I hate these crappy people with their confused, puritanical notions and middle-class guilt. Poor people aren't happier with less stuff. People in poor countries aren't better off with less stuff. Owning less stuff isn't virtuous. Stuff is just stuff. I've got lots of stuff - thousands of things. Books, things I've made, music, electronics and kitchen stuff. It all make me happy because I need it all. They're all tools, in one way or another. And it's the bad mechanic who blames the tools...

What we're talking about is what's called veblen goods (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_goods) - stuff that people pay too much money for because they believe it'll improve their social status. Maybe their mothers didn't breastfeed them or something. If you think that buying something's going to make you happier, and you're disappointed when it doesn't, don't blame the stuff. Blame your own fool self.

I don't know about this one...my understanding is that dogs yawn when they're anxious. I don't know who is interpreting what here: they might be just freaking the dogs out a little bit. As far as being the first study to show empathy in dogs, that's certainly not true. If they could proveably demonstrate self-awareness, that'd be something (not that I doubt it myself).

Chris

Melbourne has the largest tram system in the English-speaking world, and they almost all meet in the central business district. So you've got lights for the trams going down the middle of the street, then lights for traffic on either side of the street, then lights for when the trams are turning and for when the automotive traffic can turn.

The camera angle obfuscates the lights themselves, which are fairly self-explanatory. I've lived in Melbourne long enough to be comfortable with the hook turn as well, which again is only in the CBD. For truly confusing traffic systems, go to Canberra, which is a planned city based on weird circular trafic patterns - you need to use a protractor to give someone directions.

Oh man...there's no difference. Actual tests have been conducted, blind taste tests with a wide range of eggs from difference sources of similar freshness. The chicken's lifestyle has no noticeable influence on the taste of the eggs. Freshness, however, is a big factor (which is why you should keep your eggs in the fridge).

So yes, eggs straight from a farmer are likely to be more fresh (and taste better). But the chicken's lifestyle isn't a factor. If you think they're happier, and that's important to you, then pay the extra money.

We're talking about eggs from a source that isn't even certified organic. They could be from ANYWHERE. Just because you're getting your eggs at a farmers market doesn't mean they're from a different source than the eggs you buy in the supermarket.