Some interesting things I found today that relate to previous posts. Emphasis in quotations has been added by me.
Re: Are married people happier? Are parents?
An amusing discussion by Will Davies on the economics of selling infidelity. Ashley Madison is a discreet dating service for people who are already in a relationship.
Of course infidelity is as old as fidelity. But it is interesting to consider what happens once it is administered and economised. Firstly, it must surely become considerably less fun, as its taboo is lifted. I don’t doubt that there are people many years into marriage who seek out infidelity in a mundane way, to rival the search for other consumer goods; they may be the initial target of Ashley Madison. But beyond these people, infidelity is being parcelled up as safe and predictable, for those who presumably did their best to steer clear of it, until (for whatever unforeseen reason) they couldn’t resist it. Like hipsterism, the promise of administered infidelity is to have one’s cake and eat it, to experience the rush of living on the margins without any of the risks that once went with that.
Source: the creative destruction of marriage (potlatch)
Re: Are some diseases more prestigious than others?
Not only do some medical specialities claim to be more prestigious than others, but some claim the medical profession is superior to other professions. Here’s a reply to such a claim:
Has it come to this? Do we really need, as a profession, to measure ourselves against others like a bunch of schoolboys? After reading Dr. Son’s article, “Does being a lawyer or journalist stack up with being a physician?”, I feel compelled to reply.
As a practicing pediatrician, I, too, feel the nobility and privilege of my profession, and count myself lucky every day that I am able to do what I do. But to denigrate lawyers and journalists as somehow less valuable to society is beneath us as a profession. …
Furthermore, the medical profession’s high regard for itself has not translated into action on the health care reform front. Instead of arguing who is more important, physicians or lawyers or journalists, we should be leading the way on health care issues in this country. Instead, we physicians on the front lines are often the pawns, being moved around by the insurance companies, the government, and large hospitals.
I know I’m valuable as a physician. I see it in the faces of parents every day. And it’s not always in the expert diagnosis I make or the quick treatment of a sick child. Sometimes it’s in the simple caring at the end of chronically ill child’s life. In moments like these, I know my value. I don’t need to construct a professional hierarchy to prove it.
Source: A physician’s worth doesn’t need a professional hierarchy (KevinMD)
Re: Merchants of Doubt
Speaking of climate change, the founder of the Corydon Tea Party offers this opinion:
“It’s a flat-out lie,” Mr. Dennison said in an interview after the debate, adding that he had based his view on the preaching of Rush Limbaugh and the teaching of Scripture. “I read my Bible,” Mr. Dennison said. “He made this earth for us to utilize.” …
For some, it is a matter of religious conviction; for others, it is driven by distrust of those they call the elites. And for others still, efforts to address climate change are seen as a conspiracy to impose world government and a sweeping redistribution of wealth. …
“Carbon regulation, cap and trade, it’s all just a money-control avenue,” Ms. Khuri added. “Some people say I’m extreme, but they said the John Birch Society was extreme, too.” …
“They’re trying to use global warming against the people,” Ms. Deaton said. “It takes way our liberty.”
“Being a strong Christian,” she added, “I cannot help but believe the Lord placed a lot of minerals in our country and it’s not there to destroy us.”
The article goes on to discuss funding for climate change opposition from the oil, coal and utility industries.
Source: Climate Change Doubt Is Tea Party Article of Faith (The New York Times)
Re: A financial expert argues: Global warming is real
But there’s hope. People are willing to reduce energy use to save money, even if they deny the threat of climate change.
Residents of this deeply conservative city do not put much stock in scientific predictions of climate change.
“Don’t mention global warming,” warned Nancy Jackson, chairwoman of the Climate and Energy Project, a small nonprofit group that aims to get people to rein in the fossil fuel emissions that contribute to climate change. “And don’t mention Al Gore. People out here just hate him.”
Saving energy, though, is another matter.
Source: In Kansas, Climate Skeptics Embrace Cleaner Energy (The New York Times)
Re: Dementia, denial, and high school football
The latest football concussions bring attention to the quality of helmets used for student players.
Helmets both new and used are not — and have never been — formally tested against the forces believed to cause concussions. The industry, which receives no governmental or other independent oversight, requires helmets for players of all ages to withstand only the extremely high-level force that would otherwise fracture skulls.
The standard has not changed meaningfully since it was written in 1973, despite rising concussion rates in youth football and the growing awareness of how the injury can cause significant short- and long-term problems with memory, depression and other cognitive functions, especially in children.
Moreover, used helmets worn by the vast majority of young players encountered stark lapses in the industry’s few safety procedures. Some of the businesses that recondition helmets ignored testing rules, performed the tests incorrectly or returned helmets that were still in poor condition. More than 100,000 children are wearing helmets too old to provide adequate protection — and perhaps half a million more are wearing potentially unsafe helmets that require critical examination, according to interviews with experts and industry data.
Source: As Injuries Rise, Scant Oversight of Helmet Safety (The New York Times)
Re: Is football the moral equivalent of dogfighting?
The day after a Rutgers Universtiy student was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle on a kickoff return, a series of head injuries occurred in the NFL, affecting the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions.
A day after an unusual series of player head injuries shocked football fans and alarmed the sport’s officials, the National Football League vowed Monday to crack down on dangerous, illegal hits with more severe disciplinary measures. …
Sunday appeared to be one of the worst days in recent memory for player head injuries, though recent league-wide efforts to protect athletes may mean there is now closer scrutiny and more careful accounting of the blows. …
“It seemed like every time you turned around, there was another player on the ground for an extended period,” Anderson said. “We feel compelled to be aggressive and proactive. We don’t want another Darryl Stingley on one of our fields.”
Stingley, a wide receiver with the New England Patriots, suffered a broken neck in an on-field collision with Oakland Raiders safety Jack Tatum during an exhibition game in August 1978 and was left a quadriplegic. He spent the remainder of his life in a wheelchair and died in 2007 at age 55. Tatum’s hit was legal under the sport’s rules at the time.
Source: NFL vows to crack down on dangerous, illegal hits after series of head injuries (The Washington Post)
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Image source: Examiner
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