friday link love

Hi from Florida. Andrew and I escaped the frigid temperatures of NYC for a few days to visit Andrew’s grandmother. I’d say it’s been nice to be, mostly, unplugged. I don’t remember last time I did that. Maybe over our minimoon in June. Still, I amassed quite a few links this week and didn’t want to not share them. So here they are. And I hope that wherever you are, you’re keeping warm and cozy, and that your weekends hold comfort and relaxation.

The case against feeding every hungry child.

Getting married later is great for college-educated women. However, the reverse is true for men: getting married earlier seems to be better for their income level. Curious.

Public surprisingly okay with government policies that push healthy eating.

Slaughter of the African elephants. This had me in tears (as well as Andrew). Devastating and I feel like something has to (must) be done.

Brilliant “Shouts & Murmurs”: Rob Portman opens door, GOP follows.

Wisconsin in the news again: a state lawmaker wants to restrict food stamp users to only be able to buy healthy food. Needless to say, this is a sensitive issue as much of the processed food just happens to be cheaper than whole foods (and for the record, I’m not making an argument for processed food, far from it.) It would also be helpful to understand if the economically depressed areas that are more reliant on government food assistance, have fewer grocery stores with whole foods options (aka food deserts).

In case you didn’t see Justin Timberlake (is there anything he can’t do?) and Jimmy Fallon do the History of Rap IV, here you go.

A propos Justin Timberlake, the Atlantic refers to him as our generation’s Sammy Davis Jr. while the New York Times thinks he’s our generation’s Cary Grant. What do you all think: Sammy or Cary? Or someone else?

First Google announced it was killing Reader (huge mistake, I think); and this piece raises another glaring issue for Google: Alerts. Formerly a useful tool, it’s now sluggish at best.

While it’s easy to get all theoretical about the food stamps, here’s a piece that delves into the actual nuts and bolts of how the program affects not only recipients but the businesses as well.

Translating Shakespeare into DNA.

The Lower East Side in the 40’s archival film. Mesmerizing.

For those of you who are devotees of Moleskine notebooks, an excellent piece on what the company sells: identity and culture – not just the notebook itself.

Jacob Lew goes to China, eats humble dumplings, makes a splash with the Chinese press. And all they probably had to do is research Jewish affinity for Chinese food, especially dumplings and they would’ve understood why. :) This, of course, stands in stark contrast to the opulent banquets of the Chinese communist party members.

The average wealthy person gives 1.3% of their income to charity; the average low-income one — 3.2%. Why?

Also, this.

And with that, I’m out. I hope your weekend is slammin’. xo