Astronaut in SpaceNASA
No kids for astronauts?
"Renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking once remarked that humankind would need to colonize space within the next century, if it was to survive as a species," The Independent reports. "… The prospect of long-term space travel has led scientists to consider, increasingly seriously, the following conundrum: If travelling to a new home might take thousands of years, would humans be able to successfully procreate along the way? The early indications from NASA are not encouraging. Space, it seems, is simply not a good place to have sex. … Without effective shielding on spaceships, high-energy proton particles would probably sterilize any female fetus conceived in deep space and could have a profound effect on male fertility."
Cold-blooded killings
Chicago police say a January burglary of a northwest suburban home is "disturbing" - not just because of the stolen goods, but because the young burglars killed three goldfish to avoid leaving "any witnesses," Huffingtonpost.com reports. A 16-year-old youth, one of three teenagers arrested, faces cruelty-to-animals charges in addition to a residential burglary charge.
Swinging the babies
"Oleg Tyutin is a psychotherapist, but for the past 20 years he has been practising a different kind of medicine," BBC News reports. "He trains young mums like Victoria Kurzina to do the kind of exercises with their babies that would spark an outcry in the West. Mr. Tyutin holds Victoria's baby by the legs, so that little Pavel is dangling upside down - and swings him gently from side to side like a pendulum. Then, like the game of cup and ball, he swings the baby up toward him and catches him in his chest. Pavel is just 17 days old. The Russians call this dynamic baby gymnastics. The practice is legal in Russia and widespread. There are believed to be hundreds of practitioners across the country. Oleg maintains it gives babies a head start in life. 'When they're born, babies are very tense,' Oleg explains."
Want a mint? Yes, you do
"[M]st people can't smell their own breath," CNN.com says. "So if you detect a friend's bad breath, you should speak up. … There are two possible approaches, according to [Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder of The Etiquette School of New York] Sit down with your friend in a private setting and be direct. Begin the conversation by telling them you believe there is something they would want to know and that you aren't sure they are aware of the problem. Or, if you know the person is sensitive, you may need to be more cautious about your approach. Delicately bring up the issue by carrying mints with you. Take one yourself first and then offer one to your friend who has bad breath. If the person doesn't accept, Fitzpatrick says it is acceptable to offer a nudge by simply saying, 'I think you should.' "
Older, thinner women
"The number of [Japanese]women in their 30s and 40s whose body mass index is in the underweight category is higher now than it was 20 years ago, according to a survey by the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry," The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reports. "Body mass index, or BMI, is an indicator of the healthiness of one's weight. Young women are often criticized for dieting themselves to excessive thinness, but the survey found a greater increase in underweight women in slightly older age groups. … As for why it has become more common for women over 30 to be underweight, it is possible that women who took action to lose weight in their 20s have kept up their efforts, or that health-consciousness regarding weight has increased among women over 30 years old."
Your Achilles heel
"You've sent your CV, attended assessment days and are in the interview fielding the question, 'What's your worst feature?' " says Wired magazine's British edition. "Don't panic. Bill Tomlin, executive director of recruitment at Verridian, guides you through the minefield."
- "Don't make it personal. 'Never say, 'I'm a procrastinator,' or 'I'm overly emotional.' It may be a personal feature for you, but it's irrelevant to the interviewer,' says Tomlin. Make it operational: If you're a perfectionist who runs very close to deadlines, then admit it, but add what you've done about it."
- "You're not perfect. If you're being asked about your weaknesses, saying you don't have any is a hugely negative answer. 'We all have weaknesses,' explains Tomlin. 'If you're not aware of your deficiencies then you're certainly not aware of what you should be doing about them.' "
- "Do your homework. Every question that comes your way is an opportunity to sell yourself, so make sure you go in prepared. 'We've all got gaps and issues we need to address - everyone does, including the interviewer. So think of something that has been a genuine issue for you in the past, how you've recognized it, and what you've done to address it.' "
Thought du jour
"Adversity in immunological doses has its uses; more than that crushes."
- John Updike (1932-2009), U.S. author and critic