Link Log for October 9

Happy Twitterday! On Twitter I learned a new word, but there was a reason why I didn't know it before and will not be using it on this web site. Since, although I've been stuck here all day, I don't leave hack writing jobs going over the weekend, I've also had time to explore Blogjob. Categories: Animals, Books, Communication, Crafts, Food (Yum), Health, History, Natural Rights, Pictures, Politics, Race, Stories, Travel, Writing.

Animals 

Documentation: it's only in the U.S. that superstitious people think black cats are unlucky. In the U.K. they think black cats are lucky (and orange ones are not).

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/09/coming-out-of-the-dark-why-black-is-such-a-positive-colour?CMP=twt_gu

Books 

Snarky, but a great auction idea: Rand Paul auctions off the autographed copy of her memoir that Hillary Clinton sent to him, along with each of the other Republican presidential candidates.

https://store.randpaul.com/index.php/signedbyclintonrand

Books about places...no, this link was not Tweeted by Margaret Atwood, although it mentions her books. Is there such a thing as Toronto topophilia?

http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/oct/09/reading-cities-books-about-toronto?CMP=share_btn_tw

And, of course:

http://blogjob.com/priscillaking/2015/10/09/book-review-through-my-eyes/

Communication 

Guys, here's how you can avoid being seen as jerks: When a woman is speaking, shut your mouth. Focus on her words--this is going to be on the test. When it's your turn to speak, first show that you heard what the lady said.

http://time.com/3666135/sheryl-sandberg-talking-while-female-manterruptions/

http://blogjob.com/tiki33/2015/10/09/rebuilding-a-marriage/

Crafts 

Here's a splendid quilt:

http://www.itsjustlife.me/crafted-with-love-cathedral-window-quilt/

Food (Yum) 

How to make a sugar pie:

http://blogjob.com/jadeshomemaderecipes/2015/09/22/sugar-milk-pie/

How to make a fresher, healthier version of Rice-a-Roni...if you can find GMO-free rice and rice pasta.

http://blogjob.com/jadeshomemaderecipes/2015/09/24/how-to-make-rice-a-roni-from-scratch/

How to make some beans to go with the rice:

http://blogjob.com/jadeshomemaderecipes/2015/09/29/how-to-make-homemade-baked-beans/

How to make a party festive, without serving alcohol.

http://blogjob.com/jadeshomemaderecipes/2015/09/26/chocolate-nut-fudge/

Health 

Hypnosis is actually less dangerous than Lidocaine...I'm not saying that the school principal was right to hypnotize the students. I am saying that, when we read that a kid came out of the dentist's office, started to drive home, then suddenly got "a strange look on his face" and wrecked the car, we're not reading about the effect of his having been hypnotized in the past, or of his playing violent video games, or of his eating too much junkfood. We're reading about the way some people predictably react to popular anesthetics used at the dentist's office. The commercial media are told to tell people that various pharmaceutical products are safe, and not mention that, if they are safe, it's because people take certain precautions. Like knowing that after a Lidocaine injection some people are going to pass out, and when that happens, they should not be driving cars.

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/130747201026/florida-school-board-believes-principal-is-a

History 

There was a Battle of Blountville. It was more important, historically, than the Battle of Kingsport (which was not yet a city). There was no official Battle of Gate City; there was a Battle of Estilville, as Gate City was then known (not important), and a Battle of Bray (a tiny settlement outside Gate City) that seemed as if it might have been important at the time.

http://www.heraldcourier.com/news/school-kids-learn-about-battle-of-blountville/article_209f85cc-6ea2-11e5-b6f1-831acaddbcf2.html#.Vhfz1IlFreM.twitter

Natural Rights 

The position of this web site is that people have a right to end their own lives, but not to demand that others help them do it. Because, when others are willing to help someone die, their motives will always be suspect.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/when-it-comes-to-assisted-dying-whose-choice-is-it/article26721554/

Pictures 

Have you ever wondered why your neighborhood map looks the way it does?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/08/the-27-patterns-that-make-up-the-worlds-cities-and-suburbs/

Politics 

Publius Huldah and friends in Fort Wayne, Indiana:

http://allencountyteaparty.com/2015/07/11/u-s-history-forum/

Ben Carson tells it like it is:

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/ben-carson-defends-hitler-gun-control-comment-214601

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/10/08/fresh-off-of-his-abortion-debate-on-the-view-ben-carson-takes-aim-at-pc-police-who-say-every-lifestyle-is-exactly-of-the-same-value/?

Here's an interesting study of how the game is played...why opinions that are actually held by a minority can be mistaken for majority opinions, if the minority are vocal enough--or use networking well. (As when people think that society "accepts" same-sex marriage although none of the men we know personally would consider hanging out with a "gay" guy, or Republicans imagine that a party that's backed a "Defense of Marriage Act" can be represented by a serial divorcee like the #BankruptcyBillionnaire ).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/wonkblog/majority-illusion/?tid=sm_tw

This one could become very serious...

http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=34485

Race

"Filed under 'Oy' and 'White People'," indeed.

http://daddytypes.com/2015/10/08/10_years_a_playmobil_slave-turned-pirate.php

The Daily Kos also reported a study showing that, when the White people surveyed were asked to picture someone who has one of several names associated with various Black ethnic backgrounds, they pictured big mean gangsters...I know the name game is based on what we remember or half-remember about some person. If "Bill" sounds to you like a name for a large, loud person with flushed, puffy skin and thick grey hair, that's not because you're a bigot; it's because you're remembering Bill Clinton. Many Anglo-Americans' only memory reference points for Black men's names are professional football or basketball players, so I can see where the association with extra-large body types comes in; "Kareem" sounds like the name of a tall man to me too. But "aggressive, violent, dangerous"? Some White people need to get out more. And why does it not surprise me that these White people were specifically recruited from the political left?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/08/1429414/-Scientific-study-shows-that-when-white-people-hear-black-names-they-imagine-big-violent-criminals

Rand Paul gets it right on:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/10/07/rand-paul-blasts-crazy-yale-course-taught-by-prominent-black-lives-matter-activist-deray-mckesson/?

Stories 

An old folk tale from feudal times...

http://blogjob.com/stories/2015/09/21/the-clever-courtier-a-folk-tale/

Travel 

This was written to be filed under "seniors," but it's applicable to some young travellers too.

http://blogjob.com/thoughtsonaging/2015/10/08/tips-for-travelers-on-diuretic-drugs/

Writing 

A client asked what I know about writing "viral content." Ewww. Ick. Things that don't actually get read and shared a lot, but they strain so hard it hurts to look at the titles? "Five Dog Photos That Will Break Your Heart!!!" "Shocking News: Fruit Is Healthier Than Pop-Tarts!!!" Things I laugh at but never read? "Viral content" is either a judgment made after the fact, or an indication of tackiness. But here's an analysis of why one particular cartoon, in a well-known series by a well-known cartoonist, did go viral.

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/130750618061/why-this-tweet-went-viral