Seven More Sins, According to the Vatican

A Vatican official has articulated seven new categories of sin “due to the phenomenon of globalization.”

1. “Bioethical” violations such as birth control

2. “Morally dubious” experiments such as stem cell research

3. Drug abuse

4. Polluting the environment

5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor

6. Excessive wealth

7. Creating poverty


Read full feature here.

Madonna Gets Inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

What do we make of this picture?
Very 'Queen' Arthur, I thought.
Read full story here.
Among the people the uber-ripped Madonna thanked in her acceptance address were her naysayers:
“The ones that said I was talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn’t sing, that I was a one-hit wonder,” she said. “They pushed me to be better, and I am grateful for their resistance.”

Well, folks, it's official. The material girl, along with J. Mellencamp and L. Cohen is now inducted into the Hall of Fame.
graph per ny times

Is There a Man Driver Coming soon?

On the way back from the airport, we found ourselves on a shuttle. The driver informed us that she had gotten stuck in the snow and couldn't move the vehicle.

An older gentle lady approached her and asked "Is the other shuttle coming soon? Maybe the other driver is a man and men know how to do these sorts of things, you know??

At that point I stopped thinking about whatever it is I was thinking and focused on that conversation. I remember thinking to myself, "oh, no, you didn't just say that?!?

The driver tried a few more times to get the shuttle moving and she succeeded. At that point she turned to the older lady and said, 'don't you ever say such sexist things again. I don't need a man!'

I understood her rage but at the same time I felt badly for the old lady. So, in an effort to distract the driver I said, 'yoo-hoo. You rock!!! Give it up for the driver!' I started clapping and other passengers followed.
Whew!

Quotations of the Day

Hat tip to Tyler over at MR.
1) To think more objectively, become less allied.
2) People ignore info more when they feel powerful.

A Lady and Ladyhawk

From one of my favorite bloggers out there, the adorable and ever so musically informed Carrie Brownstein of NPR's Monitor Mix:

"A few months ago I discovered a band called Ladyhawk. An advance copy of their latest CD, Shots, arrived in a package bearing the stamp of a record label whose curatorial prowess I'd grown to both admire and to anticipate. The back cover of the CD depicted four, shirtless, hairy men drenched in what looked like beer. Though I haven't blown up that picture to the size of a poster to hang on my bedroom wall, I have become a huge fan of Ladyhawk. In all honesty, and without exaggeration, I've listened to Shots nearly every day.

I love all sorts of music, and all genres, but my heart lies in the gritty and the guttural; in the bend of a guitar note, in the scratchy strain of a voice, and in the the stripped down honesty, and odyssey, of words, guitars, and drums."

Carrie's interview with Canada's Ladyhawk, a very good indie rock band from Vancouver, Canada may be found in its entirety here.

Androgyny Loose on the Streets

The runway is not the only place fascinated by androgyny.
The overall presentation oozes fluid, nonthreatening, and undefined lines. Very third gender. And as the Paris and New York runways revealed just a few weeks ago, androgyny is as 'in' in the fashion industry as 6.1 female models.
What's the vox populi on this?
graph her sartorialist

Where One Live Determines Who One Ends Up Becoming

I concur for the most part.

“Increasingly, the place you choose to live will help determine your success in business, in finding a life partner, and in living a fulfilling life. In fact, it may be the most important decision of your life. I believe that we are in the beginnings of a shift as fundamental as the industrial revolution was over a century ago—one that will have as dramatic an impact on how people live and work. Furthermore, it will have a dramatic impact on where they live and work."

Download full text here.

Aphorisms are Back

Hat tip to Tyler Cowen over at MR for the pointer. These are from Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958), one of the greatest Spanish poets of the 20th century.

The true poet reanimates in his work, in abbreviated form, the complete
history of poetry.

The rose: how can it be naked and clothed, all at the same time?

In order to read many books, buy just a few.

I am humble among the serious, proud among the vain.

Where Can I Get a Venti Macchiato

Hat tip to Richard for the pointer. The following is via Andrew Gelman
Just what does Starbucks availability reveal about us?

Secular Sabbath?

Our electricity went out today. No internet, no cable, no iHome, no iPod, simply put: no gadgets. The first thing I experience is nervousness. 'Uhm. what next? I guess I can text message.'

But I didn't. And it felt good to take a break from gadgets, music, the internet, all things cyber. True, it only lasted a few hours, but what a nice walk I had on the snow-covered street.

And, coincidentally, the NY Times had a similar feature today. A snippet says,

'In short, my name is Mark, and I’m a techno-addict. But after my airplane experience, I decided to do something about it. Thus began my “secular Sabbath” — a term I found floating around on blogs — a day a week where I would be free of screens, bells and beeps. An old-fashioned day not only of rest but of relief.

Like many, though, I wondered whether breaking my habit would be entirely beneficial. I worried about the colleagues, friends, daughters, parents and so on who relied on me, the people who knew that whether I was home or away I would get back to them, if not instantly then certainly before the end of the day. What if something important was happening, something that couldn’t wait 24 hours?

On my first weekend last fall, I eagerly shut it all down on Friday night, then went to bed to read. (I chose Saturday because my rules include no television, and I had to watch the Giants on Sunday). I woke up nervous, eager for my laptop. That forbidden, I reached for the phone. No, not that either. Send a text message? No. I quickly realized that I was feeling the same way I do when the electricity goes out and, finding one appliance nonfunctional, I go immediately to the next. I was jumpy, twitchy, uneven.

I managed. I read the whole paper, without hyperlinks. I tried to let myself do nothing, which led to a long, MP3-free walk, a nap and some more reading, an actual novel. I drank herb tea (caffeine was not helpful) and stared out the window. I tried to allow myself to be less purposeful, not to care what was piling up in my personal cyberspace, and not to think about how busy I was going to be the next morning. I cooked, then went to bed, and read some more.'

An enjoyable and relevant piece. Read full text here.