About Maria Streshinsky

In the multi-tasking world we live in, it's safe to say many of us are looking for either more hours, or better ways to manage our stress and workload. So I thank NPR for making me laugh, with this story, on my (rushed) drive to work. What began as a company's suspicion that its infrastructure was being hacked turned into a case of a worker outsourcing his own job to a Chinese consulting firm, according to reports that cite an investigation by Verizon's security team. The man was earning a six-figure salary. Alas, the man has likely traded his work stress for a new kind of stress: ... Read More

This, from the animal behavior files, tickles me all over again, and it seems like a mental health break is in order (hat tip: Lisa Margonelli): Wojtek (1942–1963) was a Syrian brown bear cub found in Iran and adopted by soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps. He enjoyed wrestling and was taught to salute when greeted. With the company he moved to Iraq and then through Syria, Palestine and Egypt. He was officially drafted into the Polish Army as a private. ... Read More

The Morsi power problem in Egypt prompted me to look back at Marc Herman's piece from a year ago, "The Road to Democracy Doesn't Start at the President's Palace." Even before the Arab Spring, a Berkeley political scientist was counseling against quick elections in countries emerging from dictatorship. His advice sounds fairly obvious, but as Marc points out, it was surprisingly counter to much of the advice young democracies were given. [The] lack of hard information ... had prompted two researchers, political scientists M. Steven Fish of University of California, Berkeley, and ... Read More

I could barely contain my frustration last night when I went to El Paseo restaurant to join the local Santa Barbara Democrats (Lois Capps spoke to her supporters, as did the state senate winners). No one had thought to connect the speakers to be able to hear President Obama's acceptance speech. More frustrating: a good many of the people in the room didn't seem to mind. Strong feelings about living in a bubble ran through me—but best leave those unsaid. And then today I took a quick walk down State Street, a block from the PS offices, and melodies—jazz, blues, ragtime—faded in and ... Read More

Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a law requiring doctors to let a woman know if she has dense breast tissue—which can make it difficult to read a mammogram. Read more about this at the LA Times: Doctors ... will have to explain that breast density is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, that it makes mammograms harder to read and that “a range of screening options are available.” ... The knowledge could prompt those who have dense breasts to have more exams or opt for an MRI, which allows tumors to be seen clearly even when breast tissue is dense. On the other hand, ... Read More