Reuters
(Reuters Life!) - A British archivist believes he has uncovered the real-life inspiration for French novelist Victor Hugo's mysterious character Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
Casual reading for the intellectually curious.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
High in the Andes, Keeping an Incan Mystery Alive
By Simon Romero
New York Times
AN CRISTÓBAL DE RAPAZ, Peru — The route to this village 13,000 feet above sea level runs from the desert coast up hairpin bends, delivering the mix of exhilaration and terror that Andean roads often provide. Condors soar above mist-shrouded crags. Quechua-speaking herders squint at strangers who arrive gasping in the thin air.
New York Times
AN CRISTÓBAL DE RAPAZ, Peru — The route to this village 13,000 feet above sea level runs from the desert coast up hairpin bends, delivering the mix of exhilaration and terror that Andean roads often provide. Condors soar above mist-shrouded crags. Quechua-speaking herders squint at strangers who arrive gasping in the thin air.
Study: Surgery May Reduce Diabetics' Need for Drugs
By Jennifer Corbett Dooren
Wall Street Journal
The majority of people with diabetes who had bariatric surgery to lose weight were able to stop taking their diabetes medications, which led to a significant decline in health-care costs, according to a study released Monday.
Wall Street Journal
The majority of people with diabetes who had bariatric surgery to lose weight were able to stop taking their diabetes medications, which led to a significant decline in health-care costs, according to a study released Monday.
Beloit College Mindset List
Beloit, Wis. – Born when Ross Perot was warning about a giant sucking sound and Bill Clinton was apologizing for pain in his marriage, members of this fall’s entering college class of 2014 have emerged as a post-email generation for whom the digital world is routine and technology is just too slow.
Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. The creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, it was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. The Mindset List website at www.beloit.edu/mindset, the Mediasite webcast and its Facebook page receive more than 400,000 hits annually.
Becoming a Squinter Nation
Glasses Can Correct Near and Far, but What About Those Screens in Between?
By Melinda Beck
Wall Street Journal
There isn't a name for it and few eye doctors test for it. But many people are having trouble seeing in the middle distance that demands so much of our focus.
Some 80% of us use computers, staring intently on screens set well between typical distance and reading range, often for many hours each day. Add in laptops, pagers, e-readers, smartphones, personal-digital assistants and hand-held video games, each with its own optimum distance and tiny flickering screen, and the demands on human eyes today would baffle even Benjamin Franklin, inventor of the bifocal in the late 18th century.
Wall Street Journal
There isn't a name for it and few eye doctors test for it. But many people are having trouble seeing in the middle distance that demands so much of our focus.
Some 80% of us use computers, staring intently on screens set well between typical distance and reading range, often for many hours each day. Add in laptops, pagers, e-readers, smartphones, personal-digital assistants and hand-held video games, each with its own optimum distance and tiny flickering screen, and the demands on human eyes today would baffle even Benjamin Franklin, inventor of the bifocal in the late 18th century.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Start-Ups on a Shoestring
The tales of three entrepreneurs who launched companies—for less than $150
By Colleen Debaise, Sarah E. Needleman and Emily Maltby
Wall Street Journal
You don't have to break the bank to start a business.
For many would-be entrepreneurs, money is the insurmountable hurdle. They hunger to strike out on their own, but don't have a big pile of cash to invest in a start-up that might not churn a profit for years to come. And they're reluctant to stake what cash they do have while the economy is still shaky.
By Colleen Debaise, Sarah E. Needleman and Emily Maltby
Wall Street Journal
You don't have to break the bank to start a business.
For many would-be entrepreneurs, money is the insurmountable hurdle. They hunger to strike out on their own, but don't have a big pile of cash to invest in a start-up that might not churn a profit for years to come. And they're reluctant to stake what cash they do have while the economy is still shaky.
Another Threat to Economy: Boomers Cutting Back
By Mark Whitehouse
Wall Street Journal
America's baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—face a problem that could weigh on the economy for years to come: The longer it takes for the economy to recover, the less money they'll have to spend in retirement.
Wall Street Journal
America's baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—face a problem that could weigh on the economy for years to come: The longer it takes for the economy to recover, the less money they'll have to spend in retirement.
Rise of the Ratfish in Puget Sound
By Sandi Doughton
Seattle Times
ASK A NORTHWESTERNER to pick the creature that epitomizes Puget Sound, and odds are the answer will be orcas or salmon.
Ask Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Wayne Palsson, and he'll tell you the ugly truth: Ratfish rule.
Seattle Times
ASK A NORTHWESTERNER to pick the creature that epitomizes Puget Sound, and odds are the answer will be orcas or salmon.
Ask Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Wayne Palsson, and he'll tell you the ugly truth: Ratfish rule.
Moose Offer Trail of Clues on Arthritis
By Pam Belluck
In the 100 years since the first moose swam into Lake Superior and set up shop on an island, they have mostly minded their moosely business, munching balsam fir and trying to evade hungry gray wolves.
But now the moose of Isle Royale have something to say — well, their bones do. Many of the moose, it turns out, have arthritis. And scientists believe their condition’s origin can help explain human osteoarthritis — by far the most common type of arthritis, affecting one of every seven adults 25 and older and becoming increasingly prevalent.
New York Times
In the 100 years since the first moose swam into Lake Superior and set up shop on an island, they have mostly minded their moosely business, munching balsam fir and trying to evade hungry gray wolves.
But now the moose of Isle Royale have something to say — well, their bones do. Many of the moose, it turns out, have arthritis. And scientists believe their condition’s origin can help explain human osteoarthritis — by far the most common type of arthritis, affecting one of every seven adults 25 and older and becoming increasingly prevalent.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Your Card Has Been Declined, Just as You Wanted
By Ron Lieber
Coming soon: credit and debit cards that cut you off when you disregard your own monthly budget.
In the next couple of days, MasterCardis expected to announce that Citigroupwill be the first company in the United States to issue MasterCards with special features intended to protect consumers not only from thieves but also from themselves.
New York Times
Coming soon: credit and debit cards that cut you off when you disregard your own monthly budget.
In the next couple of days, MasterCardis expected to announce that Citigroupwill be the first company in the United States to issue MasterCards with special features intended to protect consumers not only from thieves but also from themselves.
Medical treatment carries possible side effect of limiting homosexuality
A prenatal pill for congenital adrenal hyperplasia to prevent ambiguous genitalia may reduce the chance that a female with the disorder will be gay. Critics call it engineering for sexual orientation.
By Shari Roan
Each year in the United States, perhaps a few dozen pregnantwomen learn they are carrying a fetus at risk for a rare disorder known as congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The condition causes an accumulation of male hormones and can, in females, lead to genitals so masculinized that it can be difficult at birth to determine the baby's gender.
By Shari Roan
Los Angeles Times
Each year in the United States, perhaps a few dozen pregnantwomen learn they are carrying a fetus at risk for a rare disorder known as congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The condition causes an accumulation of male hormones and can, in females, lead to genitals so masculinized that it can be difficult at birth to determine the baby's gender.
Same-Sex Marriage Debate Has Roots Going Back Centuries
By Stephanie Pappas
Live Science
In the late 1700s, something disturbing happened to marriage in Western societies: It began to change. Young people had revolutionary new ideas about the institution and what it meant to them.
In the late 1700s, something disturbing happened to marriage in Western societies: It began to change. Young people had revolutionary new ideas about the institution and what it meant to them.
Japan, Checking on Its Oldest, Finds Many Gone
By Martin Fackler
New York Times
TOKYO — Japan has long boasted of having many of the world’s oldest people — testament, many here say, to a society with a superior diet and a commitment to its elderly that is unrivaled in the West.
That was before the police found the body of a man thought to be one of Japan’s oldest, at 111 years, mummified in his bed, dead for more than three decades. His daughter, now 81, hid his death to continue collecting his monthly pension payments, the police said.
New York Times
TOKYO — Japan has long boasted of having many of the world’s oldest people — testament, many here say, to a society with a superior diet and a commitment to its elderly that is unrivaled in the West.
That was before the police found the body of a man thought to be one of Japan’s oldest, at 111 years, mummified in his bed, dead for more than three decades. His daughter, now 81, hid his death to continue collecting his monthly pension payments, the police said.
Amish settle in Colorado's San Luis Valley, diversifying to support families
By Ann Schrader
The Denver Post
MONTE VISTA — Faced with challenges to their traditional agricultural lifestyle, the Amish are adapting to vastly different economic opportunities in their new Colorado settlements. Graphic: Amish Population Changes
The Denver Post
MONTE VISTA — Faced with challenges to their traditional agricultural lifestyle, the Amish are adapting to vastly different economic opportunities in their new Colorado settlements. Graphic: Amish Population Changes
Back-to-school PCs cheaper, show more pizazz
By Peter Svensson
(The Associated Press)
Looking at getting a new PC for the fall semester? Here's a jolt of cheer in these uncertain times: PCs are not only cheaper than ever, there's real innovation going on, yielding interesting new choices.
This is a rundown of options in several price categories.
(The Associated Press)
Seattle Times
Looking at getting a new PC for the fall semester? Here's a jolt of cheer in these uncertain times: PCs are not only cheaper than ever, there's real innovation going on, yielding interesting new choices.
This is a rundown of options in several price categories.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Perils of 'Wannabe Cool' Christianity
By Brett McCracken
Wall Street Journal
'How can we stop the oil gusher?" may have been the question of the summer for most Americans. Yet for many evangelical pastors and leaders, the leaking well is nothing compared to the threat posed by an ongoing gusher of a different sort: Young people pouring out of their churches, never to return.
Wall Street Journal
'How can we stop the oil gusher?" may have been the question of the summer for most Americans. Yet for many evangelical pastors and leaders, the leaking well is nothing compared to the threat posed by an ongoing gusher of a different sort: Young people pouring out of their churches, never to return.
Packing for College, 2010 Style
Hidden financial traps are snaring even the best and brightest on campus—and their parents. Here is how to make sure you don't flunk Money 101.
By Karen Blumenthal
Wall Street Journal
As you help pack up the minifridge, laptop and extra-long twin sheets for your college freshman, you might consider a few other last-minute chores:
By Karen Blumenthal
Wall Street Journal
As you help pack up the minifridge, laptop and extra-long twin sheets for your college freshman, you might consider a few other last-minute chores:
The Power Trip
Contrary to the Machiavellian cliché, nice people are more likely to rise to power. Then something strange happens: Authority atrophies the very talents that got them there.
By Jonah Lehrer
By Jonah Lehrer
Wall Street Journal
When CEO Mark Hurd resigned from Hewlett-Packard last week in light of ethics violations, many people expressed surprise. Mr. Hurd, after all, was known as an unusually effective and straight-laced executive.
When CEO Mark Hurd resigned from Hewlett-Packard last week in light of ethics violations, many people expressed surprise. Mr. Hurd, after all, was known as an unusually effective and straight-laced executive.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Who's a Pirate? In Court, A Duel Over Definitions
By Keith Johnson
Wall Street Journal
NORFOLK, Va.—Not since Lt. Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy sailed back triumphantly to nearby Hampton Roads in 1718 with the severed head of Blackbeard swinging from his bowsprit has this Navy town been so embroiled in the fight against piracy. Interactive Graphic
Wall Street Journal
NORFOLK, Va.—Not since Lt. Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy sailed back triumphantly to nearby Hampton Roads in 1718 with the severed head of Blackbeard swinging from his bowsprit has this Navy town been so embroiled in the fight against piracy. Interactive Graphic
Baby sitters too costly? Check out rates in these Top 10 sitter cities.
By Mark Trumbull
Christian Science Monitor
Virginia Beach, Va., may be the best city in the United States for parents to find a baby sitter, according to a ranking by the online service Sittercity. The service, which matches parents with sitters who post their availability on the Sittercity's website, weighed metro areas based on both costs and the number of sitters available.
Christian Science Monitor
Virginia Beach, Va., may be the best city in the United States for parents to find a baby sitter, according to a ranking by the online service Sittercity. The service, which matches parents with sitters who post their availability on the Sittercity's website, weighed metro areas based on both costs and the number of sitters available.
The Secrets of Songwriters
Whether they're poets or hired guns, modern lyricists are fighting to keep their words in tune with a wildly changing music business. How top writers, from country to hip-hop, nail the phrases they hope will last forever.
By John Jurgensen
Wall Street Journal
It's close to midnight in a Manhattan recording studio, and a songwriter is listening to a work in progress, one that he hopes millions will soon know by heart. He'd recently improvised the lyrics in the vocal booth, including the chorus: "If you're the country, I'm your new citizen." Now, he sings along with the playback in a soft, high voice. If all goes to plan, however, the voice forever linked to "Citizen" will be that of Beyoncé Knowles, the superstar singer in the next room, who's been gathering songs for a new album.
Wall Street Journal
It's close to midnight in a Manhattan recording studio, and a songwriter is listening to a work in progress, one that he hopes millions will soon know by heart. He'd recently improvised the lyrics in the vocal booth, including the chorus: "If you're the country, I'm your new citizen." Now, he sings along with the playback in a soft, high voice. If all goes to plan, however, the voice forever linked to "Citizen" will be that of Beyoncé Knowles, the superstar singer in the next room, who's been gathering songs for a new album.
The top countries on Facebook (chart)
Posted in Main on August 12th, 2010 by Pingdom
Facebook recently passed an incredible milestone, 500 million active users. And it keeps growing.
Although Facebook initially focused on the United States, it soon turned its eyes towards the horizon and the rest of the world. And it’s a tactic that’s been working extremely well. Facebook’s current user base is more than 1.6 times the size of the entire US population. If Facebook were a country, it’d be second only to China and India.
Facebook recently passed an incredible milestone, 500 million active users. And it keeps growing.
Although Facebook initially focused on the United States, it soon turned its eyes towards the horizon and the rest of the world. And it’s a tactic that’s been working extremely well. Facebook’s current user base is more than 1.6 times the size of the entire US population. If Facebook were a country, it’d be second only to China and India.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Web Photos That Reveal Secrets, Like Where You Live
By Kate Murphy
New York Times
When Adam Savage, host of the popular science program “MythBusters,” posted a picture on Twitter of his automobile parked in front of his house, he let his fans know much more than that he drove a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Embedded in the image was a geotag, a bit of data providing the longitude and latitude of where the photo was taken.
Embedded in the image was a geotag, a bit of data providing the longitude and latitude of where the photo was taken.
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Moving From South Asia to U.S.
By Donald G. McNeil Jr.
New York Times
A dangerous new mutation that makes some bacteria resistant to almost all antibiotics has become increasingly common in India and Pakistan and is being found in patients in Britain and the United States who got medical care in those countries, according to new studies.
New York Times
A dangerous new mutation that makes some bacteria resistant to almost all antibiotics has become increasingly common in India and Pakistan and is being found in patients in Britain and the United States who got medical care in those countries, according to new studies.
Are Americans Bigots?
Wall Street Journal
When in 1983 Ronald Reagan characterized the Soviet Union as an "evil empire," the reaction from his betters was swift. Writing in the New York Times, Anthony Lewis called it "primitive"—and wondered (naturally) what the Europeans would think. A headline in Time referred derisively to "The Right Rev. Ronald Reagan." All agreed on one thing: this kind of black-and-white moralizing had no place in American politics.
When in 1983 Ronald Reagan characterized the Soviet Union as an "evil empire," the reaction from his betters was swift. Writing in the New York Times, Anthony Lewis called it "primitive"—and wondered (naturally) what the Europeans would think. A headline in Time referred derisively to "The Right Rev. Ronald Reagan." All agreed on one thing: this kind of black-and-white moralizing had no place in American politics.
Discovering Hats, a New Generation Brims With Anxiety Over Etiquette
By Ray A. Smith
Wall Street Journal
Hector Ramirez sort of knows, from watching old movies, that men are supposed to take off their hats when indoors. But the 19-year-old Brown University student wears fedoras in class—with jeans—anyway. Slideshow: A History of Hats
Wall Street Journal
Hector Ramirez sort of knows, from watching old movies, that men are supposed to take off their hats when indoors. But the 19-year-old Brown University student wears fedoras in class—with jeans—anyway. Slideshow: A History of Hats
'Twilight' leads Quileute tribe to help museum tell its true story
By Lynda V. Mapes
Seattle Times
Wolves that once roamed the wild Olympics, the stories say, were the first Quileute ancestors, transfigured by Kwati, a shape shifter and transformer as old and familiar here as the mist that rolls in from the Pacific.
Seattle Times
Wolves that once roamed the wild Olympics, the stories say, were the first Quileute ancestors, transfigured by Kwati, a shape shifter and transformer as old and familiar here as the mist that rolls in from the Pacific.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Leaving a Job With a Bus, Not a Slide
By Michael Wilson
How thrilling the ride off the back of a jet and down that inflatable emergency slide must have been for Steven Slater, flight attendant — cold beer in his hand, wind in his hair, the seat of his JetBlue uniform gliding merrily toward the runway. Woo-hoo!
New York Times
How thrilling the ride off the back of a jet and down that inflatable emergency slide must have been for Steven Slater, flight attendant — cold beer in his hand, wind in his hair, the seat of his JetBlue uniform gliding merrily toward the runway. Woo-hoo!
Competing For a Mate May Shorten Men's Lives, Study Suggests
Healfinder.gov
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
TUESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- In certain situations, competing for a mate may shorten a man's life.
U.S. researchers found that when men reach sexual maturity in settings where they far outnumber women, they live an average of three months less than males from areas with a more equitable gender ratio.
TUESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- In certain situations, competing for a mate may shorten a man's life.
U.S. researchers found that when men reach sexual maturity in settings where they far outnumber women, they live an average of three months less than males from areas with a more equitable gender ratio.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Stephen Hawking: mankind must move to outer space within a century
By Richard Alleyne
Telegraph (U.K.)
The renowned astrophysicist said he fears mankind is in great danger and its future "must be in space" if it is to survive.
The renowned astrophysicist said he fears mankind is in great danger and its future "must be in space" if it is to survive.
Slumdog Tourism
By Kennedy Odede
New York Times
SLUM tourism has a long history — during the late 1800s, lines of wealthy New Yorkers snaked along the Bowery and through the Lower East Side to see “how the other half lives.”
SLUM tourism has a long history — during the late 1800s, lines of wealthy New Yorkers snaked along the Bowery and through the Lower East Side to see “how the other half lives.”
That Middle-of-the-Night Bellyache: Appendicitis?
By Perri Klass, M.D.
New York Times
Let’s start with “Madeline.” In that classic children’s story by Ludwig Bemelmans, published in 1939, the little French girl of the title is awakened in the night by severe abdominal pain, and the doctor races to get her to the operating table.
New York Times
Let’s start with “Madeline.” In that classic children’s story by Ludwig Bemelmans, published in 1939, the little French girl of the title is awakened in the night by severe abdominal pain, and the doctor races to get her to the operating table.
China Seizes on a Dark Chapter for Tibet
By Edward Wong
New York Times
GYANTSE, Tibet — The white fortress loomed above the fields, a crumbling but still imposing redoubt perched on a rock mound above a plain of golden rapeseed shimmering in the morning light.
New York Times
GYANTSE, Tibet — The white fortress loomed above the fields, a crumbling but still imposing redoubt perched on a rock mound above a plain of golden rapeseed shimmering in the morning light.
A Masterpiece of Nature? Yuck!
By Natalie Angier
New York Times
A friend recently sent around an e-mail with the subject line “lost cat bulletin.” Open the message and — gack! — there was a head-on shot of a star-nosed mole, its “Dawn of the Dead” digging claws in full view and its hallmark nasal boutonniere of 22 highly sensitive feelers looking like fresh bits of sirloin being extruded through a meat grinder. Slideshow
New York Times
A friend recently sent around an e-mail with the subject line “lost cat bulletin.” Open the message and — gack! — there was a head-on shot of a star-nosed mole, its “Dawn of the Dead” digging claws in full view and its hallmark nasal boutonniere of 22 highly sensitive feelers looking like fresh bits of sirloin being extruded through a meat grinder. Slideshow
How Parkinson's Alters the Brain
By Shirley S. Wang
Wall Street Journal
Patients with Parkinson's disease are known to exhibit slowed movements and tremors, but one aspect of their condition is often overlooked: cognitive impairment.
Unlike with Alzheimer's and other dementias, patients with Parkinson's don't lose their memory. Instead, they may develop trouble with planning, making decisions and controlling their emotions, and often exhibit changes in personality as a result.
Wall Street Journal
Patients with Parkinson's disease are known to exhibit slowed movements and tremors, but one aspect of their condition is often overlooked: cognitive impairment.
Unlike with Alzheimer's and other dementias, patients with Parkinson's don't lose their memory. Instead, they may develop trouble with planning, making decisions and controlling their emotions, and often exhibit changes in personality as a result.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Top 3 Things Not to Carry On Your Flight
By: Editor | August 09, 2010 | Category: Travel
GovGab Your U. S. Government Blog
Airline travel has gotten so complicated. Security lines are long; there are extra fees for baggage; adults need to keep out their federal or state-issued ID through the checkpoint; and there are restrictions on what can be carried onto the flight. TheTransportation Security Administration’s (TSA) website is the first place to go to find out the truth about these restrictions.
GovGab Your U. S. Government Blog
Airline travel has gotten so complicated. Security lines are long; there are extra fees for baggage; adults need to keep out their federal or state-issued ID through the checkpoint; and there are restrictions on what can be carried onto the flight. TheTransportation Security Administration’s (TSA) website is the first place to go to find out the truth about these restrictions.
Cellphone Service by the Day, Month or Tankful
By Thomas J. Fitzgerald
New York Times
The two-year contract.
To the cellphone carriers, it is the centerpiece of their business model, promising a steady stream of revenue by handcuffing customers to their phones.
On the other side of the contract is the consumer, locked to a phone or a carrier as competitors offer less expensive or better alternatives.
New York Times
The two-year contract.
To the cellphone carriers, it is the centerpiece of their business model, promising a steady stream of revenue by handcuffing customers to their phones.
On the other side of the contract is the consumer, locked to a phone or a carrier as competitors offer less expensive or better alternatives.
Many Girls Now Begin Puberty at Age 7, 8
Healthfinder.gov
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
MONDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The onset of puberty is continuing to drop among American girls, with many girls as young as 7 and 8 now showing the beginnings of breast development, new research shows.
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
MONDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The onset of puberty is continuing to drop among American girls, with many girls as young as 7 and 8 now showing the beginnings of breast development, new research shows.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
This Bedbug’s Life
By May Berenbaum
New York Times
I had been a professor of entomology for 15 years before I saw my first live bedbug. It crawled out of a plastic film canister that had been mailed to me by a distraught student in the Boston area who had no idea what it was. I was so thrilled to see a live bedbug, I showed it off to every graduate student I ran into that day: Cimex lectularius — a small, flat, wingless, brown ectoparasite that hides in cracks and crevices in human dwellings and emerges under cover of darkness to feast on human blood.
New York Times
I had been a professor of entomology for 15 years before I saw my first live bedbug. It crawled out of a plastic film canister that had been mailed to me by a distraught student in the Boston area who had no idea what it was. I was so thrilled to see a live bedbug, I showed it off to every graduate student I ran into that day: Cimex lectularius — a small, flat, wingless, brown ectoparasite that hides in cracks and crevices in human dwellings and emerges under cover of darkness to feast on human blood.
Touch Affects Impressions, Decisions
National Institute of Health
Something you’re touching can influence how you feel about unrelated events, situations and objects without you realizing it, according to new research.
Something you’re touching can influence how you feel about unrelated events, situations and objects without you realizing it, according to new research.
But Will It Make You Happy?
By Stephanie Rosenbloom
SHE had so much.
A two-bedroom apartment. Two cars. Enough wedding china to serve two dozen people.
Yet Tammy Strobel wasn’t happy. Working as a project manager with an investment management firm in Davis, Calif., and making about $40,000 a year, she was, as she put it, caught in the “work-spend treadmill.”
So one day she stepped off.
New York Times
SHE had so much.
A two-bedroom apartment. Two cars. Enough wedding china to serve two dozen people.
Yet Tammy Strobel wasn’t happy. Working as a project manager with an investment management firm in Davis, Calif., and making about $40,000 a year, she was, as she put it, caught in the “work-spend treadmill.”
So one day she stepped off.
Divorce Insurance (Yes, Divorce Insurance)
By Jennifer Saranow Schultz
New York Times
Here’s a new option for those worried they’ll end up on the wrong side of the statistics that show so many marriages ending over time: divorce insurance.
New York Times
Here’s a new option for those worried they’ll end up on the wrong side of the statistics that show so many marriages ending over time: divorce insurance.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
foldit
Foldit is a revolutionary new computer game enabling you to contribute to important scientific research. This page describes the science behind Foldit and how your playing can help.
Also:
In a Video Game, Tackling the Complexities of Protein Folding
By John Markoff
Also:
In a Video Game, Tackling the Complexities of Protein Folding
By John Markoff
New York Times
In a match that pitted video game players against the best known computer program designed for the task, the gamers outperformed the software in figuring out how 10 proteins fold into their three-dimensional configurations.
Best Cars for Teenagers? No One Can Agree
By Cheryl Jensen
New York Times
If you think it is easy to recommend the top vehicles for teenagers, you are so wrong.
If you think it is easy to recommend the top vehicles for teenagers, you are so wrong.
Two New Paths to the Dream: Regeneration
By Nicholas Wade
New York Times
Two research reports published Friday offer novel approaches to the age-old dream of regenerating the body from its own cells. Graphic
Battle Looms Over Huge Costs of Public Pensions
By Ron Lieber
New York Times
There’s a class war coming to the world of government pensions.
The haves are retirees who were once state or municipal workers. Their seemingly guaranteed and ever-escalating monthly pension benefits are breaking budgets nationwide.
New York Times
There’s a class war coming to the world of government pensions.
The haves are retirees who were once state or municipal workers. Their seemingly guaranteed and ever-escalating monthly pension benefits are breaking budgets nationwide.
Demystifying, and Maybe Decreasing, the Emergency Room Bill
By Lesley Alderman
New York Times
DURING a snowstorm last winter, my 6-year-old son fell and cut his chin — not outside on the ice, but inside on the tile bathroom floor. My husband walked our son, Charlie, through the knee-high snow to the local emergency room.
New York Times
DURING a snowstorm last winter, my 6-year-old son fell and cut his chin — not outside on the ice, but inside on the tile bathroom floor. My husband walked our son, Charlie, through the knee-high snow to the local emergency room.
Immigrant Conversations
Citizenship From Birth Is Challenged on the Right
By Julia Preston
New York Times
By Julia Preston
New York Times
Friday, August 6, 2010
Parisians Find Playground Under the Streets
By Don Duncan
Wall Street Journal
PARIS—While many Parisians go out on the town on Saturday evenings, a small but growing number go under it.
Beneath Paris lies a network of some 155 miles of tunnels known as "the catacombs"—an underground labyrinth that serves as the weekend playground for bands of urban explorers. One recent Saturday, several dozen "cataphiles," as these explorers are known, climbed down an embankment in south Paris to a unused railroad track. After a short walk, they disappear into a hole in the side of a railway tunnel to the catacombs, 65 feet below. Slideshow
Wall Street Journal
PARIS—While many Parisians go out on the town on Saturday evenings, a small but growing number go under it.
Beneath Paris lies a network of some 155 miles of tunnels known as "the catacombs"—an underground labyrinth that serves as the weekend playground for bands of urban explorers. One recent Saturday, several dozen "cataphiles," as these explorers are known, climbed down an embankment in south Paris to a unused railroad track. After a short walk, they disappear into a hole in the side of a railway tunnel to the catacombs, 65 feet below. Slideshow
Where temperature strayed from average
By NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies\
New York Times
New York Times
As It Shrinks, the Dead Sea Nourishes Promises of an Economic Bloom
By Isabel Kershner
New York Times
KALIA, West Bank — For many, the shrinking of the Dead Sea has long signaled its impending demise. But even with its waters steadily disappearing, the ancient salt lake, where no fish can survive, is showing other signs of life.
New York Times
KALIA, West Bank — For many, the shrinking of the Dead Sea has long signaled its impending demise. But even with its waters steadily disappearing, the ancient salt lake, where no fish can survive, is showing other signs of life.
My Food-a-pedia
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
United States Department of Agriculture
Quick access to food info.
Find the calories and MyPyramid food groups for a food, or compare two foods.
Enter food name: [Search]
Find the calories and MyPyramid food groups for a food, or compare two foods.
Enter food name: [Search]
Mobile Internet More Popular in China than in U.S.
Shan Phillips, Vice President, Greater China, Telecom Practice, The Nielsen Company
On the streets of Guangzhou, Harbin and Shanghai, the mobile phone has become ubiquitous. Once the domain of the elite, it now seems that just about everybody has one. Widespread ownership of mobiles is only a fairly recent development in China, but consumers there have fully embraced the technology and in some ways are using it more robustly than their American and European counterparts.
On the streets of Guangzhou, Harbin and Shanghai, the mobile phone has become ubiquitous. Once the domain of the elite, it now seems that just about everybody has one. Widespread ownership of mobiles is only a fairly recent development in China, but consumers there have fully embraced the technology and in some ways are using it more robustly than their American and European counterparts.
New Realities of an Older America
By Stanford Center on Longevity
The challenges of baby boomers reaching old age, combined with a growing, more diverse population, will drive major changes, challenges and decisions in U.S. families, workplaces and communities, according toNEW REALITIES of an OLDER AMERICA: Challenges, Changes and Questions, a new report from the Stanford Center on Longevity.
The challenges of baby boomers reaching old age, combined with a growing, more diverse population, will drive major changes, challenges and decisions in U.S. families, workplaces and communities, according toNEW REALITIES of an OLDER AMERICA: Challenges, Changes and Questions, a new report from the Stanford Center on Longevity.
Technology helps absent obstetricians stay app on things
By Jennifer Brown
The Denver Post
Dr. Reid Goodman was out for lunch when he flicked on his iPhone and realized something was seriously wrong — his patient in labor at Rose Medical Center was in trouble.
The Denver Post
Dr. Reid Goodman was out for lunch when he flicked on his iPhone and realized something was seriously wrong — his patient in labor at Rose Medical Center was in trouble.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
10 Surprising Ways Your State May Tax You Next
Kiplinger
There may be some truth in it--literally. Facing large budget shortfalls and unwilling to raise general taxes in a slow economy, states are looking for creative ways to raise a little extra revenue here and there, including taxing shoe repair. Here are some of the proposed new taxes and user fees under review by state governments across the country. Some plans will be met with public scorn; others will be adopted with little notice. This is a slideshow
How to Find Cheaper College Textbooks
By Tara Siegel Bernard
New York Times
You might call it the college student’s first lesson in exploitation: paying $100 for a textbook, then getting a mere $12 when reselling to the campus bookstore at the end of the semester.
You might call it the college student’s first lesson in exploitation: paying $100 for a textbook, then getting a mere $12 when reselling to the campus bookstore at the end of the semester.
You can count the number of books in the world on 25,972,976 hands
The Official Google Blog
Ever wonder just how many different books there are in the world? After some intensive analysis, we've come up with a number. Standing on the shoulders of giants—libraries and cataloging organizations—and based on our computational resources and experience of organizing millions of books through our Books Library Project and Books Partner Program since 2004, we’ve determined that number.
And May the Best Nurdle Win
By Clifford M. Marks and Ellen Byron
A pair of toothpaste makers have squared off in court over a marketing icon, the "nurdle."
For the uninitiated, the nurdle is that curvy squirt of toothpaste—perfectly shaped in advertisements—that people use to scrub their pearly whites.
Wall Street Journal
A pair of toothpaste makers have squared off in court over a marketing icon, the "nurdle."
For the uninitiated, the nurdle is that curvy squirt of toothpaste—perfectly shaped in advertisements—that people use to scrub their pearly whites.
Stalkers Exploit Cellphone GPS
By Justin Scheck
Wall Street Journal
Phone companies know where their customers' cellphones are, often within a radius of less than 100 feet. That tracking technology has rescued lost drivers, helped authorities find kidnap victims and let parents keep tabs on their kids.
Wall Street Journal
Phone companies know where their customers' cellphones are, often within a radius of less than 100 feet. That tracking technology has rescued lost drivers, helped authorities find kidnap victims and let parents keep tabs on their kids.
From the NYPD to JetBlue
By Scott McCartney
Wall Street Journal
Some airlines try to hire flight attendants who are young and attractive. JetBlue Airways has a type, too: cops and fire fighters.
Wall Street Journal
Some airlines try to hire flight attendants who are young and attractive. JetBlue Airways has a type, too: cops and fire fighters.
Feds admit storing checkpoint body scan images
Declan McCullagh
CNET News
For the last few years, federal agencies have defended body scanning by insisting that all images will be discarded as soon as they're viewed. The Transportation Security Administration claimed last summer, for instance, that "scanned images cannot be stored or recorded."
CNET News
For the last few years, federal agencies have defended body scanning by insisting that all images will be discarded as soon as they're viewed. The Transportation Security Administration claimed last summer, for instance, that "scanned images cannot be stored or recorded."
Showerheads
United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Showering is one of the leading ways we use water in the home, accounting for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water use, or about 30 gallons per household per day. That's nearly 1.2 trillion gallons of water used in the United States annually just for showering, or enough to supply the water needs of New York and New Jersey for a year! By retrofitting your entire bathroom with WaterSense labeled fixtures, you can save even more.
Showering is one of the leading ways we use water in the home, accounting for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water use, or about 30 gallons per household per day. That's nearly 1.2 trillion gallons of water used in the United States annually just for showering, or enough to supply the water needs of New York and New Jersey for a year! By retrofitting your entire bathroom with WaterSense labeled fixtures, you can save even more.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
War on terror's other cost: undeserved anger at all Muslims
By Thomas W. Young
Christian Science Monitor
This September and October, Americans mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the ninth year of war in Afghanistan, respectively. This war has become arguably the longest in our history. Given the jihad-until-doomsday rhetoric of the Islamists, the war on terror will probably stay with us in one form or another for the foreseeable future.
Christian Science Monitor
This September and October, Americans mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the ninth year of war in Afghanistan, respectively. This war has become arguably the longest in our history. Given the jihad-until-doomsday rhetoric of the Islamists, the war on terror will probably stay with us in one form or another for the foreseeable future.
Women More Attracted When Men Wear Red: Study
By healthfinder.gov
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Health and Human Services
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Men looking to attract the opposite sex may want to add red to their wardrobe, a new study finds.
Free-Range Landscaping
By Gwendolyn Bounds
Wall Street Journal
Recently, the patch of weeds behind Steve Holdaway's Chapel Hill, N.C., home grew so unkempt that he hired outside help. For six hours, the crew's members tackled tall grass and thorny blackberry plants and toiled without a break—other than to chew their cud, that is.
His workers: seven hungry—and carbon-emission-free—goats.
Wall Street Journal
Recently, the patch of weeds behind Steve Holdaway's Chapel Hill, N.C., home grew so unkempt that he hired outside help. For six hours, the crew's members tackled tall grass and thorny blackberry plants and toiled without a break—other than to chew their cud, that is.
His workers: seven hungry—and carbon-emission-free—goats.
Information Explosion & Cloud Storage
Wikibon Blog
Even in 2009′s “Great Recession,” the amount of digital information grew 62% over 2008 to 800 billion gigabytes (0.8 Zettabytes). It is projected that the amount of digital information that will be created in 2010 could fill 75 billion fully-loaded 16 GB Apple iPads.
Even in 2009′s “Great Recession,” the amount of digital information grew 62% over 2008 to 800 billion gigabytes (0.8 Zettabytes). It is projected that the amount of digital information that will be created in 2010 could fill 75 billion fully-loaded 16 GB Apple iPads.
CADILLAC ESCALADE, FORD F-250 PICKUP, & INFINITI G37 TOP LIST OF HIGHEST INSURANCE CLAIMS FOR THEFT
By Highway Loss Data Institute
ARLINGTON, VA—The rate at which people file insurance claims for theft is highest for
versions of the 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade, a luxury SUV, followed by the Ford F-250 crew
pickup, Infiniti G37 luxury car, and Dodge Charger with a HEMI engine. Theft rates for
these vehicles are 3 to 5 times as high as the average for all vehicles. These are the
latest theft loss results for passenger vehicles 1 to 3 years old published by the Highway
Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
ARLINGTON, VA—The rate at which people file insurance claims for theft is highest for
versions of the 2007-09 Cadillac Escalade, a luxury SUV, followed by the Ford F-250 crew
pickup, Infiniti G37 luxury car, and Dodge Charger with a HEMI engine. Theft rates for
these vehicles are 3 to 5 times as high as the average for all vehicles. These are the
latest theft loss results for passenger vehicles 1 to 3 years old published by the Highway
Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Breast Milk Sugars Give Infants a Protective Coat
By Nicholad Wade
A large part of human milk cannot be digested by babies and seems to have a purpose quite different from infant nutrition — that of influencing the composition of the bacteria in the infant’s gut.
New York Times
A large part of human milk cannot be digested by babies and seems to have a purpose quite different from infant nutrition — that of influencing the composition of the bacteria in the infant’s gut.
Tracing Oil Reserves to Their Tiny Origins
By William J. Broad
New York Times
In 1913, as the automobile zoomed into American life, The Outing Magazine gave its readers a bit of background on what fueled the new motorcars in “The Story of Gasoline.” After a brief vignette describing the death of “old Colonel Stegosaurus Ugulatus,” the article explained that “yesterday you poured the remains of the dinosaur from a measuring-can — which, let us hope, held five gallons, full measure — into your gasoline tank.” Graphic
In 1913, as the automobile zoomed into American life, The Outing Magazine gave its readers a bit of background on what fueled the new motorcars in “The Story of Gasoline.” After a brief vignette describing the death of “old Colonel Stegosaurus Ugulatus,” the article explained that “yesterday you poured the remains of the dinosaur from a measuring-can — which, let us hope, held five gallons, full measure — into your gasoline tank.” Graphic
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