products than the people that try to sell them to women. Regardless, these creations may not be good for women but they sure are great for comedy"
For $9.99, I'd get the Easy Curves just for kicks
delanceyplace: the future of china - "Thirty years of growth does not mean unending growth. It means that the probability of China continuing to grow at this rate is diminishing. And in the case of China, slower growth means substantial social and political problems. I don't share the view that China is going to be a major world power. I don't even believe it will hold together as a unified country"
Abitare - international design magazine » Guerilla Paint Action in Berlin - "Last week a group of cyclists dumped 13 gallons of paint on the road at Berlin’s busy Rosenthaler Platz, creating a series of colourful lines as cars drove through."
It's time for the graffiti experts from Berlin to come and show that they can break our laws
Why do girls wear thongs? - Yahoo! Answers - "Q: She says she wears them because there comfortable, but then complains about wedgies all day. And then when I tell her that her thong is sticking out she yells at me. Shes constantly playing with the back of her thong as well
A: It's like dental floss for your butt."
Evolution and Creativity: Why Humans Triumphed - "Where population falls or is fragmented, cultural evolution may actually regress. A telling example comes from Tasmania, where people who had been making bone tools, clothing and fishing equipment for 25,000 years gradually gave these up after being isolated by rising sea levels 10,000 years ago. Joe Henrich of the University of British Columbia argues that the population of 4,000 Tasmanians on the island constituted too small a collective brain to sustain, let alone improve, the existing technology. Tierra del Fuego, in a similar climatic and demographic position, experienced no such technological regress because its people remained in trading contact with the mainland of South America across a much narrower strait throughout the prehistoric period. In effect, they had access to a continental collective brain."
Mouse and Snapping Turtle (Animated GIF)
Kuriositas: 10 US Military Aircraft That Never Quite Made It
La sexomnie, un mal très répandu - "Ce trouble qui pousse les gens à faire l'amour pendant leur sommeil toucherait une personne sur 12... Deux pères de famille ont déjà été acquittés pour le viol de leur fille après avoir plaidé la sexomnie"
The most controversial tourism video ads - "So what exactly does this ad promote? That you can “lure fast, blond Danish women home without a condom,” as a sociologist pointed out?"
4/5 come from Australia and New Zealand. Hmm
Gender Differences in Competition: Evidence from a Matrilineal and a Patriarchal Society - "The Maasai represent a textbook example of a patriarchal society whereas the Khasi are matrilineal... Maasai men opt to compete at roughly twice the rate as Maasai women. Interestingly, this result is reversed amongst the Khasi, where women choose the competitive environment more often than Khasi men, and even choose to compete weakly more often than Maasai men"
This paper is interesting not so much for the misleading abstract (the differences in the Khasi were insignificant) as for the mention gene-culture coevolution where the matrilineal system has led to women evolving to become more competitive, and the tidbit that the matrilineal society is also less risk loving than the patriarchal one overall
Tim Ho Wan restaurant, Hong Kong: the hottest meal ticket in town - Telegraph - "Michelle Wranik joins the queue at Hong Kong’s Tim Ho Wan, the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant... "124 dollars," squawked the lady at the counter. Less than £10 for both of us. A wonton-sized price for a princely, Michelin-starred feast"
Post-It notes and the end of written history - "Ministers and officials are so worried about leaks to newspaper and premature disclosure through the Freedom of Information Act that they have simply stopped writing things down."
I love my country, I hate my country - "For a country of 4.5 million people, I believe that there are fewer than 10% who are active readers. From that percentage, even fewer pick up and read works written locally. Readership is a challenge. We don’t have a reading culture. If you look at the bestseller lists, they are works, in a sense, already successfully and globally marketed, like Harry Potter. A lot of self-help books reach the bestseller list. That happens to be the reading diet of the Singapore population. I think it comes from this idea that any kind of reading should be sort of instrumentalist, which means that you don’t read for pleasure alone. You read for some kind of edification. You read for a purpose, like improving your life"
Home Page - "Thai, Malaysian, Chinese Food with an Attitude! Home of the first and only Singha Beer Garden in the US!... 2010 Girls of SATAY Calendar on Sale NOW! Only $10 Includes S&H!"
Cook Your Meat in a Beer Cooler: The World's Best (and Cheapest) Sous-Vide Hack
YouTube - Vuvuzela Concert - "Together, we are the Vuvuzela group of the Konzerthaus-orchester Berlin... we're going to play the famous "Vuvuzela Chorale" from Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms... Already in the 19th century, composers discovered the Vuvuzela's versatility. Used in sorrowful lamenti or comic divertimenti - this instrument is an all-rounder"
The Most Controversial Magazine Covers of All Time
Eyeful of breast-feeding mom sparks outrage - "Babytalk is a free magazine whose readership is overwhelmingly mothers of babies. Yet in a poll of more than 4,000 readers, a quarter of responses to the cover were negative, calling the photo — a baby and part of a woman's breast, in profile — inappropriate... since the August issue came out last week, the magazine has received more than 700 letters — more than for any article in years"
If even many moms of babies are against it, lactivists have a serious paradox to tackle.
When the scientific evidence is unwelcome, people try to reason it away - "People whose pre-existing stereotypes about homosexuality had been challenged by the scientific evidence presented to them were more inclined to believe that science had nothing to offer, on any question, not just on homosexuality, when compared with people whose views on homosexuality had been reinforced. When presented with unwelcome scientific evidence, it seems, in a desperate attempt to retain some consistency in their world view, people would rather conclude that science in general is broken. This is an interesting finding. But I'm not sure it makes me very happy."
The camera never lies, well not when there are so many of them now - "But if we maintain our current levels of casual cameraphone photography, maybe a more accurate cumulative truth about humanity will emerge. We won't fall for the airbrushed glamour shots any more because there'll be so much evidence showing what these people, what all people, really look like on an average Tuesday. We'll realise that the camera can lie, but that 10 million cameras are unlikely to"
YouTube API Blog: Flash and the HTML5 <video> tag - "Standard Video Format, Robust video streaming, Content Protection, Encapsulation + Embedding, Fullscreen Video, Camera and Microphone access"
Post ID: 7765037798200812046
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