Thursday, February 28, 2013


BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

When communities like San Francisco and Seattle began banning plastic bags, said Ramesh Ponnuru, it seemed like a public-spirited thing to do. But benign-seeming laws often have unintended consequences—and the plastic-bag ban is now producing a sickening result. The reusable shopping bags that people now use to bring groceries home turn out to be breeding grounds for bacteria carried by raw meat and unwashed vegetables. Studies have found that half of reusable bags contain coliform bacteria from feces; if these bags are left in a warm car trunk for two hours, the number of bacteria grows tenfold. “Kind of gross,” no? After San Francisco banned plastic bags, another study by two law professors found, emergency-room admissions caused by E. coli infections began climbing; researchers estimate that the plastic ban leads to five additional deaths a year from food-borne illness. Regular washing and drying can clean out a reusable bag’s bacterial colonies, but it’s a habit many consumers simply don’t have. It’s a stomach-turning reminder that governments should “just let people make their own decisions.”
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1914 PARIS, IN COLOR








PROBLEM SOLVED!


TODAY IN HISTORY

FEBRUARY 28


1784

John Wesley issues “Deed of Declaration” formally establishing the Methodist Church.

1849

The steamship California landed in San Francisco, bringing the first East Coasters to the Gold Rush.

1916

Henry James, American novelist and critic, died.

1948

The last British troops left India.

1983

The final episode of M*A*S*H aired. It was the most watched television program in history.

1986

Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot to death in central Stockholm.

1993

Four federal agents were killed in Waco, Texas, after they tried to serve an arrest warrant for weapons charges on Branch Davidian sect leader David Koresh, starting a 51-day standoff.


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TRIVIA

When a human embryo is forming, which one of the five senses develops first?
(click below for the answer)


THE FIRST WORD


pervicacious

PRONUNCIATION:
(puhr-vi-KAY-shuhs) 

MEANING:
adjective: Very stubborn.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin pervicax (stubborn). Earliest documented use: 1633.

USAGE:
"Your grandmother had spunk, bless her pervicacious soul. ... She had a stubborn streak, you see, very stubborn."
David Curry Kahn; Her Mother's Diary; Wheatmark; 2010.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013


NOW YOU KNOW

200612 myopia utopia
200612 myopia utopia (Photo credit: iambents)
Rates of nearsightedness, or myopia, have skyrocketed around the world in recent years, especially among young people who spend their time indoors, Science News reports. In the U.S., 42 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 54 have the condition, compared with 25 percent 40 years ago. Researchers used to believe that myopia was primarily hereditary, but “the gene pool can’t change that much in a generation, not even in several,” says Ian Morgan of Australian National University. He and his colleagues now believe that too much time gazing at books and computer screens is damaging kids’ vision. Recent studies have shown that 95 percent of Shanghai college students are nearsighted, perhaps because Chinese children tend to spend more time studying indoors than students elsewhere in the world do. Rates of the condition also seem to be rising only among urban kids, as opposed to rural children, who spend more time outside. Researchers still aren’t sure exactly how working indoors harms eyes—or how being outdoors helps protect them—but it may be that bright, outdoor light stimulates the release of dopamine in the retina, which helps the eye to develop properly.
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YOUR NEXT HOME?

Pass Christian, Miss.: This five-bedroom house is located on 5.3 acres on Bayou Portage, in the southern part of the state. Details include cypress doors, wide plank pine floors, and a double fireplace. The property features an island, community tennis courts, and boating access. $795,000.

QUARTER POUNDER WITH CHEESE


DISCARDING THOUGHTS (LITERALLY)


Plagued by unwanted thoughts? Try writing them down and throwing the paper away.
A new study finds that this trick works. First, students were asked to write down positive or negative thoughts about their bodies, and half were told to tear up and discard the paper. Then the students were asked to rate their attitudes about their bodies. (click below to read more)

SNAPSHOT


FROM THE ARCHIVES




FUN(D) RAISING IN THE SNOW

Few people would think of playing golf in Minnesota in February. Recently, the Cloquet Rotary Club of Carlton, Minn., invited locals to play a few rounds on frozen Chub Lake, with holes drilled into the ice. Competitors used hockey sticks, canoe paddles, and tennis rackets to hit a tennis ball around the course. The 12th annual “Hook and Slice on Ice” tournament was played strictly for fun, but the event raises around $20,000 for local charities every year, paying for scholarships and books. “It’s a win-win for everybody,” said “golfer” Chris Erickson.

HERE COME THE BOTS

TODAY IN HISTORY

FEBRUARY 27


1844

Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti.

1933

German Reichstag building in Berlin was destroyed by fire.

1951

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, limiting the President to two terms.

1973

Members of the American Indian Movement occupied the village of Wounded Knee, S.D.

1991

Kuwait was liberated in the Gulf War.

2003




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AND I QUOTE


"Why is it that when we talk to God we are said to be praying, and when God talks to us we are said to be schizophrenic?" Lily Tomlin

Tuesday, February 26, 2013


JUST THE FACTS


Got milk? Probably not. Americans today drink 30 percent less milk than they did in 1975. They’re also less thirsty for orange juice, soda, powdered drinks, and beer, while beverages such as tea, liquor, wine, and bottled water are gaining favor.
(click below to read more)

REINVENTING THE WHEELCHAIR


At last, someone has reinvented the wheel—as a fold-up—and wheelchair users could benefit.
Invented by Duncan Fitzsimons of the London firm Vitamins, the design relies on a standard solid wheelchair tire—an inflatable would lose air when folded—and a wheel made of plastic reinforced by glass fiber and supported by sturdy folding spokes. It should enable the production of a wheelchair that fits into the overhead bin of a commercial airliner.
Vitamins had been trying to improve the performance of folding bicycles, but wheelchair users became interested, the company says.

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CREATIVE LIGHTING


MEETING MAKE-UP AT THE CYPRESS CREEK (FT. LAUDERDALE, FL.) CLUB

The salads await Rotarians arrival

The meeting room at the Westin Hotel has been found!

Group photo celebrating 3rd grade dictionary distribution

ELECTRONIC VANISHING ACT


With technology rushing onward, electronic gadgets often seem ephemeral. Now they literally will be, as scientists make electronics that dissolve. (click below to read more)

FORM THE ARCHIVES




TODAY IN HISTORY

FEBRUARY 26


1815

Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from exile on the island of Elba.

1870

A 312-ft long pneumatic subway was opened in New York City; funding for a larger version never materialized.

1901

Leaders of the Boxer Uprising in China, Chi-hsui and Hsu Cheng-yu, were beheaded.

1919

Grand Canyon National Park was established.

1935

1993

A bomb exploded at the World Trade Center in New York. The blast killed six people and injured more than 1,000.


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TRIVIA

What is the current name for the country once known as Caledonia?
(click below for the answer)


THE FIRST WORD


wunderkind

PRONUNCIATION:
(VOON-duhr-kind, wun-) 

MEANING:
noun:
1. A child prodigy.
2. A person who achieves great success early in the career.

ETYMOLOGY:
From German Wunderkind, from Wunder (wonder) + Kind (child). Earliest documented use: 1891.

USAGE:
"Miguel Angel Sano is the wunderkind, one of the best young players the Dominican Republic has ever produced."
David Malitz; The Big Leagues' Hits and Errors; The Washington Post; Jul 13, 2012.

Monday, February 25, 2013


PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE

Wonton Food, the world’s largest fortune-cookie manufacturer, is removing romantic messages from its cookies after complaints from parents. Fortunes such as “One who admires you greatly is hidden before your eyes,” will henceforth be replaced with less steamy sentiments such as, “You make every day special.” The New York company said it would make sure its fortunes “don’t upset a single person.”
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT


How airport security costs lives

Want to save American lives? Stop wasting billions on airport security, said Charles Kenny. Set up in the panicky aftermath of 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration now spends $8 billion a year on intrusive searches, backscatter machines, and other time-consuming security operations that have turned air travel into an ordeal. Is this level of scrutiny still necessary? (click below to read more)

FORM THE ARCHIVES




SNAPSHOT


CHEMIST-TREE


HOW POLIO CHANGED A LIFE


By Eliana Zagui, author of Pulmão de Aço (Iron Lung)

Before it was eradicated through the effort of massive immunization campaigns in 1989, poliomyelitis was prevalent in Brazil. The lack of vaccine and poor sanitation in small towns resulted in thousands of victims a year. Avoiding polio was often a matter of luck. (click below to read more)

DO YOU REMEMBER?


It is truly amazing to consider the role that scents play in our ability to recall the past. One whiff of a certain smell can transport us right back to our childhood as if it were yesterday. And when posters on Retroland were asked to name their favorite smells from their school days, they weren’t shy about voicing their opinions. Here are the five school scents that were most often mentioned. (click below to read more)

A SHORT HISTORY OF GIF IMAGES

TODAY IN HISTORY

FEBRUARY 25


1570

Elizabeth I, queen of England, was excommunicated by Pope Pius V.

1836

Samuel Colt patented the first revolving barrel multishot firearm.

1870

Hiram Revels became the first black United States senator, taking over the term of Jefferson Davis.

1901

J.P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel Corporation, the first billion-dollar corporation in the world.

1948

Communists took control of the government in Czechoslovakia.

1964

Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) became world heavyweight boxing champion for the first time by knocking out Sonny Liston in Miami Beach.

1983

Tennessee Williams, American playwright, died.

1986

President Ferdinand Marcos fled the Philippines; Corazon Aquino took over the office.

1990

Violeta Chamorro was elected president of Nicaragua, a victory for opponents of the Sandinistas.



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AND I QUOTE


"The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare."-Bobby Knight

Sunday, February 24, 2013

EYE OF THE SINK


STUDENTS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

TIME LAPSE

CHARITY OF THE WEEK


Water.org transforms communities in developing countries around the globe by providing access to clean water. One child dies every 21 seconds from a disease brought on by contaminated water, and more than 6,000 children die daily because they lack this basic staple of life. Water.org was founded more than 20 years ago to address that problem worldwide. In countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Kenya, and Uganda, Water.org forges long-term solutions to water and sanitation crises. Locals are trained and enlisted to dig wells, install pumps, and maintain water systems. The organization’s work has directly improved the lives and prospects of more than 1 million people in communities across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

The charity  has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which ranks not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their control of administrative and fund-raising expenses, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest ranking.

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