Kim Flournoy

Animator vs. Animated (thanks to Alaina)

In Somalia, fixing a water pump is no simple task.

And yet the Avenging Narwhal Playset from the fine folks at Archie McPhee never fails to crack me up.

While my grade-school education was co-ed, I had to make a choice when selecting a college: would I attend an all-girls’ school or not? I thought about it, and even toured a few heavily (but not exclusively) female campuses, but finally decided that I was more comfortable in a mixed setting - not for educational purposes, but for social reasons. (This of course worked out well for me, as I met Jamie during my freshman orientation.)

However, I’ve always held the suspicion that my earlier education would have been much more academically productive and fulfilling if I’d attended a single-sex school, and perhaps more socially supportive as well. I know there is sexism and gender bias everywhere, but grade-school girls aren’t usually prepared to recognize it, to fight back against it. I know I wish I had done so.

Now we have some proof: a recent paper concluded that “boys benefit from being in a classroom with girls, but girls do not benefit from being in a classroom with boys.” Read the full article in Slate.

Somewhat related article: For Some Girls, the Problem With Math Is That They’re Good at It (free registration required)

From my fortune cookie last night: “You will do better in real estate than in stocks.”

I found this incredibly moving: Phillip Toledano - Days with My Father

The gap might have something to do with my having read this article: How to Dissuade Yourself from Becoming a Blogger.