3 Good Things: Pay transparency, an amusing airport, fetal food

By Philip GrayDeputy Op-Ed Editor

Oct. 4, 2022 9:24 AM PT

Closing the pay gap

It’s just a few digits, but they matter: California has passed a law that will require employers with more than 14 workers to disclose salary ranges in every job posting. That aims to narrow the pay disparity between white and nonwhite workers, and between men and women. One reason those pay gaps have persisted is that applicants rarely know what their peers are being paid — but that won’t be such an issue after the law takes effect Jan. 1.

Singapore thinks big

Long known as the “world’s best airport,” Changi in Singapore is about to have a growth spurt — a big one. The Terminal 5 expansion, delayed by the pandemic but now aiming to open in about a decade, will double the size of this travel hub. This is the airport that brought us a 40-meter indoor waterfall and a butterfly garden, not to mention a swimming pool and an 11-screen IMAX movie theater, so I can hardly guess what will be included in Changi 2.0. We should all try to plan some long layovers in the 2030s.

Carrots for the fetus, please

Fetuses respond to the taste of food, independently of how the pregnant women feel about an item. A study using ultrasounds and capsules of powdered food found that fetuses at 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation would smile after the pregnant women swallowed carrot capsules or frown after kale pills. The capsules dissolved only when they reached the small intestine, so the women weren’t tasting the foods and affecting the fetuses’ responses. The theory is that a woman’s diet during pregnancy could shape a child’s food preferences for life. Who knows? For now, it’s fascinating enough to learn that fetuses don’t like kale.

And one more ...

Our fair state has a beautiful autumn, and the Los Angeles Times has helpfully rounded up dozens of ways to make the most of it: “43 best California experiences to add to your fall bucket list.”