eu-jin’s posterous

Afghan Exhibit in San Francisco

I've always enjoyed looking at archaeological sites of old civilizations and their trappings. In most of the countries that I've visited, I've usually found that the good (and portable) stuff like the gold artifacts, pottery, statues, etc from archaeological sites are moved to the national museums of the country; so I tend to spend a day in the capital solely to visit the national archaeological museums.

This WSJ article on an exhibition of the best archaeological pieces from Afghanistan whets my appetite to visit the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco to check it out.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122705332353639219.html

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DVRs

Research shows that owners of digital video recorders (DVR) like Tivo actually pay more attention to ads because they concentrate intensely to identify the end of the ads. As a result, certain kinds of ads work well when targeted at DVR users. So if you see more of these kinds of ads in the future, you'll know why.

http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12607059

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National Exams in Asia

When I was going through school in Asia, there were 3 national examinations at the end of elementary, middle, and high school that decided how a good a school you were eligible to attend next. As education was the top priority among parents, these examinations were national obsessions. I never did very well in these national examinations until right at the last one, the equivalent of the college entrance exams, when I managed to eke out something respectable. Reading this wsj article on college entrance exams in Korea just made me realise how much more seriously the Koreans take it than I ever did ...

1) "Many offices and the stock market open at 10 a.m., an hour later than usual, to keep the roads free for students on their way to the test."

2) "And while students are taking the listening portions of the tests, planes can't land or take off at the nation's airports. Aircraft arriving from other countries are ordered to circle at altitudes above 10,000 feet."

3) "Some temples -- and Christian churches -- invited parents to daily prayer sessions beginning in August, 100 days before the test. Parents who participate buy a special prayer book on which they glue a photo of their young scholar."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122644964013219173.html

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Crowded Public Transport

And I thought that public transport was pretty crowded and unpleasant during the times I had to take it during peak hours ...



[Caption] Muslims pilgrims cling on to a train leaving the ancient city of Multan in Pakistan

link

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Dynamic Stretching

There's an interesting article on dynamic stretching for warming up your muscles in the nytimes. I had read previous research that static stretching was bad before exercise because it weakens the muscles, but I'd not seen this kind of dynamic stretching before. I might give some of the routines in the video a try before my next workout.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?ref=health

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Somalia's Pirates

The nytimes has a great article on Somalia's pirates. It seems as though pirates are the new celebrities in Somalia with their ample amounts of cash from ransoms. Some choice quotes include:

1) In Somalia, it seems, crime does pay. Actually, it is one of the few industries that does. "All you need is three guys and a little boat, and the next day you're millionaires," said Abdullahi Omar Qawden, a former captain in Somalia's long-defunct navy.

2) Fatuma Abdul Kadir said she went to a pirate wedding in July that lasted two days, with nonstop dancing and goat meat, and a band flown in from neighboring Djibouti. "It was wonderful," said Ms. Fatuma, 21. "I'm now dating a pirate."

3) Abdi Waheed Johar, the director general of the fisheries and ports ministry of Puntland, openly acknowledged in an interview this spring that "there are government people working with the pirates." But, he was quick to add, "It's just not us."

4) [Referring to the pirates] "They are normal people," said Mr. Said. "Just very, very rich."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/world/africa/31pirates.html

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Police and Firefighter Salaries in California

I had no idea that being a policeman or fire fighter was so lucrative. It is unsurprising that Vallejo went bankrupt, seeing that 80% of its budget in 2007 was for police and fire.

1. Before that, in 1999, state lawmakers had adopted a measure called "3% at 50" that allowed local and state police officers and firefighters to retire at 50 years of age with 3% of their highest annual salary -- multiplied by the number of years served. The legislation granted thousands of public-safety workers a retirement payout of 90% of their former salaries for life. The benefit, bolstered by post-9/11 recruiting, swiftly became a major staple for most California cities.

2. Those full-natured benefits created a bidding war among Northern California cities, and Vallejo negotiated lucrative wage increases with police and firefighter unions to stay competitive. Three years ago, the city agreed to a 20% pay increase between 2007 and 2009; an average police officer now makes $121,000. When benefits are included, the number rises to more than $190,000. By 2007, 80% of Vallejo's budget was dedicated to police and firefighters.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122540831980086085.html

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Red meat makes you more vulnerable to E. Coli infections

It appears that eating red meat regularly, such as beef or pork, primes a person's intestines to be more susceptible to E. Coli infections; the reason being that red meat contains a specific sugar molecule that accumulates in the cells lining the intestines, and these sugar molecules show affinity for the toxins exuded by E. Coli.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hD4xw9vpC-tinE71PcFF02w2o1WQ

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Homosexuality and Evolution

The Economist has a summary of interesting new research on the evolutionary aspects of homosexuality. The question has been why has homosexuality persisted in the population despite the pressures of natural selection; the assumption being that homosexuals, not having any children, do not pass on the homosexuality genes to the next generation.

The conventional idea has been that "the relatives of those who are gay gain some advantage that allows genes predisposing people to homosexual behaviour to be passed on collaterally", and in particular that "there is evidence that male homosexuals, at least, are more likely than average to come from large families, is that the genes for gayness bring reproductive advantage to those who have them but are not actually gay themselves. Originally, the thought was that whichever genes make men gay might make women more fecund, and possibly vice versa."

But new works hows that the fecundity advantage actually accrues to relatives of the same sex as the homosexual relative.

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12465295

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Sushi Bullies

Great article in the WSJ on the top sushi chefs, an in particular about

"Top sushi chefs dictate what's made and who eats it, and even eject dissenters. Why do the fans keep coming? Katy McLaughlin on culture clashes -- and the California-roll taboo."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122480233710964683.html

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