Vanishing Chinese Academic Files

"Local officials are suspected of stealing individuals’ academic records — which are vital in China — and selling them to underachievers seeking better job prospects." Read the article here.

Happy feet?

Check out these funky shoes at VibramFiveFingers.com.

"Where Thin People Roam, and Sometimes Even Eat"

Guess the "thinnest" US city. Find the answer in the NY Times here.

Yes Prep

Houston has some impressive schools. Check out these stats on "Yes Prep":

YES PREP STUDENTS

• 90% of YES students are first generation college-bound
• 80% of YES students are economically disadvantaged
• 95% of YES students are Hispanic or African American
• Most students enter YES at least one grade level behind in Math and English

YES PREP CLASS OF 2009

• 100% of the Class of 2009, 82 graduating seniors, were accepted to four-year colleges
• Over 90% of the Class of 2009 graduates are first generation college-bound
• Over 95% of seniors have been accepted to at least two colleges/universities
• 82 seniors submitted 690 applications (average of 8 applications per student)

Check out their website here.

Laughing is good for you

A few quotes:

"A good laugh, like a good cry, has long been thought to be the right medicine at certain moments. Now scientists are exploring how regular laughing can do more than just put a smile on your face.

"After laughing, you have a relaxation response (in your body). Everything goes down—heart rate, blood pressure, your muscles relax," says Mary Bennett, PhD, APRN, whose research has investigated how humor and laughter affect physical and psychological well-being..."

Read the rest of the article here.

Fun Wedding Entrance

Democrats for a Flat Tax?

It's not the typical economic argument: more and more democrats are advocating a flat tax. Why?

"...It remains unclear how much Ms. Bass will fight for the commission's recommendations. Underscoring the political sensitivity of tax reform, she has been cautious in recent public comments, emphasizing that she is "open-minded" about supporting the recommendations herself. She told me she didn't like the idea of a "flat tax" if it meant raising the tax burden on poorer and middle-class Californians. But she also said she worried about the state's heavy reliance on about 144,000 wealthy people to pay half of all income taxes for a state with a population of 38 million. "It's a crazy statistic," she said...."

Check out the full article here.