Space-Racing to Close the Gender Gap

March 27, 2019

In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first set foot on the moon.

In 2019, NASA was going to have two women walk in space at the same time, but only had one suit that was properly configured for women to spacewalk available on the space station.

Maybe in another 50 years, all this will be second nature.

(To be clear: They had two suits that were the right size, but configuration was the key. I think it was one of those circumstances that you smack your forehead and go, “Duh” about. But since it’s a space agency, I hope that they start thinking more proactively from now on.)

Let's Hear It for PB &J

March 19, 2019

Many years ago, someone made fun of me for bringing the same lunch to work every day. I didn’t care—I liked it, it was easy to make, and I didn’t have to think about it every morning, which cut down on my morning rush.

Today I read an article that applauds this course of action, as it reduces stress (no trying to figure out what to bring), is cheaper than restaurant or take-out, and has far fewer nutritional land mines.

Thank you, Joe Pinsker of The Atlantic, for that validation.

Wanna do lunch?

They Should Cheat in the Traditional Way

March 17, 2019

More on this huge—HUGE—scandal in higher ed involving parents paying a company to falsify SAT scores for their kids, so that they’ll seem more attractive to prestigious schools; or coaches taking big bucks to give athletic scholarships to kids who have never played the sport in their lives:

This flies in the face of tradition, wherein people made whopping donations directly to the school get their kids in. At least that way, they theoretically benefited the institution, if not the students.

Do people have no shame?

Foray into Fan Fic

March 17, 2019

Every time I see Daleks shooting at people on Doctor Who, I think of the Doctor telling the people who are firing back, “Aim for the eye spot!” Of course, nobody can hit it.

Then I think of Queequeg, from Moby Dick, who could hit a whale’s eye with his harpoon.

Maybe I’ll write a Fan Fiction story, wherein the Doctor picks up Queequeg and lets him do his stuff.

(Fun Fact: In Microsoft Word, Dalek is not flagged as a misspelling, but Queequeg is. So are the people who set up the Word program more familiar with Doctor Who than with Moby Dick?)

What Kind of Spin Will They Put on That?

March 13, 2019

When news articles mention the elite schools caught in the testing/bribing scandal, they list a lot of schools, but so far not Penn. The only reason Penn got mentioned was that the coach involved is now working for the Celtics.

So they are involved in a scandal, but are not important enough to be mentioned.

Should their administration and PR people be relieved or insulted?

They Must Have Seen Something in Him

March 12, 2019

I read that an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics was involved in a student-cheating scandal when he was head coach at Penn. That made me sad.

What fascinated me, though, was that his record at Penn was 65-104, and the Celtics recruited him anyway.

Ties that Don't Bind

March 11, 2019

Now that companies no longer mandate that women wear high heels in the workplace, I was all set to make a case for men not having to wear neckties, as they were reported to be health hazards as well. Hazards cited included increased risk of stroke and glaucoma. It seemed like a no-brainer to not make men wear items that could seriously impair their health.

But follow-up studies have not borne out the stroke and glaucoma claims. Tying a tie too tightly (sounds like the start of a tongue-twister) can cause neck and shoulder pain, though, so keep ’em loose, guys.

When Grammar Outweighs Action

March 10, 2019

You know you’re a hardened case when you’re caught up in an action movie, 

And you STILL notice that the hero says, “I could have swore…,” instead of “I could have sworn…”

Can You Vaccinate Against This Attitude?

March 9, 2019

The parents of a 6-year-old in Oregon forewent vaccinating him. When he contracted tetanus, he was hospitalized for about three months with symptoms including muscle spasms, sensitivity to light and sound, and lots of pain.

As part of his treatment, the hospital administered the first dose of the tetanus vaccine; usually it takes a series of shots to be completely effective.

Once the child was out of the hospital, his parents, apparently under the impression that all that pain and suffering was all in a day’s work, declined to have him vaccinated with the rest of the tetanus series or with any other vaccines.

Good luck, kid.

Choose Dessert First

March 6, 2019

According to Daniel Neman, food columnist at the Post-Dispatch, choosing a fattening dessert before you choose the rest of your food can cause you to make healthier food choices for the rest of the meal.

If you want to read about the study behind this assertion, you can find it here:

https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/neman-choose-fattening-food-first/article_5364ec8f-d1a4-5777-90fe-debb44134823.html

One caveat: If you’re stressed, you’ll be more likely to choose fattening foods all down the line. So keep that in mind.

Otherwise, grab the good stuff, semi-guilt-free.

Does Bigger Mean Smaller?

March 6, 2019

Is it my imagination, or are the cores of the toilet paper rolls getting larger, while the actual amount of paper is getting smaller?

Warring Factions Unite—Against Uniting

March 3, 2019

In today’s Post-Dispatch, columnist Bill McClellan notes that various factions in St. Louis—“Black, white, progressive, conservative”—have come together to oppose an initiative called “Better Together”, which aims to unite St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Together at last.

It’s A Wonderful Contradiction

March 2, 2019

I’m always fascinated by people watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” who don’t bat an eye at the thought of an angel in long johns coming down to Earth to rescue a guy by erasing his life and changing the lives of those around him,

But object that a bank auditor showing up on Christmas Eve is unrealistic.

Another “You Oughta”

February 28, 2019

Next up on my You Oughta list:

Offering my services as a sermon coach.

If you have a preacher that you would like to nominate for this service, let me know.

Maybe She’s On To Something

February 28, 2019

In “We’re Tougher…” (Feb 27, 2019), I took issue with the woman who filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for planting a kiss on her in 2016, because she says that she is still an emotional wreck to this day.

I said that if every woman who was ever manhandled, even mildly, fell apart, the world would pretty much stop working.

Well, now I’m thinking, “Why not?”

If every person, man or woman, who received unwanted physical attention just took a week off—the same week—from work at home or outside the home, or from volunteering—

The world really would come to an economic standstill.

Unfortunately, most people can’t just take a week off work. But if they could…

And since nothing gets attention like economic disruption, well, maybe the “Stop Touching Us” movement would gain traction with the people who are doing the groping, and with the people who could make or enforce the laws to stop it.

Somebody could come up with a catchy name:

#PaybackTime or #YourTurn or something.


Update: March 9, 2020

Today, women in Mexico are striking to protest the fact that women are scarcely protected by existing laws from assault and homicide. I wish them luck.