Things of Interest: April 2010

100 Essential Home Ec Lessons You Should Have Learned In School

Response to "if you don't like it, move to another country."

[written in response to someone in the local paper's comments section who said that if someone didn't like Fox News, they just shouldn't watch it.]

Certainly *one* of the choices someone has is to not watch something they don't like. But if the something is, in one's opinion, giving false information to a huge swath of the citizens of the country, then one has the right, and some would say the responsibility, to speak up. As the quote goes: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Note that I'm not passing any value judgment on Fox News here, I'm just tired of hearing people say "if you don't like it, don't pay attention to it" or even better: "if you don't like it move to another country." That's not how it works. Individual citizens can shape reality with their opinions just as much as a news organization can, and it's part of the checks and balances of society. You change your country and your society by voting (or choosing not to vote), speaking out or keeping silent; by how you spend your money; and in many other ways.

Separate truths

"It is misleading — and dangerous — to think that religions are different paths to the same wisdom"

Global warming — fact or myth?

Rustic Dinner: How To Make a Panade from Leftovers

How Not to Raise a Bully: The Early Roots of Empathy

Quote of the Day

"Today our society places great emphasis on specialization and focus. Students used to go off to university with the idea of broadening themselves; now it has become a mostly vocational experience. Students use higher education as a means to develop a skill that will make them attractive to employers. We place so much emphasis on being good at what we do that we fail to realize that getting better at what we do might be best achieved by getting better at other--and wildly different--things."

- Garry Kasparov, chess player and politician, from his book How Life Imitates Chess.

Stain Solutions Finds the Cure for Removing Any Stain

Kitchen Hack: One-Minute Bread

"Oven-fresh bread is one of life’s simple joys. Ciabatta, a crisp-crusted Italian bread with hints of sourdough and loads of crannies longing for butter, is one of the easiest breads to make at home. "

How I Mastered the Power Nap

"Daniel Tenner has spent a lot of time thinking about (and taking) naps. What follows is his experience learning to master 20 minute power naps even though he normally takes 30 minutes to fall asleep."

What's the Best Way to (and Why Should I) Create a Home Inventory?

"Taking a home inventory isn't really hard, it's just time consuming. It's also extremely important; a good inventory will speed up the insurance claims process and ensure your insurance takes care of everything you lost. (You do, of course, need the insurance.)"

Things of Interest