An Old Story and a Cautionary Tale
There are those who fade like cut flowers when they retire, there are those who won’t even try to stop working because they don't know what to do with themselves other than labor for a living, and there are those who can hardly wait for the free time and lightened pressure of unlimited leisure.
Swinging from the Branches of My Family Tree
Even a novice like me can see that it’s impossible for a man born in 1709 to be married to woman born in 1590, and yet it’s out there. This ‘fact’ also showed they had children; motherhood at the mature age of 130 years with a husband only 11 years old. Really? I’ve also observed one photograph assigned to several different identities. That being said, there just may be that one hint buried in the midst of it all that will be the key to where you should look next. Repeat after me, "It’s a hint, not a fact!"
The Freedom Trail: World War II Escape Route Over the Pyrenees
Consider then, the young men of the Second World War, fleeing from the enemy, who attempted an astonishing journey under cover of darkness. Without compasses or climbing boots they faced one of the most treacherous parts of the mountains; it was their only chance of freedom.
The Murdoch Issue: Resolution 1003 (1993) on the Ethics of Journalism
In the journalist's profession the end does not justify the means; therefore information must be obtained by legal and ethical means.In journalism, controversial or sensational items must not be confused with subjects on which it is important to provide information... care must be taken not to broadcast programmes, messages or images glorifying violence, exploiting sex and consumerism...
The Benefits of Marriage on Men's Health: Does It Extend to Their Wives?
"Men who are married or in common-law relationships seek medical care sooner for heart attacks compared with single, divorced or widowed men, found a new study in CMAJ...At the patient level, among patients with an exact time of onset of chest pain, the adjusted time saved was a remarkable half-hour."
Grandparents Behind the Wheel: A Precious Cargo Driving Style
In the event of a crash, the risk of injury to children is significantly lower when driven by a grandparent versus a parent, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia CHOP) and published in the journal Pediatrics
Michele Bachmann: Inching Women and the US Presidency Forward
To level the political playing field for women it is an imperative to have women candidates in every presidential election. Research shows that the more women who run for president the less that gender matters because women will not be seen as novelty candidates.
Waiting Room Poll Strikes a Nerve
When MedPage Today asked if patients who are kept waiting for scheduled appointments should get a discounted bill, almost half of the more than 3,200 respondents said Yes. The genesis of this poll was an article about patients who bill their doctors for time spent waiting.
Republican Political Mother
The author portrays the life of one dynamic woman during a period of major changes. Political campaigns went from relying heavily on volunteers, most of whom were women, to that of paid pollsters and political consultants, most of whom are not women.
Jane Austen: "A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of"
At the age of eleven, Jane Austen finished her formal education and returned home. It was in this environment, encouraged by her family — all enthusiastic readers themselves — that she began to write poems, stories, and plays for her family’s as well as her own amusement.
CultureWatch Reviews: Carthage Must Be Destroyed and The City of God
The author of Carthage Must Be Destroyed takes a close look at our preconceived notions of Carthage and Carthaginians, colored as they are by the accounts of Greek and Roman writers who had a vested interest in presenting Carthaginians as cruel and duplicitous. The City of God is as rich in lofty thinking, baroque writing, sympathetic characters, vivid settings, and suspense as anything you are likely to see more than once or twice in a lifetime. Take your time, but read it.
Seniors, Smartphones and the Pew Report on Adoption and Usage
In its first stand alone measure of smartphone ownership, the Pew Internet Project finds that one third of American adults – 35% – own smartphones. The Project’s May survey found that 83% of US adults have a cell phone of some kind, and that 42% of them o…
Two Book Arts Exhibits: The Art of the Book in California and Illustrated Title Pages: 1500 – 1900
"During the last 50 years, the conception and production of the book has evolved into an art form that exceeds all former standards for the book as object" By the end of the 19th century, artists such as Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, Odilon Redon, and Morris had created personal and innovative title pages.
Put That Laundry Basket Down; There's a Robot That Folds
Who wouldn’t want a robot that could make your bed or do the laundry? A team of Berkeley researchers has brought us one step closer by enabling an autonomous robot to reliably fold piles of previously unseen towels.
Hawked
I used to love watching hawks circle, riding the thermals high above the California hillside where I lived when I was a kid. I just tried to imagine how it would feel to be a hawk…rather, it seemed to me, akin to the feeling of diving into the lake, and gliding a long way before I had to give a kick and come up for air...only a whole lot better, because if you were a hawk, you could breathe and glide at the same time you were looking at the view.
A Summer TV Schedule: Hearings on Violence Towards Women, Veterans Mental Care and Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers
It's the summer and television programs are on a new episode vacation. Why not take in a streaming webcast or televised hearing from a Senate or House Committee? Perhaps they're assuming their constituents are not listening or looking in? Prove them wrong.
Theodore Roszack (1933 - 2011): Cult of Information
What it means to think. Is it just to manipulate Ideas or to create them? And how does this relate to the value of the computer? "We need good old-fashioned literacy; not just computer literacy ... what data matters and what data does not matter."
Libyan Conflict Erupts on Pennsylvania Avenue
About eighty percent of the four dozen Libyans were women and young children. I asked one why there were so few men and she initially said that this is what the protests looked like in Libya itself. When I pressed her, she said the men were afraid of retaliation against their families.
Is It Speed-Dating Or Dîner En Blanc
After 20 years of events in Paris and elsewhere, Dîner En Blanc is coming to New York City. One observer (see YouTube clip)muses as to whether it's a speed-dating event. Is it still possible to be on the invite list?
Book Review: Oldman's Brave New World of Wine: Pleasure, Value and Adventure Beyond Wine’s Usual Suspects
I look for value wherever I go. I buy clothes when they’re on sale. When I donate to public radio or charity, I try to do it when there’s a matching offer. So when I notice the word "value" in a book title about wine, I pay attention.
Pew: In Two Years of Economic Recovery, Women Lost Jobs, Men Found Them
In five sectors, notably in retail trade, men have gained jobs while women have lost them. In five other sectors, including education and health services and professional and business services, men gained jobs at a faster rate than women. And in an additional five sectors, such as construction and local governments, men lost jobs at a slower rate than women
A Frida Kahlo Painting Comes Home
Kahlo's affair in New York City with her friend, the Hungarian-born photographer Nickolas Muray which ended in 1939, and her divorce from the Diego Rivera, left her heartbroken and lonely, but she produced some of her most powerful and compelling paintings and self-portraits during this time
Banned, Burned, Seized and Censured and The Greenwich Village Bookshop Door
How did hundreds of thousands of books, pictures, plays and magazines come to be ... censored in less than 30 years? "During the interwar years, more often than not, the objection boiled down to sex. One of the goals of the exhibition is to show that censorship is far more complicated than one might think."
Abortion Is Slowly Becoming Legal in Name Only
In Kansas a new licensing law for abortion clinics mandates what size and temperature clinic rooms must be, requires that staff dressing rooms have toilets, that clinics stock particular medical equipment and supplies, and that they be connected to nearby hospitals. South Dakota enacted an antiabortion law with requirements so onerous they essentially deny a woman her legal right to an abortion.
CRR: An Update on Locally-Administered Pension Plans
The financial crisis and ensuing recession have had an enormous impact on state-administered pension plans ... the demands of local plans are only half the story in terms of pressure on local budgets; local contributions to state plans will be a major driver of future budget burdens.
