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Love cats, eat cows?
Los Angeles Times: We Americans like to think of ourselves as animal lovers. But is this claim true? One way to answer this question is to follow the money. According to government, industry and interest group stats, we spend about $50 billion on our pets annually and donate another $6 billion to animal-related and environmental charities. This sounds like a lot until you compare it to the amount we collectively devote to killing members of other species: $72 billion on hunting and fishing, $60 billion on animal research and $240 billion on meat, poultry and seafood. In short, Americans fork out nearly seven times more toward harming animals than toward protecting them.
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In a Mood? Call Center Agents Can Tell
The New York Times: IN a YouTube clip from one of Steve Jobs’s last interviews, he appears to be enjoying reminiscing about how he first hit upon the idea for the keyboardless tablet that eventually became the iPad. “I had this idea of being able to get rid of the keyboard, type on a multitouch glass display and I asked our folks, could we come up with a multitouch display that I could type on, I could rest my hands on and actually type on,” Mr. Jobs says, smiling slightly as he recounts his enthusiasm at seeing the first prototype.
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Do Cigarette Warnings Actually Increase Smoking?
Refinery29: We've all been susceptible to reverse psychology. But who needs those mind games when it comes to our physical health? Now, the latest confusing information we need to overcome are findings from a new study on smoking. Published in the Psychological Science journal, the experiment, conducted by experts from Tel Aviv University, New York University, and INSEAD Business School, reports that tobacco warning labels that read such things as "Smokers Die Early" actually promote cigarette buying instead of deterring it.
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Learning New Skills Keeps an Aging Mind Sharp
Older adults are encouraged to stay active to keep their minds sharp. But new findings from a longitudinal study suggests that only demanding activities — such as learning photography — will benefit cognitive functioning.
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Sirens in the Grocery Aisles
On his long sea journey back home following the fall of Troy, the Greek war hero Odysseus sailed perilously close to the Sirens. The Sirens were beautiful and seductive creatures who used their enchanting songs to lure sailors into shipwrecks on the rocky coast. Odysseus yearned to hear the Sirens’ song, but he also knew that his weak will was no match for their potent temptation, so he ordered his crew to plug their ears and lash him to the ship’s mast—and never to untie him no matter what he pleaded. He did plead to be released, and his crew did ignore his pleas as ordered—and only in that way did Odysseus control his desires and avoid destruction.
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Overscheduled Children: How Big a Problem?
The New York Times: Now that the school year is under way, my wife and I are busy managing our children’s after-school schedules, mixing sports practices, music lessons, homework and play dates. It can be a complicated balancing act for our elementary-age daughters, as some days end up overstuffed, some logistically impossible, some wide open. Still, compared to when we were children, the opportunities they get to sample on a weekly basis is mind-blowing. There’s only one problem: To absorb the conventional wisdom in parenting circles these days, what we’re doing to our children is cruel, overbearing and destructive to their long-term well-being.
