March 9, 2011
Taibbi on Why Wall Street Goes Free
You’ve got to hand it to The Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi: When almost no one wants to talk about it, he continues to relentlessly pursue stories around the 2008 financial meltdown and the devastating destruction that followed. His latest piece, exploring why Wall Street isn’t in jail, is a depressing account of the incestuous relationship between DC regulators and the well-connected financiers who inevitably co-opt them. Crime does pay and pay well, if you’re filthy rich and know the right people. Read it and weep.
March 4, 2011
The New Sunday NY Times Magazine: A Preview
The New York Times is giving is a sneak peek at the new Sunday magazine, which will include what look to be fantastic soup recipes. (Of course, my focus is on the food stuffs.) Also, a new Ethicist!
Science Friday: The Mind’s Eye
Science Friday: The visual perception. Here or below.
March 2, 2011
Upheavals at The New York Times
Cooking with Dexter, gone. Then, The Ethicist and On Language hang it up. Now, Frank Rich moves to New York Magazine. As great columns and columnists leave The New York Times, Sunday newspaper reading rituals will have to be adjusted. Let’s hope the replacements are just as interesting to read, and the new content equally informative.
Self-Help? No. Be Nice to Yourself? Yes.
This article in the health section of the New York Times explains a common-sense but hard-to-acquire skill that may be the key to well-being (and even weight loss): self-compassion.
From the piece:
“The research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. …
“This idea does seem at odds with the advice dispensed by many doctors and self-help books, which suggest that willpower and self-discipline are the keys to better health. But Kristin Neff, a pioneer in the field, says self-compassion is not to be confused with self-indulgence or lower standards.”
The entire article is worth a read. After, throw out your self-help books and pat yourself on the back instead. (And hopefully watch the pounds disappear!)