underlying conditions

the NYT story is that people should be concerned because most Americans are afflicted with one of the following underlying conditions that could put people at risk of swine flu:

diabetes, asthma, heart disease, lung disease, a weakened immune system and, possibly, obesity[...] pregnancy, being younger than 2, or being older than 65.

this possibly could be a blessing in disguise as people might try to remedy their afflictions by eating better and more healthful foods and exercising.

Life Imitates Art

White cop shoots undercover black cop... Just like in the Wire!
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=369494&f=19
(Sorry I'm posting from my blackberry so I don't know now to embed the link)

Liberal vs. Conservative Minds

According to these two questions in Kristof's latest article, I'm somewhat left of center. 

I don't always read online magazines. But when I do, I prefer Slate.com

Slate Article. These Dos Equis ads are so interesting-- Like a combination of James Bond, Chuck Norris, and Stephen Colbert: "The police often question him just because they find him interesting," "His beard alone has experienced more than a lesser man's entire body," "His blood smells like cologne."

And it's totally confusing why he says, "I don't always drink beer," he says, "but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis." I'm glad Slate's article acknowledges this:

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the most interesting man, in marketing terms, is his ambivalence toward the advertised product. "I don't always drink beer," he says. Whaa? "But when I do," he adds, almost offhandedly, "I prefer Dos Equis." Double whaa? Generally, a brand icon will be an all-out cheerleader. Imagine Tony the Tiger admitting that he doesn't always eat cereal for breakfast, but that when he does, he tends to eat Frosted Flakes, like, most of the time. Doesn't have quite the same impact as "They're Grrrrrrreat!"

I wonder how Dos Equis feels about Slate's creation, the Double X,which to them has taken the meaning FEMALE!

Who is the Jerry Lewis of Germany?

Donald Duck, apparently. Check it out:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574181722075062290.html

Post-Finale episodes

Scrubs: season 9

Reading Aloud

I love being read to, it's so soothing, a good way to relax. But the author of this article makes it sound like so much more. Tender? Erotic? The breath, mind, and soul? Makes me think of the movie "The Reader" with Kate Winslet- wow, what a movie. Winslet really knows how to choose the ones that are 'out there'.

And have you ever thought about what other people hear when they read silently to themselves? What are the qualities of the voices? Does it sound like the reader's own voice? Does a man usually read silently in a man's voice, and a woman in a woman's voice? I wonder if you can train yourself to have different silent reading voices...

I thought it was strange how the author made it sound like a negative thing that his students were reading for meaning. Isn't that the primary purpose of words, to convey meaning?

Another Coffee Article

Eric and I just keep looking for excuses to maintain the coffee fix. It's good for you! I swear!

Absinthe

My fear that drinking absinthe would make me go crazy is waning, and the herbaciousness of the flavor profile makes me think I'd be quite a big fan. Mayyyybe it doesn't make you go mad after all!?

It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium... Yum, right?

Reality TV and Drug Trials

Slate article about how short term drug trials don't always indicate long term results. It uses reality show winners as an analogy.

for the love of uni

this one is for you, cousin

NYtimes Uni article

NY Fed

It's too bad Eliot Spitzer was hiring all those prostitutes. He's written a number of articles for slate that seem to really be on the ball, and sometimes ahead of the rest of the news (especially the stuff about looking at where AIG payments went and why they were paid in full instead of looking at the bonuses). Of course, considering he's one of my few insights into Wall Street it is a bit circular for me to assume he's totally right.

Anyway, here's his latest slate article pointing out how questionably the NY Fed is run.