BBC NEWS | Americas | US baby boomers: Landmark generation
In their lives so far, boomers have brought about social and sexual revolutions; they helped roll back segregation laws in the 50s and 60s and played a decisive role in pushing through women’s rights.
Baby boomers created the culture of cool along with trends that were copied round the world – the blue jeans fashion craze, hip hop music and the cult of youth.
Americans Review Conspiracy Theories: Angus Reid Consultants
Likely
Unlikely
Officials in the federal government were
directly responsible for the assassination
of U.S. president John F. Kennedy
40%
51%
The federal government is withholding
proof of the existence of intelligent life
from others planets
38%
Rinspeed Splash
The Rinspeed “Splash” is the true incarnation of a really cool and fun sports toy. At the push of a button a cleverly thought-out hydraulic mechanism transforms the sports car into an amphibious vehicle.
A highly complex integrated hydrofoil system enables the “Splash” to ‘fly’ at an altitude of about 60 cm above the water. Continue reading “Rinspeed Splash”
ScienceDaily: New Medication Appears Effective In Helping Smokers Kick The Habit
“In this study, varenicline tartrate, 1 milligram twice daily, effectively helped subjects quit smoking, with response rates three times higher than those for placebo while demonstrating a good tolerability profile in this population of smokers who on average had smoked approximately 20 cigarettes per day for approximately 24 years,” the authors write. “Efficacy was maintained in the non–drug treatment phase through week 52. The significant reductions in craving and in some of the rewarding effects of smoking seen with varenicline tartrate, 1 milligram twice daily, may assist in promoting abstinence and preventing relapse,” they conclude.
PRB
Each year, nearly 3 million migrants move from poor countries to wealthier ones. Increasingly, however, more of this migration will occur between developing countries, such as that occurring from Bangladesh to India, or from India, Egypt, and Yemen to the Persian Gulf States.
Almost half — 1.4 million — move to Europe, which is nevertheless facing unprecedented population losses from low birth rates. The U.S. attracts more immigrants than any other country, fueling a national debate on immigration policy. Other destinations include Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, which has a better economy than much of the Middle East. The biggest suppliers of immigrants are China, India and Mexico. Continue reading “Nearly Three Million Migrate A Year to Developed Nations”
Must Haves: Cellphones Top Iraqi Cool List
Even more telling are the text messages and images that Iraqis share over their phones. From all over the city, Baghdad cellphones practically shout commentary about Saddam Hussein, failed reconstruction and violence, always the violence. One of the most popular messages making the rounds appears onscreen with the image of a skeleton.
“Your call cannot be completed,” it says, “because the subscriber has been bombed or kidnapped.” Continue reading “Must Haves: Cellphones Top Iraqi Cool List”
FT.com / Arts & Weekend / Living – Are children getting cleverer?
Today’s children are almost certainly no more inherently intelligent than those of yesteryear, they are certainly no dumber. They are just learning different skills – skills, incidentally, that enable them to do better in IQ tests than their parents.
After all, a generation ago, before the dawn of the information age, information was much harder to come by than it is now, so schools attached a lot more importance to rote learning and the accumulation of knowledge. You had to be able to name all the world’s capital cities, list the world’s longest rivers and memorise famous poems. Continue reading “Are children getting cleverer?”
WSJ.com – More Play, Less Toil Is a Stressful Shift For Some Koreans
Her husband’s employer just started giving him two Saturdays off a month. The 36-year-old wrestling teacher’s new schedule, though, means Ms. Jun has to spend more of her time cooking and doing extra housework. Plus, she grumbles, after staying out late with his buddies on Friday nights, her husband sleeps a lot on Saturdays — cramping their two children’s indoor playtime.
“Home is supposed to be women’s space and I don’t like it when he spends more time in my space,” says Ms. Jun, also 36. “It’s like an invasion.”
Continue reading “More Play, Less Toil Is a Stressful Shift For Some Koreans”
Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: The Expert Mind — [ PSYCHOLOGY AND BRAIN SCIENCE ] — Studies of the mental processes of chess grandmasters have revealed clues to how people become experts in other fields as well
The preponderance of psychological evidence indicates that experts are made, not born. And Motivation is the key.
Candy Addict » Gum Artist Roundup
Today we’re bringing you a whole gaggle of artists that work in our favorite artisitic medium …. candy. Specifically, gum. Ok, it’s only 3, but there’s not that many of them out there!
If you’re interested in making your own gum art, there is Chew By Numbers, which provides kits and instructions on how to make your own gum masterpiece. Priced at $13 each, they offer 3 different kits to let your inner gum artist out. Each kit includes instructions, preprinted artboard, and of course, gum. Sounds like that would be a blast to do with kids!