Friday miscellaneous (5/24)

First, a major warning. For any of our readers considering a Hebrew tattoo, please make sure it is translated correctly. Online translators appear particularly unreliable.

Did anyone else know that Benedict Cumberbatch (from Sherlock, Star Trek, Amazing Grace, and The Hobbit) also does comedic radio drama?

Or the story of the Paris Mosque that hid Jews from Nazis?

Here is an eviction story with an unexpected twist.

And what happens when a group of do-gooders start paying other people's parking meters? They get sued by the city, of course.

When I was in high school, my debate topic one year was immigration policy. Being a good federalist, I ran a plan that let each state work with the Federal Government to devise immigration quotas for its state. No expert endorsed--or even talked about--the idea (but then again, no negative team had an idea of what to do with it either). Now it might be actually gaining support (both Canada and Australia have already partially implemented this concept).

Reminding me of A Hero's Guide (and featuring Princess Cimorene), this article challenges to have a broader view of princesses.

Sometimes parody can capture things that the rest of us can only hint at:

President Obama used his weekly radio address on Saturday to reassure the American people that he has “played no role whatsoever” in the U.S. government over the past four years.

“Right now, many of you are angry at the government, and no one is angrier than I am,” he said. “Quite frankly, I am glad that I have had no involvement in such an organization.” 

The President’s outrage only increased, he said, when he “recently became aware of a part of that government called the Department of Justice.”

This is an interesting article on why French children aren't diagnosed with ADHD at nearly the rate of American children: "French child psychiatrists, on the other hand, view ADHD as a medical condition that has psycho-social and situational causes. Instead of treating children's focusing and behavioral problems with drugs, French doctors prefer to look for the underlying issue that is causing the child distress—not in the child's brain but in the child's social context."

And speaking of geography, here's an interesting question: are state capitals more or less corrupt when geographically removed from the population center?

This is a good review of The Great Gatsbty and its resonance with Millennials: "In sum, Gatsby’s world is our world … albeit with fewer smart phones and better clothes."

And finally, here's how to cuddle with an elephant seal (you know you want to).