Quickies: Women’s Prisons in Afghanistan, E-Cigarette Research, and the Stereotype Threat

• Mother And Child Behind Bars: The Women Of Afghanistan’s Prisons – Many of these women have been incarcerated, for up to 15 years, for “moral crimes,” which include the crime of being raped. Many of them have either given birth in the prison or have brought their children there after being incarcerated.
• Diet Advice That Ignores Hunger – “Implicit in many discussions of how best to lose weight is the assumption that hunger, which is a consequence of caloric deprivation, is not an issue. Health and government organizations tell the obese and overweight, who now make up just over two-thirds of our adult population, to do what the study’s subjects did: Eat less, cut back on calories. That advice implies that the ensuing hunger will be an easily bearable burden (no depression, lethargy, irritability — no tantrums, please!). And bearable not just for 24 weeks, but a lifetime. The Minnesota experiment tells us that when semi-starvation ends, the refeeding period will not end well.”
• “Picture yourself as a stereotypical male” – A data-based explanation of the Stereotype Threat. Definitely read this. From Amy.
• The Poison in Your E-Cigarettes – “As successful as they are, the digital or battery-powered devices are the source of much controversy in the scientific world. Not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is little research on their health effects and few regulations surrounding their use. The result is a product that’s left a huge unanswered question: are e-cigarettes safer than real smoking?”
• Preschool And Privilege: When Early Education Hinges On Parental Flexibility – Many children coming from households with two working parents, but many preschools either close before the workday ends or they only meet for 3-4 days per week. This either leaves parents scrambling to coordinate extra childcare or dropping out of the workforce. Why is our preschool system based on the assumption that one parent doesn’t have to work, especially in states where preschool isn’t free?

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