What I Learned From Reading The Economist

A futile attempt to become smart by reading The Economist resulted in these 10 extremely dumb thoughts:

1. Why is that article about German Prime Minister Angela Merkel illustrated with a photo of her hands (presumably her hands?) in the same shape teenagers make to indicate a vagina, which is also, in the world of yoga, referred to as “Yoni Mudra?”

2. Should I write that professor at the University of Versailles who wrote a letter to the editor about tourist noise in Paris and say, “Hey, I also hate noise?” Will that make him feel supported or stalked?

3. Is there really, as an article in this issue claims, a “current fascination” with Lyndon Johnson? Why have I not met a single person who is fascinated with Lyndon Johnson? Where are these people?

4. Shouldn’t Hassan Rohani, the recently elected president of Iran, pull his turban down a little?

5. Brazil extends very far east — much more than you might think!

6. I wonder if the Kettlebell workout on “The Great Courses” Physiology and Fitness DVD is comprehensive and/or challenging.

7. I wonder if J. Lo (spokesperson for the ailing Blackberry Playbook) has a lot of split ends and if she worries about cutting them off vs. losing length on her hair.

8. Ugh J.D. Salinger. Enough already.

9. Are there some people out there who can read graphs? Are they the same people who are “fascinated” with Lyndon Johnson?

10. Is it bad that I think outer space is boring?

Photo via news_fedora/flickr.