•  Muslim lawmakers in Aceh, Indonesia may soon forbid women from wearing tight trousers. Ramli Mansyur, regent of the district, says women who flout the law may have their pants "destroyed" and he has set aside 7,000 skirts for women unable to afford "proper attire." •  Ever wondered how much you'ree getting paid to sit on the toilet? WorkPoop.com helpfully calculates exactly how much money per year you are make by hiding out in the stall at work. •  As the average age of motherhood has risen, so has the number of cases of Down syndrome detected in the womb, according to a new study. However, fewer children are being born with Down syndrome, since the majority of women do not choose to carry the screened fetus to term. •  A new study shows that Israeli Jews who survived World War II are at a higher risk for developing cancer than other Jews. Researchers speculate this may be due in part to the hardships endured in the Holocaust. •  Women may be catching up to men in one unfortunate area: Heart disease. Up until recently, more men suffered from heart disease than women, who are protected by our hormone fluctuations, but with rising rates of obesity, women are making gains on men. •  Amazing writer (and personal girlcrush) Alice Munro revealed last week that she has had heart bypass surgery and "just had cancer." For the sake of great literature, get well soon! •  According to new statistics, there is a gap between the number of women in top positions in large law firms and the number of men. Above the Law has a few theories to explain the dearth of women rainmakers. • A rape victim who was assaulted 13 years ago testified yesterday against Richard Thomas, who is also accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in 2004. DNA confirms that Thomas raped both women. •  A recent study suggests that anxiety during pregnancy may have an impact on the size of the baby. They found that women who suffered from severe chronic anxiety during pregnancy are more likely to have smaller babies than those who only reported low to moderate anxiety. • Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice have come together to write an op-ed for Politico detailing women's economic gains in the US and stating, "we must extend to all societies the universal right of women to choose their own fortunes." • According to a small study, extra testosterone makes men more miserly. The effect of seeing the Ghost of Christmas Past was not studied. • The city of Seoul is making an active effort to become more "woman friendly" through changes in a dozen sectors, from restrooms to workplaces. But many women feel that not enough has been done. "Personally I don't know where those 'women-friendly' places are," says one Korean woman. "I never see them." • 

The average age breakfast-eaters lost their virginity was 19.4, compared to 17.5 for those who skipped the meal, according to the 1,500 men and women aged 16 to 49 who were surveyed. "The fact that people can't eat breakfast may show something about their family environment," said researcher Kunio Kitamura. "Before blaming individuals for having sex at an early age, it may be necessary to look into the sort of homes they are from." In other news for Japanese mothers to obsess about, the study also found that the average age of first-time sex for those who found their mother annoying was 16, while the average age for those who appreciated their mother was 19. [Reuters]

[Image via Flickr.]

According to Consumer Reports, the answer is, well, maybe. Kix, Life, and two varieties of that preschool standby, Cheerios, in its original form and in Honey Nut flavor, made the "Very Good" cereal list. The other 23 cereals got a Consumer Reports smackdown: Kellogg's Honey Smacks were singled out for having "as least as much sugar" as a "glazed doughnut from Dunkin Donuts." What's up with that, Dig 'Em? How are you gonna lead our children astray like this? Shenanigans!

Of course, we can't blame shady marketing practices all together for children's desire to eat sugary cereals. In 2007, Kellogg's announced that it would stop using its beloved cartoon spokespeople to push products to children unless the products in question fit specific nutritional guidelines. This, I believe, is why we no longer see commercials like the ones I loved growing up, the ones that had really stupid rock songs with lyrics that pretty much sounded like this: “Hey kids! Check it out! This is a bowl of sugar! This is a bowl of sugar! Sugar sugar sugar! OH YEAH! Tell your mom and dad to buy it! Or you will be a loser! SUGAR YEAH!”

I know we are living in a country where childhood obesity has become a serious problem, so I completely understand the crackdown on advertising sugary sweets to kids. It’s fair enough. But sometimes I miss those stupid commercials, and I especially miss Rocky Road cereal, which essentially was a giant bowl of sugar with some extra sugar on the side and a touch of choco-sugar mixed in. Tremendous.

So what's a parent to do? One option would to take the Consumer Reports recommendations to heart and switch over to the healthier alternatives. But another option, and perhaps a better one, would be to introduce the concept of moderation to children. The more we label foods as "good" and "bad", the more we set kids up to struggle with food issues and understanding how to recognize their nutritional needs. Is a cup a day of Cocoa Pebbles going to ruin someone's life? Probably not. But there has to be a balance somewhere. Maybe the best way to reinforce healthy eating habits with children is to encourage them to eat a variety of foods all along the spectrum, and to work that sugar high off through good old-fashioned exercise. For no kid should miss out on a nice spoonful of Frosted Flakes with cold, cold milk. For there are some things in life that are truly grrrrrreat, and cereal is one of them.

Better Cereal Choices For Kids? [Consumer Reports]

Then I realized "cholesterol" was a scam designed to sell expensive pills to old people and that eggs don't really do that anyway and also: since when have I been one to worry about shit like cholesterol?

Anyway, at the risk of sounding like some sort of Sesame Street parody I love eggs like Jay-Z loves girls; fat kid: cake, etc. etc. even the nasty spongy Starbucks sandwich kinds, even the ones where you ask the guy to poach em soft and they come out all chunky and hard: fuckit, they're great. Jessica is with me; she eats ten a week; Maria eats around 7; Cheryl 5, Tracie varies — she's on a poop-friendly regimen right now — and Anna eats about 12. But just the whites, ma'am. "I predict I will be a vegetarian in three years and a vegan by the time I'm 40," she says. In the meantime, though, we are all eating eggs. What the fuck else can we afford?

Skipping Cereal And Eggs, And Packing On The Pounds [NYT]
Rise In Price Of Eggs Is No Chicken Feed [SF Gate]
Starbucks Announces New Service Upgrades (Upgrades? What is this, Pravda?.) [Time]
Ask Men: Eggs [AskMen]
Why Egg Prices Are Cracking Budgets [Chicago Tribune]