The Washington Post recently published an excellent article on dating violence and “textual harassment,” the specific form of stalking via text messaging.

Text messaging has made sexual harassment ever so much easier, making the harassment even more persistent and constant. No breaks. No safe time.

And while abusive texting is a big part of the problem, it’s not the only technology abusers abuse: email, phone, and also (newer) through Facebook and other social networking sites.

But there is an upside with the technology as well. It offers strong evidence of the abuse and is being used in courts to assist in conviction.

More important, it can be used for good as well as ill, as reported in a Strib story published on the same day—the story of a woman who used text messaging to call for assistance while she was being sexually assaulted and chased around the house.

The article also references the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey data indicating that 9.8% of high school students have experienced dating violence (hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the last 12 months); and 7.4% report being physically forced to have sexual intercourse.

Closer to home, the Minnesota Student Survey (we don’t participate in the YRBSS) has similar rates, using somewhat broader definitions of violence.

As you can see—the likelihood of both dating and sexual violence increases with age (no surprise there) and girls are about twice as likely to experience dating violence and sexual violence compared to boys.

What’s to be done?

• Educate yourself about violence prevention.
• Be aware of the warning signs.
• If you’re a parent, make sure your children know the warning signs.
• Don’t be silent about the issue.
• Learn more.

At a broader level, find out about United Way’s work to end domestic violence.

I read Nylon Road, by Parsua Bashi, over the weekend. A graphic novel (actually a memoir) about growing up in Iran, Nylon Road is also quite an excellent introduction to critical thinking.

Illustration by Parsua Bashi

It presents several issues—of immigration, of culture, of religion—from multiple viewpoints, and just when you think you know where the author is coming from, zip! you’re looking at it through a different lens.

Here are just a few of the thoughts and questions that ran through my mind as I read this engaging memoir:

• Is religion really a reason for Iran’s problems, or is it merely a smoke screen?
• What constitutes good dinner conversation, and does cutlery really make a difference?
• What happens to a country when it becomes so rigid and prescriptive that the best and brightest and then some emigrate?
• Can freedom of speech be carried too far?
• How different are cults and political groups, really?

A fast but surprisingly thought-provoking read. If you’ve never read a graphic novel (memoir), this might be a good place to start.

Wednesday morning I went to United Front 2010, sponsored by United Way and General Mills. The event was a half-day conference focused on the nonprofit sector in the new economy. Tom Stinson, the state economist, was the keynote speaker. The good news: The recession is over. But the Great Recession and demographic changes are going to change the economic landscape in Minnesota as far into the future as we can see. Stinson (and others) are calling this the New Normal.

The demographic changes include the aging of our population (we are going to see large increases in the 55-75 age group in the next 10 years) and very slow growth on the part of the labor force. What this means for the near future:

• More retirees
• Less consumption, more saving
• Slower economic growth
• Higher interest rates
• More uncertainty about the future

In 2020, the number of Minnesotans age 65+ will outnumber school-age kids—this is a huge demographic shift which could lead to some challenging funding priorities between health care (age 65+) and education (ages 5-17). Overlay a $5.8 billion budget gap (expected for Minnesota in 2012-2013) on that challenge and it doesn’t take a crystal ball to see exceptionally rocky roads ahead.

But all is not lost, and according to Stinson, this New Normal plays to Minnesota’s strengths. Education has been the key to Minnesota’s productivity and prosperity, and if we make the right decisions and investments now, they will help us weather—and perhaps even prosper in—the New Normal.

You can view Dr. Stinson’s complete powerpoint or, if you’d rather see and hear the presentation, check out the video.

I finished In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan a couple of months ago, and the one thing that has most stuck with me is this little scenario:

You’re stuck alone on a desert island for one year. You can have water and one other food. Here are your choices:

• Corn
• Alfalfa Sprouts
• Hot Dogs
• Spinach
• Peaches
• Bananas
• Milk Chocolate

What do you pick?

The most popular choice in the study Pollan is citing was bananas (42%) followed by spinach (27%). Then corn (12%), alfalfa sprouts (7%), peaches (5%), hot dogs (4%), and milk chocolate (3%).

Only 7% chose one of the two foods that would best support survival: hot dogs and milk chocolate.

Hot dogs and milk chocolate! When I considered the problem I chose hot dogs because hot dogs were my favorite food when I was a kid (and I still like them—they’re always a first at the State Fair). And I was thinking of the protein content.

But apparently more people are concerned about the fat content. In fact, fat has become fairly synonymous with “bad for you.” About one in three people believes that a diet absolutely free of fat would be better for us than a diet containing even “a pinch” of fat.

Lest we forget: The human brain is about 60% fat (every neuron is sheathed in a protective layer of fat). Fat is a nutrient that is essential for our survival (though some fats are better than others).

It made me think. Everything in moderation. . . .

Time flies. Most especially in May, with Mother’s Day, birthdays, graduations, WisCon, and most important—bird migration. (Aside: I participated in the Gustie bird count over the weekend and we saw some excellent birds—prothonotary warbler, common yellowthroat, white-crowned sparrow, scads of red-bellied woodpeckers, and a bald eagle.)

I have finally finished The Tyranny of E-mail by John Freeman. Given that “e-mail has pulverized our days into bite-sized moments of attention,” what’s to be done?

Freeman’s #1 suggestion: Don’t send.

This is not to say stop engaging in e-mail. But do it thoughtfully. Seriously—it almost seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? E-mail and impulse go hand in hand. Thought and its second cousin mindfulness are far, far out in left field.

Here’s a guideline: If it’s something you wouldn’t say to a person’s face, don’t send. One of the things I hadn’t thought of (but recognized with a “duh” when I read it) is that inhibitions are often completely dropped in e-mail correspondence (psychologists even have a word for it: disinhibition). If it’s a dig or a snipe that you probably wouldn’t say in person, or if you seriously disagree and you can hear your fingers pounding that keyboard—probably a phone call (or a walk down the hall if it’s a colleague) would be the better approach.

We check our e-mail more often than we drink water. (Who does these studies?) But it gives an interesting perspective. How else can we get this under control?

Well, Don’t Send. Here’s my pet peeve: Overuse of “Reply All”: Does everyone on the distribution list really need to hear what you have to say, or can you simply reply to the sender? Copying 200 people on “Congratulations! Well Done!” is not a good idea (unless, perhaps, you’re the CEO). Do not use e-mail to try to induce joie de vivre.

Another tip to reduce or help manage your e-mail:

Do not check your work e-mail either first thing in the morning or late at night. It puts a little boundary between your private life and your work life, which is a good thing.

Also: Check e-mail only twice a day. What? What? Can anyone do this? And then I read this: “If you work in an environment where many people keep their inboxes open all day…”

And I stopped. Doesn’t everyone at work keep their inboxes open all day? Apparently not. And here’s a no-brainer:

Turn off the instant notification e-mail alert. This simple change has helped me be more focused on my tasks, and then I check e-mail as I move from one task or project to another.

A few more suggestions to save time in the long run:

• Read the entire incoming e-mail before replying.
• Don’t debate complex or sensitive matters by e-mail.
• Set up your desk to do something besides e-mail. Have a spot for work that isn’t done on the computer—a space for reading, thinking, doodling, sketching. A place where you can let your mind wander to that elusive place of creativity and good, deep ideas.

And finally—schedule media-free time every day. Even an hour—no e-mail, no texting, no IMs. No internet? No computer? No phone? No TV? No radio? Take it as far as you like. Your brain will be happy for the rest, and you might realize or learn something really valuable.