(no subject)

Study confirms males/females use different parts of brain in language & visuospatial tasks (thanks, dsgood)

UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researchers find fewer neurons in the amygdala of males with autism (thanks again, dsgood)

I've had a pretty good month so far.

netmouse held a writer's workshop in her home on the Fourth, and I had a wonderful time with her, eposia, rikhei, and atdt1991. Later there was a huge dinner (a banquet, really). Also, matt_arnold introduced me to the first two episodes of Invader Zim.

Also, I've had some good games with dionysus1999, sarahmichigan and simianpower. Last night, chimalis dropped in, and she joined us for a star-formation game. As I've been telling myself for a month, I really need to build new decks, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Tonight is my monthly poetry meeting at Barnes & Noble in Ann Arbor. (If anyone in the area is interested in attending, the meeting starts at 7:30.)

And I've been fairly productive at work lately. I've transitioned from my boss' invitations to the work of hiring and firing. That's what HR is all about, right?

clear and present danger?

Triumph of the Authoritarians, by John Dean

Authoritarianism, Wikipedia entry. "Democracies rarely exhibit much authoritarian behavior except in transition to or from authoritarian states."

Authoritarian Personality, Wikipedia entry

(no subject)

Hmm. I bought a bag of dried nectarines last night on a whim, because A) I couldn't find any dried apples, B) dried fruit has lots of fiber, and C) I love nectarines. Seemed like a good choice at the time.

But now that I've opened the bag and inspected the specimens, I am not so sure. The fruit doesn't look dry enough, for one thing. And there's a strangely sharp smell to them.

I don't know. I think next time I'll go for the tried-and-true dried apricots.

On the bright side, I did have a fresh nectarine this morning. Mmm mmm! Luscious and sweet.

(no subject)

A post in feminist pointed to this blog entry/article that describes how Barbara Walters yanked a black woman's hair while asking if it was real. Apparently she recently did something similar when Brandy visited The View.

As the post in feminist indicates, and as many people already know, black hair is a very touchy subject. For many black women, hair is a political topic. It would be utterly inappropriate for a stranger to touch anyone else--why is it somehow acceptable for Barbara Walters (a privileged white woman, as the article states) to tug on the braids of a black woman with whom she is barely acquainted?

(no subject)

Conservative Anger Grows Over Bush's Foreign Policy

Turkey Signals It's Prepared to Enter Iraq

Republican Candidate Linked to Abramoff Loses in Ga. Primary -- that would be Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition

IRS warns churches against campaigning

Patriot Act Also Reveals Bank Data

Study Documents 'Ghetto Tax' Being Paid by the Urban Poor

Florida's Fear of History: New Law Undermines Critical Thinking (thanks, supergee)

(no subject)

GET THIS. Bush vetoed a bill.

(no subject)

Insanity: US to scale back mad cow surveillance program

Evidence Chicago police tortured suspects

Ethiopia prepared to invade Somalia

Rift between U.S., EU emerges on Israel