Topics and other things that are catching my attention at this very moment:
AWKWARD CROSS-CULTURAL MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother has been edited and translated for Chinese audiences. The Chinese title? Being an American Mom. That could confuse a lot of people. Read the story HERE (via my friend Chase).
INCIDENT THAT IS ACTUALLY PRETTY RACIST EVEN IF SOME PEOPLE TRY TO ARGUE THAT IT IS NOT: An Ohio mother of 2 was jailed for sending her kids to school in a district where she did not live, so that they would get a better education. Instead of just fining her the difference between the cost of going to school in the “better” district and the school where her kids should have gone (which I admit is fair if you’re a stickler for rules), the judge convicted her of a felony, sentenced her to 10 days of jail and 3 years of probation, AND fined her thousands of dollars. Now, she can’t finish her teaching degree, which would give her a more stable job so that she could get off welfare and give her kids a better life. Yeah, it’s OK to make black people “examples” for the rest of society, because they all go to jail anyway, right? Bullshit. Anyway, read up HERE (via my friend Emma).
BEST USE OF MOVIE-WORTHY MATH: Always forget your credit card and/or credit card number? This guy has figured out a way to “validate your credit card with your mind.” Another option just might be always having your credit card with you. Ha. Check it out (via my friend Romeo).
FAVORITE UNNECESSARY UPCOMING HOLIDAY: February 5th is World Nutella Day (via The Onyx Plate)! I love excuses to eat anything I shouldn’t actually be eating.
WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO WHEN LOOKING FOR HOUSING ABROAD: Pay by wire transfer. Sketttttchy. I love reading about scams, because it just goes to show you the lengths that people will go to in order to…not actually do honest work. Seth Kugel, “The Frugal Traveler” for the NYT (wow, best job ever?!), details how he got scammed when hunting for a rental home in London. Caveat emptor!
ASIAN WHO’S GOING TO GET LAID TONIGHT: Although he may only be encouraging more stereotypes about Asians in science fields, you gotta give this guy props for putting his admiration for engineering out and his true unabashed nerdiness out there (via my friend Jenny).
ONE IDEA TO MAKE POLITICS MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR THE AVERAGE AMERICAN, IF HARDER TO REMEMBER IN THE MORNING: Just add alcohol! How brilliant…and also bad for most of your internal organs! For instance, HuffPost created a State of the Union Address Drinking Game (via my friend Erica). You may have missed the original, but feel free to get yourself some drinks and have yourself an informative (although, I suppose it will be less informative by the end of the night) Youtube sesh. And if you’re feeling extra creative and patriotic, why not create your own political drinking game? Someone at ehow.com has already outlined some key steps for you!
Thanks for the mention!
I will be consuming a ton of Nutella as well that day! BUT, do we really need an excuse? 
[...] Case 2. Ms. Williams-Bolar v. her School District (via In My Flippie Floppies) [...]