Good Things Friday (305) and Link Love
December 27, 2024
1. We went on a walk and were accosted by two grey tabbies that DEMANDED petting. Naturally, we obliged.
Challenges this week: Too much peopling this week.
This is disgusting and horrific: Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting COVID, flu and mpox shots
The things they’re doing here almost feel insulting: Tokyo is giving its employees a 4-day workweek to try to boost record-low fertility. “The local government also said that it would allow parents with children in grades one to three of elementary school to sacrifice some of their salaries in order to finish work early each day. The Japan Times said this would allow parents to reduce their working hours by up to two hours a day.”
and
“The International Monetary Fund said in May that many reasons contributed to the decline in fertility rate and births, including later and fewer marriages, as well as the high cost of living, a large gender wage gap, and expensive childcare.”
Allowing women to be paid less to work a little shorter day? Really. That does exactly NOTHING to help with the high cost of living, the large gender wage gap, and expensive childcare. Honestly. Being pregnant in America was bad enough. The worklife balance in Japan is actually worse (as reported by friends and family who live there), I wouldn’t want to imagine having to deal with that AND lower wages AND the expensive childcare.
Related to motherhood and childrearing, I need this reminder regularly (How Baby comic hb625): Good is Better than Perfect
It really bothers me that I didn’t know about gas stoves being harmful until this year: When science showed in the 1970s that gas stoves produced harmful indoor air pollution, the industry reached for tobacco’s PR playbook
My friend shared this, and it’s useful for kids in general I think (or my kids in specific) Autism: Sudden Changes and How to Manage Them
Michael Caine Loves The Muppet Christmas Carol as Much as You Do
