New Jersey Sucker Birthrate Probably Double The National Average @12:15 PM
A woman named Karen Brown, of Randolph, New Jersey, is suing her former psychic counselor for fraud, claiming the storefront clairvoyant, Paula Lee, took her for $160,000. As the Asbury Park Press reports: "Brown became convinced that Lee 'had genuine psychic abilities, powers and the ability to influence future events,' the suit said. She claimed she could communicate with departed souls and convinced Brown she was under a curse and 'dark forces were obstructing her efforts to find happiness,' the suit said." While it's difficult to totally excuse the victim in such a case, Ms. Lee seems like a particularly predatory fake-psychic. Besides depression and marital problems, Brown was suffering from cancer. And Lee allegedly told her she would die without her help. That's just not nice. 3
The Battle Between The Sexes @3:00 PM
"In evolutionary terms, and sometimes in real terms, males and females fight to get the maximum reproductive output for the minimum input. Identifying which sex wins has a long history and remains a highly controversial area of biology that is still full of surprises. Yet the question of who prevails in this particular battle of the sexes is too tempting to dismiss."
That's from the provocatively-titled New Scientist piece, "Dirty tricks of the egg and sperm race." It's a rather lengthy examination of how reproduction has been considered throughout history as a battle over which gender's genes will dominate in its offspring, and how those perceptions have shifted back and forth as Science has evolved. It's a fascinating article, and you should for sure read the whole thing, but I'm particularly intrigued by this part, at the end, which draws a conclusion based on some very recent studies.
This maternal control of growth and development has some fascinating implications. It means that, for many of the traits important in the mating game, such as body size and brain function, the father's genes might not be as influential as the mother's. So perhaps the fine details of what a particular male looks like are not as important to females as biologists have been apt to think. Instead, what females could really be after when they choose the sperm of one male over another is the male whose genes they can most easily manipulate behind the scenes.
The First Time We Ever Liked Anthony Weiner @11:50 AM
Yeah this is pretty good, yesterday, when Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA!) went to town on Anthony Weiner (D-Broooooklyn), who was really going to town on Republicans being a "wholly-owned subsidiary of the insurance industry." It demonstrates "a true sign of bipartisanship leading into a health care reform summit meant to bring both parties together," wrote Glenn Thrush's substitute blogger. (SARCASTICALLY I THINK?) 11
Sally Quinn is in deep doo, reports Erik Wemple, as in possibly done for, over at the Washington Post, thanks to her latest completely bonkers column about herself. @1:45 PM 4
Insane FDNY Brawl Takes Place After Dinner at Unattractive Restaurant @10:15 AM
"Walk in the door and you are transported to another place and time… Ambiance? Hmm… the lack of ambiance is the ambiance, but in a good way," begins a review of Two Toms restaurant in Brooklyn. After a dinner there, on Friday night, two dozen firefighters, out for their annual dinner, beat four civilians to a pulp because one of the civilians spilled a drink. This was at The Salty Dog ("I love when vehicles are indoors, hence the half of firetruck that is inside.") Other reviews suggest that Two Tom's is not a good date restaurant. "The only thing is the neighborhood can seem sketchy so make sure you are not walking to/from the train late night if you are a girl or with a girl. Probably a good idea to leave them at home anyway because the place has zero aesthetic appeal and it can turn them off quickly if they are medium maintenance or higher." 31
Rand Paul, Dark Prince of the Right's Bladerunner Future @9:15 AM
Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul, whose real first name is Randal and so you shouldn't worry too much about the whole Ayn Rand thing, honest, is running for Senate in Kentucky and also he is kind of a downer. "Rand Paul's stump speech can be a downer. Although he is not above offering some anti-Obama red meat — 'Sarah Palin said he's been palling around with terrorists; now he's palling around with the world's communists' — his remarks drift into dark idiosyncrasy: He criticizes population-control policies by saying governments fear 'too many breathers,' as in humans. He reminds supporters that the 'Bridge to Nowhere' was built by earmarks from Republican senators in Palin's own state and mourns a system so broken that 'I'm not sure you can elect enough good people to fix it — I mean, I'm really concerned about it.'" He has seen too much, too soon, this man, and knows the sad scary future of the human race of bloodbags in bondage to the machines soon to come. 18
Holocaust Deniers and White Supremacists Make Oregon Students "Feel" "Unsafe" @10:31 AM
The University of Oregon is considering not allowing the Pacifica Forum to meet in the student union. That group, to be fair, hosts all manner of speakers, not just "legitimate historians" who don't believe the Holocaust happened. And then there's this. READ MORE 24
Brave Royal Carribean Cruise Ship Docks at Haitian Port @10:33 AM
Everyone is doing everything they can to help Haiti—including Royal Caribbean cruises, who did not cancel two of their cruise ships planned dockings on the northern-most shore of Haiti. "In the end, Labadee is critical to Haiti's recovery; hundreds of people rely on Labadee for their livelihood," said the company's VP. Writes the Guardian: "The decision to go ahead with the visit has divided passengers. The ships carry some food aid, and the cruise line has pledged to donate all proceeds from the visit to help stricken Haitians. But many passengers will stay aboard when they dock; one said he was 'sickened.'" Said another cruise passenger: "It was hard enough to sit and eat a picnic lunch at Labadee before the quake, knowing how many Haitians were starving. I can't imagine having to choke down a burger there now." 24
America's Law Schools In Revolt @9:30 AM
A committee of the American Bar Association has come up with the unthinkable: how about we rate law schools based on what students learn to prepare them for practicing law? This is CRAZY, according to everyone who runs a law school. There are at least three arguments against this being presented now, none of which are well, uh, argued. First: it seems to be that "this is a very bad time," what with lawyer unemployment running rampant. (Yes, why would we want schools to have evaluation when the provenance of a law degree actually may begin to matter in hiring? Oh right, for value for employers in hiring—and value for students in choosing a school.) And here is Yale Law School's new dean on the matter: "It is worth pausing to ask how the proponents of outcome measures can be so very confident that the actual performance of tasks deemed essential for the practice of law can be identified, measured, and evaluated." That's still not an argument against "outcome measures"—that's an argument for useful outcome measures! Also there is a crowd that says "diversity efforts" will suffer, because law schools are currently serving "minority" students poorly by allowing them to have lower bar passage rates. So maybe if they start treating and preparing their students-of-diversity (ahem) better, maybe they'll take responsibility for that. 31
Women Unable To Marry Men In New York (Except One Woman!) @12:25 PM
What's up, ladies? Where you at? Two stories in today's Observer suggest it's "somewhere tricky." Did you know a mother of four was at the head of doing the Bank of America TARP repayment stock-offer deal? Imagine that, a lady—one with children even. That is so crazy! I'm not even going to be like Jesus Christ no profile of a man ever started like that because, why bother, guys. (The rest of it is interesting though! She is actually of interest!) And here is a report on a gathering of women, who have had it with the commitment-phobia of New York men and have resorted to dating Europeans (but NOT people from like Africa or Asia or anything gross like that). READ MORE 31
Best Possible SEO-Friendly Content on Lady Sex Fantasies @11:55 AM
This is from one of those other sides of the Internet—web content in pursuit of Google traffic—except that's mostly situational, because the actual content is awesome. (The site in question, Our Cheating Ways, is run by a woman who says that "our promiscuous, cheating ways are having a detrimental effect on our society." Okay!) The topic is the Top Five (Most-Googled) Sexual Fantasies of Women, and it is not at all impaired by the fact that it was written by a man. Hence, Fantasy Number Three: "Rape fantasies, sometimes called ravaging fantasies, are extremely common among women. In fact, they are the basis for many of the romance novels we read when we are in our teens and just discovering our sexuality. But, real rape is about violence. Fantasy rape is about the loss of romantic control." Got that, Whoopi Goldberg and Dolce and Gabbana? Rape rape: totally not either rape or fantasy rape. 39
The End of the 00s: The Best Hoaxes of the Decade, by Val Temple @2:55 PM
Val Temple, the producer of Cooking the Books, reenacts the most famous hoaxes of the 00s. 10
"A Brazilian toddler has up to 50 sewing needles inside him, which doctors suspect were deliberately inserted." 27
Real or Fake, James Cameron's Twitter Is Right @3:05 PM
The self-important OCD-riddled semi-sociopath director James Cameron is, unfortunately, insanely correct in this case, whether or not this Twitter account is really his, which I kind of don't think it is. 13
You're Doing It Wrong: How Not To Get Your Literary Novel Published @1:34 PM
There is a three-part process to peddling a novel (a novel is a book that is not born from a Tumblr), according to Awl columnist Matthew Gallaway. Here is step two: "Write a 'query letter' in which you describe 1) your reason for writing a particular agent and 2) a summary of the book. The entire letter should not be more than 2.5 paragraphs; keep it polite and professional without any gimmicks. (E.g., do not include your photograph or even a 'cock shot.')" Oh. My bad! 14
'New York Post' Readers Express Sympathy for Cab-Booted Gays: "Walk Next Time, Future AIDS Victims" @1:20 PM
Two dudes were kicked out of a cab by Stuy Town for hugging. (Who hugs in a cab? Whatever!) The New York Post is on the story, thank God, because their commenters have quite a bit to add. Other notable comments, besides those above: "The solution for gays is to simply avoid getting into cabs driven by Muslims, something I do anyway because I don't want a percentage of my fare going to Al Qaeda." And! "Ride the gay taxi next time if you're not happy. A bunch of AIDs breeders." 29
Resume Kit: Now 50% Off @3:05 PM
Our secret squirrel super-spy sends in this photo from Lexington Avenue and 62nd Street in Manhattan, where high-end resumé stationery is now half-off. Mmm hmm. 12
