Slow day at the office.

My internship is not the most challenging work I've ever done in my life, especially when you compare it to the veritable deluge of papers, presentations and projects that I had to do last year. Some days I complain that I feel like my brain is slowly turning to mush due to inactivity, but most days I am thankful for the slow pace. It will get more challenging once I get started on my research project. But for now I am at the mercy of the french postal system, which has yet to deliver a book I ordered online over a week ago.

Thankfully, I've reached Facebook overload level - I've spent so much time on it recently that something in my brain must have snapped and turned me off it. That shit's time consuming and useless and does not contribute in any way to one's intellectual development (unless of course you got to this blog through the link on my facebook profile). And the nine long hours I spend at the office every day just got a whole lot more enjoyable now that the New York Times decided to make ALL their online articles FREE!! So I just found this excellent (but devastating) report on the deadly consequences of China's economic boom. Some of the statistics are unbelievable: 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water, air pollution is causing 350 000 to 400 000 premature deaths each year, cancer due to poor air/water quality is now the leading cause of death...etc etc. If you have 15 minutes to spare, I strongly recommend you read it here. It's part 1 of a series.