What would happen if I drilled a tunnel through the center of th" Want to really get away from it all? The farthest you can travel from home (and still remain on Earth) is about 7,900 miles (12,700 kilometers) straight down, but you'll have to journey the long way round to get there: 12,450 miles (20,036 kilometers) over land and sea. Why not take a shortcut, straight down? You can get there in about 42 minutes -- that's short enough for a long lunch, assuming you can avoid Mole Men, prehistoric reptiles and underworld denizens en route. Of course, you'd be in for a rough ride. For sake of argument (and survival) let's pretend the Earth is a cold, uniform, inert ball of rock. At the Earth's surface, gravity pulls on us at 32 feet (9.8 meters) per second squared. You're still moving at a heck of a clip, though, so don't expect to stop there. Of course, reality has a tendency to intrude on even the best thought experiments.
Depressive realism Evidence for[edit] Evidence against[edit] When asked to rate both their performance and the performance of another, non-depressed individuals demonstrated positive bias when rating themselves but no bias when rating others. Criticism of the evidence[edit] Some have argued that the evidence is not more conclusive because there is no standard for "reality," the diagnoses are dubious, and the results may not apply to the real world.[33] Because many studies rely on self-report of depressive symptoms, the diagnosis of depression in these studies may not be valid as self-reports are known to often be biased, necessitating the use of other objective measures. Due to most of these studies using designs that do not necessarily approximate real-world phenomena, the external validity of the depressive realism hypothesis is unclear. See also[edit] References[edit] Jump up ^ Alloy,L.B., Abramson,L.Y. (1988). Further reading[edit] Rachel Adelson (April 2005).
Incoming! The World’s 10 Worst Invasive Species The introduction of non-native species of plants and animals to a new ecosystem almost always results in environmental stress, degradation and sometimes even disaster. These 10 invasive species are infamous for the destruction they have caused, even when introduced with the best of intentions. Kudzu (images via: Free Republic, JJ Anthony and Cynical-C) Kudzu… its name may sound like that of a Japanese movie monster and this pretty ornamental vine does indeed originate in Japan (and southeast China) – and has caused extensive destruction to boot. The only plant on this list, kudzu earns a place in the annals of misguided attempts to introduce foreign species because it was one of the first such invaders to be noted, publicized and controlled. (image via: NYU) Kudzu was first displayed in the United States at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876, where it was extolled as a hardy, fast-growing ground cover that could help inhibit soil erosion. Rabbits Starlings (image via: He and Fi)
Neuroticism Emotional stability[edit] At the opposite end of the spectrum, individuals who score low in neuroticism are more emotionally stable and less reactive to stress. They tend to be calm, even-tempered, and less likely to feel tense or rattled. Although they are low in negative emotion, they are not necessarily high on positive emotion. Measurement[edit] Like other personality traits, neuroticism is typically viewed as a continuous dimension rather than distinct. Extent of neuroticism is generally assessed using self-report measures, although peer-reports and third-party observation can also be used. Lexical measures use individual adjectives that reflect neurotic traits, such as anxiety, envy, jealously, moodiness, and are very space and time efficient for research purposes. Statement measures tend to comprise more words, and hence consume more research instrument space, than lexical measures. Psychopathology[edit] Neuropsychology[edit] Mental-noise hypothesis[edit] Sex differences[edit]
List of common misconceptions From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This incomplete list is not intended to be exhaustive. This list corrects erroneous beliefs that are currently widely held about notable topics. Arts and culture Food and cooking Roll-style Western sushi. Searing meat does not "seal in" moisture, and in fact may actually cause meat to lose moisture. Legislation and crime Literature The Harry Potter books, though they have broken children's book publishing records, have not led to an increase in reading among children or adults, nor slowed the ongoing overall decline in book purchases by Americans, and children who did read the Harry Potter books were not more likely to go on to read more outside of the fantasy and mystery genres.[21][22][23][24] Music Religion Hebrew Bible The forbidden fruit mentioned in the Book of Genesis is commonly assumed to be an apple,[27] and is widely depicted as such in Western art. Buddhism The historical Buddha was not obese. Christianity Islam Sports Words and phrases History Biology
Dysfunctional family Perceptions[edit] A common misperception of dysfunctional families is the mistaken belief that the parents are on the verge of separation and divorce. While this is true in a few cases, often the marriage bond is very strong as the parents' faults actually complement each other. In short, they have nowhere else to go. However, this does not necessarily mean the family's situation is stable. Any major stressor, such as relocation, unemployment/underemployment, physical or mental illness, natural disaster, etc. can cause existing conflicts affecting the children to become much worse.[2] Dysfunctional families have no social, financial or intellectual bounds. Examples[edit] Dysfunctional family members have common features and behavior patterns as a result of their experiences within the family structure. Common features[edit] Near universal[edit] Some features are common to most dysfunctional families: Non universal[edit] Specific examples[edit] Parenting[edit] Unhealthy parenting signs[edit]
Damn Interesting Why Is It Called 'Wall Street'? | Life's Little Mysteries As the drama of the civil fraud lawsuit against Goldman Sachs continues to unfold, all eyes are focused on Wall Street. The reverberations from Goldman's public flogging at the hands of lawmakers and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will be felt throughout the financial industry. But, while Goldman Sachs may be one of Wall Street's top investment banks and most powerful firms, the street itself has a storied history, beginning long before the bankers, brokers and traders moved in. Wall Street an actual street by that name is located in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street acts as the epicenter of the city's Financial District. The name of the street originates from an actual wall that was built in the 17th century by the Dutch, who were living in what was then called New Amsterdam. The area near the wall became known as Wall Street. The financial industry got its official start on Wall Street on May 17, 1792.
The real-life Harry Potter reveals why sharing the wizard's name has made his life a misery By Beth Hale Updated: 02:12 GMT, 22 October 2009 The similarities are there - right down to a scar on the forehead. But the biggest thing they share are eleven letters spelling out two short names. Harry Potter. And as the dark-haired young man (the one without the glasses) pictured here can testify: being a real-life Harry Potter is not quite as magical as it might seem. Any other name? Mr Potter has endured taunts from the public, police, phone companies and even a football referee - all because he shares a name with arguably the world's best known wizard. Mr Potter, who was born in 1989, had eight peaceful years of being a schoolboy with a fairly ordinary name before JK Rowling released a book entitled Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, and everything changed. Then Daniel Radcliffe, who at 20 is the same age as Mr Potter, brought the boy wizard to life and suddenly introducing himself as 'Harry Potter' became something of a minefield. Enlarge