China launched a pilot pension program as part of efforts to narrow the standard-of-living gap between rural and urban residents.
China plans to expand a piloted pension program to 60 percent of its rural areas this year, an increase from the original target of 40 percent, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang said Friday.
Continue reading… “China Expands It’s Pension Program to Cover 60% of Rural Areas”
I like dandelions, I’ll admit it. I love the fact that they provide an important spring nectar source for beneficial insects. I appreciate their bright blossoms, which currently blanket several median strips in my neighborhood. Nearly every part of the plant is edible. And maybe the most delicious way to enjoy your dandelions is to make a batch of dandelion jelly.
Continue reading… “Use Your Dandelions: Make Dandelion Jelly”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeP7AFwqHcQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Trying to imagine our online behaviors in an offline world has been the subject of many a viral video.
The latest installment in this vein is “The Offline Social Network.” This clip comes from Australian comedy show Hungry Beast and personifies the ubiquitous Facebook as the sort of earnest evangelicals who ask passers-by about the eventual destination of their eternal souls.
And the result? Let’s just say “What is your sexual orientation?” is as awkward a point-blank question as “Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?”
This video reminded us of a few other funny Facebook-as-real-life videos, so we’ve put together a brief gallery of viral clips for your enjoyment…
Continue reading… “How Your Facebook Info Would Sound in the Real World”
We know that a piece of toast, if dropped, will fall butter-side down. We also know that a cat, if dropped, will land on its feet. What happens when you strap a piece of buttered toast to a cat’s back and drop them both is called the Buttered Cat Paradox, and there’s an extensive amount of research on the internet devoted to just this conundrum…
Futurist Thomas Frey: Consider the following scenario. Over the next few years, several major cities in the U.S. will begin to impose a ban on all new residential and commercial construction. With populations declining in numerous metro areas, they will worry openly about becoming the next Detroit with abandoned neighborhoods signaling a rapid decline in property values.
The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library
The University of Chicago will be opening a new library tomorrow that will use a massive automated retrieval system, turning the whole library experience on it’s head. The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library is designed to accommodate the way people study and research today — online. The structure’s large spaces are made for computer work and have no traditional bookshelves. (pics and video)
Continue reading… “University of Chicago to Open Library of the Future”
Every bucket list should contain at least a few hours with an “attack puppy”
“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is.” – Yogi Berra
Green Bank Telescope
In rural West Virginia, a massive radio telescope has begun listening for signs of alien life on 86 possible Earth-like planets, US astronomers said Friday.
Continue reading… “Astonomers Begin Search for Alien Life on 86 Planets”
Daniel Kish had both eyes removed at the age of 13 months after being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer. He didn’t let that slow him down. Though blind he can mountain bike, navigate the wilderness alone and recognize a building as far away as 1,000 feet. Kish is president of a nonprofit organization called. World Access offers training on how to interact with one’s environment, using echolocation as a primary tool. Kish hears echos and interprets their meaning to visualize objects, similar to the way bats, beluga whales and dolphins ”see” objects…
Pedro Martin Ureta, a 70-year old Argentine farmer from General Levalle, has used 7,000 cypress and eucalyptus trees to create a giant guitar in memory of his late wife, Graciela, who died in 1977, when she was only 25. He consulted a number of landscapers, but none of them were interested in such a daring endeavor, so the farmer just had to do it himself…
Continue reading… “Argentine Farmer Makes Giant Guitar With 7,000 Trees”
Construction material manufacturing often produces hazardous byproducts that are either toxic or difficult to recycle, as are many of the materials themselves. Brooklyn based Planetary ONE is experimenting with the idea of grow-your-own construction materials by making bricks from mushrooms.
Their latest project, Mycoform, places mushroom roots known as mycelium spores into a mold and feeds them with agricultural byproducts like buckwheat husks. In just over a week at 80 degrees, the spores grow to fill the form, resulting in a light yet solid structure. The brick is heated to 100 degrees when complete to kill the spores, preventing further growth.
Continue reading… “One Day Will People Be Living In Shroom Houses?”
It’s easy to say you’ll never use DEET, that is until you come down to South Carolina. My home state boasts mosquitoes that rival your house pet in size and stature. But even still, many fear the toxicity of DEET and try to avoid it even with those mini-monsters landing on you noon and night. According to the CDC, lemon eucalyptus oil could be a much safer and more natural weapon.
Continue reading… “CDC Confirms Lemon Eucalyptus Oil as Effective as DEET”