Is the Easter Egg an Environmental Hazard?

It's getting hard to find anything that isn't a flat-out unintended environmental disaster.  Now Easter Eggs.  Next, Santa's reindeer will be busted for a particularly disgusting aerial discharge - without the proper waste disposal permits.When...

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As English Spreads It Gains Vocabulary But Becomes Grammatically Simpler

2013_Freedom_House_world_map.svgThe idea that English is becoming grammatically simpler as it spreads makes sense; as does English gaining in vocabulary as it borrows words and meanings from the many other languages with which it mingles.So here's the...

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Good Grades Help You Get the Job? Not if You're a Woman.

Credit: © fizkes / FotoliaStellar grades in college could hurt -- rather than help -- women newto the job market, according to a new study that suggests employersplace more value on the perceived "likability" of female applicantsthan on...

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Music Makes Kids Smarter. So Does Art.

Source: Chicago MusicI've always liked the simple headline.  Music makes kids smarter.  So does art.Straight forward, easy to grasp.And true.A reason why there must be art and music taught in our schools.*  *  *  * ...

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All human language skews to happy words.: The Pollyanna Hypothesis

F-bombs notwithstanding, all languages skew toward happiness:Universal human bias for positive words"Vermont currently has the happiest signal, while Louisiana has the saddest.And the latest data puts Boulder, CO, in the number one spot for happiness,while...

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Turning Failure to Success by Writing. It Works.

Source:  Positive WriterThis is one of the cooler bits of research published this year, with implications for the writer.One, you can turn failure to success by writing about the experience of failure.Two, you can turn down your stress level...

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The Problems with Functioning Labels

Photo © City Year | Flickr/Creative Commons[image: Photo of a Black young man with short hair, close-cut beard, andglasses, holding hands out to sides while on stage during a talent show.]Finn Gardinerexpectedly.orgMany professionals talk about autistic...

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Women Introduce New Pottery to Baltic Region 5,000 Years Ago

Credit: Elisabeth Holmqvist-SipiläMap of neolithic pottery exchange network in the Baltic Sea region.It seems that it is mostly men who receive credit for innovation.  Scientists assume the first stone tools were made by men.  The first farmers...

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Suffer Back Pain? You're Not Alone.

Source:  medicinenetPain in the low back can be a result of conditions affecting thebony lumbar spine, discs between the vertebrae, ligamentsaround the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, musclesof the low back, internal organs of...

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Sixty is the New Fifty: Age-shaming in America.

Credit: © freefly / FotoliaAmericans may be aging more slowly than they were two decades ago.The original title of this research study issued by the University of Southern California was:  Is 60 the New 50? Examining Changes in Biological Age...

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Autism Uncensored: A Dangerous and Spirit-Crushing Book

Photo © Charley Lhasa | Flickr/Creative Commons[image: Plush red Elmo doll lying on asphalt. A yellow chalk speech bubble has Elmo appear to be yelling "Help!"]Maxfield Sparrowunstrangemind.com[Content note: Extensive discussion of restraints. Discussions...

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How Male/Female Stereotypes Are Changing - And They Are

Source:  Northwestern University CNETA drawing from a Draw-A-Scientist study.It is important for any writer to stay current with how our society and culture is changing, and how we perceive those changes.*  *  *  *  *US children...

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