YAs of Yesteryear

Irreverent, witty Cliff's notes to nostalgic, forgotten loves. As a former English teacher and total bookworm, I am overfond of this series by Jezebel called

'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth.

They've reviewed Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder and have a loving interview with Judy Blume here. Island of the Blue Dolphins review? Here. Great stuff -- especially if, like me, you realize that your plan to reread every book before putting it into your precious baby's hands was perhaps a tad optimistic. Read more!

Hard Wired (to be a) Party Girl

You know how some people's political views seem to fit perfectly into a wide-ranging ethos that includes how black and white (or grey) their world is? And how some other people cannot eat anything at all 'picy? No onions, no peppers, no tomatoes, no garlic... no government intervention in state affairs except for micromanaging people's bedrooms, no handouts except for agribusiness and offshore tax shelters.... Not like those two necessarily fit together. But, just like picky tastebuds, political views may be genetically based (both via Science Daily). Oh, that my personal hard-wiring could help me make the decision about who to vote for in Tuesday's primary....

Some random gender observations that probably won't help determine my vote:

Territorial video games activate male brains' pleasure center more than women's The author isn't shocked: "I think it's fair to say that males tend to be more intrinsically territorial," he said. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out who historically are the conquerors and tyrants of our species-they're the males." via Science Daily

Women take more (short-term or less than 60 day stretches) sick leave than men, which the authors theorize may have something to do with women taking better preventive measures but my not-so-scientific take on the study was -- duh -- that those women weren't sick themselves, their children were so they had to stay home (of course, the age range of the women was 40-60 so some of it has to be for other reasons...). via Science Daily

We saw Dave Barry last week and he shared this hilarious exploding whale story (and if it's not a guy story, I don't know what is). I also have Dave to thank for this bad-ass December-May, black-belt, marathon-running female takes-no-crap story as well (via his blog).

But I digress, as usual. Some links to voter guides that might actually help me make up my mind (hope they help, Mor-Mor):

• The League of Conservation Voters' 2008 Presidential Primaries Voter Guide
• Voting For The Environment - Where The Democrats Stand compiled by The Good Human
• WaPo DC Democratic Party Presidential Primary Voter Info (has info for other states and is easy to navigate)
• Grist analysis of campaign donations to presidential candidates from agribusiness

Really, though, I'm loving the choices: Clinton or Obama, even McCain would be a monstrous improvement. This MamaBird was not hard-wired for the current dynasty.
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Greywatering

So, I had a lightbulb go off a few months ago -- all the dregs of backwash in my 1000 sippy and other type cups? The melted water from monsieur's champagne midnight milkbottle bucket? I use it to water my plants! I actually don't have a plant watering day any more. I just do it haphazardly, as the water arrives on the scene to be reused. Kind of like Mother Nature, I am. I was using my pasta water until I read the comments of this old post about this exact practice (!) over at Green as a Thistle. Won't be doing that anymore (mold alert) but a few moments ago, I did dump the water my black beans and lime juice soaked in overnight onto my lemon tree. I figure it can handle citrus if any plant can. Any other considerations I am not thinking of? Anywhere else easy to capture water? I think I will take the GAAT commenters' advice and also keep a bucket in the bottom of the shower (soap will be ok for the plants). Anyone else been greywatering plants to conserve/stretch water usage? Read more!

The Great Big Vegetable Challenge

I love this blog; it's about a seven year old boy in England who loathed vegetables so much that his mother concocted an A-to-Z adventure for him. He gets to rate the vegetables. I may have to do this around here one day and the GBVC will be a perfect source of inspiration and recipes. Right now we are surviving the onset of four year old control issues by banning sssssspppiiiinnnaccchhh. Other vegetables are eaten without (too much) comment. Read more!

I Heart Fairtrade Chocolate

Soooo...I know where you stand, readers. Most of you are chocolate-desiring, not chocolate-indifferent. But an anonymous commenter way back in November first alerted me to the labor issues swirling in my cup of hot chocolate, and the phrase "child slavery" is really too much for this mama to gloss over.

Via Baby Toolkit, a reminder (or a harbinger of doom, if this is new to you and you care deeply about both sweets and justice) that chocolate comes with a dear cost to African children, some of whom are sold to harvest and process it. Since fair trade chocolate is available, I think this mama's going to have to try to switch us on over. I know it's expensive (I just went to the Dagoba website since I've had their dark chocolate bars mmmmm and thought I'd look into chocolate chips and YIKES, we may have to go for oatmeal raisin every now and again) but I imagine this is one of those issues where once you know, there's no going back. 43% of the cacao beans produced may be tainted by present-day slavery, and the way the supply chain works, all the major chocolate producers' beans are mixed together. Unless we buy fair trade chocolate, odds are that we're supporting unjust labor practices impacting children.

I've gotten Dagoba bar chocolates at Cost Plus World Market (although I don't see them online -- maybe they only have them in their stores) and they are delectable. I know Whole Foods has a selection of fair trade chocolate bars (Green & Black's Maya Gold bar is tasty and fair-trade). Not sure about the chips and cocoa but I will report back if I find good sources. I would love any tips from readers about where to find milk chocolate products (not chips but bars, different candies, etc.) that use fair trade chocolate. It's easy to find dark chocolate bars but the many milk permutations seem elusive. All the fair trade chocolate seems pretty highbrow, I must say, which has its place. But for someone used to lining up double digits of Rolos on a pregnant belly shelf to make, you know, any number of pals, it's just not the same experience to have a nibble of an extra-dark bar with hints of lavender, if you get my drift.

May we be able to find something truly sweet (and just) for our loves this Valentine's Day. Read more!

Stop

Love this. Random performance art via Grist. Read more!

Run and Grab Some Vino, Sweetie

To-the-point health roundup for your Monday: Have a glass of wine every now and then; get off your duff and make sure you're jogging, not biking; don't worry about animal fats as long as you're eating Pollan-esque real food; stay far, far away from the off-brand hospitals; and junk the chemical cleaners and Teflon pans while you're at it. Hmmm, live the Amish life in a big city with a modern hospital?

• The good news? If you drink moderately and exercise, you're less likely to have a heart attack. Have you been sipping vino while playing Wii tennis? Did you drink a margarita and then play hide and seek? Score! (If you're pregnant, nursing, or concerned about correlations between breast cancer and alcohol, don't worry, exercise alone lowered risks of heart attacks). via ABCNews
• If you're going to have a heart attack, head to a top-ranked hospital -- you're 27% less likely to die there (and not just during your angioplasty). Check out the rankings in your area (free). via ScienceDaily
  
• Another validation of my love for buttery, crispy chicken skin (which, I must admit, precipitated the demise of my vegetarian days back in college). Mmmm, dreams of salty, juicy, savory fat! via Culinate
  
• Eat too much chicken skin? Analyze your cardio for its butt-sculpting potential. via Women's Health.
  
• Commandments for cancer prevention from the Director of the UPitt Cancer Institute: exercise, eat healthily, don't smoke PLUS eat organic produce and limit meat; make your own cleaning products or at least avoid the most toxic ones; limit cellphone, nonstick cookware, and stain repellant use; avoid parabens (preservatives in beauty care products) via EWG
• Also? If you do get breast cancer, (it's not your fault--my addition) and it's not your personality that's to blame.... Wha? via Jezebel
  

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