Chinese immigrants find Australian small talk too awkward Are language skills alone enough to ensure overseas Chinese fit well into their new home? The answer is no, according to a study of the social experience of recent Chinese immigrants in Australia, which found that their biggest barrier to communication is not language or knowledge, but the ability to make small talk. The experience of 25-year-old Fei - a financial adviser who has lived in Melbourne for seven years, speaks fluent English and considers himself outgoing - is typical. Every time the company holds a social function, he's reluctant to join, he says. "Australians can walk into a party where they know no one and straight away they are able to talk with anyone, but we Chinese tend to hang on to one person, usually also Chinese or Asian, and stick to that person throughout. And for 30-year-old Bai, who is married to an Australian husband and works in the chemical industry, even responding to "how are you" throughout the day proves stressful.
MMR Vaccine Causes Autism, Courts Quietly Confirm At the center of the fifteen-year controversy is Dr. Andrew Wakefield of Austin, Texas. It was Dr. For that discovery way back in 1996, and a subsequent research paper published by the doctor in 1998, Andrew Wakefield has found himself the victim of a world-wide smear campaign by drug corporations, governments and media companies. But in recent months, courts, governments and vaccine manufacturers have quietly conceded the fact that the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine most likely does cause autism and stomach diseases. Read Full Article.
Putin in The New York Times Take a Look At These Fascinating Happiness-Related Word Clouds A thoughtful reader sent me the link to Michael Kelley's piece, "Scientists Used Facebook for the Largest Ever Study of Language and Personality, about a fascinating study done by University of Pennsylvania researchers, "Personality, Gender, and Age in the Language of Social Media." They used 700 million words, phrases, and topic instances taken from Facebook, from 75,000 volunteers, to analyze linguistic patterns. This might not sound fascinating, but looking at the word clouds generated by this study is riveting. They generated word clouds that track the traits of introversion and extroversion, neuroticism and emotional stability, gender, and age. From a happiness perspective, I was most interested in the word clouds for extraversion, introversion, neuroticism, and emotional stability. Here it is, but note, there are a lot of curse words, if that bothers you. Hmmmmm.
Bayer and US Government Knowingly Gave HIV to Thousands of Children What if a company that you thought you could trust, knowingly sold you a medicine for your child that they knew had the potential to give your child HIV? How would you react? What if a government agency that claims the responsibility for protecting you from such treachery, not only looked the other way, but was complicit in this exchange? Everyone has heard of Bayer aspirin, it is a household name. In 1984 Bayer became aware that several batches of this Factor 8 contained HIV. Unable to sell their Factor 8 in the US, Bayer, with the FDA’s permission, (yes that’s right, the FDA allowed Bayer to potentially kill thousands) sold this HIV infected medicine to Argentina, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore after February 1984, according to the documents obtained by the NY Times. The result of this sale of HIV tainted medication ended up infecting tens of thousands and killing thousands. No one in the government nor Bayer have been charged with anything in regards to this matter.
I Didn't Love My Wife When We Got Married | Elad Nehorai I’m a ridiculous, emotional, over-sentimental sap. I guess that’s why I told my wife I loved her on our second date. I had tried really hard up to that point to hold it back, honestly. I wanted to tell her on the first date, but I knew that would probably be weird. I still remember her reaction. I wasn’t heartbroken by the response. But as time has gone on, I also realized that she knew something that I didn’t. Like most Hasidic Jews (we both became religious later in life), our dating period lasted a very short time. And that whole time I was swooning. But then we got married, and everything changed. Marriage, quicker than I was ready for, did this thing: It started sucking away that emotion. I tried so hard to keep that fire going, to keep that emotion alight, but it got harder and harder. I mean, how you can feel that burning love when you’re sitting at the table discussing how to use the last $20 in your bank account? How can you feel it when you get into an argument?
Ghostalker474 comments on Rant: A good portion of people I deal with are incompetent, not just IT staff Find Out Which Companies You Support When Buying Organic So you and your family and friends have been buying organic food at the grocery store for several years now. When you’re at your parents’ house, suddenly you find organic kale in the fridge instead of canned green beans in the cupboard. Your sugar, flour, milk, and butter all bear the USDA’s seal certifying that they were produced in accordance with the federal organic standards. You’re not alone! Did you think big business wouldn’t catch on to (and advance) such an upward trend? The interconnectedness of organic vegetables with junk food brands, cold-pressed juices with high fructose corn syrup–laden sodas, are yet another reminder that, meaningful as “organic” may be, this manner of farming is not ideology—it’s business. Illustrated by Lauren Wade
Travel While You're Young | Adam London This is the time for small paychecks and big memories. This is the time for travel. We are about as attached to one location as we are to our favorite Chinese take-out place. We know what we like about it, and we take comfort in the familiarity, but that's about it. - Jessy Tapper Last June, Jeff Goins wrote an essay for Converge Magazine titled, "Why you should travel young." Although the message is not new, I found myself nodding in fast agreement as I reached the heart of his writing: While you're young, you should travel. I've had these moments and I've felt these emotions. The Khmer Rouge killing fields? Two years ago I stood there in silence, unable to talk to two of my closest friends. I stood frozen, thinking of the men and women and children and the pain they suffered. I stood in disbelief, selfishly considering the site's affect on me. Through that naivety I became aware of just how large the world can be. I was a witness to how much there is to see, experience, and learn.