Rotundus.com

The Necessity of Stress

On the problems seen in some trees grown in an artificial habitat: "After looking at the root systems and outer layers of bark, the scientists came to realize that a lack of wind in Biosphere 2 caused a deficiency of stress wood. Stress wood helps a tree position itself for optimal sun absorption and it also helps trees grow more solidly. Without stress wood, a tree can grow quickly, but it cannot support itself fully. It cannot withstand normal wear and tear, and survive. In other words, the trees needed some stress in order to thrive in the long run."

Why Is Pink for Girls and Blue for Boys?

It seems that the claim of a recent change that pink was a associated with boys and blue with girls may be an academic urban legend.

The 11 Most Politically Correct Moments on College Campuses in 2014

As per the article's opening statement: "There are almost too many to choose from"

Government fires employee who skipped work for 24 years

"AK Verma, an executive engineer at the Central Public Works Department, was fired after last appearing for work in December 1990. India's labour laws, which the World Bank says are the most restrictive anywhere, make it hard to sack staff for any reason other than criminal misconduct."

From the WSJ:

According to Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical agency, the probability of marriage before age 50 has been plummeting for European women and men, while the chance of divorce for those who do marry has been soaring. In Belgium—the birth-land of the scholars who initially detected this Second Transition—the likelihood of a first marriage for a woman of reproductive age is now almost down to 40%, and the likelihood of divorce is over 50%. This means that in Belgium the odds of getting married and staying married are under one in five. A number of other European countries have similar or even lower odds.

It seems to be a bit of both the growth of single-person households - now accounting for 45% of households in Denmark (32% across the EU) - as well as the shift from a legal marriage to living common law.

France wants companies to make appliances that last longer

"France is ordering manufacturers to inform consumers how long they can expect their TV, cell phone or other appliance to last — before they buy it." Trying to work around planned obsolescence sounds worthwhile.

How Oregon's Second Largest City Vanished in a Day

Did not know the following about Oregon: "When Oregon was admitted to the United States in 1859, it was the only state whose state constitution explicitly forbade black people from living, working or owning property within its borders. Until 1926, it was illegal for black people to even move into the state"

How cable networks speed up shows to squeeze in more ads

I tend to squeeze in a lot of audiobooks and podcast at about 2-3x actual speed which would look pretty ridiculous in video form. However, it seems broadcasters are indeed increasing speed: "channels like TBS and TNT are now speeding up syndicated programs, classics films and other shows by as much as 7 percent. ... A Seinfeld episode that originally ran 25 minutes was nearly 22 after the process"

Surprisingly Uncontroversial Program That Gives Money To Poor People

Earned Income Tax credits... how to incentivize work while helping the poor.

The program described in this article strikes me as one at very least worth continuing and probably even worth expanding. The program in question targets reintegrating sex offenders into society at the end of their sentences which means that the optics of funding it are terrible. i.e. who wants to be seen as giving money to sex offenders?

Given that Christians are often part of the getting-tough-on-crime crowd - beyond noting as the CBC article does that the program seems effective both in reducing crime and reducing justice system costs - it seems worth quoting a Correctional Services Canada page which describes the program's origins:

Just how does CoSA work and where did it start? CoSA-Ottawa program director Susan Love explains:
“CoSA originated in Hamilton in 1994 with Mennonite Pastor Harry Nigh, who befriended a mentally delayed, repeat sex offender — a man who had been in and out of institutions his entire life. Nigh and some of his parishioners formed a support group and obtained funding from the Mennonite Central Committee of Ontario and CSC to keep the group going. It was effective; the man did not re-offend.”
A few months later, a similar situation arose in Toronto that would play a large part in CoSA’s inception. Another sex offender had been released amid a public outcry and a circle was formed to support him. And again, it worked. From these two acts, which mirrored the “radical hospitality” espoused by the Christian Gospels, sprang what has since become a world-renowned project embraced by faith and non-faith groups alike.

i.e. it seems well grounded in the principles of restorative justice and you'd be hard pressed to find a government program more explicitly acknowledging Christian origins. It also seems to exhibit a "there but for the grace of God go I" mentality. To quote again that Correctional Services Canada page:

When one CoSA volunteer was asked what prompted him to work with sex offenders, he replied, “I used to be like everyone else. I hated these guys. Then I met one. I realized pretty quickly that he’s just like me. He’s a human being just like I am. Once I understood that, I could not turn my back on him. I hate what he’s done but if he’s willing to do his part, I’m willing to be there to help him. I don’t want there to be any more victims.”