Ehrenreich argues that positive thought has at times made us deaf to the pleas of those who warn of potential dangers—the Iraqi resistance, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, and the Wall Street implosion. Urging positivity is not just beside the point when our circumstances are rotten, it’s also dangerously distracting. This is why Ehrenreich dedicates her book [...]

Lt. Paul Shastany said Boc told police he wanted to return to Guatemala but can’t afford a ticket. He told police he has no job or money and is worried about surviving the winter. He told police he came to the U.S. 13 years ago. – Cops: Man can’t afford U.S., seeks deportation2009-09-29 It’s a [...]

Thanks for sharing, Lyle… You can eat most insects raw. The taste varies from one species to another. Wood grubs are bland, while some species of ants store honey in their bodies, giving them a sweet taste. You can grind a collection of insects into a paste. You can mix them with edible vegetation. You [...]

Hey dj bidetspret – thanks, I think…

If you’re in a custody battle, your ex’s lawyers would love to present you as the nonnurturing type. Delete all the crazy party photos. – Five Facebook No-Nos for Divorcing CouplesTIME 2009-09-28 The lawsuit alleges that not only did the teens in question create the profile with the plaintiff’s real name, but they also include [...]

Originally spotted this one over at Dangerous Minds (and you should follow that link for some sadly-true Marxist eye candy) – Minsky’s theories are well worth looking into: As people forget that failure is a possibility, a “euphoric economy” eventually develops, fueled by the rise of far riskier borrowers – what he called speculative borrowers, [...]

Germ-spreading schoolchildren are expected to be the focus of a massive U.S. vaccination campaign against the novel H1N1 flu. – Most parents won’t have kids get H1N1 flu shots, study findsby Melissa Healy for the LA Times2009-09-25 “Your kids are gonna die” – sounds like a terrorist’s threat… Consumers: Be wary of Internet, e-mail, and [...]

Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men, by the simple device of asking Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open while he counted. – An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish from Unpopular Essaysby Bertrand Russell We are all guilty of this basic interpersonal faux pas – we play [...]

via Dangerous Minds Very interesting, particularly his discussion of the third place… Ahem… Fuck you, Howard Schultz. But watch this guy rant about society, television, car culture, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the subversion of community, et cetera – watch it, remember to think critically, use this man’s opinions as a springboard and form your own opinions.

Remember that post from January, Before the Clock Strikes Twelve..? Yeah, neither did I – until I saw that Wired had managed to interview one someone who is most certainly talking about it: (unless the man’s crazy, he has nothing to gain – and we all have plenty to lose) Valery Yarynich glances nervously over [...]