This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on September 14, 2010). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Sometime between September 9th and September 14th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!
- Consequences of U.S. and Dutch Approaches to Teen Sex: "American parents approach their children's sexual initiation with fear and loathing; while Dutch parents treat sexuality like any other realm of life that a child must learn to manage. Accordingly, most American teenagers hide their virginity loss from their parents, furtively popping the cherry in risky situations, often without protection against pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In contrast, most Dutch teenagers lose their virginity in their own bedrooms with their parents approval… and condoms. This different approach to teen sexuality helps explain the dramatic differences between the U.S. and the Netherlands in rates of contraceptive use, teen pregnancy, abortion, and STI transmission."
- Facebook Co-Founder Mark Zuckerberg Opens Up: "Zuckerberg, or at least Hollywood's unauthorized version of him, will soon be starring in a film titled 'The Social Network,' directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. The movie, which opens the New York Film Festival and will be released on October 1st, will be the introduction that much of the world gets to Zuckerberg. Facebook profiles are always something of a performance: you choose the details you want to share and you choose whom you want to share with. Now Zuckerberg, who met with me for several in-person interviews this summer, is confronting something of the opposite: a public exposition of details that he didn't choose. He does not plan to see the film."
- Tax the Filthy Rich!: "Washington State has the most regressive taxes of any state in the country. In Washington, poor people pay 17.3 percent of their income in taxes, while the filthy rich pay only 2.6 percent of their income in taxes. This is the result of our state's heavy reliance on the sales tax, which accounts for over 50 percent of all state revenue. Imagine two families, one rich and one poor, going to the same store and buying the same basket of goods and subjected to the same sales tax. For the poor family, it's a much heavier burden than for the rich family. The sensible way to even out the tax burden is to tax income, like most other states. But Washington doesn't have an income tax. Never has. Hence our status as a national embarrassment–more regressive on taxes than even Texas or Georgia."
- 5 Worries Parents Should Drop, and 5 They Shouldn’t: "Based on surveys Barnes collected, the top five worries of parents are, in order: Kidnapping, School snipers, Terrorists, Dangerous strangers, and Drugs. But how do children really get hurt or killed? Car accidents, Homicide (usually committed by a person who knows the child, not a stranger), Abuse, Suicide, and Drowning."