We Don't Mind the Gap: The Fashionable Flash a New Smile

By RACHEL DODES

Wall Street Journal

Struggling with a sense of alienation following the death of his father in 2008, fashion designer David Delfin asked an orthodontist to insert a bracket to open a space between his two front teeth.

The 3,000-Mile Oil Change Is Pretty Much History

By ALINA TUGEND

New York Times

I STILL remember learning from my father how to carefully remove a dipstick to check the oil level in our cars. It was drilled into me — along with turning off the lights when you left a room and clearing the plates off the table after dinner — that oil needs to be changed every 3,000 miles or so.

Jiminy! Cricket farms in US face crisis

Virus that wiped out cricket farms in Europe has American cricket-keepers worried. Zoos, theme parks, and reptile owners rely on the industry.
By Richard Luscombe

Christian Science Monitor

As a boy, Jack Armstrong watched his grandfather turn a love of fishing into America's first commercial cricket farm, growing and selling the insects as live bait.

Some say bypassing a higher education is smarter than paying for a degree

By Sarah Kaufman

Washington Post

Across the region and around the country, parents are kissing their college-bound kids -- and potentially up to $200,000 in tuition, room and board -- goodbye.

Especially in the supremely well-educated Washington area, this is expected. It's a rite of passage, part of an orderly progression toward success.

Or is it . . . herd mentality?

Hear this, high achievers: If you crunch the numbers, some experts say, college is a bad investment.

Racked by drug violence, Mexico wary of Calif. vote on legalizing marijuana

By Nick Miroff and William Booth

Washington Post 

TIJUANA, MEXICO - To embattled authorities here, where heavily armed soldiers patrol the streets and more than 500 people have been killed this year, marijuana is a poisonous weed that enriches death-dealing cartel bosses who earn huge profits smuggling the product north. "Marijuana arrives in the United States soaked with the blood of Tijuana residents," said Mayor Jorge Ramos, whose police department has lost 45 officers to drug violence in the past three years.

Google: Family Safety Center

Google

We know how important it is to protect and educate young people on using the Internet and want to provide all of our users with a safe experience.

When it comes to family safety, we aim to:

-Provide parents and teachers with tools to help them choose what content their children see online

-Offer tips and advice to families about how to stay safe online

-Work closely with organizations such as charities, others in our industry and government bodies dedicated to protecting young people

Fruit & Vegetable of the Month

By Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

In Season 9, iPods Still Get High Ratings

By David Pogue
New York Times


CUPERTINO, Calif. — At a special press event today, Steven P. Jobs,Apple’s chief executive, unveiled a new lineup of iPod models, just in time for the holiday season. The diminutive iPod Shuffle still has no screen and is still made of brushed aluminum, but it now has _____ and comes in _____ colors. Apple tinkered with the proportions of the iPod Nano, too, adding _____ and redesigning the _____. The popular iPod Touch also received a makeover; it’s thinner now, and gains new features like a _____ and a _____. All models now offer better battery life and greater storage capacity.

Bed Bug Reports

This site and a site posted previously (Bed Bug Registry) are the main go-to sites to check and report bed bugs.

BP oil spill: an interactive timeline

guardian.co.uk

[Interactive Graphic]

New Study Shows that the Alcohol Use Rate Among American Indian or Alaska Native Adults is Well Below the National Average

But Native American or Alaska Native adults have a higher rate of binge drinking than the national average

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

A new national study reveals that the rate of past month alcohol use (i.e., at least one drink in the past 30 days) among American Indian or Alaska Native adults is significantly lower than the national average for adults (43.9 percent versus 55.2 percent). The study, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), also shows that American Indian or Native Alaska adults have a rate of past month binge alcohol drinking (i.e., five or more drinks on the same occasion - on at least one day in the past 30 days) well above the national average (30.6 percent versus 24.5 percent). The level of past month illicit drug use was also found to be higher among American Indian or Alaska Native adults than the overall adult population (11.2 percent versus 7.9 percent).

Global study finds we are more likely to give money to charity if we are happy than if we are wealthy

8 September 2010

Charities Aid Foundation

The “World Giving Index”, the largest study ever carried out into charitable behaviour across the globe, which ranked the UK the eighth most charitable nation in the world, has found that happier people are more likely to give money to charity than those who are wealthy.

Men Seem More Susceptible to Memory Problems Than Women

Among elderly, rate of mild impairment was 1.5 times higher in males, study finds.
healthfinder.gov

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly men are more likely to suffer memory problems than women, new research shows.

Administrative Bloat at American Universities: The Real Reason for High Costs in Higher Education

Jay P. Greene
Goldwater Institute Policy Report
August 17, 2010

Executive Summary

Enrollment at America’s leading universities has been increasing dramatically, rising nearly 15 percent between 1993 and 2007. But unlike almost every other growing industry, higher education has not become more efficient. Instead, universities now have more administrative employees and spend more on administration to educate each student. In short, universities are suffering from “administrative bloat,” expanding the resources devoted to administration significantly faster than spending on instruction, research and service.

The N.F.L. Plays The Public Pays

New York Times

[Graphic and Information]

Also see article: As Stadiums Vanish, Their Debt Lives On

Six most generous nations: US ties for fifth

Christian Science Monitor

Which country has the most generous people in the world? A poll of 153 countries ranked global philanthropy in three categories: individual donations, volunteer time, and the number of people willing to help a stranger. Gallup’s 2010 World Giving Index Report was released Wednesday.

Are You Up to the Challenge?

By: Marietta | September 08, 2010 | Category: General

GovGab: Your U. S. Government Blog

I love a challenge! Right now I am competing in a running challenge with friends to determine who can run the most miles in two months. Each week, we post our mileage, while checking who has the lead. I'm not quite winning right now, but in the last month I've gotten a little faster and improved my endurance. In the end, we'll all be better runners, and the winner will win a pair of shoes and bragging rights. Talk about incentives! [New Web Site: Challenge.gov]

Understanding Bluetooth Technology

National Cyber Alert System
Cyber Security Tip ST05-015
United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

Many electronic devices are now incorporating Bluetooth technology to allow wireless communication with other Bluetooth devices. Before using Bluetooth, it is important to understand what it is, what security risks it presents, and how to protect yourself.

Sex for sale: Why Sweden punishes buyers

To combat prostitution and sex trafficking, Sweden made it illegal to buy sexual services in 1999. Its record since then stands out amid the failures of legalized prostitution elsewhere in Europe.
By Janice Raymond

Christian Science Monitor

At a time when some governments are trying – and failing – to combat sex trafficking by legalizing prostitution, Sweden’s innovative approach stands out as an exemplary model of lawmaking that reduces prostitution, penalizes men, and protects women.

Always in Its Element, No Matter the Weather

By HOLLAND COTTER

Wall Street Journal

With summer on the wane and autumn on the way, Nature’s where you want to be. And there’s no more bracing or reposeful place to find it than Storm King Art Center, one of the country’s premier outdoor sculpture parks, set on 500 acres of wide-open meadow and woodland in Mountainville, N.Y., about an hour’s drive north of Manhattan. Slide Show Video

Library Card Sign-Up Month

By: Joanne | September 07, 2010 | Category: General

GovGab: Your U.S.  Government Blog

Do you like free stuff? I know I do! That’s what I love about publiclibraries. Libraries have books, movies, video games, computers, andother activities, and it’s all free.

Google to start TV service in U.S. this autumn

By Nicola Leske

Reuters

(Reuters) - Google Inc will launch its service to bring the Web to TV screens in the United States this autumn and worldwide next year, its chief executive said, as it extends its reach from the desktop to the living room. Includes video

Consumer Reports Latest Taste Tests Find Some Store Brands at Least as Good as National Brands

New study shows filling a shopping cart with store brands saves an average of 30 percent on groceries

Consumer Reports

YONKERS, N.Y., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Store brand products can compete with their name-brand counterparts and save shoppers more than a thousand dollars a year on grocery bills, according to a new study from Consumer Reports. In 21 head-to-head taste match-ups, national brands won seven times, the store brand came out on top in three instances, and the remainder resulted in ties. The article can be found on www.consumerreportsenespanol.org.

Dancing With The Dead

Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

By BENEDICT CAREY

New York Times

Every September, millions of parents try a kind of psychological witchcraft, to transform their summer-glazed campers into fall students, their video-bugs into bookworms. Advice is cheap and all too familiar: Clear a quiet work space. Stick to a homework schedule. Set goals. Set boundaries. Do not bribe (except in emergencies).

The Bed Bug Killer

Life's Key Moments Occur Within Relationships, Study Finds

Personal highs, lows less important than events shared with others, researchers say.
healthfinder.gov

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

HEALTHDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- It isn't personal success or failure that make up the best and worst moments of a person's life, but the events that occur within social relationships, new research has found.

Taming the Wild Tuna

By PAUL GREENBERG

New York Times

IN the wide expanse of the wild ocean, there is perhaps nothing more wild than the world’s largest tuna — the giant Atlantic bluefin. Equipped with a kind of natural GPS system that biologists have yet to decode, the bluefin can cross and recross the Atlantic’s breadth multiple times in the course of its life. Its furious metabolism enables the fish to sprint at more than 40 miles an hour, heat its muscles 20 degrees above ambient, and hunt relentlessly at frigid depths in excess of 1,500 feet.

The Claim: The Day’s Events are Incorporated Into That Night’s Dreams.

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
New York Times

THE FACTS In the world of sleep research, dreams are something of a black box. But one tidbit that scientists have discerned is the peculiar but predictable pattern in which dreams tend to occur.

Height of Hurricane Season 2010

By: Jake | September 06, 2010 | Category: Health
GovGab: Your U.S. Government Blog

Happy Labor Day!

Last Friday, Hurricane Earl landed in North Carolina and caused minimal damage. With Tropical Storms Fiona and Gaston directly behind Earl and a tropical storm in the Eastern Pacific, it seems to me we are entering the height of hurricane season. Since the season does not end until November, it's good to be prepared in case a tropical storm or hurricane heads your way.

The Boss Is Robotic, and Rolling Up Behind You

By JOHN MARKOFF

New York Times

SACRAMENTO — Dr. Alan Shatzel’s pager beeped at 9 on a Saturday morning. A man had suffered a stroke, and someone had to decide, quickly, whether to give him an anticlotting drug that could mean the difference between life and death. Interactive Graphic

A Course Load for the Game of Life

By N. GREGORY MANKIW

New York Times

AS a Harvard professor who teaches introductory economics, I have the delightful assignment of greeting about 700 first-year students every fall. And this year, I am sending the first of my own children off to college. Which raises these questions: What should they be learning? And what kind of foundation is needed to understand and be prepared for the modern economy?

Mine foreman keeps trapped crew on task in Chile

By Jonathan Franklin

Special to The Washington Post

COPIAPO, CHILE - Luis Urzua went to work as a shift foreman at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile on Aug. 5. A month later, the steely 54-year-old has yet to relinquish his command, pivoting to the challenge of organizing the increasingly sophisticated existence of 33 men facing long-term entrapment underground. Photo Gallery

Attempted abductions

Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children | Credit: The Washington Post

An analysis of 4,202 attempted abductions that took place between February 2005 and March 2010 revealed that ...