Anne Bouey

"We all know that movies are inaccurate - to time, to science, to logic, to history. We also know that sometimes it matters, and sometimes it doesn't, but we disagree there. The line between what matters and what doesn't is not only different for everybody, but it also varies within every person. For example, if you're an expert on something, small errors will leap out at you that you might otherwise not notice, or ignore. In October, the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson made some Twitter comments about the movie "Gravity" that were repeated everywhere. Some of what Tyson called "Mysteries of Gravity" were the kind of things that only an astrophysicist would care about: "Nearly all satellites orbit Earth west to east, yet all satellite debris portrayed east to west." Other mysteries were just funny: "Why (Sandra) Bullock's hair, in otherwise convincing zero G(ravity) scenes, did not float freely on her head." Obviously, that mystery isn't a real mystery to anyone, including Tyson. A Hollywood leading lady cannot have a bad hair day, not in the Wild West, not in a concentration camp, not even in outer space. But one of Tyson's tweets was especially arresting because it went to the heart of the movie, touching on the most haunting and dramatic moment of the entire story. (In fact, if you haven't seen the movie yet, skip the next two paragraphs, because they contain a key spoiler.) Tyson writes, "When (George) Clooney releases Bullock's tether, he drifts away. In zero-G, a single tug brings them together." Should have known Of course. We should have known that. What's more, Bullock's character should have known that. The only explanation for her not knowing is that she wanted to be the star of the movie, and she couldn't do that with Clooney floating around getting all the best lines. Obviously, given the trajectory of "Gravity," we know why Clooney had to go, but it does cast that painful moment in a strange other light. Scientifically (if not dramaturgically), that did not have to happen." - Anne Bouey

"Movies need not be slaves to truth or to accuracy - at least not until they make claims to truth or accuracy. Fiction is great, not in spite of itself, but because it's fictional, because it's untethered. The only caution I'd add is that sometimes accuracy can imply an opportunity worth considering: What would have happened had Bullock given Clooney a little tug? What might have happened if the butler were allowed to really like Nancy Reagan? We'll never know." - Anne Bouey

"A photographer seeking to document the next generation of Kazakh eagle hunters in Mongolia discovered a 13-year-old girl who has taken to the male-dominated tradition. Photographer Asher Svidensky made a four-month trek through western Mongolia, mostly on horseback, and found Han Gohadok and his daughter, Ashol Pan, who had expressed a desire to take up the full-time profession that is centuries old. Good thing, too, since the ancient pastime is said to be a dying part of Mongolian culture, as young men are leaving their families and the hunting duties behind. As a result, more girls are becoming eagle hunters to replace their brothers, according to the Mail Online. Gohadok told the Mail Online that his eldest son was to become the eagle hunter of the family but was drafted into the army. That’s when Ashol Pan stepped forward. Eagle hunter Ashol Pan of Mongolia holds her golden eagle, giving perspective on the size of the bird. Photo by Asher Svidensky/Caters News Agency, used by permission Eagle hunters use golden eagles to hunt foxes during the winter months when the gold-colored foxes stand out against the snow. They also hunt hares. Typically, the training of young men begins at age 13, when they are strong enough to carry a full-grown eagle on their arm. The training is rigorous, as the master and its eagle develop a long-term and trusting relationship that is all consuming. The Kazakh custom is for the eagle hunter to ride a horse while hunting. Svidensky was looking for something different when he set out to document eagle hunters in Mongolia. “I decided to focus myself—stop looking for a portrait of a centuries-old image of a Kazakh eagle hunter and instead represent the future of this ancient Mongolian tradition,” Svidensky told the Mail Online. Ashol Pan represents the future. She is one of an estimated 250 eagle hunters in western Mongolia. In his photos, Svidensky depicts the evident joy Ashol Pan has in her new role, one her father never would have forced upon her unless she had asked. And she did." - Anne Bouey

射雕(女)英雄傳! Legend of the (Female) Condor Heroes! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki... - Jessie

Heh, Mark. - Stephen Mack

"It won't be nearly as much fun as eating candy bars, but a big study is being launched to see if pills containing the nutrients in dark chocolate can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. The pills are so packed with nutrients that you'd have to eat a gazillion candy bars to get the amount being tested in this study, which will enroll 18,000 men and women nationwide. "People eat chocolate because they enjoy it," not because they think it's good for them, and the idea of the study is to see whether there are health benefits from chocolate's ingredients minus the sugar and fat, said Dr. JoAnn Manson, preventive medicine chief at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. The study will be the first large test of cocoa flavanols, which in previous smaller studies improved blood pressure, cholesterol, the body's use of insulin, artery health and other heart-related factors. A second part of the study will test multivitamins to help prevent cancer. Earlier research suggested this benefit but involved just older, unusually healthy men. Researchers want to see if multivitamins lower cancer risk in a broader population. The study will be sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Mars Inc., maker of M&M's and Snickers bars. The candy company has patented a way to extract flavanols from cocoa in high concentration and put them in capsules. Mars and some other companies sell cocoa extract capsules, but with less active ingredient than those that will be tested in the study; candy contains even less. "You're not going to get these protective flavanols in most of the candy on the market. Cocoa flavanols are often destroyed by the processing," said Manson, who will lead the study with Howard Sesso at Brigham and others at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle." - Anne Bouey

I volunteer! - Steve C, Team Marina

"A scene that plays out at Fuller Park on most Sunday mornings might grab the passing neighbor, jogger or dog-walker as a time warp from centuries ago and an ocean away. Men and women clad in medieval-style mail, plate and scale armor clash swords, swing battle axes, parry blows with shields, oblivious for a few hours to their decidedly 21st-century surroundings of parked cars and candy-colored playground equipment. Their weapons may be blunted for safety, their uniforms a mix of the handmade and Internet-bought. But the 66 members of the Society for Creative Anachronism’s (SCA) local chapter are part of a culture of historical re-creation, bringing to life the arms and costumes — as well as the arts, crafts and manners — of medieval and Renaissance-era times normally locked within history books. “You get a different perspective than history classes give you, because you’re seeing it in action,” said Fara Otterbeck, a longtime member of the SCA’s local club, the Barony of Vinhold, and spokeswoman for the society’s West Kingdom comprising groups from Northern California and as far north as Alaska. “We want people to have the experience: not a re-enactment but a re-creation.” For nearly half a century, members of the SCA have organized kingdoms, shires, principalities and other groups to celebrate the past by reliving its culture. Some of its longest-serving members have called Napa home since the early 1980s, turning Fuller Park into their practice ground for the tournaments and mock battles that are one of the movement’s best-known traits — and, for many enthusiasts, their introduction into that world. “Going to Oregon State, I was taking medieval history and fencing,” said Greg Dawson, a participant for 34 of his 52 years and one of the Napa SCA group’s longest-serving members. “There was an adventure class that practiced on campus during the rainy season, called ‘Medieval Warfare: The Art of Bashing.’ Then when I came home I found out my local friends had found SCA in Oakland and Berkeley. This was live role-playing; when they said they made knights, that’s when I said, ‘OK, now I’m hooked!’”" - Anne Bouey

"Among the practice fighters in Napa are much more recent converts like Kai Morgan, a Napa fencing instructor who first joined the Barony of Vinhold last summer almost on a dare. “I had a fencing student who was fed up with getting his butt kicked, and he said, ‘Well, I’ve played your game, so why don’t you play mine?’” Morgan recalled between sword drills after briefly pulling off his bascinet, a copy of a ridged metal helmet widely used by 14th-century European warriors. The mobile, muscular fighting style he began to learn was a shock to a classical fencer trained on precision and moving only forward and back, but it’s a challenge he has readily taken on. “I’m a history major and a total buff for this,” he said. “It’s also the challenge of getting better at something new. It’s nice to start from scratch to be a total beginner again and work your way up.” Morgan honed his new/old weaponry techniques with a succession of partners, including some visiting from other Bay Area SCA groups. Against Michael Johnstone, who participates in the Sonoma County Shire of Wolfscairn as “Stone the Skald,” he battled for a 10-second burst before scoring a hit on Johnstone’s leg — below the round shield inscribed with Norse runic characters. “Comfortable?” Morgan asked. “Very comfortable,” Johnstone replied with a ritualized courtesy, as he knelt to simulate a warrior wounded but still keeping up the fight. “Engage!” his opponent shouted, and their swords clashed once more." - Anne Bouey

"Geoffrey of Griffinhold’s fighting prowess had been on display for two hours, but as he reverted to Jack Gillespie and shed his scale-like leather armor and removed the metal greaves from his shins, the high school teacher pointed to the other, more peaceful ways of honoring the past — the reproduction furniture he crafts for SCA gatherings, or the dishes his wife, Kira Leonova, prepares for them based on centuries-old culinary texts from France and Italy. Displaying and sharing the full range of medieval European daily life is as much at the heart of the movement as the armor and costumes, according to Otterbeck, the West Kingdom spokeswoman, who performs as a storyteller as Aurelia de Montfort, one of the period personae most SCA participants adopt. “Entertainments become so important when you no longer have an electronic device,” Otterbeck said wryly. “Me, I can’t sing or play an instrument — but I sure can tell one hell of a story!” - Anne Bouey

"Nowhere is the breadth of SCA’s activities on fuller display than at the largest of its annual get-togethers — Pennsic, a 17-day jamboree in rural western Pennsylvania that attracts upward of 10,000 people for performances, a “university” of arts and crafts, and full-scale field battles in period-style armor. “I was at Pennsic, and it felt like I was with 12,000 of my closest friends,” said Otterbeck. “You feel like you know them all, like you have the same common goals. You can’t see any modern buildings, even telephone poles; all you see is 2,000 people (in the battle events) who want to bash your face in — scary but loads of fun.” Ultimately, she suggested, such bonds of common enthusiasm may be more than the movement’s purpose, but its best tool to keep the flame burning. “What brings people into SCA is seeing someone else do it — seeing someone in costume or in tournaments,” she said. “It’s seeing the love of the ideals of chivalry, of the romanticism of it.” - Anne Bouey

"Colleges are paying students to take a year off after high school to travel, volunteer or do internships so that students of all income brackets can benefit from "gap years." A new program at Tufts University and existing ones at a handful of other schools aim to remove the financial barriers that can keep cash-strapped students from exploring different communities and challenge their comfort zones before jumping right into college. The gap year program starting this fall at Tufts will pay for housing, airfare and even visa fees, which can often add up to $30,000 or more. Although gap years are more popular in Europe, they have started to gain traction in the United States. About 40,000 Americans participated in gap year programs in 2013, an increase of nearly 20 percent since 2006, according to data gathered by a nonprofit called the American Gap Year Association. In 2009, Princeton University began offering applicants gap-year aid based on need. Nearly 100 students have participated, volunteering in Brazil, China, India, Peru and Senegal. The University of North Carolina offers $7,500 to gap year applicants, while students at Wisconsin's St. Norbert College can receive financial aid based on need, although airfare isn't covered." - Anne Bouey

"Students who take part are able to see the world beyond the bubble they grew up in and return to school with a better perspective of their future, said Holly Bull, president of the Center of Interim Programs, which counsels students on taking gap years. Bull said the benefit of the structured time away from school is too valuable to exclude lower-income students. "Students return to the classroom more focused, independent and confident," said Bull, who took a gap year herself to Hawaii and Greece. She said the students also tend to have less trouble adjusting to dorm life." - Anne Bouey

"Students selected for Tufts' 1+4 program will be able to defer their admission for a year while still remaining tied to the university through video chat and email. Tufts is planning to work with organizations including Global Citizen, City Year and Lift — which offer volunteering positions in areas such as education, economics, health and the environment — to create packages that fit students' financial needs, including travel and living costs. Patrick Callan, founding president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, applauds the gap year experience but said structure is key. "Sometimes, for less motivated students, taking a year off could lead to them never coming back," he said, adding that students that go in without concrete goals can be sidetracked from their studies. "You need to come in having a plan." - Anne Bouey

"Thanks to Instagram and similar filter-heavy photo apps, artful photography has become so user-friendly that everybody seems at least proficient at it--even, apparently, a little Lego person. U.K.-based photographer Andrew Whyte shows us the world through the lens of just such a small artist in a new photo series called “The Legographer.” These expertly composed photos, which Whyte took on his iPhone every day for a year, feature a Lego Man, rocking a Lego knit cap instead of the famous bowl cut, lugging around a Lego camera and taking pictures that we will never see. Despite his diminutive size, this little guy seems to have had some big adventures. He scales buildings, he’s chased by a hermit crab, and slips on a giant (to him) banana peel. You know, typical photographer stuff. “I love to document everyday things and build them into mini-series,” Whyte says. “But quite often there's nothing cohesive about what I shoot from one day to the next. As soon as my kids discovered the camera accessory at the Lego store, which fits in the hand of a mini-figure, I worked out a way to start placing the character in my day-to-day shots and he became a cohesive element. For the whole year, I really never left home without the figure.”" - Anne Bouey

Nice - Rodfather

I guess it's just you and me, Rod. :) - Anne Bouey

"For a compulsive online quiz-taker like Chrissy Noh, the temptation was too great to resist: "Which sandwich are you?" After answering a series of unscientific, seemingly unrelated questions, which included selecting her favorite doughnut from a lineup of frosted pastries, she had her answer (grilled cheese, for the record). And she's not the only one who's comparing herself to sandwiches lately. Go on, admit it: Chances are, you've been doing it, too. A recent explosion of silly online personality quizzes, most of them created by the young social media mavens at Buzzfeed.com, has everybody talking about which state they really ought to be living in and which Harry Potter character they really are. Buzzfeed says the quizzes are smashing traffic records and generating more Facebook comment threads than any viral posts in the site's history. Experts say the phenomenon isn't surprising given the age-old fascination with that central question — "Who AM I?" — and a desire to compare ourselves with others in a social media-obsessed society. On a recent snowy day, the 37-year-old Noh, who lives in New York City, admitted that she and several friends spent the afternoon taking quizzes and texting each other screen shots of the results. "It turned into an all-day group text message fest, where it was just picture after picture of, oh, what rapper are you?" she says, laughing. "What career should you actually have? Which sandwich are you? Which member of One Direction should you marry?"" - Anne Bouey

I was amazed to hear claims that Buzzfeed does Serious Journalism, and even one prediction that Buzzfeed would win a Pulitzer. Because, you know, you can never have too many listicles and stupid quizzes. - walt crawford

"Kickstarter announced today on its blog that it has been hacked, after the company was advised by law enforcement that hackers had gained private customer information on Wednesday night this week. While the company says that no credit card information was accessed by hackers, it is advising all users of the service to reset their password immediately and ensure that any other accounts that use the same password are changed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, other personal information including email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers and encrypted passwords were compromised in the attack. A Kickstarter staff member said on HackerNews that older users’ passwords were encrypted using salted SHA1 on the site, but newer passwords use a method called ‘bcrypt’ which may be safer. The company said on its blog that it is “incredibly sorry that this happened” and that the “incident is frustrating and upsetting.” It continued, saying Kickstarter has “since improved our security procedures and systems in numerous ways [and is] working closely with law enforcement.” If you have a Kickstarter account, we suggest you immediately reset your password using a strong password generated by a tool like Lastpass or 1Password." - Anne Bouey

i was so impressed - i got an email from them about it at just about the same time i started seeing it mentioned on twitter. - holly #ravingfangirl

"Using videos that claim to teach toddlers, or flash cards for tots, may not be the best idea. Simply talking to babies is key to building crucial language and vocabulary skills - but sooner is better, and long sentences are good. So says research that aims to explain, and help solve, the troubling "word gap": Children from more affluent, professional families hear millions more words before they start school than poor kids, leaving the lower-income students at an academic disadvantage that's difficult to overcome. That gap starts to appear at a younger age than scientists once thought, around 18 months, said Stanford University psychology professor Anne Fernald. And research being presented this week at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science suggests that it's not just hearing lists of words that matters as much as rich, varied language with good grammar that trains babies' brains to learn through context. Instead of just saying, "Here's an orange," it would be better to say: "Let's put the orange in this bowl with the banana and the apple and the grapes." "It's making nets of meaning that then will help the child learn new words," Fernald explained. "The advice I give mothers is to have conversations with your babies," added Erika Hoff, a psychology professor at Florida Atlantic University. "Children can hear lots of talk that goes over their head in terms of the meaning, and they still benefit from it."" - Anne Bouey

"Research shows that both how much and how well parents talk to babies and toddlers influence development of language and vocabulary skills crucial to later school achievement. Here are some tips: The sooner you start talking with babies, the better. Their brains are absorbing vital information well before they're able to respond. The high-pitched, sing-song tone that many people take with babies does get their attention. But don't dumb it down: Use rich, varied language and longer sentences, said Erika Hoff of Florida Atlantic University. Don't just label things, make connections. "The dog is wagging his tail" isn't as effective as, "Look how fluffy that dog's tail is. It's much fatter than the cat's skinny tail." What matters most is speech directed to babies and toddlers, not what they overhear, said Anne Fernald of Stanford University. Turn off the TV. "Television does not help the brain learn language," said Dr. Kimberly Noble of Columbia University Medical Center. Babies and toddlers especially require personal interaction to learn. Reading a book for 10 minutes a day adds up fast, Fernald noted. If Mom or Dad isn't a good reader, just talk about the pictures. Fit conversation into everyday activities. Instead of turning on music while fixing lunch, talk about the bowl of fruit on the table." - Anne Bouey

To you and yours too. Especially Jack my hero - Steve C, Team Marina

Happy Valentine's Day! - Jessie

LOL, I know exactly where she got that. - Derrick

You're overdoing your "foods," America :D - Eivind

"Shirley Temple Black, who rose to fame as arguably the most popular child star in Hollywood history, died late Monday night, her publicist said. She was 85. Temple Black, who also enjoyed a long career as a diplomat, died of natural causes at her Woodside, California, home. She was surrounded by family and caregivers, a statement from Cheryl Kagan said. She began acting at age 3 and became a massive box-office draw before turning 10, commanding a then-unheard of salary of $50,000 per movie. Her first film of notice was in 1932 when she played in "War Babies," part of the "Baby Burlesks" series of short films. For about 18 years, she sang, tap-danced and acted her way into the hearts of millions. Her corkscrew curls were popular with little girls from the 1930s through the 1970s." - Anne Bouey

"Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday afternoon in his New York City apartment, a law-enforcement official said. The New York Police Department is investigating, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine exact cause of death. The official said Mr. Hoffman, 46 years old, was found dead at his apartment at 35 Bethune St. in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. Mr. Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2005 film, "Capote."" - Anne Bouey

Damn - Rodfather

"John Bitmead constructed an adult-sized copy of a Little Tikes toy car. The registered vehicle runs on gasoline and can reach speeds of up to 70mph (110km/h). Costing £4,000 to build, it also includes an airbag, headlights and mirrors." - Anne Bouey

love it - VALZONE#SCREWED

That's awesome! - Tamara J. B.

"Poor and desperate Zimbabweans hang out in Harare's crowded low-end betting halls, placing stakes as little as U.S. 20 cents on world soccer matches and international horse and dog races with fervent hopes of getting quick returns on their bit of cash. The gambling intensified in January, when many families were cash-strapped after year-end spending and children's school fees were due. Many short of cash responded by flocking to Harare's downtown licensed betting shops in search of a windfall. Five new betting agencies opened in the capital in the past year, frequented primarily by poor men. At one, unemployed 28-year-old Tinashe Marira said he spends his days gambling on soccer matches and depends on sporadic winnings to feed his family and elderly parents. He won $140 from a $5 wager on a soccer match and rushed out to buy long-overdue groceries. Although he doesn't win all the time, Marira declared gambling is now his full-time job and won't be looking for formal employment again anytime soon. "This pays better than any job I could ever find," Marira told The Associated Press after his shopping spree. Zimbabwe's already high unemployment rate, estimated at more than 80 percent, increased in the past year when hundreds of companies shut down. The country's economic crisis has deepened since long-time President Robert Mugabe, who will turn 90 in February, won re-election in July. Factories in the once bustling industrial zones in the main cities are eerily silent. Job seekers on foot in the scorching heat are turned away. Railroad tracks once used by trains to ferry in raw materials and supplies are now overgrown with weeds. The jobless drift into to Harare, the capital, to look for opportunities to make money and many end up selling vegetables, trinkets and mobile phone airtime on the street. Forty-six percent of Zimbabwe's 13 million people now survive by running such informal businesses, according to the World Bank. Both young and elderly unemployed say gambling is a way of making money. "It is a relief to many unemployed people roaming the streets," said Roger Tekwa, 46, another regular at the betting shop. "Gambling here is done with seriousness coupled with a sad desperation," said Harry Ndlovu, bookmaker and manager at Zimbets, a downtown betting shop that provides, along with slot machines, an array of sporting events to bet on including televised horse and dog races, European soccer matches and virtual video roulette." - Anne Bouey

That's not good. - Stephen Mack

"Russian men who down large amounts of vodka — and too many do — have an "extraordinarily" high risk of an early death, a new study says. Researchers tracked about 151,000 adult men in the Russian cities of Barnaul, Byisk and Tomsk from 1999 to 2010. They interviewed them about their drinking habits and, when about 8,000 later died, followed up to monitor their causes of death. The risk of dying before age 55 for those who said they drank three or more half-liter bottles of vodka a week was a shocking 35 percent. Overall, a quarter of Russian men die before reaching 55, compared with 7 percent of men in the United Kingdom and less than 1 percent in the United States. The life expectancy for men in Russia is 64 years — placing it among the lowest 50 countries in the world in that category. It's not clear how many Russian men drink three bottles or more a week. Lead researcher Sir Richard Peto of Oxford University said the average Russian adult drinks 20 liters of vodka per year while the average Briton drinks about three liters of spirits. "Russians clearly drink a lot, but it's this pattern of getting really smashed on vodka and then continuing to drink that is dangerous," Peto said. "The rate of men dying prematurely in Russia is totally out of line with the rest of Europe," he said. "There's also a heavy drinking culture in Finland and Poland but they still have nothing like Russia's risk of death." Alcohol has long been a top killer in Russia and vodka is often the drink of choice, available cheaply and often homemade in small villages. Previous studies have estimated that more than 40 percent of working-age men in Russia die because they drink too much, including using alcohol that is not meant to be consumed like that in colognes and antiseptics. Drinking is so engrained in Russian culture there's a word that describes a drinking binge that lasts several days: "zapoi." Peto said there was some evidence of a similar effect in Russian women who also drank heavily but there was not enough data to draw a broad conclusion." - Anne Bouey

恭喜发财， 红包拿来 :-P - Jessie

You already got your red envelope, Jessie! ;-P - Anne Bouey

But I have so much 孝! Surely that merits more! :-D - Jessie

Thank you for sending me a Chinese New Year present! - Jessie

"If you live in San Francisco, California, then you may be lucky enough to come across the art of Andres Amador. He doesn’t paint or sculpt. He prefers a medium that is temporary but absolutely beautiful: a sandy beach at low tide. He uses a rake to create works of art that can be bigger than 100,000 sq. ft. He spends hours creating these intricate masterpieces, knowing that the tide will soon come in and wash away his work forever." - Anne Bouey

Those are gorgeous. - Tamara J. B.

A great tribute to the ephemeral :) - Eivind

"Every so often, Brandi Koskie finds dozens of photos of her 3-year-old daughter, Paisley, on her iPhone — but they aren't ones Koskie has taken. "There'll be 90 pictures, sideways, of the corner of her eye, her eyebrow," said Koskie, who lives in Wichita, Kan. "She's just tapping her way right into my phone." The hidden photos, all shot by Paisley, illustrate a phenomenon familiar to many parents in today's tech-savvy world: Toddlers love selfies. Observant entrepreneurs have caught on to these image-obsessed tots, marketing special apps that make taking photos super-easy for little fingers. You can even buy a pillow with a smartphone pocket so toddlers can take selfies during diaper changes. But toddlers aren't the only ones taking photos nonstop. It's not unusual for doting parents to snap thousands of digital photos by the time their child is 2. Today's toddlers think nothing of finding their own biopic stored in a device barely bigger than a deck of cards. While the barrage of images may keep distant grandparents happy, it's not yet clear how such a steady diet of self-affirming navel-gazing will affect members of the first truly "smartphone generation." Tot-centric snapshots can help build a healthy self-image and boost childhood memories when handled correctly, but shooting too many photos or videos and playing them back instantly for a demanding toddler could backfire, said Deborah Best, a professor of cognitive developmental psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. The instant gratification that smartphones provide today's toddlers is "going to be hard to overcome," she said. "They like things immediately, and they like it short and quick. It's going to have an impact on kids' ability to wait for gratification. I can't see that it won't."" - Anne Bouey

"It's natural for toddlers to be fascinated with their own image (think mirrors), and that interest plays an important developmental role as they develop a sense of self, child development experts say. Watching a video again and again can also help move events from short- to long-term memory, Best said. But like any other fun thing kids get obsessed with, too much of it can be bad. Parents should make sure some photos show the child with other family members or friends. Parents can also sit with kids and narrate the photo or video as if it were a bedtime story." - Anne Bouey

Awesome! - Stephen Mack

Corrine, that was her first time. - Anne Bouey

"Zhou Yeling dragged herself out of bed at 5 a.m. for a long-awaited date with her favorite Englishman — Sherlock Holmes. Zhou, 19, watched the third season premiere of the BBC’s Sherlock on Jan. 2 on the British broadcaster’s website. Two hours later, the episode started showing with Chinese subtitles on Youku.com, a video website. Youku says it was viewed more than 5 million times in the first 24 hours, becoming the site’s most popular program to date. “I was excited beyond words,” said Zhou, a student in the central Chinese city of Changsha. Sherlock has become a global phenomenon, but nowhere more than in China, which was one of the first countries where the new season was shown. Online fan clubs have attracted thousands of members. Chinese fans write their own stories about the modern version of author Arthur Conan Doyle’s prickly, Victorian detective and his sidekick, Dr. Watson, to fill the time between the brief, three-episode seasons. In Shanghai, an entrepreneur has opened a Sherlock-themed cafe. Holmes is known in China as “Curly Fu,” after his Chinese name, Fuermosi, and star Benedict Cumberbatch’s floppy hair. Watson, played by Martin Freeman, is Huasheng, a name that sounds like Peanut in Mandarin. They have become two of the most popular terms in China’s vast social media world. “The Sherlock production team shoot something more like a movie, not just a TV drama,” said Yu Fei, a veteran writer of TV crime dramas for Chinese television. Scenes in which Holmes spots clues in a suspect’s clothes or picks apart an alibi are so richly detailed that “it seems like a wasteful luxury,” Yu said. Even the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily is a fan. “Tense plot, bizarre story, exquisite production, excellent performances,” it said of the third season’s premier episode." - Anne Bouey

"With its mix of odd villains, eccentric aristocrats and fashionable London settings, Sherlock can draw on a Chinese fondness for a storybook version of Britain. Wealthy Chinese send their children to local branches of British schools such as Eton and Dulwich. Rolls Royce Motor Cars Ltd. says China passed the U.S. last year to become the biggest market for its luxury sedans. On the outskirts of Shanghai, a developer has built Thames Town, modeled on an English village with mock Tudor houses and classic red phone booths. “The whole drama has the rich scent of British culture and nobility,” Yu said. “Our drama doesn’t have that.” - Anne Bouey

"Appearing online gives Sherlock an unusual edge over Chinese dramas. To support a fledgling industry, communist authorities have exempted video websites from most censorship and limits on showing foreign programming that apply to traditional TV stations. That allows outlets such as Youku to show series that might be deemed too violent or political for state TV and to release them faster. “Our writers and producers face many restrictions and censorship. We cannot write about national security and high-level government departments,” Yu said. Referring to Mycroft Holmes, a shadowy government official and key character, Yu said, “Sherlock’s brother could not appear in a police drama in China.” - Anne Bouey

Curly Fu and Peanut! - Jessie

:D - Anne Bouey

"Dear "Daddy," I don't know your name, but Kate called you "daddy" for the entire flight last week and you kindly never corrected her. In fact, you didn't even flinch as you could probably tell that she was not confusing you with her own "daddy," but instead making a judgment regarding your level of "safety" for her. If she calls you "daddy" then you better believe she thinks you are alright. I sat Kate, my 3-year-old who has autism, in the middle seat knowing full well that there would be a stranger sitting next to her for the duration of this flight. I had to make a quick decision and based on her obsession with opening and closing the window shade, I figured she might be less of a distraction if she sat in the middle. I watched the entire Temple basketball team board the plane, and wondered if one of these giants might sit by Kate. They all moved toward the back. She would have liked that, she would have made some observations that I would have had to deal with, but she would have liked those players. I watched many Grandmotherly women board and hoped for one to take the seat but they walked on by. For a fleeting moment I thought we might have a free seat beside us, and then you walked up and sat down with your briefcase and your important documents and I had a vision of Kate pouring her water all over your multi-million dollar contracts, or house deeds, or whatever it was you held. The moment you sat down, Kate started to rub your arm. Your jacket was soft and she liked the feel of it. You smiled at her and she said: "Hi, Daddy, that's my mom." Then she had you." - Anne Bouey

"She offered shredder to you and that, my friend, is high praise" - Steve C, Team Marina

"Religion and astronomy may not overlap often, but a new NASA X-ray image captures a celestial object that resembles the "Hand of God." The cosmic "hand of God" photo was produced when a star exploded and ejected an enormous cloud of material, which NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, glimpsed in high-energy X-rays, shown in blue in the photo. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory had imaged the green and red parts previously, using lower-energy X-rays. "NuSTAR's unique viewpoint, in seeing the highest-energy X-rays, is showing us well-studied objects and regions in a whole new light," NuSTAR telescope principal investigator Fiona Harrison, of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said in a statement. The new image depicts a pulsar wind nebula, produced by the dense remnant of a star that exploded in a supernova. What's left behind is a pulsar, called PSR B1509-58 (B1509 for short), which spins around 7 times per second blowing a wind of particles into material ejected during the star's death throes. As these particles interact with nearby magnetic fields, they produce an X-ray glow in the shape of a hand. (The pulsar is located near the bright white spot in the image but cannot be seen itself, NASA officials said.) Scientists aren't sure whether the ejected material actually assumes the shape of a hand, or whether its interaction with the pulsar's particles is just making it appear that way. "We don't know if the hand shape is an optical illusion," Hongjun An, of McGill University in Montreal, said in a statement. "With NuSTAR, the hand looks more like a fist, which is giving us some clues." The red cloud appearing at the fingertips is a separate structure called RCW 89. The pulsar's wind may be heating the cloud to produce the low-energy X-ray glow, astronomers believe. The X-ray energies seen by NuSTAR range from 7 to 25 kiloelectron volts, or keV, whereas the energies seen by Chandra range from 0.5 to 2 keV. The Hand of God is an example of pareidolia, the psychological phenomenon of perceiving familiar shapes in random or vague images. Other common forms of pareidolia include seeing animals or faces in clouds, or the man in the moon. Despite its supernatural appearance, the Hand of God was produced by natural astrophysical phenomena." - Anne Bouey

Thanks - Steve C, Team Marina

"From Edinburgh and Glasgow to Aberdeen and Inverness, Scots usher in the New Year with music, dancing, singing, poetry and games in a festival known as Hogmanay. No one knows if the name came from French, Norse or Gaelic speakers. Hogmanay celebrations were brought to Scotland by Vikings in the 8th and 9th centuries. For many Scots, it's more of a time to exchange presents with family and friends than Christmas. In fact, the Scottish Presbyterian Church banned Christmas for 400 years, until 1958, proclaiming it a Catholic feast. The three-day celebration is Scotland's biggest TV event of the year with live broadcasts to more than 100 countries. Tourists from 60 countries travel to the capital, Edinburgh, to participate in a huge street party along Princess Avenue. It begins with a torchlight procession by thousands of men dressed as Vikings, who carry armor and shields. Traditional Scottish music is played by numerous bagpipe bands and drummers before a midnight fireworks display by Edinburgh Castle. The Hogmanay custom of singing "Auld Lang Syne" - a traditional poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns and set to the tune of a traditional folk song at the conclusion of New Year's Eve- has caught on in many countries." - Anne Bouey

How many hogs you got man? Many. There you go. - Todd Hoff

I have to wait until May? Happy New Year, Anne! - Louis Gray

Happy New Year, Anne. - Greg GuitarBuster

"As soon as the beat started, the young woman bobbed her head to the rhythm, raised her hands to get the crowd clapping and then unleashed a flood of rap lyrics that tackled some of the biggest social challenges women face in the Arab world. With the Middle East's hit TV show "Arabs Got Talent" as her stage, 18-year-old Myam Mahmoud rapped about sexual harassment, second-class treatment of women, and societal expectations of how a young religious woman should behave. The Egyptian teenager didn't win the program — she crashed out in the semifinals — but she did succeed in throwing the spotlight on something bigger than herself. "I wanted to tell girls in Egypt and everywhere else that they are not alone, we all have the same problems, but we cannot stay silent, we have to speak up," Mahmoud, who wears an Islamic headscarf but not a full-face veil, told The Associated Press. In Egypt, a country where politics have grabbed most of the headlines for the past three years, little space has been dedicated to addressing social problems. So Mahmoud, who is a first-year student of politics and economics at the October 6 University in a western Cairo suburb, decided to draw attention to women's rights through rap." - Anne Bouey

"One of the biggest problems for woman in Egypt is sexual harassment. A U.N. report released in April said the issue had reached "unprecedented levels," with 99.3 percent of women in the country reporting that they have been subjected to sexual harassment. "There is no single female in Egypt that has not been harassed, regardless of her looks," Mahmoud said. "As soon as a girl is born in Egypt, she is repressed with many pressures." Part of the problem, in Mahmoud's eyes, is that women don't speak out against harassment. "I wish we would not be silent about our problems," she said. "We have to snatch our freedoms, nobody will just offer them." Her lyrics take the issue head on. "Some of us see the answer is to cover up, and if the girl is hidden she will not be assaulted," she raps in one song. "My body is only mine." Initiatives to counter the problem have increased in the past year in Egypt, where volunteer groups have started protecting women at street protests. On the other side of the debate are conservative religious clerics who blame women, saying they invite harassment and sexual abuse by mixing with men. The issue is, in part at least, linked to the broader expectations that many men in religiously conservative Egypt have about women and their roles in society. Mahmoud, with her quiet self-confidence and animated performances in a genre that has gained more acceptance among younger Egyptians in recent years, has challenged those expectations." - Anne Bouey

"Blues guitarist Tommy Bankhead rubbed shoulders with some of the genre's royalty, from Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James to Albert King and Sonny Boy Williamson. But visitors to the overgrown St. Louis cemetery where Bankhead was buried more than a decade ago would never know his musical legacy. Or his name. Be it neglect, inattention or hard times, Bankhead's family never added a grave marker to his burial plot. That will soon change thanks to the Killer Blues Headstone Project, a nonprofit effort to bring belated recognition to long-forgotten blues musicians. Though the group has posthumously honored musicians as far away as California, its efforts are concentrated in a fertile blues corridor that stretches from the Mississippi Delta through St. Louis, north to Chicago and Michigan. "These guys gave so much to America via music," said Aaron Pritchard, the project's vice president. "They deserve a headstone." Pritchard, 33, grew up on rock 'n' roll and discovered the St. Louis blues scene after high school but stopped playing music for a living to raise his two small children. A retail manager by day, Pritchard must be equal parts musicologist, cultural historian, archivist and Internet detective for the blues genealogy project. Several years ago, he met a kindred spirit in Steven Salter of Whitehall, Mich., whose own search for his musical idols began with a detour to the Chicago area while en route to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. After stopping at the graves of McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, and Chester Burnett (aka Howlin' Wolf), Salter found an unmarked grave for blues pianist Otis Spann. A letter bemoaning Spann's fate to a blues magazine ignited a successful fundraiser and convinced Salter to launch the headstone project in 2008." - Anne Bouey

"In cotton country a couple miles east of the Mississippi River, just off a road known as the blues highway, fourth graders at Tunica Elementary School are exploring the Delta’s homegrown music to learn about rhythm, rhyme and chord progression. Their teacher is also using the new Mississippi Blues Trail Curriculum to help the children absorb information in unexpected ways. Chevonne Dixon is one of the first teachers in the state to incorporate the blues into science, math, social studies and English lessons. So far this school year, the 9- and 10-year-olds in her class have written blues songs about the weather. They’ve composed short ditties about the travails of being a kid. And they’ve read classic blues lyrics to learn the challenges of growing cotton. “It makes them recall information, especially with that slow, melodic sound,” said Dixon, who leads her classroom with a calm demeanor that brings out a quiet, respectful manner in the children." - Anne Bouey

"Tunica Elementary sits near a milo field just off of U.S. Highway 61, the blues highway that meanders south out of Memphis, Tenn., and down through the cotton and soybeans fields of the flat Mississippi Delta. Tunica County used to be one of the poorest places in the United States, but about 20 years ago the local economy started to perk up with the arrival of casinos on the Mississippi River. Still, Dixon says more than 90 percent of the students in the school qualify for free or reduced lunches – an indication of lingering poverty in a region where many of the children’s parents and grandparents are unemployed or work part-time agriculture jobs. In 2006, scholars and tourism promoters started working together on the Mississippi Blues Trail, a series of highway markers that provide information about people, places and events significant in developing the hardscrabble music that influenced rock ‘n’ roll. The trail is a magnet for music aficionados, especially European and Asian travelers seeking an off-the-beaten-path experience of American culture – something other than theme parks and big cities." - Anne Bouey

"The Blues Trail Curriculum draws on research that was done for the highway markers. Mark Malone, a music professor at William Carey University, designed the curriculum with help from Scott Barretta, a blues scholar at the University of Mississippi. The Mississippi Arts Commission made the Blues Trail Curriculum available this school year. It’s aimed at fourth graders who are learning state history, but it can be altered for younger and older students. Its lessons focus on six main areas: music, meaning, cotton, transportation, civil rights and media. And while some traditional blues music has distinctly adult-themed lyrics about drinking, carousing or working for the man, the curriculum presents age-appropriate themes." - Anne Bouey

"On a crisp December morning, Dixon’s classroom is toasty warm. The 16 students wear uniforms of khaki pants with blue, red or yellow knit shirts. They quickly go from wiggly to quiet as Dixon clicks on a recording of Malone singing “Homework Blues,” accompanied by simple piano notes. It is call and response – he sings a phrase, the children echo it: “I have lots of homework now... Social studies, science and math, oh wow.” When the song is over, Dixon tells the students to work in groups of four and think about problems they face as fourth graders: “We’re going to see if you can come up with your own blues song.” One group writes about reading. Another writes about art. Two write about math. After five minutes, they sing what they’ve written, in call-and-response with their classmates: “Comparing fractions is so hard... It’s easier to put it on a math chart.” The children read lyrics of “Cotton Crop Blues” by James Cotton, a blues harmonica player born in 1935 in Tunica County. Each group of four students creates a tableau, standing like statues to depict what the song is saying: “Well, raising a good cotton crop... Just like a lucky man shootin’ dice... Work all the summer... To make your cotton... When fall comes... It still ain’t no price.” Jimmarious Frazier, one of Dixon’s students, said he found it interesting to learn about boll weevils, the bugs that can ruin cotton crops. “My daddy chops cotton and plants seeds. He gets paid for it,” Jimmarious said. Tom Pearson, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, said the Blues Curriculum gives children a sense of place." - Anne Bouey

"Call it throwing the book at the bookworms. A Texas man who was arrested for failing to return an overdue library book ignited an online flurry of snarky comments and headlines about the Lone Star State extending its tough-on-crime bravado to books. But such cases aren't unheard of, and many communities faced with shrinking budgets and rising costs have ordinances calling for fines or even arrest warrants when library property isn't returned. In Texas alone, the issue has cost libraries an estimated $18 million. Jory Enck learned that the hard way. He was arrested for not returning a GED study guide that he checked out three years ago in the Central Texas community of Copperas Cove. Enck declined comment to The Associated Press, but he told the Killeen Daily Herald that he wouldn't set foot in a library again: "I think I will probably just purchase a book from Amazon." A Texas state law took effect in September that defines the failure to return library books as theft. The law, which doesn't trump stricter community ordinances, mandates up to a $100 fine per offense. Other states also call for fines or even arrest warrants in such cases, including Iowa — where an overdue-book offender was jailed for a week — Vermont and Maine." - Anne Bouey

Well, they say that reading can be life altering... - maʀtha

Thank you, Anne! I hope you had a lovely day, as well. <3 - Jenny H.

Merry Christmas :) - Eivind