Things I Think Are Kinda Cool

BRAIN: So, last week you mentioned something called Snooki.

YOU: Ah, yes.

BRAIN: I consulted my dictionary, and the only thing I could find was a Snook, a ‘large vigorous bony fish of coastal and brackish waters that is an important food and sport fish’. It looks like this:

YOU: Um…no. This is Snooki:

BRAIN: WHAT THE – ?

YOU: I thought you might be confused, so I found an article for you to read – it’s from Psychology Today, and it puts the characters from MTV’s “Jersey Shore” under a microscope and psychoanalyzes them from an academic perspective. Here’s Part 1 & Part 2.

BRAIN: Very thoughtful. How about this…I’ll read it as long as you read the articles I picked out.

YOU: Deal. Have fun getting Snooki-punched!!!

BRAIN: What?

YOU: Never mind…

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* The humanitarian disaster in Haiti is just the latest tragedy in a long line of misfortunes over the past few decades, including military coups, evil dictators, floods, riots, and hurricanes. – Foreign Policy (Don’t forget to text “HAITI” to 90999 and donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti)

* The ominous theme of the “End of America” has been gaining momentum over the past few years. Author James Fallows thinks the cycle of crisis and renewal has always been a fundamental part of our ethos. But for renewal to come again, we need to fix our seriously broken government…easier said than done. – The Atlantic

* As more and more terrorists have been captured since 9/11, criminologists and psychologists have been able to interview and analyze a larger pool of ‘patients’. They’ve started to paint an interesting picture of what makes a terrorist tick. – NY Times

* Shockingly, 35,000 stray dogs wander around Moscow (that’s 84 dogs per square mile). Andrei Poyarkov, a biologist who specializes in wolves, has devoted himself to finding out where these dogs come from, what types of behavior they exhibit, and how they interact with the culture of Moscow.  (They’ve learned how to get on and off the subway like polite commuters!) – Financial Times

YOU: I can’t believe that 2010 is almost here…the start of a new decade.

BRAIN: I know – what will happen next year…so many questions. Will Iran get any closer to a nuclear weapon? Will our health care system improve? Will Apple finally release a tablet computer?

YOU: Yeah, sure, whatever. Will Brangelina finally self-destruct? How many more babies will Michelle Duggar pop out? What’s next for Snooki!?!

BRAIN: Who?

YOU: Never mind. I guess you’re gonna make me read a bunch of ‘interesting’ articles now, right?

BRAIN: You know me too well. But seriously…who’s Snooki?

——

* If you’ve been paying attention over the past few years, you might think our government has been an abysmal failure – the economic crisis, failed levees, broken Congress, terrorists slipping through the cracks. So the real question is, why do these people still have jobs? – Salon

* Kidnapping and hostage-taking has become an extremely lucrative business in Nigeria. Explore the intricate ins and outs of this thriving industry, and find out why negotiating a ransom can be considered an art form. – NY Times

* When a good actor becomes a fully developed character on stage or screen, what physiological changes are going on in his brain? For the first time ever, scientists observe the brain activity of British thespian Fiona Shaw while she’s acting, and the results are very interesting. – BBC

* Elizabeth Warren, the Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, is one of the few trustworthy voices talking about the economic crisis. She talks about the potential of an America without a middle class – it’s not as unbelievable as you might think. – Huff Po

* Fregoli Delusion is the name of an odd mental condition where a patient thinks that different people are actually the same person wearing a variety of disguises. Presque vu is the sensation that you’re about to have an amazing epiphany, although it never actually happens. Find out more about these and other strange conditions of the human mind. – Mind Cafe

* The Soviets failed miserably in Afghanistan 30 years ago…if we want a more successful outcome, what can the US learn from their mistakes? – Daily Beast