Most Americans (64%) say that parents are not putting enough pressure on their children to do well in school as U.S. students are underperforming on international tests. By contrast, 68% of the Chinese public take the opposite position and say that parents in their country are putting too much pressure on their children to succeed academically.
Continue reading… “64% of Americans say parents do not put enough pressure on students”
Most people would choose longer hours and higher pay even if it won’t make them happy.
Money might not be able to buy you love, but it seems most people would be willing to choose it over happiness if the results of a new survey are to be believed.
Continue reading… “People choose higher paying jobs over happiness”
Beech galls in Patagonia inhabited by Saccharomyces eubayanus, the species
researchers think combined with domesticated yeast to create a lager-producing hybrid.
Mystery solved! Scientists have discovered the “missing link” in beer brewing. Ladies and gents, take a good look at the orange-colored galls on the beech tree to your left: they were found to harbor the specific strain of yeast that makes lager beer possible.
How did lager beer come to be? After pondering the question for decades, scientists have found that an elusive species of yeast isolated in the forests of Argentina was key to the invention of the crisp-tasting German beer 600 years ago.
It took a five-year search around the world before a scientific team discovered, identified and named the organism, a species of wild yeast called Saccharomyces eubayanus that lives on beech trees…
Continue reading… “Scientists discovered the “Missing Link” of beer brewing”
More Wikileaks released!
Wikileaks just dropped thousands more embassy cables today. These centered around China, Taiwan, and Libya.
The first batch to drop were 2170 cables about Taiwan. Some 3004 cables from China followed quickly behind…
Continue reading… “Wikileaks releases thousands more cables Covering China, Taiwan and Libya”
Rising food costs are a key reason behind rioting.
There’s no doubt that rising food prices in a specific area can lead to rioting. We have plenty of current and historic examples of that. But some interesting new research highlighted in Technology Review shows that once average global food prices cross a certain threshold a tipping point is reached after which “almost anything can trigger a riot, like a lighted match in a dry forest.”
Check out this graph which plots the UN Food Price Index against the dates of riots around the world…
Continue reading… “Researchers identify food price tipping point linked to rioting”
Visitors cover their bodies with black mud at a tourist resort in China.
The spa industry is booming as more men and aging boomers seek pain relief as well as relaxing and luxury treatments, including $1,250 facials. China and India are leading in the growth of the industry.
Continue reading… “Spa industry sees huge growth among men and aging boomers”
Airdrop House
Mankind has forever dreamed of what the future might hold. Many dreanm of what advances in architecture would be and would the advances make houses look all curvy, like on the animated TV show “The Jetsons”? (Pics)
McDonalds is one example of 6,000 franchise concepts offered in the United States.
Karl Dakin: In this recession, one of the long-standing approaches to becoming a business owner is to buy a franchise. The topic of franchising was presented on Monday night at the Startup Junkie program of the DaVinci Institute. With over 6,000 franchise concepts within 40 industries currently being sold in the United States, it is quite possible for an individual to find a business that matches their passion and their pocketbook.
Continue reading… “Franchising is still an option to own and operate a business”
Reports of stolen dogs rose 49% in the first seven months of 2011.
The economy has really gone to the dogs when money-seeking thieves are pilfering dogs and selling them for profit.
The most popular online activities are search and email remain and are nearly universal among adult internet users, as 92% of online adults use search engines to find information on the Web, and a similar number (92%) use email. Since the Pew Internet Project began measuring adults’ online activities in the last decade, these two behaviors have consistently ranked as the most popular, even as new platforms, broadband and mobile devices continue to reshape the way Americans use the internet and web. Even as early as 2002, more than eight in ten online adults were using search engines, and more than nine in ten online adults were emailing.
Continue reading… “92% of online adults use email and search engines”
Freaky Fashions.
The next generation of communications systems could be built with a sewing machine. To make communications devices more reliable, Ohio State University researchers are finding ways to incorporate radio antennas directly into clothing, using plastic film and metallic thread.
Continue reading… “Antennas in Your Clothes? New Design Could Pave the Way”
Once they are gone, they are gone.
This is one of those cool-yet-terribly-sad-it-exists apps. The Center for Biological Diversity has created an app for Android users that will tell you exactly which endangered species are living in the area you’re standing in. On the one hand, it’s amazing to know at any point in time which species are living in the area you’re walking though, and especially interesting to know which endangered species are struggling to survive. It could be a way to stay aware of local ecology and how you can help with conservation efforts. However, it’s of course a bummer that there’s an app that will tell you all the species that are thiiiiis close to being found only in history books.
The free “Species Finder” Android app has over 1,000 plants and animals from the endangered species list in its database. Using your smartphone’s GPS, the app generates a list of all the threatened and endangered species living in whichever county you’re currently located in.
Continue reading… “Android app locates endangered species wherever you are”