SINNERS IN THE HANDS of an indifferent God.

Somehow, that made me think of this: “My own opinion is that the Hand that holds you suspended over my fiery pit doesn’t abhor you, but has forgotten completely that It has anything in It.”

Background on the second item here.

AT AMAZON, new deals on Running Shoes.

Also, Warehouse Deals on discounted iPhones.

Plus, Year-End Digital Deals. Books, music, software, and more.

21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: “One of the effects of feminism is that men of my generation have had a much wider opportunity to cook. I can’t think of any men my age or younger who don’t know how to cook. Moreover, I can’t think of any men of my generation or younger who don’t enjoy cooking. This is in stark contrast to the women of the same generations, who (typically) view cooking as an indignity. The reason for the difference in attitude boils down to what cooking is all about. Cooking is an act of love, an act of service to others. It is an opportunity to care for others in a very fundamental way, to literally nourish them through the work of your own hands. This is precisely what troubles the modern woman so much about cooking (or cleaning, or changing diapers). Serving others in the mind of a feminist is an indignity.”

Yes, to some, men who cook are “male kitchen bitches.” Charming.

21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: Young woman gives amazing response to the “23 things to do instead of getting engaged before you’re 23.″

HMM: Vitamin E May Delay Decline in Mild-to-Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: Study Shows Benefit in Activities of Daily Living and Savings in Caregiver Time with Vitamin E.

BECAUSE SHUT UP: Orange Hush: Oregon State University student media adviser says university tried to quash her quest for public records. Note this, which is typical: “Initially, Giddens estimated it would cost more than $10,000 to provide the crime data because of the need to remove identifying information about students protected under FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. After Willson amended her request, Giddens said the crime data could be provided at a cost of $24.53.”

MY NEW BOOK, The New School: How the Information Age Will Save American Education from Itself, is now available for pre-order on Kindle.

The hardcover version is already shipping, though the official publication date is January 7.

YOU CAN’T ARGUE WITH SCIENCE: 8 Things Liberals Do to Avoid Having an Honest Debate – Broken Down to a Science.

LIFE EXTENSION:

Man has sought the Fountain of Youth since history began.

Herodotus wrote about it in 500 BC; some thought it existed in the Pool of Bethesda’s waters in Jerusalem. Ponce de Leon searched for it in the New World.

So, predictably, many scientists snickered when English author and gerontologist Aubrey de Grey said in the 2000s that anti-aging is achievable. He acknowledges that critics bombarded him when he said humans soon would save more than a year of life for each year we live.

“It is safe to say that this would be the biggest advance ever,” he told the Tribune-Review.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s journal, Technology Review, offered a reward to any scientist who could disprove de Grey, but no one did. “Every now and then,” the journal said, “radical ideas turn out to be true.”

After a decade of abuse, de Grey felt vindication in September, when Google established Calico, an organization to challenge aging. Almost no one snickered, he said, as Calico recruited some of the brightest minds, including former CEOs and technology chiefs of the biotechnology firm Genentech.

Whether it can work, no one knows.

I think it’s pretty clear that people can lead significantly longer, healthier lives with proper treatments. How much longer remains to be seen.

SO DOES THIS MEAN WE SHOULD REGULATE LAW SCHOOLS THE WAY THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT REGULATING THE NFL? A lack of sleep ‘damages the brain in a similar way to being hit on the head.’ For the last several years I’ve prioritized getting enough sleep. It feels like it’s made a difference.

EXERCISE: Physical Inactivity After Cardiac Surgery Linked With Substantially Higher Risk of Depression. “New research indicates that inactive patients following cardiac surgery have a substantially higher risk of depression and that the number of patients suffering from depression after cardiac surgery is as high as 40%. Investigators recommend that cardiac patients should be assessed for depression and level of physical activity and remain as active as they safely can after surgery to minimize post-operative depression. The results are published in the December issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.” That makes sense to me.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, LEGAL EDUCATION EDITION: Did the Market for Law Firm Associates Peak 25 Years Ago?

HEH: I hid a mixtape CD inside of a Lawrence Lessig book in the law library 5 years ago. Check out what happened.

EXERCISE: Enough Core Training Already. There’s a place for that stuff, but as Mark Rippetoe says, if you’re doing squats, you’re training your core.

AT AMAZON, New Year’s Deals on Cardio Equipment and Fitness Gear.

Also, 40% or more off on select keyboards. Regular, mini, ergonomic, and wireless/bluetooth.

Plus, deals on bestselling barware & drinkware.

I WAS EXPECTING AN EARTH-SHATTERING KABOOM: Asteroid spotted on collision course with Earth. “The good news is that it was probably only between 6.5 and 14 feet long. In fact, the International Astronomical Union says that the asteroid — 2014 AA — has most likely already hit us and burned up in the atmosphere. But here’s the cool part: This is just the second time in history that we’ve spotted an asteroid before it hit us.” We need to improve on that.

HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Poll: Americans have little faith in government.

WHAT’S BEHIND THE DECLINE IN BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS.

CHANGE: “The incandescent light bulbs you see on store shelves are pretty close to all that’s left of them.”

It’s not (quite) too late to stock up.

SPYING: Identifiable Images of Bystanders Extracted from Corneal Reflections.

21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: “Companionate Marriage” without sex?

ON DEBLASIO’S FIRST FULL DAY AS MAYOR: Should We Rebuild Cities After Disasters?

Okay, it’s actually about Susan Kieffer’s new book.

BOB ZUBRIN: How We Can Help Ukraine: The brave men and women at the barricades in Kiev are fighting for freedom and rule of law. “This is a time when America should shine. But there is cause to doubt that it will. The reason is that in the midst of this crisis, the president has chosen to appoint as White House counsel Mr. John Podesta, a man whose brother, Anthony Podesta, is a high-level paid agent of the Yanukovych regime.”

EXCUSE ME, BUT YOU MUST NOT HAVE NOTICED MY VICTIM CARD. “Sacks, 20, complained that the articles about her first essay didn’t include that she is a lesbian.” Yes, rich lesbians are horribly oppressed in 21st century America.

THE STORY DOES NOT DISCUSS THE CARBON FOOTPRINT: Chinese Helicopter Rescues 52 From Ship Trapped in Antarctic Ice. “The blue-hulled Russian ship was surrounded by such dense and extensive pack ice that it could not move, and vessels designed to break through ice could not get near.”