Obsession with looks starts early

Written by Joe Pisani
Thursday, 21 April 2011 00:00

When we reach the great divide known as middle age, we often start spending our retirement savings and grocery money on Botox injections, secret-formula skin creams and teeth-whitening. We suck in the paunch, color the gray hair and schedule laser treatments.

In a culture that glorifies good looks and youth, middle-age can be a demoralizing time of life, but more people are fighting back now that the Baby Boomers are plodding into their senior years.

Seven middle-aged waitresses recently filed a discrimination suit against an Atlantic City hotel, alleging “lookism,” which is discrimination based on physical appearances.

If you didn’t get the promotion because someone prettier did, or if your pay was frozen because you lost your front teeth in a barroom brawl, you are a possible victim of “lookism.” Consult your attorney for further details.

Choice vs. requirement

Written by Giulia Caterini
Thursday, 21 April 2011 00:00

Around this time last year, my (then) English teacher handed out a small piece of paper to each of us and said something along the lines of, “OK, let’s have a vote: Zeitoun or The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao?”

He was referring to the book we would read during the last scholastic quarter, and yes, he was letting us choose which one it would be. This had never happened to me, so I immediately crowned him The Coolest Teacher Alive. Our class had a relatively long discussion on the pros and cons of each book, and ended up choosing The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I don’t know if it was just me who thought this, but I had never enjoyed reading and discussing a book for school as much. Over time, I have become convinced that it wasn’t just because Oscar Wao is a really great book.

Since then, I’ve been thinking about the word “required” and its derivations, synonyms, and related words (requirement, request, obligation, must). Maybe it’s the phrase “required reading” that causes students to procrastinate and skip assignments. Maybe it’s the fact that we must finish this book that makes kids really not want to finish it. The word “required” creates something to rebel against, a rule to break. But if you replace the word “required” with “choice,” then you get something that belongs to you. It doesn’t feel like someone is forcing you to do anything.

Long-distance buses: Cheap, yes, but are they safe?

Written by Jim Cameron
Thursday, 21 April 2011 00:00

You see them every day zooming along I-95. Buses, crammed with folks heading from New York City to Boston and back. They carry exotic names such as Fung Wah and BoltBus. And they’re the hottest thing in interstate transportation these days because they’re also the cheapest. But the recent spate of deadly accidents involving these buses also leaves us wondering: Is low cost also high risk?

The New York-to-Boston corridor is one of the most heavily traveled in the nation. The air shuttles alone carry more than 700,000 passengers a year at a one-way walk-up fare of $359 (first class seats are $24 additional) for the seldom-on-time, 75- minute flight.

Amtrak is enjoying record growth in recent months, with ridership up almost 10% on the Boston-New York line. Mind you, the rail journey runs four hours and 15 minutes (3.5 hours on Acela) and costs $49 one way ($99 on Acela). But hey, it’s a train — virtually immune to the weather and traffic.

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Warranties: The house usually wins

Written by Larry Schneider
Thursday, 21 April 2011 00:00

Dear Larry,

I’m going to be ordering a new computer soon and want to know if I should purchase the extended warranty?

R.L.

Dear R.L.,

Generally speaking, extended warranties for new computers are worth their weight in gold ... for the company selling you the warranty. Statistically, most serious problems with a computer will manifest themselves within the first year so it’s usually worthwhile being covered for that long.