1. City of the Future
With a little help from the McKinsey Global Institute,
Foreign Policy takes you on a visual tour of 75 urban powerhouses that will lead the world in 2025. You'll be surprised by some of the cities that will lead the way. And there will probably be several places you've never even heard of as you look through
these postcards from the future.
2. The New Family
Things have changed since the
Leave it to Beaver days. In 2011, only 16% of American households had a so-called breadwinner husband with a stay-at-home wife. And hundreds of thousands of dads are
now staying home to be the primary care-giver. According to one dad: "Just a few years ago, I was usually the lone dad on the playground during the day. The moms and nannies gawked at me like I was an exhibit at the zoo." My wife and I split the parenting duties -- I'd say we both burst into tears about the same number of times.
+ Nick Bilton may have glimpsed the future of the family when
he had lunch with a robot that serves food, opens doors, and folds laundry. A PR2 will run you about $400K. For that kind of money, you're gonna want a prenup.
3. The UnPalin
Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's newly-selected running mate, has already shaken up the race for the White House. Nate Silver has an interesting
look behind the numbers that led to the Ryan pick. "From a Politics 101 point of view, this isn’t the most natural choice." To me, the pick makes perfect sense. Paul Ryan has two first names. Mitt Romney has none.
+
The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza recently
wrote a profile on Ryan in which he concluded: "To envisage what Republicans would do if they win in November, the person to understand is not necessarily Romney, who has been a policy cipher all his public life. The person to understand is Paul Ryan."
+
Pro Publica has
collected a series of solid articles on Paul Ryan's background and positions on various issues.
+ Already getting bored by the canned messages from over-polished presidential campaigns? Well then turn your attention to the candidates who time travel, suggest that you consume hydrogen peroxide to cure colds, and who will respond to your Facebook messages, even when you're acting like a "turd." Here's the list of
19 Wacky Presidential Candidates You've Never Heard Of.
4. Jet Ski Terrorism
It makes total sense that JFK Airport has a $100 million security system. What doesn't make sense is how easy it was for Daniel Casillo to
swim and walk right through it. Casillo's jet ski stalled on Jamaica Bay. With no help in sight, he decided to swim towards the runway lights at JFK. He made it to shore, climbed an 8-foot barbed wire fence, and wasn't noticed -- even tho he was dripping wet and wearing a yellow lifejacket -- until he entered a Delta terminal (where he was probably greeted with news that his flight had been delayed).
+ Of course, this guy's got nothing on the drunk dude who
fell asleep on a baggage belt.
6. No More Playing (Your) Doctor
Thanks to a digital pill recently approved by the FDA, your doctor may know when (and if) you took your medication. A silicon chip the size of grain of sand will be
included in your medicine and transmit data back to your doctor.
+ Calcium is good for you. But too much calcium is
bad for you.
7. The Junk Food Test
The numbers related to childhood obesity
were lower in states with laws restricting the sale of junk food and sugary drinks in public schools. And it seems that the stronger the laws, the healthier the kids.
8. Before You Re-Locate...
Just in case you're wondering, here is a short list of the
world's best places to get high. There's also a list of the worst places. And the United States tops both lists.
10. The Bottom of the News
I'm writing in a hotel room in LA this morning, just ahead of a long and remarkably straight drive back to San Francisco. What can I do to keep alert?
Gum could help. It turns out a little sugar and a little chewing can go a long way towards keeping us more alert and focused.
+ It's really not the best time to be the owner of a restaurant
called Chick-Felay.
