"I am not a welfare queen," says Melissa Bruninga-Matteau.

That's how she feels compelled to start a conversation about how she, a white woman with a Ph.D. in medieval history and an adjunct professor, came to rely on food stamps and Medicaid. Ms. Bruninga-Matteau, a 43-year-old single mother who teaches two humanities courses at Yavapai College, in Prescott, Ariz., says the stereotype of the people receiving such aid does not reflect reality. Recipients include growing numbers of people like her, the highly educated, whose advanced degrees have not insulated them from financial hardship.

"I find it horrifying that someone who stands in front of college classes and teaches is on welfare," she says.

via The Chronicle of Higher Education.

the classroom is brightly lit up late in the evening. On each desk, piles of books take up much space. Wires are installed above desks for hanging IV-drip dispensing bottles.

via Ministry of Tofu 豆腐部.

Mr. Xia, director of Office of Academic Affairs, said that what is delivered to the students intravenously is nothing but amino acids to restore their health.

“The state grants a 10-yuan subsidy for amino acids to each graduating senior that will participate in the gao kao (National College Entrance Exam). Any student that feels not well can go to the infirmary and take amino acids on the IV drip,” Mr. Xia explained. He said that some students had been below par recently due to the sudden weather changes in the city of Xiaogan, and the school infirmary had been packed with students. In order to spare students the trouble of running back and forth between the infirmary and the classroom and save their time, the school decided to arrange IV drip sessions right in the classroom.

Once a week or so, the question pops up in the New York talk boards: "I'm coming to the city for two days. Where should I eat?"

It's a question so open-ended that it's tough to answer. And most days of the year, Serious Eats New York is dedicated to the folks that live here. But our fair city has so many visitors that we figured it was high time to put out a little guide.

So here's our guide to eating in New York: whether you're traveling solo or traveling with kids, up for adventuring or not leaving Midtown. We hope there's something for everyone. And, of course, you should mix and match from categories as your heart desires.

via Where to Eat in New York.

You know what's great?

Unicorns.

In fact, unicorns are freakin' AWESOME. And you know why? Because once you accept one into your life, they provide you with a lifetime membership into the Beer, Massage, Chocolate and Steak club.

via The Journal of Joe The Peacock. Yay.: How To Actually Talk To Atheists (If You're Christian).

Following a stroke, Chris Birchs personality and sexuality altered dramatically. Now he is trying to rediscover who he is and why these changes may have happened."Its like looking at somebody else, but with my face only younger, and in all fairness, if I met myself Id probably carry on walking."Looking at past pictures of himself, 27-year-old Chris Birch struggles to remember or identify with his old self. He used to be a 19-stone, beer-swilling, party-loving rugby fan from the Welsh valleys, the life and soul of a party. He worked in a bank and loved sport and motorbikes.After a freak accident in 2011, he says he underwent a big change to his personality. He believes that he has gone from being straight to gay.

via BBC News.

I always considered him to be a colossal talent, one of the greatest in the whole history of chess. Each champion has had some sort of speciality, and his is creating counterplay in any position out of absolutely nowhere. He’s got an amazing ability to constantly stretch himself so that even in some kind of Exchange Slav he nevertheless manages to attack something and create something. He also plays absolutely brilliantly with knights, even better than Morozevich – if his knights start to jump around, particularly towards the king, then that’s that, it’s impossible to play against and they’ll just sweep away everything in their path. I noticed it’s better to get rid of them when you’re playing against him. In general, he’s improved a great deal in recent years, at some point after 2002. He’s a chess player of genius, but previously he didn’t work enough, by and large.

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via ChessBase.com