Giant Squid, Catnip, and Orgasms

My issue of New Scientist (highly recommended for any of you who like to read about fun sci-fi-like discoveries - you can subscribe at newscientist.com) came by electronic mail this morning, and there were two articles of particular note.

One dashed a fond, if unrealistic, dream of mine. Ever since seeing the preserved carcass of the giant squid at the Smithsonian and watching the video about scientists' unsuccessful efforts to find a live giant squid, I've often thought it would be really cool to be the one to find the first live giant squid in its natural environment (it would have been a sort of Life Aquatic moment). Unfortunately for me, two Japanese researchers have beat me to it.

The second article was both disturbing and inspiring. In the Last Word, a recurrent New Scientist column which answers a science-type question in every issue (one of those questions you've been dying to know the answer to but didn't really know where to look), this week's question was "Why do cats like catnip?" The answer? "In several carnivores, nepatalectone molecules seem to fit vomeronasal receptors for sex pheromones and induce orgasmic behavior, complete with a period of resolution," John Richfield, from South Africa, notes.

A weed that can do that? There's got to be something like that for humans. Discovering that would be even better than discovering the first live giant squid.

This is just to say*...

not to worry, your plums are fine.

And I have finished my comprehensive exam, which is a huge load off my mind; it was beginning to make me feel physically ill. Another undesirable side effect began to manifest itself about a week ago, when I was so overcome by the stress of it all that I decided to trim my hair. The trimming has lasted all week, because it kept having to be evened out, and now I must immediately go to the nearest salon and have them even it out, and then I should throw my scissors in the trash (I won't, but I should).

I am scheduled to begin stressing out over my creative component this Tuesday.

*One of my favorite poems, for no particular reason that I can figure out (since I didn't particularly like the one about the chickens and the rainwater):

This Is Just to Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Valium, Paris Hilton, and Second Language Acquisition

Since studying for my MA qualifying exam has completely sapped me of all creativity and free time (although, to be honest, there's always time for celebrity gossip - case in point: my testing class teacher, in addition to being a really, really good teacher, loves celebrity gossip. Not only does he love celebrity gossip, but he has a friend who is one of Paris Hilton's personal assistants and gives my teacher the inside scoop on Paris. This makes the man an absolute god in my eyes. Not to mention the fact that he makes the process of designing multiple choice test items way more fun than it has any right to be. Anyway, for a semester project, we're supposed to design multiple choice tests, and mine is a reading comprehension test. I've just gotten the okay to use articles from celebrity gossip magazines in my reading test. This makes me very happy. It means that I have to go to the store and buy Star, In Touch, etc. And read them. All.)...

Um, where was I? Right. Studying for comps. Anyway, I have all these names of researchers and studies to memorize. I have thus far found one interesting researcher by the name of Guiora who liked to study how lowering the inhibitions of foreign language students affected their pronunciation. First, he tried giving them alcohol, and found that their pronunciation improved. Heartened by these results, he next experimented with Valium (to no success). That's my kind of researcher.

Women's rights and democracy

Perhaps American Enterprise Institute's Reuel Marc Gerecht let the cat out of the bag when he said on Meet the Press last Sunday: "I think it's important to remember that in the year 1900, for example, in the United States, it was a democracy then. In 1900, women did not have the right to vote. If Iraqis could develop a democracy that resembled America in the 1900s, I think we'd all be thrilled. I mean, women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy.

Taken from a NOW newsletter. You can find the rest of the article here.

I don't even know what to say about that comment, except that I always thought the purpose of invading Iraq was supposed to be to "liberate" the people. Democracy is and should be, in my mind, a far secondary issue or goal. (Not getting into the whole terrorism/WMD fiasco here)

I guess "people" doesn't include women. My mistake.

One hundred dollars

According to the Salvation Army, "A $100 donation to The Salvation Army will feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household clean-up kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies."

Money doesn't go very far, does it? Maybe figured into that is the cost of transporting the food and housing/feeding the distributors? Plus, I have the feeling that perhaps a lot of people would rather forego the clean-up kit in favor of a little extra food and water...

One hundred dollars will also buy you about 2.5 - 3 tanks of gas, depending on your vehicle. And falling.