Prius Envy

And since there seems to be a sea of gender references in car ads and various car-related publications, I figured I had to include this too. These cars are getting more 'character' reviews and attention than the people who get to pay to acquire and maintain them.
Engine, power be thy name?!

Gender Differences: Car Style

Now this.
Apparently an anthropomorphised car is, indeed, this powerful.
I thought Toyota Prius would have been mentioned, too. Well, at least, it could have gotten a favorable mention.

"A study commissioned by a phallically named insurance company proves beyond all doubt that the unbridled roar of an Italian supercar turns women on but the soft purr of a fuel-efficient econobox doesn't stimulate anyone's MPG-spot.

David Moxon subjected 40 men and women to the sounds of a Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari, then measured the amount of testosterone in their saliva. He found everyone had higher levels of the stuff -- a measure of their arousal -- after hearing the revving exotics, but the amount the women had was off the charts.

The econobox, however, left everyone colder than a January day in Nome.

The study was commissioned by the ultra-exclusive British insurer Hiscox (we swear we're not making this up), which was curious to know how people respond to high-end luxury cars. "We knew owners of luxury cars felt a connection with the sound of their vehicles," says Steve Langan, managing director of the insurance company. "We have now scientifically proven the physical attraction people feel when it comes to cars."

To test the theory that high-performance cars get people hot, Moxon had 40 men and women listen to recordings of the three Italian exotics and a Volkswagen Polo. Everyone had significantly more testosterone after hearing the exotics, and all of the women were turned on by the Maserati. The guys, on the other hand, were drawn to the Lamborghini."

graph per blog.wired

The Roman Empire and the HIV Connection

According to a new study from the University of Provence, Europeans currently living in the Roman Empire's 'previous colonies are more vulnerable to HIV.'

If you're saying: 'Say what?!' just about now, read more here. Very interesting article.

A snippet says:

"The claim, by French researchers, is that people once ruled by Rome are less likely to have a gene variant which protects against HIV.
This includes England, France, Greece and Spain, New Scientist reports.
Others argue the difference is linked to a far larger event, such as the spread of bubonic plague or smallpox.
...
The idea that something carried by the occupying Romans could have a widespread influence on the genes of modern Europeans comes from researchers at the University of Provence.

They say that the frequency of the variant corresponds closely with the shifting boundaries of the thousand-year empire.

In countries inside the borders of the empire for longer periods, such as Spain, Italy and Greece, the frequency of the CCR5-delta32 gene, which offers some protection against HIV, is between 0% and 6%.

Countries at the fringe of the empire, such as Germany, and modern England, the rate is between 8% and 11.8%, while in countries never conquered by Rome, the rate is greater than this."
graph per bbc

Are Comebacks the New Inventions?

This, I enjoyed reading as it seems congruent with some of the things I've thought about.

"The Doc Martens revival is still going strong - though initially worn as part of the 80s renaissance, the boot fits effortlessly into the New Nineties when worn in a grungier style, such as the current penchant for tartans, plaids and chunky woollens. Elsewhere, we are seeing skinny jeans giving way to bell bottoms, wide-legs and bootcuts (though we have yet to encounter a full-throttle "baggy" revival, a Madchester renaissance seems somewhat inevitable)."

I enjoyed my DC Martens. Good shoes. Durable. But oh-so-heavy and such a drag to schlep. I retired them a while back as I figured it was a text I'd read a lot already. Plus, they didn't feel decade-appropriate. I don't really understand why they're making a comeback to so many closets.
Or, for that matter, why 90210 had to make a comeback.
But I digress.
Can't HBO throw a bone to other cable stations and allow them to show reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm, or something?
Anyway, one thing's for sure, though. It's not only Doc Martens that are making a successful comeback.
And as someone just uttered to me, 'well, I guess one of the good things of growing up in the 80's and 90's is that we don't have to watch anymore TV these days. We're already all caught up.'
I had to say: 'Quotable.'

graph per images google
graph per hbo

The Ting Tings on Minnesota Public Radio

Tip of the hat to Anna for the pointer.
I'm enjoying a new NPR station now. Go here to check it out. Here's a bit from one of their featured pieces on the band The Ting Tings. If you're interested in indie dance and the subtle differences between new world and English sounds, give The Ting Tings a try.

graph per npr
graph per myspace

Gym for Free?

Tip of the hat to MR.
Just saw this and had to post it.

"A Danish chain of gyms is now offering membership free of charge, with the only caveat that you have to show up, in order for the membership to be free. If you fail to show up once per week you will be billed the normal monthly membership fee for that month. This should solve the problem with incentives that gym-membership normally carries - there is suddenly a very large (membership is around 85$ per month) incentive to show up each week."

I don't know about the caveat in the scenario. It's too big of one. And too binding.
Nothing comes for free after all, per the old adage.

If you're interested in the original text, it's in Danish and it's to be found here.
graph per ballyfitness
quotes per mr

Popularity, High School, and Adult Life

It's not all fun and games for the popular students in high school, study says.

"The cult of popularity that reigns in high school can look quaint from a safe distance, like your 20th reunion. By then the social order may have turned over like an hourglass: teenagers who were socially invisible have emerged as colorful characters, confident, transformed. Others seem preserved in time, same as ever, while some former princes and queen bees are diminished or simply absent, now invisible themselves.
...
Popularity, even the likable kind, can have costs. In his continuing study, Dr. Allen has found that the most socially skilled students are three times as likely to be drinking by age 14 as those outside the group. Up through age 18, they are also more likely to commit vandalism, smoke marijuana and shoplift. They are, in short, seemingly more vulnerable to peer pressure and expectations.

Some of those behaviors may just be due to increased opportunity and access: you can’t sample from the buffet if you’re not invited to the party.

But that is ultimately for the teenagers who see it unfolding every day to assess. If high school is the first time young people take on a public identity, it is also the best vantage point for seeing the blessings and risks of social charm.

Maybe that’s why some teenagers can seem at once so self-deluded about their own standing and fascinated by the doings of the in group. They know intuitively that a crucial part of a high school education happens outside the classroom, in Popularity Studies 101."
Read all here.

Commitment Phobia and Genetics

Science News reports:
"The study, to appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to try to examine whether a hormone that encourages monogamy in animals plays a similar role in male humans. Before getting ideas about a DNA-fidelity test, though, women should consider that the study wasn’t designed to determine how much — or even whether — the gene in question is responsible for monogamy in humans.

“We can’t with any accuracy predict effects on behavior,” says Hasse Walum of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. “A lot of different things determine how happy you will be in a relationship.”

And just as I was thinking that a gene alone cannot be responsible for all the intricate layers of a relationship and the commitment that goes into it, I got to the end of the article which states:

"Marital harmony is determined by the behavior of two complex individuals, of which genes play only a part.

“It will be labeling a lot of people in a way that will be absolutely wrong,” Young says. “There’s so much more that goes into the quality of a relationship than a single gene.”

Interesting read. Find it all here.

graph per science news

Mad Men and Careers

If you are interested in experiencing what gender differences in the work places were like in the 50's and 60's, give the new AMC show Mad Men a shot. This is the only show that's fully grabbed my attention and to which I'm giving a 9/10. Mad Men is now on its second season.
The show portrays rather dexterously familial tension, intrigue, professional and personal inadequacies, gender differences, body perceptions, clothing as text, homosociality and much more. Plus, the main character, Mr. Draper, is played by the uber-talented Jon Hamm. Watch it. It won't disappoint.
Here is a snippet:

graph per amc

School and Work: Girl Power?

For some the work place experience is not reminiscent of the mostly egalitarian classroom experience.
A new feature on the Times says:

"Then I left the egalitarianism of the classroom for the cubicle, and everything changed. The realization that the knowledge and skills acquired in school don’t always translate at the office is something that all college graduates, men and women, must face. But for women, I have found, the adjustment tends to be much harder. It was certainly hard for me — I lasted only nine months in my first job out of college.

Inspired by my own rocky entrance into the work world, I decided to interview other young women and discovered that many of them, like me, were facing a steep workplace learning curve. What was it, I wondered, that was making our first career steps so wobbly when we had been so accomplished and self-assured in school?"

Read it here.

graph per ny times