Brain divide

Are people in LA really stupid as everyone says? Maybe it's not a matter of being stupid so much as shallow and vapid? This story in the LA Times Food section on paletas is pretty awesome. I don't mean to digress, but I can't help but point out that corn and popsicles sound like a match made in heaven.

Anyway, have you ever noticed that the LA Time's most-emailed stories don't at all resemble those of the NYT? I'm not going to pass judgement on whether I think Angelenos are stupid (even though a close friend who lives out there says they are not very "sophisticated.") I'm sure that a large percentage of NYT readers are egg heady but non-NYC based, which serves to make us look less dumb than we are. There is plenty of vapid and annoying stuff being discussed on NY mag's site, that's for sure. But still, these LA Times stories seem like the perfect little tidbit for that itty bitty little slot of time between the sports and credits on the 11 o'clock news.


TOP 5 from the LA TIMES
1. Take notes: websites for students
What did students ever do without the Web? Maybe learn less about topics their parents would prefer remain under wraps.

2. The power of produce
Whether it fights cancer depends on which you eat, how you eat it -- and your genes.

3. A teenage girl, a terrible injury and a will to recover
Samantha Palumbo, 16, had her future mapped out. Then came the car crash -- and damage to her brain that doctors said was 'not compatible with life.' But they didn't know Sami.

4. Dangers of drug patches overlooked
The FDA has cautioned about delivering painkiller fentanyl through the skin, but healthcare providers don't seem to be getting the message. Other drugs pose problems too.

5. Dancing all the way to the bank in Vegas
The city's popular nightclubs, which have mushroomed from a handful to about 30 today, are producing the next generation of moguls.

TOP 5 from the NYT
1. With Turnover High, Schools Fight for Teachers

2. As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes

3. Your Ad Here, on My SUV? And You'll Pay

4. Drop Foreseen in Median Price of US Homes

5. Kibbutz Yasur Journal: The Kibbutz Sheds Socialism and Gains Popularity