Some of the news

China's perplexing property boom – Telegraph Blogs

2010-09-03T14:23:00.000+08:00

China's perplexing property boom – Telegraph Blogs: "It is notoriously difficult to get a handle on China’s property market – the bears talk about imploding ponzi schemes, while the bulls cite the pace of urbanization and the comparatively low amount of leverage most Chinese have on their properties.
More worrying, say the analysts, is the amount of potentially duff loans that have been dished out to China’s local governments which threaten to weaken China’s banking system, which is scrambling to recapitalize at the moment.
I came across a particularly spectacular example of local government largesse last week when I was in Linyi, a city of 10m people in Shandong province which is a massive wholesaling centre and was playing host to China’s Red Games.
The city’s local government is in the midst of a hugely ambitious building programme on the banks of the river that runs through the city."

An idle brain may be the self's workshop - latimes.com

2010-09-03T14:17:00.000+08:00

An idle brain may be the self's workshop - latimes.com: "The resting brain is anything but idle — that simple proposition would be clear if you could peer into Mike Mrazek's noggin as he putters around his kitchen preparing his daily morning feast of scrambled eggs, oatmeal and fresh fruit.

As he plods through his quotidian ritual of gathering ingredients, cutting, chopping, bringing the pan to the correct temperature and boiling water for tea, Mrazek's thoughts, too, are something of a scrambled feast, as he later recounts."

Personal Health - In Summer’s Heat, Watch What You Drink - NYTimes.com

2010-07-05T06:49:00.000+08:00

Personal Health - In Summer’s Heat, Watch What You Drink - NYTimes.com: "Chances are the summer heat will tempt you to grab whatever cold liquid might be handy, and many of today’s most popular choices are loaded with sweet calories that actually increase the body’s need for water. Chances are, too, that no matter what the season, you probably don’t drink enough fluid to fulfill your body’s requirements.

It’s not wise to rely solely on thirst to guide your water intake. Nor should quenching your thirst be a measure of whether you’ve drunk enough. To calculate how much water you need each day, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.08; the result is your requirement in eight-ounce cups."

BP tests Taiwanese oil-skimming ship - MarketWatch

2010-07-05T06:48:00.000+08:00

BP tests Taiwanese oil-skimming ship - MarketWatch: "The U.S. Coast Guard and BP PLC over the weekend were testing an oil-skimming vessel that may help remediate some of the damage from the well leaking into the Gulf of Mexico that has created the largest spill in U.S. history.

The modified oil tanker, vessel called 'A Whale,' arrived in the Gulf of Mexico late in the past week and was being tested for safety and environmental standards before being put into service. It is owned by Taiwan Maritime Transport Co. Ltd."

China, CNC World: China adds to global lineup of English-language TV news channels - latimes.com

2010-07-05T06:42:00.000+08:00

China, CNC World: China adds to global lineup of English-language TV news channels - latimes.com: "The crowded market for English-language foreign news is making room for a surprising new player: CNC World, a 24-hour television news channel launched by the New China News Agency, or Xinhua, China's main news service.

In launching a 'new source of information for global audiences,' CNC apparently wants to be an English-language alternative to the dominant narratives of Western media, such as the BBC, CNN and certainly Fox. CNC will be broadcast in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, North America and Africa."

Mika Ono: 5 Healthy Eating Tips From Traditional Chinese Medicine (PHOTOS)

2010-07-05T06:40:00.000+08:00

Mika Ono: 5 Healthy Eating Tips From Traditional Chinese Medicine (PHOTOS): "Eating is a hot topic in the United States--partly because we seem to do it so badly. For all of our modern scientific knowledge, our eating habits have made us one of the world leaders in obesity, diabetes and heart disease. We know all about vitamins, minerals, fats and carbohydrates--so why aren't we healthy? While the reasons are no doubt many (processed food, sedentary lifestyle, cheap calories, etc.), one way back to a healthier lifestyle can be found in the East Asian tradition, which has developed and honed the practice of food therapy over many thousands of years."

Russell Bishop: Are You Criticizing, Evaluating Or Judging?

2010-06-29T07:31:00.000+08:00

Russell Bishop: Are You Criticizing, Evaluating Or Judging?: "Reading your article Are You Trying To Criticize For Success? - I felt compelled to write you my opinion ... constructively.
The words criticism and judgment are highly charged in our culture. In part we have lost the ability to not only be discerning but unhappily, the ability to express what is being discerned primarily out of fear of 'offending'. We live in a society increasingly concerned with political correctness and avoiding 'offense' rather than seeing through into the heart of the issue, that is 'intellectualism'."

Are Fathers Necessary? - Magazine - The Atlantic

2010-06-27T16:41:00.000+08:00

Are Fathers Necessary? - Magazine - The Atlantic: "EVEN THE MOST recession-walloped and otherwise diminished man can take pride in his essential role as father. Fathers, Barack Obama intoned in a 2008 Father’s Day speech, are “critical” to the foundation of each family. “They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.”

None of this would seem particularly controversial. Nor would the ominous statistics Obama reeled off about kids who grow up without Dad: five times as likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times as likely to drop out of school, and 20 times as likely to wind up in prison. Obama was citing a commonly accepted and constantly updated body of research. The effectively fatherless Obama is clearly a freakish outlier. As for the rest of the fatherless: insufficiently breast-fed, apt to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, unable to form secure bonds, lacking self-esteem, accident prone, asthmatic, and fat."

The world's most expensive hotel opens up with the world's largest outdoor pool at 55th storey

2010-06-27T08:41:00.000+08:00

The world's most expensive hotel opens up with the world's largest outdoor pool at 55th storey: "It's finally happened! The $5.95 billion Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore finally opened its doors to public in a gala event, and it also managed to dethrone the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi from its position as the world's most expensive hotel. But that's not all, the main attraction of the hotel is a 650ft wide pool perched up at the 55th storey of the magnificent hotel, making it the largest outdoor pool in the world that high. Called as the Infinity pool, the drop at the edge of the pool spills into a three-tiered catchment which pumps water right back to the main pool! The hotel also has a boat-shaped 'SkyPark' on top of the three towers."

Passenger hysteria as Virgin Atlantic plane stuck on US tarmac for hours | Mail Online

2010-06-24T09:34:00.000+08:00

Passenger hysteria as Virgin Atlantic plane stuck on US tarmac for hours | Mail Online: "British passengers have spoken of their ordeal after they were kept on a hot Virgin Atlantic flight without food or water for more than four hours.

The flight from London to Newark, New Jersey was diverted to a tiny airport in Connecticut due to weather.

But the airport was not equipped to handle international flights - and the passengers were trapped on board the aircraft as officials struggled to deal with the situation."

Now, Dad Feels as Stressed as Mom - NYTimes.com

2010-06-21T21:34:00.000+08:00

Now, Dad Feels as Stressed as Mom - NYTimes.com: "But several studies show that fathers are now struggling just as much — and sometimes even more — than mothers in trying to fulfill their responsibilities at home and in the office. Just last week, Boston College released a study called “The New Dad” suggesting that new fathers face a subtle bias in the workplace, which fails to recognize their stepped-up family responsibilities and presumes that they will be largely unaffected by children.

Fathers also seem more unhappy than mothers with the juggling act: In dual-earner couples, 59 percent of fathers report some level of “work-life conflict,” compared with about 45 percent of women, according to a 2008 report from the Families and Work Institute in New York.

The research highlights the singular challenges of fathers. Men are typically the primary breadwinner, but they also increasingly report a desire to spend more time with their children. To do so, they must first navigate a workplace that is often reluctant to give them time off for family reasons. And they must negotiate with a wife who may not always recognize their contributions at home."

China's secret media: Chinese whispers | The Economist

2010-06-21T02:24:00.000+08:00

China's secret media: Chinese whispers | The Economist: "N A country where independent information-gathering is kept in check, what China’s leaders know and how they know it matters hugely. A recently leaked speech by Xia Lin, a senior editor at Xinhua, China’s government-run news agency, suggests that even though press controls have been somewhat loosened in recent years, leaders still rely heavily on secret reports filed by Xinhua journalists. Other evidence indicates this fault-prone system is actually gaining in importance."

School councils addicted to junk food

2010-06-15T07:14:00.000+08:00

School councils addicted to junk food: "Children may love junk food, but it’s their schools that have the addiction.

Without greasy, salty lunches, and the cash they bring in, school councils across Ottawa wouldn’t be able to pay for art supplies, field trips, playground structures or library books.

Take Hopewell Avenue Public School. The school council began its pizza days every other Friday five years ago because dwindling school budgets left some programs and supplies without the funding they once had, said council chairman Neal Hill. This year, the volunteer parent group added submarine sandwiches in the off-weeks between pizza days for more cash."

U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan - NYTimes.com

2010-06-14T14:05:00.000+08:00

U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan - NYTimes.com: "The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials."

Old Picture of the Day: Children Playing

2010-06-07T18:19:00.000+08:00

Old Picture of the Day: Children Playing: "Good Sunday morning to you all. It is a new week here at OPOD, and we are going to be looking at pictures of children playing. This picture was taken in the Summer of 1938 in New York City, and shows a group of children playing on the sidewalk. I can remember as a child we played all the time. For the most part, playing involved either building things or using the imagination. Dirt clods were hand grenades, and you would pretend the cows were attacking German troops. We would build forts, play in barns, explore, or make things."

After Foxconn Suicides, Scrutiny for Chinese Plants - NYTimes.com

2010-06-07T11:36:00.000+08:00

After Foxconn Suicides, Scrutiny for Chinese Plants - NYTimes.com: "The body of a 19-year-old worker named Ma Xiangqian was found in front of his high-rise dormitory at 4:30 a.m. Police investigators concluded that he had leapt from a high floor, and they ruled it a suicide.

His family, including his 22-year-old sister who worked at the same company, Foxconn Technology, said he hated the job he had held only since November — an 11-hour overnight shift, seven nights a week, forging plastic and metal into electronics parts amid fumes and dust. Or at least that was Mr. Ma’s job until, after a run-in with his supervisor, he was demoted in December to cleaning toilets.

Mr. Ma’s pay stub shows that he worked 286 hours in the month before he died, including 112 hours of overtime, about three times the legal limit. For all of that, even with extra pay for overtime, he earned the equivalent of $1 an hour."

Obese Mothers a Burden on Hospital Resources - NYTimes.com

2010-06-06T07:52:00.000+08:00

Obese Mothers a Burden on Hospital Resources - NYTimes.com: "As Americans have grown fatter over the last generation, inviting more heart disease, diabetes and premature deaths, all that extra weight has also become a burden in the maternity ward, where babies take their first breath.

About one in five women are obese when they become pregnant, meaning they have a body mass index of at least 30, as would a 5-foot-5 woman weighing 180 pounds, according to researchers with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And medical evidence suggests that obesity might be contributing to record-high rates of Caesarean sections and leading to more birth defects and deaths for mothers and babies."

Meet the New Young Millionaires - AOL Small Business

2010-06-04T14:43:00.000+08:00

Meet the New Young Millionaires - AOL Small Business: "For many, the American dream isn't just to become a millionaire -- it's to become a young millionaire. There's something to be said for coming up with a million-dollar idea relatively early in the game of life.

With original whiz kids like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs paving the way, a new generation of entrepreneurs is putting their own spin on success -- and making a lot of money along the way. How did they do it? While they may have taken slightly different paths, these young millionaires all found a way to turn unique ideas into lucrative ventures. Here's a closer look."

Vigorous Exercise Linked With Better Grades - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-06-04T14:31:00.000+08:00

Vigorous Exercise Linked With Better Grades - Well Blog - NYTimes.com: "College students who want to boost their grades can start by boosting their level of exercise, new research suggests.

A report presented on Thursday at the American College of Sports Medicine’s 57th annual meeting in Baltimore finds that college students who regularly engage in vigorous exercise get better grades. Although a link between physical activity and higher academic achievement has been shown in middle-school students, it hasn’t been clear whether exercise is associated with better grades among older students.

To find out, researchers at Saginaw State University in Michigan tracked the grades and exercise habits of 266 undergraduates. They found that students who regularly participated in vigorous physical activity had higher G.P.A.’s."

Tony Schwartz: The Death of Depth: Less and Less of More and More

2010-06-02T21:25:00.000+08:00

Tony Schwartz: The Death of Depth: Less and Less of More and More: "What's the longest you've gone without checking email during the past month? How many times a day do you interrupt what you're doing to search Google, or update Facebook, or check stock prices, or buy something online, or skim the headlines?

We all know our attention is under siege. What we underestimate is our capacity to collect it, and the costs if we don't.

As any experienced meditator knows, the mind has a mind of its own. Left free to wander, that's just what it will do. When we manage the infinite demands on our attention by trying to juggle them all, we literally weaken our capacity for absorbed focus."

Susan Smalley, Ph.D.: When Words Fail Us: The Love of Parent and Child

2010-06-02T21:22:00.000+08:00

Susan Smalley, Ph.D.: When Words Fail Us: The Love of Parent and Child: "Words fail us all the time. I was reminded of the inadequacy of words at my friend's house last week. He has a son with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a genetic neuromuscular disorder affecting some 1 in 3500 boys. There is no cure for DMD.

The life expectancy of a child with DMD has grown from 15 years to maybe 25 years with comprehensive care. My friend's child was diagnosed six years ago when he was three. In six years my friend and his wife have learned a lot about DMD and spearheaded the development of a state-of-the-art comprehensive care clinic at UCLA as well as numerous research projects to find a cure. They've learned enough to know that every year they can extend a life with better comprehensive care, the closer a child is to living in a time when a cure is available. And a cure is inevitable -- it is merely a matter of money and time to get there."

Children 'more likely to own a mobile phone than a book' - Telegraph

2010-05-27T11:09:00.000+08:00

Children 'more likely to own a mobile phone than a book' - Telegraph: "Almost nine-in-10 pupils now have a mobile compared with fewer than three-quarters who have their own books in the home, it was disclosed.
The study by the National Literacy Trust suggested a link between regular access to books outside school and high test scores."

Taiwan Outpaces China as Growth Accelerates to 30-Year High - BusinessWeek

2010-05-21T10:59:00.000+08:00

Taiwan Outpaces China as Growth Accelerates to 30-Year High - BusinessWeek: "Taiwan’s economy grew at the fastest pace in more than 30 years last quarter on surging sales of computer chips and display panels to China, as it heals ideological wounds with its neighbor in favor of trade ties.
Taiwan, Singapore and Japan all reported yesterday that growth accelerated in the first quarter, boosted by a rebound in global trade. In Taiwan, which outpaced China’s 11.9 percent expansion, policy makers are weighing the risk of raising interest rates from a record low against fallout from the debt crisis sparked by Greece, after April export orders from Europe fell 11 percent from the previous month.
“Taiwan benefited a lot from a rebound in the Chinese economy,” said Tony Phoo, an economist at Standard Chartered Plc in Taipei. “The economy is still prone to external uncertainty, with the Greek crisis already feeding into the export data.”"

Bangkok Grows Calm, but Social Divisions Remain - NYTimes.com

2010-05-21T07:19:00.000+08:00

Bangkok Grows Calm, but Social Divisions Remain - NYTimes.com: "Two months of tension and violence ended with a whimper on Thursday as the last exhausted group of protesters filed out of a Buddhist temple where they had taken refuge, bewildered and frightened, some in tears."

BBC News - Working overtime increases heart risk, a study finds

2010-05-18T21:54:00.000+08:00

BBC News - Working overtime increases heart risk, a study finds: "The findings come from a study of 6,000 British civil servants, published online in the European Heart Journal.
After accounting for known heart risk factors such as smoking, doctors found those who worked three to four hours of overtime a day ran a 60% higher risk.
Experts said the findings highlighted the importance of work-life balance."

Some Kids Are Never Spanked - Do They Turn Out Better? - NurtureShock Blog - Newsweek.com

2010-05-14T15:38:00.000+08:00

For decades, research on spanking was challenged by the lack of a control group to compare against - almost all kids (90+%) had been spanked at least once, at some time in their early lives. New research shows that now up to 25% of kids are never spanked, so it's a fair question: How are they turning out? Are they turning out better? Surprisingly, they're not.

Some Kids Are Never Spanked - Do They Turn Out Better? - NurtureShock Blog - Newsweek.com

Itineraries - To Upgrade Your Seat, Jump Through Some Hoops - NYTimes.com

2010-05-14T09:30:00.000+08:00

Itineraries - To Upgrade Your Seat, Jump Through Some Hoops - NYTimes.com: "Accumulating frequent-flier miles used to be relatively straightforward. You could add to your miles by flying or through a credit card affiliated with an airline. Pretty soon, you had enough miles to get free tickets or upgrades to business class, or even first class."

Robert Lanza, M.D.: Will Machines Take Over the World? The Scientific Turning Point

2010-05-13T23:40:00.000+08:00

Robert Lanza, M.D.: Will Machines Take Over the World? The Scientific Turning Point: "Imagine watching TV without a screen or communicating with friends without a phone or facebook. Would you have an implant to have virtual sex with anyone you wanted -- or to be stronger or smarter? What's the status of the science? When do humans become obsolete?"

Secrets of Sleep - National Geographic Magazine

2010-05-10T07:43:00.000+08:00

Secrets of Sleep - National Geographic Magazine: "Cheryl Dinges is a 29-year-old Army sergeant from St. Louis. Her job is to train soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. Specializing in Brazilian jujitsu, Dinges says she is one of the few women in the Army certified at level 2 combat. Level 2 involves a lot of training with two attackers on one, she explains, with the hope of 'you being the one guy getting out alive.'"

Magazine Preview - The Moral Life of Babies - NYTimes.com

2010-05-07T06:33:00.000+08:00

Magazine Preview - The Moral Life of Babies - NYTimes.com: "Not long ago, a team of researchers watched a 1-year-old boy take justice into his own hands. The boy had just seen a puppet show in which one puppet played with a ball while interacting with two other puppets. The center puppet would slide the ball to the puppet on the right, who would pass it back. And the center puppet would slide the ball to the puppet on the left . . . who would run away with it. Then the two puppets on the ends were brought down from the stage and set before the toddler. Each was placed next to a pile of treats. At this point, the toddler was asked to take a treat away from one puppet. Like most children in this situation, the boy took it from the pile of the “naughty” one. But this punishment wasn’t enough — he then leaned over and smacked the puppet in the head."

BPS Research Digest: People lie more in email than when using pen and paper

2010-05-06T20:57:00.000+08:00

BPS Research Digest: People lie more in email than when using pen and paper: "Emails feel so transient, so disembodied, that we're more tempted to lie when sending them compared with writing with pen and paper. That's according to Charles Naquin and colleagues who tested the honesty of students and managers as they played financial games.

Forty-eight graduate business students were presented with an imaginary $89 kitty and had to choose how much they'd tell their partner was in the kitty, and how much of the kitty to share with their partner. Crucially, some participants shared this information by email, others by pen and paper. You guessed it - those who shared the info by email were more likely to lie about the kitty size (92 per cent of them did vs. 63 per cent of the pen and paper group), and they were also more unfair in how they shared the money. Participants in the email group also said they felt more justified in misrepresenting the amount of money to their partner."

Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Child's Cognitive Skills | LiveScience

2010-05-05T22:09:00.000+08:00

Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Child's Cognitive Skills | LiveScience: "Many childhood songs incorporate hand clapping. Now, there's research to prove that those simple sing-a-longs help a child's motor and cognitive development.

The firsthand study, conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), in Israel, reveals the impact these activities have on a child's development.

When comparing early-age elementary students who are exposed to hand-clapping songs to those who aren't exposed to these activities, the differences were striking."

For High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Sweet Talk Gets Harder - NYTimes.com

2010-05-03T22:41:00.000+08:00

For High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Sweet Talk Gets Harder - NYTimes.com: "In January, there were studies showing that samples of the sweetener contained the toxic metal mercury. Then came a popular Facebook page that was critical of the syrup. By year-end, there were about a dozen spoofs on YouTube mocking efforts by makers of high-fructose corn syrup to show that science is on their side.

But it was pleading comments like this one, from a devoted ConAgra customer, that finally persuaded Mr. Locascio, president of the meal enhancers category at ConAgra, to take action: “Hunt’s is by far the best ketchup ever, but please start making a variety without the high-fructose corn syrup,” wrote Jennifer from New Hampshire."

Little evidence that anything works to prevent cognitive decline | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times

2010-04-29T21:47:00.000+08:00

Little evidence that anything works to prevent cognitive decline | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times: "Older Americans spend a bundle in search of programs, devices and products that may help them stave off cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's disease. But an independent panel of experts on cognitive decline cautioned Wednesday that there is little substantive proof that any of the popular strategies --including nutritional supplements, diet, cognitive games, computer programs and exercise -- work."

The War Over America's Lunch - TIME

2010-04-25T23:15:00.000+08:00

The War Over America's Lunch - TIME: "But school lunch is facing new scrutiny. There's even a prime-time network reality show (Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution) that takes place in school cafeterias and has stars bickering about chicken nuggets and federally mandated grain servings. This is partly due to the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, a once-every-five-years event when Congress decides how much federal money schools will receive under the National School Lunch Program. But it's more than that. This year's vote comes at a time of unprecedented attention to childhood obesity."

Fleeting Youth, Fading Creativity in Science - WSJ.com

2010-04-23T08:58:00.000+08:00

Fleeting Youth, Fading Creativity in Science - WSJ.com: "When James Watson was 24 years old, he spent more time thinking about women than work, according to his memoir 'Genes, Girls and Gamow.' His hair was unkempt and his letters home were full of references to 'wine-soaked lunches.' But when Mr. Watson wasn't chasing after girls, he was hard at work in his Cambridge lab, trying to puzzle out the structure of DNA. In 1953, when Mr. Watson was only 25, he co-wrote one of the most important scientific papers of all time.

Scientific revolutions are often led by the youngest scientists. Isaac Newton was 23 when he began inventing calculus; Albert Einstein published several of his most important papers at the tender age of 26; Werner Heisenberg pioneered quantum mechanics in his mid-20s. At the time, these men were all inexperienced and immature, and yet they managed to transform their fields.

Youth and creativity have long been interwoven; as Samuel Johnson once said, 'Youth is the time of enterprise and hope.' Unburdened by old habits and prejudices, a mind in fresh bloom is poised to see the world anew and come up with fresh innovations—solutions to problems that have sometimes eluded others for ages"

South Korea's Incheon is a vacation from other airports - latimes.com

2010-04-22T22:20:00.000+08:00

South Korea's Incheon is a vacation from other airports - latimes.com: "Jeff Kreiser goes places. The Sacramento-based minister has been whisked off to too many countries to count, dragging his luggage through airports that make him feel as though he's landed in purgatory.

Many of them, he says, feel less like modern conduits to the sky and more like cattle yards where jet-lagged passengers are herded through dimly lighted corridors and nickel-and-dimed for even minor conveniences such as luggage carts and clean restroom stalls.

Then he stepped off a flight at Seoul's Incheon International Airport.

Passengers slumbered on comfy loungers. Others enjoyed free public computers and Internet access, no-charge showers and luggage carts. Some watched a performance of traditional music at a cultural center, or placed bets at a casino."

Parenting: 6 Myths You Should Know About - Stepcase Lifehack

2010-04-21T20:29:00.000+08:00

Parenting: 6 Myths You Should Know About - Stepcase Lifehack: "It is easy to get overwhelmed with parenting these days. There are societal pressures and ever-changing child-rearing theories that have created a lot of stress and anxiety for parents. It’s time to clear up some misguided notions about good and bad parenting so that parents can get back to feeling confident and being able to enjoy their kids again."

1 In 7 Girls At Robeson High School Got Pregnant - cbs2chicago.com

2010-04-21T07:24:00.000+08:00

1 In 7 Girls At Robeson High School Got Pregnant - cbs2chicago.com: "All those young ladies are moms or moms-to-be at Paul Robeson High School. It's not a school for young mothers, it's a neighborhood school. And all of the pregnancies have happened, despite prevention talk.

If you want to know why, the people closest to the situation say there's no simple explanation.

Chicago Public Schools says it does not track the overall number of teen moms in the district. But Robeson Principal Gerald Morrow knows the count at his school in Englewood: 115 young ladies who are either expecting or already have had children.

To put it in perspective, their school pictures would fill roughly six pages of their high school year book.

Why is it happening at Robeson?"

BBC News - Today - A world without planes

2010-04-19T00:41:00.000+08:00

BBC News - Today - A world without planes: "In a future world without aeroplanes, children would gather at the feet of old men, and hear extraordinary tales of a mythic time when vast and complicated machines the size of several houses used to take to the skies and fly high over the Himalayas and the Tasman Sea.
The wise elders would explain that inside the aircraft, passengers, who had only paid the price of a few books for the privilege, would impatiently and ungratefully shut their window blinds to the views, would sit in silence next to strangers while watching films about love and friendship - and would complain that the food in miniature plastic beakers before them was not quite as tasty as the sort they could prepare in their own kitchens."

Iceland's disruptive volcano - The Big Picture - Boston.com

2010-04-16T15:19:00.000+08:00

Iceland's disruptive volcano - The Big Picture - Boston.com: "Today, British civil aviation authorities ordered the country's airspace closed as of noon, due to a cloud of ash drifting from the erupting Eyjafjallaj�kull volcano in Iceland. The volcano has erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. The volcanic ash has forced the cancellation of many flights and disrupted air traffic across northern Europe, stranding thousands of passengers. Collected here are photos of the most recent eruption, and of last month's eruptions, which were from the same volcano, just several miles further east."

With a wave of the hand: Scientific American

2010-04-15T15:58:00.000+08:00

With a wave of the hand: Scientific American: "Go into any busy coffee shop and you are likely to see people engrossed in conversation, waving their hands around. A man at the counter describes the coffee he wants to buy – in a mug, not a to-go cup – and his hand takes a familiar shape, as if he were already holding the cozy mug. Nearby, two sisters laugh, as one tells a story about a trip to the barrier reef and all of the fish that she saw, her hands wiggling and darting in an invisible sea in front of her. The drive to gesture when speaking is fundamental to human nature."

New Force Behind Agency of Wonder - NYTimes.com

2010-04-14T17:11:00.000+08:00

New Force Behind Agency of Wonder - NYTimes.com: "The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is different from other federal agencies. For one thing, the agency, known as Darpa, created the Internet (really). For another, it is probably the only agency ever to offer a $40,000 prize for a balloon hunt, a contest that was inspired by Regina Dugan, a 47-year-old expert in mine detection, who took over last summer as its director."

Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.: Should Child Obesity Be Considered Child Abuse?

2010-04-14T16:52:00.000+08:00

Joanna Dolgoff, M.D.: Should Child Obesity Be Considered Child Abuse?: "A South Carolina woman was charged with criminal neglect when her 14-year-old son reached a shocking 555 pounds. I am sure that many of you can understand the charge because the example is so egregious. But how do we know this is really the mother's fault? And if we do decide to charge parents of obese kids with child abuse, where do we draw the line?

As a Pediatrician and Child Obesity Expert, I see a wide range of overweight children. Some patients are simply 10 pounds overweight while others are more than one hundred pounds overweight. How do you decide who to charge with criminal neglect?"

Why do Finland's schools get the best results?

2010-04-12T11:17:00.000+08:00

BBC News - World News America - Why do Finland's schools get the best results?: "Last year more than 100 foreign delegations and governments visited Helsinki, hoping to learn the secret of their schools' success.
In 2006, Finland's pupils scored the highest average results in science and reading in the whole of the developed world. In the OECD's exams for 15 year-olds, known as PISA, they also came second in maths, beaten only by teenagers in South Korea."

Be confident in 'strong anchors'

2010-04-09T10:27:00.000+08:00

TODAYonline | Hot News | Be confident in 'strong anchors': "For many last year, on the cusp of entering the workforce, the realities of an economic downturn hit home hard perhaps for the first time.

These young undergraduates' fears over the Republic's vulnerabilities were at the core of a dialogue with Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean last night. Five out of 13 questions at the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum, attended by some 300 students at the National University of Singapore, centred around Singapore's future.

Could Singapore suffer the same fate as Iceland, where the economy collapsed and its people were saddled with debt, an undergraduate asked. And with its open economy, is Singapore making itself vulnerable to future global downturns, another wondered.

Mr Teo acknowledged the margin for error in a small country like Singapore is much less, compared to a large country like the United States.

'We can fall over, we can end up in trouble if we are not careful,' he said. Thus, Singapore needs 'artificial buffers' and 'strong anchors' to 'weather the strong winds and rough seas' in the global economy."

My iPhone has revolutionised my reading | Education | The Guardian

2010-04-08T16:05:00.000+08:00

My iPhone has revolutionised my reading |
Education |
The Guardian: "I was hopeless at school, messy and terrible at spelling. And although the term dyslexia was not something I came across until much later in life, when I did I understood immediately that I had a number of its symptoms. My writing often had a jumbled logic. The advent of computers, of course, brought spell-checkers, but even so my word blindness can carry such conviction that I sometimes find myself staring incredulously at the red line underneath words, before finally realising that 'during' does not begin with a 'J'.

I'm reasonably well read but I read slowly; books have always been a struggle. I read one sentence, which sparks a thought, maybe causing my eyes to flicker, and I lose my place."

Music is good for you at any age - latimes.com

2010-04-08T06:36:00.000+08:00

Music is good for you at any age - latimes.com: "Let's face it: Many of us looking to sharpen our intellectual edges have already passed the age when becoming a prodigy is an option. We missed the opportunity to start clarinet lessons at 5. We lacked the discipline to practice for hours on end. We were told we couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

It's never too late, say researchers.

Just as second languages are more easily learned young, neuroscientists point to periods of heightened sensitivity — particularly before the age of 8 or 9 — when minds are more readily shaped by musical instruction."

A New York Private School Faces Realities - NYTimes.com

2010-04-06T23:11:00.000+08:00

The founders of the Blue School aspired to create something different: a private school not fixated on the Ivy League prospects of preschoolers and devoid of admissions hysteria. An education that, as they put it, “you don’t have to recover from.”
The school was in the East Village, not uptown, and its leaders were not bluebloods but the founders and spouses of the Blue Man Group, the alternative theater troupe.

The school, which is entering its fourth year, has remained true to its progressive roots, with “imagination stations” and “glow time.” Children help direct the curriculum, and social and emotional skills are given equal weight to reading and math.
A New York Private School Faces Realities - NYTimes.com

Kindergarten Is the Model for Lifelong Learning | Edutopia

2010-04-02T14:32:00.000+08:00

Kindergarten Is the Model for Lifelong Learning | Edutopia: "Ever since the first kindergarten opened in 1837, it has been a place for telling stories, building castles, painting pictures, making friends, and learning to share. But kindergarten is undergoing a dramatic change.
In today's kindergartens, children are spending more and more time filling out worksheets and drilling on flash cards. In short, kindergarten is becoming more like the rest of school.
Exactly the opposite needs to happen: We should make the rest of school (indeed, the rest of life) more like kindergarten."

Op-Ed Columnist - The Sandra Bullock Trade - NYTimes.com

2010-04-01T12:15:00.000+08:00

Op-Ed Columnist - The Sandra Bullock Trade - NYTimes.com: "This isn’t just sermonizing. This is the age of research, so there’s data to back this up. Over the past few decades, teams of researchers have been studying happiness. Their work, which seemed flimsy at first, has developed an impressive rigor, and one of the key findings is that, just as the old sages predicted, worldly success has shallow roots while interpersonal bonds permeate through and through.

For example, the relationship between happiness and income is complicated, and after a point, tenuous. It is true that poor nations become happier as they become middle-class nations. But once the basic necessities have been achieved, future income is lightly connected to well-being. Growing countries are slightly less happy than countries with slower growth rates, according to Carol Graham of the Brookings Institution and Eduardo Lora. The United States is much richer than it was 50 years ago, but this has produced no measurable increase in overall happiness. On the other hand, it has become a much more unequal country, but this inequality doesn’t seem to have reduced national happiness."

Apple's new iPad: Must-have, or meh? - latimes.com

2010-04-01T12:07:00.000+08:00

Apple's new iPad: Must-have, or meh? - latimes.com: "Apple Inc. stormed back into consumer electronics in 2001 with its iPod music player, then solidified its reputation as the coolest, most forward-thinking tech company with the iPhone in 2007. The landmark devices have generated an estimated $60 billion in sales, and the halo effect helped revive Apple's personal computer business.

Now Apple is about to light the fuse on the latest technological smart bomb: its iPad tablet computer that goes on sale Saturday.

The touch-screen iPad is being billed as a device that will change the way consumers interact with computers and the Internet, an all-in-one media reader that many think will breathe new life into newspapers, books and magazines."

Dr. Ellen Libby: The Favorite Child: Unraveling This Pervasive Dynamic

2010-03-26T07:49:00.000+08:00

Dr. Ellen Libby: The Favorite Child: Unraveling This Pervasive Dynamic: "Did you know that there are favorite children in every family? Did you know that favoritism impacts every family member for life? In my 30-year practice as a clinical psychologist, I have observed, on a daily basis, the effects of favoritism on favorite children, overlooked children and unfavored children. I elaborate on this never-written-about topic in my book The Favorite Child. I describe how favoritism is alive in every family and impacts every member."

Princeton University - A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain

2010-03-24T06:37:00.000+08:00

Princeton University - A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain: "A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.�

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States."

Kristin van Ogtrop: Can Career Women Be Successful Mothers?

2010-03-23T12:37:00.000+08:00

Kristin van Ogtrop: Can Career Women Be Successful Mothers?: "I started working for women's magazines at the age of 27 and, like any good 27-year-old editorial assistant, immediately began making sweeping assumptions about the women above me on the editorial food chain. One of my biggest assumptions was that a woman could not successfully manage both a magazine and a marriage. And just forget about raising well-adjusted children.

Alas. As with so many things in life, in turns out that I had no idea what I was talking about. Now, years later, I seem to have experienced a role (model) reversal: after working for women I thought--in my naivet�and lack of experience--were 'bad' mothers, I've turned into exactly the sort of mother I said I would never be."

TheMoneyIllusion � It’s China’s world, we just live in it (Krugman, round two)

2010-03-18T13:58:00.000+08:00

TheMoneyIllusion � It’s China’s world, we just live in it (Krugman, round two): "One day after striking back at Ryan Avent, Paul Krugman posted another essay on the Chinese yuan, and this one’s actually very thoughtful.� In the end�I still don’t agree, but I think he makes his case much more effectively.� We seem to�mostly differ on how we interpret two issues:

1.� Nominal GDP determination (or AD if you prefer that terminology) in the US, and in particular what should be held constant when thinking about policy options.

2.� The disparity between East Asian and American savings rates, and who’s to blame."

Alison Rose Levy: How Do We Help Kids Eat Healthy Foods?

2010-03-18T07:46:00.000+08:00

Alison Rose Levy: How Do We Help Kids Eat Healthy Foods?: "'It's not about lecturing kids about healthy nutrition or setting up nutritional gatekeepers,' Barnaby Spring, a Brooklyn school principle agrees. 'We need to give kids the experience of what healthy food is-- Our kids need to plant it, grow it, and prepare it. It needs to be made affordable.'

HealthCorps sends young health activists into school systems to inspire students and find practical and creative ways to build healthy nutrition and exercise into their lives. 'The kids wanted to learn Kung Fu but there was no kung fu studio--so we emptied class room and turned it into one. They needed aerobic exercise but due to program cuts, there was no exercise equipment, so we organized to do stair climbing as exercise,' reported Kristy Borak, a HealthCorps coordinator at a Manhattan high school."

Health sense: Emotional tears are an individual thing. How tears developed is unclear, but they seem to be beneficial. So, go ahead and cry. - latimes

2010-03-17T07:47:00.000+08:00

Health sense: Emotional tears are an individual thing. How tears developed is unclear, but they seem to be beneficial. So, go ahead and cry. - latimes.com: "At mushy Hallmark commercials in which the son finally gets home on Christmas Eve. At weddings because everybody's so happy. At funerals because everybody's so sad. Even watching the Olympics, when I bond with the skaters who get teary because they've finally won."

iPad Sales Hit 120,000 On First Day, Analysts Estimate

2010-03-15T20:47:00.000+08:00

iPad Sales Hit 120,000 On First Day, Analysts Estimate: "Pre-orders for the iPad kicked off on Friday morning, March 12. There was considerable pre-launch hype about what Steve Jobs has called a 'revolutionary' and 'magical' device, so how well did Apple's tablet actually do on its first day on the market?

Sales data is still sketchy, but surveys by CNN and other sites provide an approximation of the iPad's pre-order sales---and it looks like they were strong.

CNN's Investor Village's AAPL Sanity board estimated that 120,000 iPads were sold on the first day the iPad went on sale; that 16, 32 and 64GB iPads were purchased with equal frequency; and that the majority of buyers opted for the Wi-Fi only models over Wi-Fi 3G enabled machines."

Plus-size furniture suits bigger Americans - latimes.com

2010-03-14T07:51:00.000+08:00

Plus-size furniture suits bigger Americans - latimes.com: "It can be a bit delicate to ask a furniture shopper: 'Oh, sir, um, maybe, ah, you'd like to see something a bit, hmmm, sturdier?'

We are, as a people, as a sitting-in-chairs public, big. Bigger than we ought to be, health authorities frequently tell us. And bigger than many standard chairs of years past were made to hold comfortably.

So the scale of furniture has increased over the last decade — to suit both the size of homes and the size of their occupants, said Max Shangle, professor and chairman of the furniture design department at Kendall College of Art and Design in Michigan."

Concocting a Cure for Kids With Issues - NYTimes.com

2010-03-11T06:34:00.000+08:00

Concocting a Cure for Kids With Issues - NYTimes.com: "If you’re the parent of a child who’s having trouble learning or behaving in school, you quickly find yourself confronted with a series of difficult choices.

You can do nothing — and watch your child flounder while teachers register their disapproval. Or you can get help, which generally means, first, an expensive and time-consuming evaluation, then more visits with more specialists, intensive tutoring, therapies, perhaps, or, as is often the case with attention issues, drugs."

Staness Jonekos: Aging: What Are We So Afraid Of?

2010-03-11T06:31:00.000+08:00

Staness Jonekos: Aging: What Are We So Afraid Of?: "I live in the land of angels, but in Los Angeles these guardians are nipped and tucked with crooked smiles and lopsided eyes frozen on a static expression.

At 52 I am really pissed off that aging -- a thing that happens as soon as we take our first breath -- is such a big deal! Why does a large part of our population struggle with aging?

Considering that the average lifespan in the early 1900s was 49, and now it's 77, perhaps old age is a more recent phenomenon. Thanks to modern technology and medical advances, we have an easier life compared to our ancestors. A hundred years ago when the average person was dying by age 50, wrinkles were a badge of honor displaying wisdom and earning respect for a life long-lived."

BBC News - Obesity 'often set before age of two'

2010-02-15T09:27:00.000+08:00

BBC News - Obesity 'often set before age of two': "The 'tipping point' that sets children on the way to a lifetime of obesity often occurs before the age of two, say US researchers.
A study of more than 100 obese children and teenagers found more than half were overweight by 24 months and 90% were overweight by the age of five.
A quarter were overweight before they were five months old, the researchers reported in Clinical Pediatrics.
In the UK, around 27% of children are now overweight.
The children in the study - who had an average age of 12 - were all overweight or obese by the age of 10."

Do School Libraries Need Books? - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-02-12T14:09:00.000+08:00

Do School Libraries Need Books? - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com: "Keeping traditional school libraries up to date is costly, with the constant need to acquire new books and to find space to store them. Yet for all that trouble, students roam the stacks less and less because they find it so much more efficient to work online. One school, Cushing Academy, made news last fall when it announced that it would give away most of its 20,000 books and transform its library into a digital center.

Do schools need to maintain traditional libraries? What are the educational consequences of having�students read less on the printed page and more on the Web?"

Jordan Brown, 12, Faces Grown-Up Murder Charges - AOL News

2010-02-11T07:21:00.000+08:00

Jordan Brown, 12, Faces Grown-Up Murder Charges - AOL News: "On a chilly morning in February 2009, state police found 26-year-old Kenzie Houk in her bed with a bullet though her head. She was eight months pregnant.

The search for her killer ended with the most surprising murder suspect residents of Wampum, Pa., had even seen: 11-year-old Jordan Brown, the son of the victim's fianc�.

He is one of the youngest suspects in the country to be charged with homicide, legal experts say. There are two counts of homicide, one covering the fetus."

Study Links Children's Sweet Tooth to Alcoholism, Depression - AOL News

2010-02-11T07:18:00.000+08:00

Study Links Children's Sweet Tooth to Alcoholism, Depression - AOL News: "A new study finds that children are more likely to have an intense sweet tooth if they have a family history of alcoholism, or if they've suffered from depression themselves.

The research was conducted by scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, and published online in the journal Addiction.

Sugary foods and alcohol trigger many of the same reward circuits in the brain, so scientists in this case decided to test the sweet tooth of children with a family history of alcohol dependence. They also hypothesized that children who suffer from depression might be more likely to crave sweets, because they make them feel better."

Morgan Stanley: Have No Fear, Lazy Central Banks Will Keep Pumping Out Liquidity

2010-02-04T22:46:00.000+08:00

Morgan Stanley: Have No Fear, Lazy Central Banks Will Keep Pumping Out Liquidity: "As global economic growth picks up, Morgan Stanley highlights that central banks around the world don't exactly seem in any rush to tighten monetary policy. Sure many nations are tightening, but overall, given that interest rates came down so low, it'll take more than a few hikes just to get interest rates back to anything near normal levels."

Dr. Mercola: Mastering The Mystery Of Sleep

2010-02-03T22:43:00.000+08:00

Dr. Mercola: Mastering The Mystery Of Sleep: "Sleep is one of the great mysteries of life. Like gravity or the quantum field, sleep is so fundamental that scientists still don't know exactly what it is. We are learning more about sleep every day, but we still don't understand exactly why we sleep at all. (1)

This report will not solve the mystery of sleep, but will seek to show you how you can get into harmony with the natural cycles of your own brain and body. There is no better example of optimal wellness than to be in harmony with your deepest function: sleep."

Why Kindergarten-Admission Tests Are Worthless -- New York Magazine

2010-02-03T07:13:00.000+08:00

Why Kindergarten-Admission Tests Are Worthless -- New York Magazine: Should a child’s fate be sealed by an exam he takes at the age of 4? Why kindergarten-admission tests are worthless, at best. "The beauty of a meritocracy is that it is not, at least in theory, a closed system. With the right amount of pluck and hard work, a person should be able to become whoever he or she is supposed to be. Only in an aristocracy is a child’s fate determined before it is born."

Vancouver engineers its own urban dream - latimes.com

2010-01-15T09:35:00.000+08:00

Vancouver engineers its own urban dream - latimes.com

William Rees spent much of his childhood on his grandfather's farm in the province of Ontario. What struck him once, after a day of working in the fields, was the sudden realization that everything on the dinner table -- the chicken, the milk, the carrots -- he had helped produce.

"I was only about 10 years old, and I have no explanation to this day, but I felt as if the ground had fallen beneath me. I was sinking, sinking, deep into the earth," Rees said.

When he moved to Vancouver, he took that sense of "connectedness" with him, and never forgot it. With 75% of the globe's 10 billion people in 2050 expected to live in urban areas, they had better -- if they are to survive -- find a similar sense of connection, Rees figured.

Emirates A380 first class luxury

2010-01-14T16:15:00.000+08:00

Emirates A380 first class luxury | News.com.au: "THE last time I was in first class was 42 years ago at St Peter's primary school at Albion Park. And it was nothing like this.

Back then; a nun who showed similar political tendencies to Robert Mugabe controlled the classroom. To a frightened bunch of six-year-olds she seemed ancient, had thick ugly glasses and a penchant for punishment.

She wielded the strap, often, and always with the blessing of God himself. It was anything but a pleasant experience.

Thankfully, the Emirates A380 version of first class is much more to
my liking."

Full-day kindergarten may become all-year affair - The Globe and Mail

2010-01-13T22:40:00.000+08:00

Full-day kindergarten may become all-year affair - The Globe and Mail: "All-day school for kindergarten-aged children will probably be an all-year affair in some of the nearly 600 schools across Ontario selected to launch the popular new program next fall.

In announcing the final list of schools where about 35,000 kindergarten students will be among the first in the province to spend full days in the classroom, Ontario's Ministry of Education called on boards to help families out by extending child-care services at school throughout the calendar year. The province is proposing that the extended services cover statutory holidays, PD days and summertime, for a reasonable fee to parents."

Vatican Slams 'Avatar'

2010-01-13T22:38:00.000+08:00

Vatican Slams 'Avatar'

"Avatar" is wooing audiences worldwide with visually dazzling landscapes and nature-loving blue creatures. But the Vatican is no easy crowd to please.

The Vatican newspaper and radio station are criticizing James Cameron's 3-D blockbuster for flirting with the idea that worship of nature can replace religion – a notion the pope has warned against. They call the movie a simplistic and sappy tale, despite its awe-inspiring special effects.

Arianna Huffington: Move Your Money: A New Year's Resolution

2009-12-31T16:30:00.000+08:00

Arianna Huffington: Move Your Money: A New Year's Resolution

The big banks on Wall Street, propped up by taxpayer money and government guarantees, have had a record year, making record profits while returning to the highly leveraged activities that brought our economy to the brink of disaster. In a slap in the face to taxpayers, they have also cut back on the money they are lending, even though the need to get credit flowing again was one of the main points used in selling the public the bank bailout. But since April, the Big Four banks -- JP Morgan/Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo -- all of which took billions in taxpayer money, have cut lending to businesses by $100 billion.

Is aviation security mostly for show? - CNN.com

2009-12-31T13:55:00.000+08:00

Is aviation security mostly for show? - CNN.com

Last week's attempted terror attack on an airplane heading from Amsterdam to Detroit has given rise to a bunch of familiar questions.
How did the explosives get past security screening? What steps could be taken to avert similar attacks? Why wasn't there an air marshal on the flight? And, predictably, government officials have rushed to institute new safety measures to close holes in the system exposed by the incident.
Reviewing what happened is important, but a lot of the discussion is off-base, a reflection of the fundamentally wrong conception most people have of terrorism and how to combat it.

Asia's decade reoriented the world: analysts - Yahoo! Singapore News

2009-12-29T16:48:00.000+08:00

Asia's decade reoriented the world: analysts - Yahoo! Singapore News

Explosive growth in economic and political power ensured that the past 10 years set the foundations for what many analysts predict will be the Asian Century as the world tilts firmly eastwards.

Many dangers lie ahead, but observers say the world's two most populous countries -- China and India -- appear on course to define the decades to come after the American Century and the British Century before that.

After Dubai, is China the Next Bubble to Burst? - BusinessWeek

2009-12-28T21:06:00.000+08:00

After Dubai, is China the Next Bubble to Burst? - BusinessWeek

That loud hissing noise you hear is coming from Dubai, where reality is catching up with an economy built on sand — literally and figuratively.

Just don't let it drown out another one that's slowly, but steadily increasing in volume: China.

Russell Poldrack: Are "Learning Styles" Important In Teaching Methods?

2009-12-25T00:20:00.000+08:00

Russell Poldrack: Are "Learning Styles" Important In Teaching Methods?: "We've all heard it before: 'I am a visual learner,' 'My child is a verbal learner,' and so on. The idea that there are different learning styles, and that education works best when it meshes with an individual's learning style, are deeply embedded in our culture. It's also big business, with several companies selling tests for different learning styles and training for teachers to use them."

Kiri Westby: The Magic Of Winter Solstice: Celebrating A Different Holiday

2009-12-23T08:56:00.000+08:00

Kiri Westby: The Magic Of Winter Solstice: Celebrating A Different Holiday

Whether you like it or not, Christmas is everywhere. Propagated by the mass media and often conjuring up such a frenzy of need and expectation that many people end up disappointed and stressed-out. I often wonder how many people still feel like Christmas is a delightful time of year that they look forward to, rather than are obligated to?

Lisa Earle McLeod: The Duality of Parenting: The Authoritative vs. Permissive Debate

2009-12-17T22:37:00.000+08:00

Lisa Earle McLeod: The Duality of Parenting: The Authoritative vs. Permissive Debate

From the helicopter parents who hover over their kids 24/7, insulating them from hurt feelings, strict teachers, second place finishes and other realities of life, to the commanding disciplinarians who bounce quarters off beds and reign over the chore chart with an authority Patton wouldn't challenge, styles run the gamut, and everyone is convinced that their way is the best way.

The "free-to-be-you-and-me" crowd believes that their children are unique and special, and thus, should treated as such. These are the people who try to get the grading scale changed to accommodate their child and who insist that everybody get a trophy. You can spot them in public because their child is often the one riding the pony.

The Truth About Tamiflu

2009-12-16T05:18:00.000+08:00

Two months ago, we pointed out in our story on flu in The Atlantic that the antiviral drug Tamiflu might not be as effective or safe as many patients, doctors, and governments think. The drug has been widely prescribed since the first cases of H1N1 flu surfaced last spring, and the U.S. government has spent more than $1.5 billion stockpiling it since 2005 as part of the nation’s pandemic preparedness plan.

Now it looks as if our concerns were correct, and the nation may have put more than a billion dollars into the medical equivalent of a mirage. This week, the British medical journal BMJ published a multi-part investigation that confirms that the scientific evidence just isn’t there to show that Tamiflu prevents serious complications, hospitalization, or death in people that have the flu. The BMJ goes further to suggest that Roche, the Swiss company that manufactures and markets Tamiflu, may have misled governments and physicians. In its defense, Roche stated that the company “has never concealed (or had the intention to conceal) any pertinent data.”

The Truth About Tamiflu - The Atlantic
(December 10, 2009)

How the H1N1 vaccine is made

2009-11-27T06:23:00.000+08:00

How the H1N1 vaccine is made: "The most striking feature of the H1N1 flu vaccine manufacturing process is the 1,200,000,000 chicken eggs required to make the 3 billion doses of vaccine that may be required worldwide. There are entire chicken farms in the US and around the world dedicated to producing eggs for the purpose of incubating influenza viruses for use in vaccines. No wonder it takes six months from start to finish. But we'll get to that in a minute."

The Way I Work: Jason Fried of 37Signals

2009-11-05T07:10:00.000+08:00

The Way I Work: Jason Fried of 37Signals: "You could sum up Jason Fried's philosophy as 'less is more.' Except that he hates that expression, because, he says, it still 'implies that more is better.' Fried prefers 'less is less.' It's a core principle of 37Signals, the Chicago-based company he launched in 1999 with Ernest Kim and Carlos Segura. The company started as a Web design firm. Then, in 2003, Fried hired David Heinemeier Hansson, a Danish programmer, to write software to keep the company's design projects organized. Soon, clients began requesting the program, and by 2005, software development eclipsed design in both revenue and focus. Today, 37Signals, which is run by Fried and Hansson, has a staff of 16 and more than three million customers who use the company's Web-based applications, such as Basecamp and Campfire, to collaborate and manage projects. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is the company's only investor. Fried, 35, isn't afraid to do things differently or to express his opinions. He condemns traditional corporate office culture, with its 40-hour workweeks and constant meetings, and shoots down many of his customers' suggestions. And he's not opposed to a little goofing off in the afternoon."

The Claim: A Person Can Pay Off a Sleep Debt by Sleeping Late on Weekends

2009-11-04T07:46:00.000+08:00

Really? - The Claim - A Person Can Pay Off a Sleep Debt by Sleeping Late on Weekends - Question - NYTimes.com: "THE FACTS Chronic sleep deprivation is a given for most Americans. But paying off a sleep debt is not as simple as sleeping late on a Saturday.

In studies over the years, scientists have found that it can take a week or more for the cognitive and physiological consequences of poor sleep to wear off — even after increasing sleep."

Jack Canfield: Raise Children, Not Flowers!

2009-10-28T23:08:00.000+08:00

Jack Canfield: Raise Children, Not Flowers!: "I'll never forget the story of David, my next door neighbor a while back, who taught me a great lesson one morning as I watched him trying to teach his seven-year-old son how to push the gas-powered lawn mower around the yard. As he was showing him how to turn the mower around at the end of the lawn, his wife Jan called to him to ask a question. When David turned to answer the question, Kelly pushed the lawn mower right through the flower bed at the edge of the lawn--leaving a two-foot wide path leveled to the ground!

David was not happy about this. As soon as he saw what had happened, he began to lose control. David had put a lot of time and effort into making those flower beds the envy of the neighborhood. The moment his voice climbed higher in a semi-rage toward poor Kelly, Jan walked quickly over to him, put her hand on his shoulder and said, 'David, please remember...we're raising children, not flowers!'"

Why Sleepyheads Forget -- Torrice 2009 (1021): 1 -- ScienceNOW

2009-10-28T23:06:00.000+08:00

Why Sleepyheads Forget -- Torrice 2009 (1021): 1 -- ScienceNOW: "Red-eye flights, all-night study sessions, and extra-inning playoff games all deprive us of sleep and can leave us forgetful the next day. Now scientists have discovered that lost sleep disrupts a specific molecule in the brain's memory circuitry, possibly leading to treatments for tired brains.
Neuroscientists studying rodents and humans have found that sleep deprivation interrupts the storage of episodic memories: information about who, what, when, and where. To lay down these memories, neurons in our brains form new connections with other neurons or strengthen old ones. This rewiring process, which occurs over a period of hours, requires a rat's nest of intertwined molecular pathways within neurons that turn genes on and off and fine-tune how proteins behave."

Julia Moulden: Math Is Not Hard: A Simple Method That Is Changing The World

2009-10-28T23:03:00.000+08:00

Julia Moulden: Math Is Not Hard: A Simple Method That Is Changing The World: "Let's start with the commonly-held view. 'Math is hard.' Even Barbie said it. We somehow grow up thinking that either you're born with the math gene or you're not. And if you're not, well, good luck to you. Like most people, you'll begin to falter in grade school, think it's hopeless, and give up. Sound like you? Your kids? Your students?"

No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund - NYTimes.com

2009-10-24T13:54:00.000+08:00

No Einstein in Your Crib? Get a Refund - NYTimes.com. Parent alert: the Walt Disney Company is now offering refunds for all those ”Baby Einstein” videos that did not make children into geniuses. They may have been a great electronic baby sitter, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect.

Taiwan jobless rate falls slightly in September - Forbes.com

2009-10-23T13:42:00.000+08:00

Taiwan jobless rate falls slightly in September - Forbes.com: "Taiwan's jobless rate fell slightly to 6.04 percent in September after reaching a high of 6.13 percent the month before, the government said Thursday.

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said the number of people losing their jobs due to layoffs or company shutdowns fell last month amid emerging signs of a global economic recovery."

H1N1 vaccine a tough sell to pregnant women -- latimes.com

2009-10-23T13:40:00.000+08:00

H1N1 vaccine a tough sell to pregnant women -- latimes.com: "Because of the risks from flu, they should be first in line to get both the H1N1 and seasonal influenza shots, medical experts say. Yet many are averse to vaccinations or medication."

Canadian Dollar Climbs Toward Parity as Stocks, Crude Oil Rally - Bloomberg.com

2009-10-19T09:33:00.000+08:00

Canadian Dollar Climbs Toward Parity as Stocks, Crude Oil Rally - Bloomberg.com

The Canadian dollar rallied for a third straight week, touching a 14-month high and moving closer to parity with its U.S. counterpart as signs of economic recovery pushed commodities and stocks higher.

Canada’s currency gained as crude oil, the nation’s largest export, surged 10 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassed 10,000 for the first time in a year. The Bank of Canada will keep interest rates at a record low level when it meets on Oct. 20, according to all 23 economists in a Bloomberg News survey.

The End of the Email Era

2009-10-15T08:53:00.000+08:00

The End of the Email Era - WSJ.com: "Email has had a good run as king of communications. But its reign is over.

In its place, a new generation of services is starting to take hold—services like Twitter and Facebook and countless others vying for a piece of the new world. And just as email did more than a decade ago, this shift promises to profoundly rewrite the way we communicate—in ways we can only begin to imagine"

7 Ways to Annoy a Flight Attendant

2009-10-08T15:10:00.000+08:00

Our anonymous flight attendant has worked for a well-known commercial airline for 12 years. She dishes on what irritates her most in passenger behavior

7 Ways to Annoy a Flight Attendant - Budget Travel

Does eating candy in childhood lead to violence in adulthood, new study asks? | GroundReport

2009-10-07T08:23:00.000+08:00

A new study raises more questions than it answers. Nutritionists want to know how sugar in candy fed to children ignite criminal acts when they reach adolescent or adulthood? The theory psychologists tell them is that when you give children candy regularly, it's seen as a reward. The candy industry may probably direct parents to make sure their children eat sweets responsibly just as the alcohol industry repeats its advice to adults to drink responsibly.

"The October 2009 study revealed that 69 per cent of those with a criminal record of violence consumed candy daily as children."

Does eating candy in childhood lead to violence in adulthood, new study asks? | GroundReport

Artists Test Limits as China Lets (a Few) Flowers Bloom - WSJ.com

2009-10-05T06:33:00.000+08:00

Artists Test Limits as China Lets (a Few) Flowers Bloom - WSJ.com: "When Qiu Zhijie organized a show of fellow young artists in the basement of a suburban Beijing apartment complex a decade ago, police burst in and closed it after just one day. Contemporary art was taboo, and Mr. Qiu was especially provocative, with installations that mocked China's rising consumerism.

Today, Mr. Qiu is as active as ever. His current project looks at the costs of China's 60 years of communism by contrasting the official, heroic history of a giant bridge over the Yangtze River with the span's role as China's top place for suicides."

Personal Health - Parents Need to Tune In and Engage a Young Child With Talk - NYTimes.com

2009-10-05T06:30:00.000+08:00

Personal Health - Parents Need to Tune In and Engage a Young Child With Talk - NYTimes.com: "I recently stopped to congratulate a young mother pushing her toddler in a stroller. The woman had been talking to her barely verbal daughter all the way up the block, pointing out things they had passed, asking questions like “What color are those flowers?” and talking about what they would do when they got to the park.

This is a rare occurrence in my Brooklyn neighborhood, I told her. All too often, the mothers and nannies I see are tuned in to their cellphones, BlackBerrys and iPods, not their young children."

PEI's big immigration boom - The Globe and Mail

2009-10-03T07:37:00.000+08:00

PEI's big immigration boom - The Globe and Mail: "It was the slower, safer lifestyle that won over Cherry (Cuiling) Xie, a 47-year-old clothing-factory owner from Shenzhen, China, who arrived in Canada in May, along with her husband and 17-year-old son. She now lives in her “dream house” in Stratford, a small town next door to Charlottetown, with a backyard that slopes to the river. Her son has settled into school – soaring to the top of his class in math – and she is studying English at Holland College, courtesy of the province. Her list of the island's pros: cheap housing, lobster dinners and no traffic jams."

What Makes a Good Mom? Characteristics of a Good Mother

2009-09-25T11:07:00.000+08:00

What Makes a Good Mom? Characteristics of a Good Mother: "I had just solidified my place in what seemed like a great mommy group filled with smart, professional women who regularly met at a neighborhood toddler play class.

As I positioned my son’s stroller along the back wall upon arriving at the group and leaned over him to unfasten his seat belt, one of the new moms stood over us watching. Suddenly, she let out a horrified, “Please tell me that’s not Cheetos dust on your son's hands!”

I felt a red hot flush come over my face. His little toddler paws were covered in the telltale bright orange powder; there was no denying what he’d been eating. I quickly fumbled for a wipe to clear away the mess, not to mention my maternal shame, and slinked quietly into the class, hoping I wouldn’t be cast out of the group as the failed mother who, (gasp!) allowed her child to eat junk food!"

Swine flu claims pregnant woman, fetus - The China Post

2009-09-23T08:16:00.000+08:00

Swine flu claims pregnant woman, fetus - The China Post: "The woman twice tested positive for the flu, but adamantly rejected a course of Tamiflu, citing concern over the medication and potential detrimental effects on the baby's health, explained Lu Chiao-yang, head of the Public Health Bureau in Taitung County.

Officials with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said there is no data at present which suggests that antivirals or vaccines would cause harm in women or fetuses during gestation."

Finding Anne of Green Gables on Canadian island

2009-09-23T05:45:00.000+08:00

Travel | Finding Anne of Green Gables on Canadian island | Seattle Times Newspaper: "As the surf laps at your feet and the sand dunes stretch as far as the eye can, it becomes clear that your search for the enchanting Canadian island the irrepressible Anne Shirley fell in love with is complete.

The beloved heroine of Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 book 'Anne of Green Gables' is instantly taken with her new home of Prince Edward Island after she's adopted by brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert."