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.
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.
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
That’s Zef: The True Story Behind Die Antwoord’s Mysterious Style Does zef exist? Or did Yolandis and Ninja of Die Antwoord make it all up in a frenzied (and successful) bid to capture international attention a year ago? Does it even matter now? Marlon Bishop traveled to South Africa to discover the "real" zef, and how it's connected to what he describes as "some of the worst music on planet Earth, objectively." Turns out Zef exists, but it might not be what you think it is... “Crocs are zef. Where the U.S. has its guidos and Britain has its chavs, South Africa has a little something called zef. Ninja of Die Antwoord. Zef has existed for long while in South Africa, but the word really began to ricochet around the internet around the time that YouTube-sensation-cum-pop-stars Die Antwoord exploded out of Cape Town in early 2010. Audiences abroad were both delighted and confused by whole thing. In South Africa, nobody was asking that question. As the story goes, part of Jones’ inspiration for the whole Die Antwoord concept was Wat Kyk Jy?
Who Owns Organic (click on the poster image above to view a quick loading larger version, and then click on it again for even larger detail) Download High Resolution PDF for printing purposes Download text-only PDF In 1995 there were 81 independent organic processing companies in the United States. A decade later, Big Food had gobbled up all but 15 of them. Corporate consolidation of the food system has been largely hidden from consumers. That’s changing, thanks to tools such as Philip H. Howard’s widely circulated “Who Owns Organic?” The Cornucopia Institute has been proud to feature Dr. Dr. Dr. Major changes since the last version (May 2013) include WhiteWave’s December 2013 acquisition of Earthbound Farm, the nation’s largest organic produce supplier, for $600 million, said Howard. “Consumers who want food companies that embody more of the original organic ideals would do well to seek out products from independent organic firms,” Howard advises.
The Science of Familiar Strangers: Society's Hidden Social Network We’ve all experienced the sense of being familiar with somebody without knowing their name or even having spoken to them. These so-called “familiar strangers” are the people we see every day on the bus on the way to work, in the sandwich shop at lunchtime, or in the local restaurant or supermarket in the evening. These people are the bedrock of society and a rich source of social potential as neighbours, friends, or even lovers. But while many researchers have studied the network of intentional links between individuals—using mobile-phone records, for example—little work has been on these unintentional links, which form a kind of hidden social network. The results are a fascinating insight into this hidden network of familiar strangers and the effects it has on people. All this is made possible by the Singaporean bus service’s smart card ticketing system. The pattern of in-vehcicle encounters is rich, and the results of their analysis make for interesting reading.