Great photos of the excavation are included, thanks to the BBC!
Consumer Reports: Supplements to Avoid
1 in 3 Americans “Near Poor”
Times are, indeed, hard.
Here’s an article about the reality of living paycheck to paycheck and just what that means, demographically, for the United States of America. Census data tell the tale.
“Nuff said. I’ll let you read it for yourself here at the New York Times.
———
Update 11/20/11: Just came across a related article at CBS News.
—–
(originally published elsewhere 11/19/11)
Pillowsonic Pillow Speaker Great Nighttime Solution for Audiobook and MP3 Fans
I’m pleasantly SURPRISED By How Well This Works; GREAT for Audiobooks, MP3s & more. This little speaker exceeded my expectations; this is one of my top Amazon finds this year.
Here’s why I like it:
1. Amazingly, I can comfortably listen to audiobooks, movies, or music MP3s without disturbing my husband, just as other reviewers noted. I was skeptical, but they’re right. The speakers funnel the sound directly to your ears without disturbing your partner.
2. I use it on TOP of my pillow, just positioning it at the base of my head for full stereophonic sound, even with binaural subliminal MP3’s. Soft, cushiony material keeps it comfy.
3. Cord’s the right length–I leave my tablet on the bedside table & still have plenty of “working room” without excessive extra cord.
4. No ear pain! The longer I wear earbuds, the more my ear canals hurt. Not so with this; I can comfortably listen to anything for as long as I like.
5. The sound quality exceeded my expectations; great performance for music AND audiobooks. No, not equal to Sennheiser headphones. But terrific for their price point.
6. I also like being able to hear all ambient noise while listening with this speaker system. With earbuds, all I could hear was the tablet. Now, if the phone rings (or my husband talks to me) while I’m using this, I hear it (or him) right away.
7. I can keep the volume setting LOWER than I could with earbuds. Good news for averting future MP3-related hearing loss.
Highly recommended; I’m REALLY glad I bought this & use it daily (& nightly).
Are Metal Hip Replacements Endangering People’s Health?
Have a family member with an artificial hip?
Then you need to read this article from the New York Times, detailing some serious concerns patients are facing.
Metal-on-metal hip replacements are failing at an alarming rate and surgeons who are replacing these failed hip prostheses are finding that the flaking metal is biologically active, causing muscle and tissue damage in the surrounding area (leading to muscles that can no longer contract and other very serious complications).
Many patients are experiencing pain, but some are not; read more here: A Scramble for Solutions as a Hip Device Fails.
UPDATE: A very quick Google search also shows that DePuy (a division of Johnson and Johnson) recalled its ASR XL Acetabular metal-on-metal hip replacement device on August 24, 2010.
Page quote: “DePuy identified reasons for the failure of the hip replacement system as component loosening, component malalignment, infection, fracture of the bone, dislocation, metal sensitivity and pain. Additional complications from the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular hip replacement system may include increased metal ion levels in the blood, bone staining, necrosis, swelling, nerve damage, tissue damage and/or muscle damage.”
—–
Originally published elsewhere 10/2/11
Galen Frysinger: Traveler and Photographer
Meet Galen Frysinger, a retired physicist and chemist who now does research on ethnography and travels the world and creating a one of a kind weblog of his travels, including his own photography.
I first stumbled across his site while doing a little research on architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Galen Frysinger’s photos of Fallingwater in Pennsylvania are absolutely breathtaking!
You can also read and see more about his journeys in countries around the globe.
It’s a great Personal Web Site in the tradition of the early, Old School 1.0 Web I miss SO MUCH; enjoy!
(Originally published elsewhere 7/14/11)
—
Generation Y Becomes Generation Why Bother?
Here’s a TERRIFIC opinion piece from March 2012, published in the New York Times, exploring the counter-intuitive Demographic Twist of our time: kids aren’t moving out, moving on, and getting on with life. And it’s NOT just about the economy.
For example, this piece cites the fact that in 1980, 80% of teens proudly had their Drivers Licenses in hand. In 2008, that number is a paltry 65%.
I blogged a little about this phenomena earlier (“Failure to Fledge“) –check out Todd and Victoria Buchholtz’s fascinating piece in the NY Times right here.
Great Article All Parents Should Read
Is it possible? Can you really love your kids TOO much?
Here is a terrific article from The Huffington Post that gives some fabulous free advice to “cockpit parents.” What’s a “cockpit parent”? A step above the helicopter hovering so prevalent in the Baby Boomer generation, these parents are unintentionally controlling their child’s life to such a point that the child really HAS no life of their own.
I see this all the time, even in my own extended family (and I’m sure a lot of you do, too).
I’ll ask a college kid “What’s your major?” and the mother or father will jump in: “He’s an English major.”
I’ll ask the kid “What do you want to do when you graduate?” and before the college student can answer, I get a 10 minute dissertation from the parents about all the “child’s” plans.
Ask the child about their hobbies, and be prepared for a 30 minute diatribe from Mom or Dad.
Sheesh! Give the poor kids a break–so many of them today are totally and completely smothered and handicapped by their parents. There are even statistics cited in this piece from American Express market research to demonstrate it.
I call it “Failure to Fledge” syndrome, and it’s all around you.
Kids are living with their parents even AFTER obtaining an all-expenses-paid college education (and sometimes even multiple advanced degrees) and yet still find themselves dependent on their parents’ bank accounts for even the most basic needs. I even know a couple who regularly fund their married, unemployed, adult daughter’s “Savings Account” (yes, she’s 27 and still lives at home for free, too). Some of these live-at-home-with-mom-and-dad’s are even married with children of their own.
Long term, the price these childlike adults actually pay in personal self-respect is terribly sad.
It’s a type of personal paralysis that’s very painful to watch and leaves an adult child wracked with self-doubt (though often successfully camouflaged with an appearance of utmost confidence).
They have all the credentials, but no career. No motivation. No aspirations. No desire. No ambition. No self-direction.
Here are a few warning signs to look for in your own parenting (if your child is over 18, of course).
Have you ever:
Filled out an application for your child?
Written their resume?
Called in favors from professional friends, requesting internships, etc.?
Listed yourself as a reference on your child’s resume? [Please, tell me you didn’t!]
Provided groceries, laundry services, etc. free of charge?
“Straightened out” a cell phone or other bill or interceded in a phone call to customer service?
If you think there’s the slightest possibility you might be handicapping your children while trying to help them (in other words, are you out of the denial phase yet?), please do yourself a favor and read this insightful article by Christine Hassler at the Huffington Post: “Cockpit Parents: How They’re Flying 20-Somethings Into the Ground.”
I strongly urge you to take some time to read through some of the readers’ comments at the end of the article so you can see how some of these “kids” (and their competitors in the real-world marketplace) feel about the situation.
Here’s a bit of sage advice from the conclusion of the piece:
“Get your own life. This is a tough one for many parents who pride themselves on being friends with their children. Please don’t be their friend on Facebook and comment on all their photos. Give them some space, and find your own as well. Invest in yourself, spend time with friends and start doing the things you put off because you were investing so much time into making your child what you think he or she could be. Let them be who they are, and discover who you are.”
Words of Wisdom, if you’re ready to receive them yet.
Do you love your children enough to let them go?
—–
P.S. If you’re one of the kids on the receiving end of this parenting “style,” Christine Hassler has written a five-star rated book, 20 Something Manifesto: Quarter-Lifers Speak Out About Who They Are, What They Want, and How to Get It, available at Amazon.
—-
Update from ABC News: 60% Parents Providing Financial Support to Their Adult Children
—
(this article was originally published elsewhere, 3/18/2011)
Blogger Addresses Disease Called Perfection
A friend forwarded me a link to a stunningly honest blog post at Dan and Noah’s Single Dad Laughing blog. The post is about the disease called Perfectionism, and it’s a wonderful piece of brave and thoughtful writing. The kind of brutally honest piece you’ll never read in a commercial magazine.
You owe it to yourself. Then give yourself permission to be less than perfect today. Have a great week!
Surprise! Calorie Restriction Study Results Shock Researchers: IT DOESN’T MATTER
Researchers, some of whom were restricting calories in their own diets to reap the expected results of this study, were SHOCKED to find that severe calorie restriction doesn’t actually lengthen life span as anticipated.
To quote Texas Governor Rick Perry: “Oops.”
The study, begun in 1987, involved rhesus monkeys.
You can read more here at the NY Times while I celebrate with another dunk of my biscotti. Cheers!
(originally published elsewhere, 9/1/2012)