For Those Who Can't Decide on Dessert, Here's the Dish

Cherpumple' Bakes Three Pies Inside Cakes; 'Total Spectacle' or Deadly Sin?

By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER
Wall Street Journal

Turduckens are now American holiday fixtures, those Frankenstein fowl featuring a turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken. Last Thanksgiving, Charles Phoenix created the turducken of desserts. [Slide Show]

New Ways Bankers Are Spying on You

By KAREN BLUMENTHAL

Wall Street Journal

Big Banker is watching you—more closely than ever.

With lenders still skittish about making new loans, credit bureaus and others are hawking services that help banks probe deeply into your financial closet. The new offerings include ways to look at your rent and utility payments, figure out your income, gauge your home's value and even rate your banking habits based on details like whether your direct deposits have stopped.

Iowa's Total Recall

Voters give activist judges the boot. Lawyers are shocked.
Wall Street Journal

Iowans made a clean sweep of the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, voting to recall all three justices who were up for a retention election. The rout is being played as an unprecedented politicization of state courts. Maybe if judges behaved less like politicians, they'd have less reason to fear recall votes.

Exporting Our Way to Stability

By BARACK OBAMA

New York Times

AS the United States recovers from this recession, the biggest mistake we could make would be to rebuild our economy on the same pile of debt or the paper profits of financial speculation. We need to rebuild on a new, stronger foundation for economic growth. And part of that foundation involves doing what Americans have always done best: discovering, creating and building products that are sold all over the world.

An ‘ARE YOU SMARTER THAN AL GORE?’ energy quiz

Christian Science Monitor

Everyone has been conditioned to flick off lights when they leave a room – or, if they forget, to tromp dutifully back to turn them off. Many such energy-saving actions have become routines that make us feel very green, very much the global good citizens helping to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. We don't really know how Al Gore would do on this quiz. But if you take it and ace it, you might feel a little competitive with the man who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to counter climate change by reconsidering the energy choices behind the problem. Take our quiz and find out how much you really know about your energy use:

Would Law School Warning Labels Help?

Ari L. Kaplan
The National Law Journal

People smoke. People speed. They don't exercise or get enough sleep. They go to law school. By now, everyone is aware of the consequences of these actions. In fact, they have known them for some time. The question is: who is responsible?

World Freedom Day

Answers.USA.Gov

World Freedom Day is a United States federal observance to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. It started in 2001 and is celebrated every November 9.

November 7 Daylight Saving Ends

By: Ginger | November 05, 2010 | Category: General

GovGab: Your U.S. Government Blog

On Saturday night, November 6, before drifting off to a blissful slumber, most people will turn their clocks back one hour, because daylight saving time ends on November 7. If you are a stickler for details, you will wait until November 7 at precisely 2:00 a.m. local daylight time to set your clock back one hour which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time.

Hoover Dam Bypass

Arizona Central

The Perfect Stimulus: Bad Management

If no one had a hamster-brained sociopath for a boss, who would start new businesses?
By SCOTT ADAMS

Wall Street Journal

One of my earliest childhood jobs involved shoveling manure at my uncle's dairy farm in upstate New York. Things were going well until my uncle explained that no matter how well I performed, I would never be promoted to farmer. Or even cow. I had hit the manure ceiling.

Wardens Shut Illegal Franklin County Kennel, Remove 58 Rare Breed Dogs

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The state's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement has shut down a kennel operating illegally without a license in Franklin County after learning the owner was hoarding 68 rare New Guinea Singing Dogs. [To see a video from Animal Planet where you can hear them "sing" access this link].

Very Low Health Risks from Full-Body X-ray ScannersSearch Consumer Updates

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Be it in airports, court buildings, or other venues, Americans are increasingly encountering full-body imaging systems, the new wave in electronic security screening.

A Fall Guide: How to Pick Your Next Computer

By WALTER S. MOSSBERG

Wall Street Journal

If you're shopping for a new computer this fall, you won't find big surprises. But you'll still have to juggle a lot of technobabble terminology and watch your budget. Perhaps the biggest question for some buyers will be whether to get a tablet or a laptop, now that Apple's iPad is a proven hit and a flood of competitors is on the way.

Drones Get Ready to Fly, Unseen, Into Everyday Life

By SIOBHAN GORMAN

Wall Street Journal

Brangelina beware. The paparazzi of Splash News are coming for you and you'll never see them coming.

Gary Morgan, chief executive of the celebrity-photo agency, said he'd like to be buzzing his quarry soon with silent, miniature drones mounted with tiny cameras. No more harassment from helicopters hovering in the Hollywood Hills.

The Turf War for Tots

In TV's battle for the hearts and minds of preschoolers, it's Mandarin and math vs. stories and sparkle
By AMY CHOZICK

Wall Street Journal

They're just learning how to tie their shoes and use the bathroom, and yet they represent one of the most important demographics in television. Preschoolers aged 2 to 5 spend an average of more than 32 hours in front of a TV screen each week, according to Nielsen.

Dog catches salmon swimming across road

Sexual abuse in childhood tied to schizophrenia

By Frederik Joelving

MedlinePlus

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sexually abused children are at increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life, Australian researchers have found.

Protecting Your Home From Afar With a Robot

By PETER WAYNER

New York Times

When Robert Oschler, a programmer, leaves his home, he knows it is secure. And if he ever has cause for concern, he can open his laptop and survey the house through the eyes of his watchdogs.

US Department of Labor launches Veterans Hiring Toolkit for employers

U. S. Department of Labor

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of a new online toolkit to guide employers through the process for hiring veterans. The free toolkit is designed to assist and educate employers who have made the proactive decision to include veterans and wounded warriors in their recruitment and hiring initiatives.

Tuition Over Time, 1999-2010

Chronicle of Higher Education

The published price of college continued to climb in 2010-11, according to "Trends in College Pricing 2010," the newest installment in a series of annual reports issued by the College Board. To explore tuition trends at a particular college or university, start by choosing an institution type and a state, and then select an institution. You will then be able to compare its tuition and fees with those at other institutions, stretching back to 1999.

Running Shorts. Singlet. Shoes?

By KATIE THOMAS

New York Times

If running 26.2 miles in a couple of hours seems daunting, imagine doing it barefoot.

SAT Prep on the Web: A) a Game; B) Online Chat; C) All of the Above

By KATHERINE BOEHRET

Wall Street Journal

This Saturday, high-school students around the country will sit for hours of silent testing that will determine some portion of their future: That's right, it's SAT time. For both parents and kids, the preparation for taking the standardized test is stressful and expensive, often involving hours of studying and several hundreds of dollars spent on classes, workbooks and tutors. And many kids will take these tests more than once.

A World in Which You Can Be Mayor Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704462704575590260880867750.html?mod=rss_Today's_Most_Popular#ixzz14GJtSu00

People Vie for Title, Glory, and Discounts On Foursquare.com; Marketers Play Ball
By KATHERINE ROSMAN

Wall Street Journal

Barack Obama is president of the United States, but Dustin Davis is Foursquare mayor of the Oval Office. Mr. Davis, 30, is also mayor of the Pentagon, where he works as an information technology specialist, and of the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame at Arlington National Cemetery, which he frequently walks past en route to work.

Your College Major May Not Be As Important As You Think

By ZAC BISSONNETTE

New York Times


Here’s an excerpt from a letter that an indignant father sent to his son after hearing that he had opted for an impractical major:

Happy Meal ban passed: San Francisco says no to toys

A Happy Meal ban passed Tuesday by the SF Board of Supervisors limits toy giveaways in unhealthy meals and requires fruits or veggies with each meal.
By Trevor Hunnicutt

(Associated Press)

Christian Science Monitor


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For some veggies-hating children, Happy Meals won't be so happy anymore.

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 on Tuesday to approve an ordinance that would limit toy giveaways in fast food children's meals that have excessive calories, sodium and fat. It also requires servings of fruits or vegetables with each meal.

Robotic hand might become a valuable gripper even though it has no fingers

By Kristen Minogue

Science Now

It turns out that opposable thumbs aren't critical for getting a good grip. Neither are fingers. Scientists have created a robotic hand that can do such things as serve drinks and draw pictures even though it has no digits. [Video]

High-Tech Looks Put New Spin on Laundry

Sleek, High-Tech Machines Rolling Out

By ANJALI ATHAVALEY

Wall Street Journal

The lowly washer and dryer—for years condemned to toil in the basement—are increasingly becoming the showpiece of the first-floor laundry room. So more appliance makers are gearing them toward high-end, tech-savvy consumers.

From Farm to Fridge to Garbage Can

By TARA PARKER-POPE
New York Times

How much food does your family waste?

A lot, if you are typical. By most estimates, a quarter to half of all food produced in the United States goes uneaten — left in fields, spoiled in transport, thrown out at the grocery store, scraped into the garbage or forgotten until it spoils.

They're watching you: methods to block nosy Web advertisers

Virtually everything you do online is scrutinized by search engines and advertising networks that evaluate you as a potential customer based on what you search for, the sites you visit and the ads you see — whether you click on those ads or not.
By Mike Swift
(San Jose Mercury News)

Seattle Times

Virtually everything you do online is scrutinized by search engines and advertising networks that evaluate you as a potential customer based on what you search for, the sites you visit and the ads you see — whether you click on those ads or not.

"Secure Flight" Starts for Travelers

By: Jake | November 01, 2010 | Category: Travel

GovGab: You U. S. Government Blog
Last week, one of my loyal readers, emailed me about a call she received from her airline regarding travel plans she booked months ago. The call stated that if she did not provide her full name, birth date and some other information for her flight, she wouldn't get her boarding pass. By coincidence, I had recently booked some travel plans and noticed the online airline reservation system asked for more information than usual.

Debt Collectors Face a Hazard: Writer’s Cramp

By DAVID SEGAL

New York Times

When Michael Gazzarato took a job that required him to sign hundreds of affidavits in a single day, he had one demand for his employer: a much better pen.

The Many Powers of Maybe

Refusing to Commit Has Never Been Easier, and It Says A Lot About Us

By ELIZABETH BERNSTEIN
Wall Street Journal


If I asked you to have dinner with me Friday night, would you say "yes"? (Great!) "No"? (Bummer.)

Or would you break my heart and say "maybe"?

It seems it wasn't long ago that invitations required definitive answers. We would receive a phone call or a piece of mail requesting our attendance at an event, and we were expected to call or write back—with an affirmative or negative response.

Money tip: Old-style TV antennas can bring in new savings

By Gregory Karp
(Chicago Tribune)
Seattle Times

You might have read about people cutting their cable-TV bills by watching shows online, using all kinds of high-tech gear and services.

Europe’s Plagues Came From China, Study Finds

By NICHOLAS WADE

New York Times

The great waves of plague that twice devastated Europe and changed the course of history had their origins in China, a team of medical geneticists reported Sunday, as did a third plague outbreak that struck less harmfully in the 19th century.

Russia's heroin problem and ongoing battles over Afghan poppy fields

By Kathy Lally

Washington Post

MOSCOW - Russia has a heroin problem - a bad one. And drug officials here have been blaming it on the United States, saying its refusal to spray Afghan poppy fields is devastating Russia.

In Quest for 'Legal High,' Chemists Outfox Law

By JEANNE WHALEN

Wall Street Journal

ANTWERP, Belgium—When the housing market crashed in 2008, David Llewellyn's construction business went with it. Casting around for a new gig, he decided to commercialize something he'd long done as a hobby: making drugs.

The Great Unwashed

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

New York Times

A DAILY shower is a deeply ingrained American habit. Most people would no sooner disclose they had not showered in days than admit infidelity. But Jenefer Palmer, 55, of Malibu, Calif., cheerfully acknowledged recently that she doesn’t shower or shampoo daily and doesn’t use deodorant. Ever.

O*NET OnLine

O*NET OnLine is created for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration, by the National Center for O*NET Development.


Welcome to your tool for career exploration and job analysis!
O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, researchers, and more!

Seasonal blues? Lack of blue light may be to blame

By Lynne Peeples

Health.com

CNN

(Health.com) -- As winter approaches and the days get shorter, your mood may get darker too. Sunlight deprivation can make people feel lethargic, gloomy, and irritable, and for some it can lead to the condition known as seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression.

Halloween

USA.gov

On Halloween—October 31—many American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors are expected to respond by giving them candy or other small gifts. Children and adults also might celebrate Halloween with costume parties.

Attack of the Tall Dolls

By ANN ZIMMERMAN

Wall Street Journal

Tiana and Ariel had a growth spurt last year. They grew six inches and now they're 18 inches tall.

Walt Disney Co. made bigger Disney Princess dolls because it, and other toy makers, think that's the way to keep girls playing with dolls for a few more years. [Slide Show]

Vote the way you did that first time

It is easy to get jaded about voting, especially with all the partisan bickering that precedes it. But watch first-time voters -- those who have just come of age or those who live in newly free countries -- and you'll remember how it felt that first time.
By John Yemma

Christian Science Monitor

Do you remember the first time you voted? For me, it was 1972, the year Richard Nixon faced George McGovern. I won’t tell you who got my vote or whether I eventually felt justified or embarrassed. And, no, it isn’t obvious, even if you harbor suspicions about a person who later made a career in the media.

Caffeine and Alcohol Drink Is Potent Mix for Young

By ABBY GOODNOUGH

New York Times

Mixing alcohol and caffeine is hardly a new concept, but a rash of cases involving students and others who landed at hospitals after drinking beverages that combine the two in a single large can has alarmed college and health officials around the country.

Is Candy Evil or Just Misunderstood?

By JULIA MOSKIN

New York Times

FOR Samira Kawash, a writer who lives in Brooklyn, the Jelly Bean Incident provided the spark.

From Touchpad to Thought-pad?

NIH-funded research shows that digital images can be manipulated with the mind

National Institutes of Health

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

Move over, touchpad screens: New research funded in part by the National Institutes of Health shows that it is possible to manipulate complex visual images on a computer screen using only the mind.

Scientists Raise Concerns About Flame Retardants

Chemicals used in wide range of consumer products may be harmful to health, need more study, they warn.

healthfinder.gov

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

THURSDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Flame retardants used in a wide range of consumer products pose a threat to human health and may not even be all that effective, according to a statement signed by nearly 150 scientists from 22 countries.

Abstract gift for Bill Gates

The Microsoft founder and philanthropist is turning 55 this week and since his age coincides with the rightmost two digits of his birth year, it's particularly special — mathematically, that is.
By Aziz S. Inan
Special to The Seattle Times

Bill Gates was born in 1955 and, this week, on Oct. 28, the Microsoft chairman and philanthropist will turn 55, a distinct age because it coincides with the rightmost two digits of his birth year.

Would James Bond Live in an Aquaminium?

By Amy Ma

Wall Street Journal

So what exactly is an Aquaminium?

According to Gulu Lalvani, the Royal Phuket Marina chief executive and developer who says he created the term, it’s an apartment complex on the water with one added feature — an indoor parking garage for a boat. [Slide Show]

'Stranger Danger' and the Decline of Halloween

No child has ever been killed by poisoned candy. Ever.
By LENORE SKENAZY

Wall Street Journal

Halloween is the day when America market-tests parental paranoia. If a new fear flies on Halloween, it's probably going to catch on the rest of the year, too.

When Hormone Creams Expose Others to Risks

By TARA PARKER-POPE
New York Times

Veterinarians around the country are reporting a strange phenomenon: spayed dogs and cats, even some puppies and kittens, are suddenly becoming hormonal.

Care for Your Air Tour

[Interactive site]

Improving mothers' literacy skills may be best way to boost children's achievement

NIH News
National Institutes of Health

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health concluded that programs to boost the academic achievement of children from low income neighborhoods might be more successful if they also provided adult literacy education to parents.

The researchers based this conclusion on their finding that a mother's reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, outweighing other factors, such as neighborhood and family income.

US elections 2010: Craziest campaign moments

BBC

There are few more more compelling political spectacles than an American election. It seems that each cycle, the public is treated to more and more entertaining gaffes, one-liners and downright strange behaviour.

Seeking Proof in Near-Death Claims

By MELINDA BECK

Wall Street Journal

At 18 hospitals in the U.S. and U.K., researchers have suspended pictures, face up, from the ceilings in emergency-care areas. The reason: to test whether patients brought back to life after cardiac arrest can recall seeing the images during an out-of-body experience.

Studying the Biases of Bureaucrats

By MATT RIDLEY

Wall Street Journal

There is a fashionable new science—behavioral economics, they call it—which applies the insights of psychology to how people make economic decisions. It tries to explain, for instance, the herd instinct that led people during the recent bubble to override common sense and believe things about asset values because others did: the "bandwagon effect." And it labels as "hindsight bias" the all-too-common tendency during the recent bust to imagine that past events were more predictable than they were. Behavioral economics has also brought us notions like "loss aversion": how we hate giving up a dollar we have far more than forgoing a dollar we have not yet got.

What in Carnation?

Dyed crass colors and sold in delis, the flower is almost universally scorned. But fashionable tastemakers are outsnobbing the snobs and restoring the bloom's once-regal status

By LETTIE TEAGUE

Wall Street Journal

If every flower carries a secret code (red roses stand for love, mums mean death) then carnations can probably be said to signify…cheap. Regarded as only suitable for sale in bodegas and grocery stores and primarily worn by pimply adolescents on middle-school dates, the carnation is a flower that is almost universally scorned. But dig a bit deeper and you'll find a group of supremely fashionable—and influential—dianthus caryophyllus fans who are helping to restore the flower's once-regal status.

How the King Cobra Maintains Its Reign

By SEAN B. CARROLL

New York Times

I can remember the first time I saw one, at the St. Louis Zoo, and the feeling that certain death was just on the other side of the glass. I could not get over the snake’s size — this one was about 12 feet long. I was used to looking at giant snakes in zoos (I always made a beeline for the reptile house), but pythons did not seem so scary to me because they rarely moved. This sleek, agile and very alert snake was a king cobra, the largest venomous snake in the world and an icon to all snake enthusiasts, including this writer.

Teens, Parents Often Lie About Illicit Drug Use

Doctors can't rely on self-reporting for truth about cocaine, opiates, study finds.
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay

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

MONDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Don't expect teens -- or their parents -- to be honest about their drug use, a new study shows.

Realco guns tied to 2,500 crimes in D.C. and Maryland

By David S. Fallis

Washington Post

Outside a baby shower in Landover three years ago, Erik Kenneth Dixon snapped. As he argued with his sister and her boyfriend in a parking lot, the 25-year-old man whipped out a .45-caliber Glock and shot her in the leg. Then he chased down her boyfriend, firing between cars and at the running man's feet until he slipped on wet grass. As the prone man held his hands up in futile defense, Dixon executed him, firing seven times.

Arctic Report Card: Update for 2010

NOAA

New Library Technologies Dispense With Librarians

By CONOR DOUGHERTY

HUGO, Minn.—In this suburb of St. Paul, the new library branch has no librarians, no card catalog and no comfortable chairs in which to curl up and read.

Instead, the Library Express is a stack of metal lockers outside city hall. When patrons want a book or DVD, they order it online and pick it up from a digitally locked, glove-compartment- sized cubby a few days later. It's a library as conceived by the Amazon.com generation.

All Politics Is Olfactory

By PETER LIBERMAN and DAVID PIZARRO

New York Times

JUST days before New York’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Carl Paladino mailed out thousands of campaign ads impregnated with the smell of rotting garbage. Emblazoned with the message “Something Stinks in Albany” and photos of scandal-tainted New York Democrats like former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Representative Charles Rangel, the brochure attacked Mr. Paladino’s rival, former Representative Rick Lazio, for being “liberal” and a part of the state’s corrupt political system.

Help Them, Teach Them, but Don’t Live Through Them

By DAVE MARCUS

THE woman corners me after I give a speech about college admissions.

“My son isn’t the best student,” she begins, “but we think he has a good chance of getting into. ...”

I can guess: Stanford or Duke, Yale or Northwestern. I’m sure I already know the story.

Paul Miller was a giant among peers

Professor Steven Miller was a dwarf. Though the genetic condition defined his physical life, he did not let it impede his ambitions, or his achievements.
By Maureen O'Hagan
Seattle Times

Paul Steven Miller commanded a room. He had a larger-than-life personality, a booming voice, a grand sense of humor.

New Way to Help Chickens Cross to Other Side

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

New York Times

Shoppers in the supermarket today can buy chicken free of nearly everything but adjectives. It comes free-range, cage-free, antibiotic-free, raised on vegetarian feed, organic, even air-chilled.

Coming soon: stress-free?

Credit Cards Soon to Get a Makeover

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD

New York Times

The simple credit card is about to get a makeover.

An array of multifunction credit cards. The familiar plastic cards may one day be overtaken by credit-transactions over cellphones.

Abraham’s Progeny, and Their Texts

By EDWARD ROTHSTEIN

New York Times

The sweep of the new exhibition at the New York Public Library — “Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam” — is stunning. It stretches from a Bible found in a monastery in coastal Brittany that was sacked by the Vikings in the year 917, to a 1904 lithograph showing the original Temple Emanu-El on Fifth Avenue. It encompasses both an elaborately decorated book of 20th-century Coptic Christian readings and a modest 19th-century printing of the Gospels in the African language Grebo. There are Korans, with pages that shimmer with gold leaf and elegant calligraphy, and a 13th-century Pentateuch from Jerusalem, written in script used by Samaritans who traced their origins to the ancient Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Tibetans in China Protest Proposed Curbs on Their Language

By EDWARD WONG

New York Tijmes

BEIJING — Thousands of Tibetan students in western China have protested since Tuesday against proposals to curb or eliminate the use of the Tibetan language in local schools, according to reports fromTibet advocacy groups and photographs and video of the protests circulating on the Internet.

Google Doodles

Christian Science Monitor

Moon Not Only Has Water, but Lots of It

By GAUTAM NAIK

Wall Street Journal

There is a lot more water on the moon than previously believed, according to an analysis of NASA data being published Friday, a finding that may bolster the case for a manned base on the lunar surface. [Slide Show]

Schools target dangerous binge cocktail

"Drunkorexia" act swaps food calories for alcohol
By Kristen Browning-Blas
The Denver Post

While "drunkorexia" is not a medical term, it has become easily understood slang for the practice of swapping food calories for those in alcohol.

Teen car crashes on the decline

By Frederik Joelving

Reuters

(Reuters Health) - The number of teen drivers involved in deadly car crashes is plummeting, U.S. government researchers said Thursday in a bit of good news to parents with youngsters behind the wheel.

People Less Likely to Buy Junk Food When Paying Cash

Credit, debit cards seem to encourage impulsive shopping for unhealthy items, study finds.
healthfinder.gov

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

THURSDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- People are less likely to buy unhealthy foods if they use cash instead of credit or debit cards to pay for groceries, a new study finds.

Man saved by God, and by dog who says grace

By Jessica Ravitz
CNN

The video was meant to simply make some Facebook friends, and his mother in particular, smile.

Steven Boyd, 39, had taught his dog Djaingo how to "say grace," and one late September morning, camera in hand, he coaxed the sleepy pup out to the living room and into prayer.
Video Link: Dog taught how to "say grace"

The World’s Vanishing History

[Slide Show]