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Hurricane You
Slate: Hurricane Sandy charged into the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States today. Sandy isn’t exactly a common name these days. How can you get a tropical storm named after yourself? Lobby the National Weather Service. The World Meteorological Association maintains lists of tropical storm names for each of the next six years. When that six-year cycle ends, the sequence of names goes back to the beginning. If your name is Valerie, for example, you might have a storm named after you this year and again in 2018. Wilfreds can hope for tropical storm namesakes in 2014 and 2020. Ophelias should stay tuned to the forecast in 2017 and 2023.
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Wie man aus Fehlern lernt (How to learn from mistakes)
ORF Austria: "Self-Affirmation" heißt eine Theorie, die der US-amerikanische Psychologe Claude Mason Steele in den 80er Jahren vorgestellt hat. Sie geht davon aus, dass Menschen die Integrität ihres Selbstwerts aufrechterhalten, obwohl dieser von widrigen Einflüssen wie Stress und Ängsten bedroht wird. Gelingt ihnen das, reagieren sie auch gelassener bei offensichtlichen Fehlern - und bewahren sich die Offenheit, daraus zu lernen. Welcher Mechanismus dahintersteht, war bislang unklar. Lisa Legault von der Clarkson University hat nun mit zwei Kollegen Licht in die Sache gebracht. Sie teilte Probanden in zwei Gruppen und befragte sie nach deren Werten und Überzeugungen.
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To Regift or Not to Regift, That Is the Question
The Huffington Post: I admit it: I'm a chronic regifter. There are few things in life that give me more pleasure than finding a new home for an item that's just taking up space in my house. So one of my kids gets a birthday present she already has? She may see disappointment, but I see opportunity. What's that, honey, you already have one of those? I'm so sorry. Why don't you pass it over to Daddy. Oh, and sweetie, keep the plastic wrap on there. Regifting rules. (In fact, literally so -- yes, there are actual websites devoted to the rules of regifting, efforts to spell out the social norms governing acceptable and unacceptable practices in this area.) Why am I fan?
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Boredom at school: Is stress the cause?
Deseret News: Conventional wisdom tells us kids feel bored at school because they are under-challenged, under-motivated or poorly taught. A 2012 report from the Association for Psychological Science says the classic signals of boredom might be telling a different story, according to an Education Week blog by Sarah D. Sparks. When a child gazes out of a classroom window, fidgets and acts out at school, or heaves a sigh that says "I'm so bored!", the real problem might be outside stressors that can interfere with schoolwork, and even health. "I think teachers should always try to be relevant and interesting, but beyond that, there are other places to look," Sparks was told by John D.
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Taking Early Exits Off Wall Street
The Wall Street Journal: After five years in investment banking, Matt Wolf decided he'd had enough. While the 35-year-old vice president enjoyed his close-knit team of colleagues at Morgan Stanley MS +0.91% in Manhattan, he had reached a breaking point: Too many takeout-fueled late nights, too many canceled trips with his wife and too many judgmental looks at social gatherings. His pay—still generous, but lower than he had expected before the financial crisis—was no longer worth the sacrifices. So last month, he left.
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Political beliefs rooted in childhood, study shows
Detroit Free Press: A person’s temperament in childhood and the type of parenting they received have a major effect on their political beliefs, according to a new study. Children with authoritarian parents were more likely to have conservative political beliefs when they were 18, while those with egalitarian parents were more likely to have liberal beliefs, according to a study of more than 700 children who took part in earlier research from the U.S. National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.