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The truth about grit - The Boston Globe
"Interestingly, it also appears that praising children for their intelligence can make them less likely to persist in the face of challenges, a crucial element of grit."
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Interestingly, it also appears that praising children for their intelligence can
make them less likely to persist in the face of challenges, a crucial element of
grit.
Re-Engineering the Earth - The Atlantic (July/August 2009)
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Dyson’s early geo-engineering vision addressed a central, and still daunting,
problem: neither sulfur-aerosol injection nor an armada of cloud whiteners nor
an array of space-shades would do much to reduce carbon-dioxide levels. As long
as carbon emissions remain constant, the atmosphere will fill with more and more
greenhouse gases. Blocking the sun does nothing to stop the buildup. It is not
even like fighting obesity with liposuction: it’s like fighting obesity with a
corset, and a diet of lard and doughnuts. Should the corset ever come off, the
flab would burst out as if the corset had never been there at all. For this
reason, nearly every climate scientist who spoke with me unhesitatingly
advocated cutting carbon emissions over geo-engineering. -
Ken Caldeira, of the Carnegie Institution for Science, thinks we ought to test
the technology gradually. He suggests that we imagine the suite of
geo-engineering projects like a knob that we can turn. “You can turn it gently
or violently. The more gently it gets turned, the less disruptive the changes
will be. Environmentally, the least risky thing to do is to slowly scale up
small field experiments,” he says. “But politically that’s the riskiest thing to
do.”
Why are Americans fat? : The New Yorker
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Undeniably, the fat—the authors of “The Reader” are adamant advocates for the
“f” word—are subject to prejudice and even cruelty. A 2008 report by the Rudd
Center for Food Policy and Obesity, at Yale, noted that teachers consistently
hold lower expectations of overweight children -
To claim that some people are just meant to be fat is not quite the same as
arguing that some people are just meant to be poor, but it comes uncomfortably
close. - 3 more annotations...
Why are Americans fat? : The New Yorker
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The movement known variously as “size acceptance,” “fat acceptance,” “fat
liberation,” and “fat power” has been around for more than four decades; in
1967, at a “fat-in” staged in Central Park, participants vilified Twiggy, burned
diet books, and handed out candy. More recently, fat studies has emerged as a
field of scholarly inquiry; four years ago, the Popular Culture
Association/American Cultural Association added a fat-studies component to its
national conferences, and in 2006 Smith College hosted a three-day seminar
titled “Fat and the Academy.”
XXXL : The New Yorker
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Today, soft drinks account for about seven per cent of all the calories ingested
in the United States, making them “the number one food consumed in the American
diet.” -
Kessler spends a lot of time meeting with (often anonymous) consultants who
describe how they are trying to fashion products that offer what’s become known
in the food industry as “eatertainment.” Fat, sugar, and salt turn out to be the
crucial elements in this quest: different “eatertaining” items mix these
ingredients in different but invariably highly caloric combinations. A food
scientist for Frito-Lay relates how the company is seeking to create “a lot of
fun in your mouth” with products like Nacho Cheese Doritos, which meld “three
different cheese notes” with lots of salt and oil. Another product-development
expert talks about how she is trying to “unlock the code of craveability,” and a
third about the effort to “cram as much hedonics as you can in one dish.”
Shouts & Murmurs: The Temperature of Hell: A Colloquium : The New Yorker
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So when you look at your kids asleep in their beds after you return to your
homes this evening, I want you to ask yourselves, “What kind of Hell am I
leaving for them, and for my grandchildren?”
CC Zero: A New Tool to Push Your Work Immediately Into the Public Domain - ReadWriteWeb
Did you know that written, scientific or artistic content you create is automatically put under copyright protection under US law - whether you want it to be copyrighted ...
New Scientist - Maybe economic growth isn’t the cure - it’s the problem
From Knight Science Journalism Tracker blog
Climate change is driving increase in tiger attacks - earth - 21 October 2008 - New Scientist Environment
The number of tiger attacks on people is growing in India as habitat loss and dwindling prey caused by climate change drives them to prowl into villages
Ancient microbes made giant magnets : Nature News
Nature - the world's best science and medicine on your desktop
HowStuffWorks "Biodiesel Cons"
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Another problem is biodiesel's behavior as a solvent. Though this property is helpful, it's kind of a double-edged sword. Some older diesel vehicles (such as cars made before 1992) may experience clogging with higher concentrations of biodiesel. Because of its ability to loosen deposits built up in the engine (which may be there from old diesel fuel), biodiesel can cause the fuel filter to become jammed with the newly freed deposits. Biodiesel manufacturers suggest changing the fuel pump shortly after switching to high-concentration biodiesel blends. Components within these older fuel systems may also become degraded. In addition to deposits within the fuel system, biodiesel also breaks down rubber components. Some parts in the older systems, such as fuel lines and fuel pump seals, may become broken down due to their rubber or rubber-like composition. This is usually remedied by replacing such components. Though many manufacturers have included biodiesel in their warranties, potential for problems could still exist. For more information on biodiesel and vehicle warranties, check out The Biodiesel Standard.
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decrease in fuel economy and power. On average, there is about a 10% reduction in power. In other words, it takes about 1.1 gallons of biodiesel to equal 1 gallon of standard diesel.
CJR: Climate Change: Now What?
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The public needs a guide to the policy, not just the politics.
Findings - John Tierney - Science Has Become the New Frontier for Title Nine - NYTimes.com
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Instead, they complained of being pushed so hard to be scientists and engineers that they ended up in jobs they didn’t enjoy. “The irony was that talent in a male-typical pursuit limited their choices,” Ms. Pinker says. “Once they showed aptitude for math or physical science, there was an assumption that they’d pursue it as a career even if they had other interests or aspirations. And because these women went along with the program and were perceived by parents and teachers as torch bearers, it was so much more difficult for them to come to terms with the fact that the work made them unhappy.”
George Monbiot: Trawlermen cling on as oceans empty - and the ecosystem is gasping | Comment is free | The Guardian
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At least farmers can argue - often falsely - that they are the "stewards of the countryside". But what possible argument is there for keeping more fishermen afloat than the fish population can bear?
A Bigger Penalty for Riders Who Cheat on the Fare - NYTimes.com
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In one case on June 3, officers at the Gates Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, stopped a 17-year-old for turnstile jumping at about 7 p.m. When they checked his name in police computers, they found that he was a suspect in a mugging done at gunpoint earlier in the day. He was arrested for fare evasion and then turned over to detectives, who charged him with the mugging.
“It’s still a great tool because bad guys still think that they can jump over, and then you find out they’re badder than just the jumping,” Chief Hall said. “They’re real bad.”
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