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Friday the 13th: somewhere between religion and superstition
The Washington Post: Of all the traditional Western superstitions, Friday the 13th has the strongest connection to religion and the Christian faith in particular. Over the years, there have been a variety of theories of the origin the Friday the 13th superstition, but like many explanations of folk practices and beliefs, these accounts often have the flavor of post-hoc, just-so stories with little to back them up. Some commentators point to Norse mythology and the killing of the benevolent god Baldur by the evil Loki, who crashed a gathering of twelve gods in Valhalla to form an unlucky grouping of thirteen.
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The Ties that Bind: Grandparents and their Grandchildren
Close your eyes for a moment, open your treasure trove of memories and take a step back in time to your childhood. Do you remember your grandfather gently scooping you up into his warm and comforting embrace? Or sitting by your grandmother’s side as she lovingly baked pies chock full of delicious, juicy warm apples sprinkled with crumbly cinnamon bits?
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U.S. Immigrants Get Supersized
Live Science: Immigrants to the United States may be packing on the pounds, in part, because of a desire to fit in with the citizens of their new country, a new study suggests. Immigrants and their children are known to put on weight after moving to the United States, with some approaching levels of obesity within 15 years. While the abundance of junk food in the American diet no doubt plays a role in their weight gain, immigrants and their families may choose typical American dishes as a way to show that they belong and to prove themselves as Americans, the new study finds. Read the whole story: Live Science
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Kids and Money: 5 Ways to Instill Good Habits
CBS: Try it. You’ll like it. It’s a lie that parents tell their kids all the time, and it’s usually about food. But now there is evidence that even if kids don’t like, say, an icky vegetable, if you can get them to keep sampling the food eventually they will grow to enjoy it. And if it works with Brussels sprouts, why not with other distasteful things like budgets, saving and investing? First, a word on vegetables. British scientist Jane Wardle found that kids ages 4-6 were willing to eat veggies they did not like if they were paid (in stickers) to do so. No real surprise there. Who wouldn’t choke down their spinach for a Super Sticker Assortment?
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‘Situational’ Personality Traits: Why You Should Know Yours
The Huffington Post: I think of myself as a fairly easy-going guy -- tolerant, not easily riled up. That is, unless a rude driver cuts me off in traffic. Rudeness triggers the worst in me, and I doubt anyone would describe me as congenial under those circumstances. I can also get moody when I'm tired, and I'm much more affable once I've had my morning coffee. I'm probably more cheerful on Sundays than on Tuesdays. Still, on balance I think most my friends would describe me as easy-going. What I'm describing here -- this seeming contradiction -- is the difference between my global personality and my more nuanced, situational "if-then" profile. Read the whole story: The Huffington Post
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“We’ll always have Paris.” Really?
One of the most memorable lines in film comes from the 1942 classic Casablanca, when the cynical ex-pat Rick tells his former lover Ilsa: “We’ll always have Paris.” Rick is referring to their brief romance on the eve of World War II—a courtship that ended abruptly with the Nazi invasion of France. When he speaks those words to Ilsa in the movie’s final scene, Rick has accepted that he and Ilsa will never be reunited. There are higher causes and historical forces at play, but at least they will always have that one cherished memory. Or will they? When the jaded anti-hero Rick speaks those tender words, he is really stating his theory of human memory—and assessing his own.
