Articles in Mad Musings
A belief in meritocracy is not only false: it’s bad for you
Meritocracy has become a leading social ideal. Politicians across the ideological spectrum continually return to the theme that the rewards of life – money, power, jobs, university admission – should be distributed according to skill …
Do Americans Know How Much Trouble They’re In?
A President who invokes absolute authority to…pardon himself. An ambassador to Germany who declares he wants to…topple the German government. Senators — the most powerful people in democracy, save the President — knocking on the door of a …
Source: …
Employees Don’t Quit Their Job; They Quit Their Boss!
Employees might join companies, but they leave managers. Too many managers view their position as one of entitlement rather than one of responsibility. In days past, managers would focus on developing their employees. Today they …
Americans are pack rats. Swedes have the solution: ‘Death cleaning.’
If your family doesn’t want your stuff when you’re alive, they sure won’t want it when you’re dead.
That’s the blunt assessment of yet another self-help author from abroad who is trying to get Americans, who …
A pretty good idea of when humans will go extinct
This might strike you as overly optimistic or pessimistic, depending on your worldview. Certain apocalyptic scenarios envision a perfect storm of inequality, resource scarcity and political instability wiping out civilization as we know it in …
Read like you’re on a diet
I think in this context, they’re absolutely necessary. The Internet is like a bunch of fast food restaurants, all within a click’s reach, yelling at your face:
“HEY YOU. READ MY SHIT.”
“NO, READ MINE.”
“YOU’VE GOTTA READ …
Nothing fake about the top 0.1% holding the same amount of wealth as the bottom 90%.
While people argue about what is real and fake news the widening gulf of inequality in the real world only continues to expand. This is actually happening and for the ultra wealthy that hold most …
Stop Punishing Black Children Just Because They’re Black
Schools should be held to higher standards than students. If schools irresponsibly impose discipline practices, then those rules (or leaders) should be expelled. However, when it comes to discipline, we give students the cane and …
The states that spend more money on prisoners than college students
It’s a terrible waste of taxpayer money.
Since 1990, state and local spending on prisons and jails has risen more than three times faster than spending on schools, according to a new Department of Education report …
Is it possible to be fair to actors we simply, irrationally just don’t like?
More to the point, why do we unquestioningly “love” certain actors and instinctively, almost reflexively, “hate” others? In the vortex of 24/7 celebrity infotainment, it’s now impossible to watch performers on screen without being aware …
Crony capitalism and the rigged system
Both Democrats and Republicans are in this game together. They only differ in minor ways. That is why this year with Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump having success, it is surprising to hear from candidates …
Learning to play fair: Is it the same for kids around the world?
Life isn’t fair.
That truth is something that children seem to understand almost intuitively at a young age. However, the path through which they develop a sense of what’s fair and what isn’t — and how …
Gandhi’s Unequal Justice in South Africa
The young lawyer fought the British empire for the rights of Indians, but not those of the Zulus he lived among.
Gandhi was 24 years old when he arrived in Natal, South Africa in May 1893, …
Statistically speaking, when are you going to die? Come find out!
Give us your age and gender, and we’ll tell you when you’ll die, using math!
The last Friday of the summer season is now upon us. As the days shorten and the leaves change and the year …
Liberals Are Wrong to Separate Race from Class
Doing so undermines the cause of racial equality in general and the pursuit of equitable treatment in the criminal justice system in particular.
After shutting down a Bernie Sanders speech at a Seattle rally for Social Security, …
At college drop-off weepfest, remember these three words
Parenting doesn’t stop at Freshman Week.
All across the United States, people are weeping. They are sobbing, sputtering, sniveling and mewling because they are in the process of saying goodbye to their little baby boy or …
A Hubble Cosmic Couple | NASA
What a spectacular sight
Here we see the spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 — more commonly known as WR 124 — and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it. Both objects, captured here by …
DARPA-Funded Humanoid Runs Through the Woods
The 6-foot 2-inch, 330-pound Atlas robot is the brainchild of Google Inc. subsidiary Boston Dynamics, which has received contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon’s research arm, to develop the technology for …
Dark side of the moon captured by Nasa satellite a million miles from Earth
“It’s unusual because you need a spacecraft that has gone beyond the moon to get a picture of the moon like this,” he said. “This was taken around one million miles from Earth. We don’t …
Stormy Seas in Sagittarius | NASA
Some of the most breathtaking views in the Universe are created by nebulae — hot, glowing clouds of gas. This new NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the center of the Lagoon Nebula, an object …
12 Things People Regret the Most Before They Die
Life is full of choices, and many of them come with uncertainty. We can never know what might have been if we had chosen differently.
No life will ever be completely clear of opportunity for regret. …
According to the theory of evolution, why do we die? – Quora
Excellent question. And before I explain the real answer, which is rather mind-bending, here are some previous arguments and why they are wrong.
Myth 1: We die to make room for younger generations.
Genes are selfish, …
Dead or in Jail: The Burden of Being a Black Man in America
There was a time when I vowed to never bring another black child into this world. “For what?” I thought. “To be beaten, to be caged, to be taught to hate himself and everyone who …
The secrets behind ‘super-achievers’ and how you can be more like them
“You have the same number of hours in the day as Beyoncé.”
Everyone knows someone who works full time, volunteers, runs a successful blog, and somehow still finds time to go grocery shopping, cook organic Instagram-worthy …
What myths do we most commonly realize are false as adults?
I am 23 years old . I have realized the following myths over the past 3 years.
Having a good job will solve all your money problems : I used to study a lot during my …
CEO’s Perspective: What are the most underrated skills most employees lack?
Doing what you tell people you will do
If you can teach your kids a useful skill that will always help them with their career: teach them to be reliable — to do what they say …
SOFIA at Sunset | NASA
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) takes off from Palmdale, California at sunset. SOFIA is a partnership of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR); NASA and DLR have collaborated on a range of …
Scientists have discovered how the month you’re born matters for your health – The Washington Post
Rigorous scientific research suggests your astrological sign actually might have more to do with your health than you think.
For much of history, astronomy and astrology were a big part of medicine. Nearly 2,500 years ago, Hippocrates, …
Coronal Loops Over a Sunspot Group | NASA
The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument aboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) images the solar atmosphere in multiple wavelengths to link changes in the surface to interior changes. Its data includes images of the sun in …
Why do men exist? Study offers explanation
Since in many species, sperm is males’ only contribution to reproduction, biologists have long puzzled about why evolutionary selection, known for its ruthless efficiency, allows them to exist.
Source: Why do men exist? Scientific study offers …
