End of the Rainbow

I don’t know if you know this, but NPR did a story that PBS will no longer continue to fund the show Reading Rainbow, after 26 years of programming. I loved Reading Rainbow as a kid. That’s pretty much all I watched all summer when I was younger until I discovered trashy daytime tv talk shows. I can tell you which episodes of Reading Rainbow were my favorite (in this order):

1. the one where LeVar learns dinerese
2. the one where LeVar visits the artist that makes art from recycled materials
3. Gregory the Terrible Eater
4. Arthur’s Eyes
5. Miss Nelson is Missing

I even got Jude the book Gregory the Terrible Eater. It makes me sad that they won’t be making any more episodes in the future to share with Jude. I’m telling you, Reading Rainbow was a big part of my life.

When I was at UT, I was in a group that brought different speakers to the campus. We tossed around the idea of paying for LeVar Burton, and my brother told me that if we did, that he wanted me to personally tell LeVar when I met him, how important he was to Daniel. If you know Daniel, which some of you do, that is pretty significant. This man has made an impact on people’s lives; Levar has over a million people on his Twitter for peeps sake (haha, little joke there). So, I sent LeVar a thank you for his contribution to young minds and the love of reading.

 

Food Stamps

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/food2/entries/2008/07/16/a_month_on_food_stamps.html

I thought this was an interesting blog article on the Statesman. The director of the Capital Area Food Bank attempted a sociological experiment, where he attempted to live, for one month, on the equivalent of what someone who receives food stamps would have to spend on groceries (approximately $21/week).  We always do a can drive at my school to support our school’s food pantry and we donate the surplus to the food bank. They have been a great resource for my job, and my work utilizes them often to help families.

I thought the most provoking part of the article was how he contemplated not purchasing his medication in order to make chili. I had read previously that more and more working class families are having to rely on the local food pantries because of the rising costs of gas and groceries. It just gives me pause to reflect on how truly fortunate I am (despite what I believe to be struggles) and that there are important issues that we need to address as a community.

 

A Male Brain

According to this website I have a masculine brain. Okay, that’s an oversimplification. I have a more masculine brain compared to the average female, but not to the average male. What this basically means is that I am particularly good at spatial reasoning and was probably exposed to higher levels testosterone in utero, but I have many characteristics of feminine brain, as well.  The website even said in relation to my ability to rotate 3D shapes, “Are you an engineer or do you have a science background? People with these skills tend to score in this range. Past studies have concluded that people in this range have a more male brain.”

But, I also scored high on empathy, the ability to judge people’s emotions based on their eyes or faces, and verbal fluency which are traditionally high in women. I am glad I am able to empathize, otherwise I think I made a bad career move.

I found it interesting that they determine your exposure to testosterone in the uterus based on the your finger ratios. So, start measuring those digits and go to the BBC website and find out if you have a masculine or feminine brain. If you have spare time, you can also go here to determine if you are sleep deprived…which despite my feelings today, I am not.

 

The Secret is Out

I read an article on WebMd entitled 11 Don’t-Tell-the-Wife Secrets All Men Keep. Below is a snynopsis of the “secrets” that were un-earthed in the article. 

• Secret 1: Yes, we fall in lust 10 times a day — but it doesn’t mean we want to leave you
• Secret 2: We actually do play golf to get away from you
• Secret 3: We’re unnerved by the notion of commitment, even after we’ve made one to you
• Secret 4: Earning money makes us feel important
• Secret 5: Though we often protest, we actually enjoy fixing things around the house
• Secret 6: We like it when you mother us, but we’re terrified that you’ll become your mother
• Secret 7: Every year we love you more
• Secret 8: We don’t really understand what you’re talking about
• Secret 9: We are terrified when you drive
• Secret 10: We’ll always wish we were 25 again
• Secret 11: Give us an inch and we’ll give you a lifetime

I cannot speak to the truth of them, since I am obviously not the husband in the relationship, but overall I thought it was an interesting read. It did give me some understanding and appreciation for Joe. Besides, how can you not love a grown man who will still spraypaint your names on a car at the Cadillac Ranch?

 

Ginger Whinger?

I read a really interesting article today while I was perusing the Statesman. Apparently, redheads face discrimination in Great Britain, as culturally there is some stigma about being “ginger” (i.e. a redhead). So, a “ginger whinger” means a redhead who whines about the mistreatment they receive. We don’t have a cultural parallel here in the states that I can think of, other than the saying “redheaded stepchild.” But apparently the British vernacular is rife with such sayings.

Even more curious, is that Scotland’s population is 13% redheaded compared with the world average of 1% (or 2-3% in the USA). It just seemed so weird. My niece, who has lovely, fiery red hair, is more of a prize than pariah in our family. We get a kick out of how she stands out among all our dark heads. For anyone who is interested, you can read the the article here (although you might have to register with the Statesman).

I guess I could pontificate on how this relates to other societal discrimination, but the truth is I just thought it was interesting.