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Inside the Minds of the Perfectionists – WSJ.com
Christine Tsien Silvers says perfectionism runs in her family. Her mother, a detail-oriented computer scientist, emigrated from China to Minnesota and was “always taking classes to get a better job.”
She earned a Ph.D. from MIT and an M.D. from Harvard. “But I also wanted to be the best mother possible,” says Dr. Silvers, so she worked part-time, not full-time, emergency-room shifts to maximize her time with her children, ages 3, 5 and 8.
Dr. Silvers, 42, now works from home in Marshfield, Mass., as the chief medical officer of a start-up company using her MIT dissertation to create mobile health monitors. She often gets up in the middle of the night “to do the work part of the work-life balance,” she says. Still, she frets about everything she hasn’t done, including organizing her house. “The list goes on and on, but I don’t want to do a sloppy job on any of them.”
Meanwhile, she is already seeing signs of perfectionism in her 5-year old son. “He loves to draw but he’ll cry and cry if he thinks he’s put a line in the wrong place,” Dr. Silvers says.
Where does such perfectionism come from? Experts have long blamed parents who overemphasized achievement or made their love conditional on meeting certain goals. But recent research suggests that the genes that parents pass along may play an ever bigger role.
via Inside the Minds of the Perfectionists – WSJ.com.
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Does my bum look big in my catalytic converter? – Climate Change – Environment – The Independent
Some people wear their heart on their sleeve. Now a few may take to wearing their eco-credentials too, in the form of jeans that work the same way as catalytic converters in cars.
The catalytic jeans are the brainchild of the chemist Professor Tony Ryan and the fashion designer Professor Helen Storey, who discovered that when denim is covered with tiny particles of a mineral called titanium dioxide, it reacts with air and light to break down harmful emissions in the air.
Nitrogen oxide (NO2) pollutants – produced mainly by traffic and factories – are then neutralised and simply washed away when the garment is laundered.
So in theory, jeans wearers of the future could help to clean the dirty air around them simply by walking about in their favourite pair of Wranglers or Levis.
With toxic emissions killing an estimated 1.3 million people a year worldwide, the resulting improvement in air quality could significantly reduce deaths and respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
Professor Storey, of the London College of Fashion, was the enfant terrible of fashion 20 years ago, renowned for dressing stars such as Madonna and Cher. Her designs bore shock images, including one of a foetus, and in 1995 she caused a furore by sending bare-bottomed models down the catwalk.
But in 2004 her life changed when, through her biologist sister, she “re-discovered science” and had a meeting of minds with Professor Ryan, from Sheffield University. The pair started working on a green science and fashion collaboration called Wonderland, which developed into Catalytic Clothing. Their eureka moment came when they realised that microscopic particles of titanium oxide, which is contained in glass, paving stones and sun cream, worked as a pollution-buster when sprayed on clothes.
via Does my bum look big in my catalytic converter? – Climate Change – Environment – The Independent.
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8 Most Common Tipping Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them | Fox Business
Tipping really shouldn’t be so hard. The service was good, you leave a token of your appreciation, and everyone is happy. Not so fast. This is one of the most difficult aspects of travel to navigate, since you have to take into consideration everything from how employees are paid to cultural traditions that could have you embarrassing yourself and your waiter just by leaving that 15 percent (apps like GlobeTipping—which gives advice for tipping in restaurants, hotels, and more in 200 countries—can help you along). We consulted experts and avid travelers for their thoughts on the scenarios that trip up travelers most and got their advice on how to avoid awkward situations.
Who You Always Tip—But Shouldn’t
CRUISE STAFF
In the old days, cruise lines provided an envelope and suggestions for how much to tip the crew members with whom you had direct contact during a sailing. Now it’s the norm for major cruise lines to automatically add the tips to your bill (which could take you by surprise), especially in the U.S. and the Caribbean. “In the last 10 years or so there’s been a trend toward automating [tips] where the cruise line said ‘we’ll take care of that for you if you just mark this off on the bill,’” says Spud Hilton, editor of the San Francisco Chronicle‘s travel section and Bad Latitude blog. While some cruise lines make it possible to adjust the included tips if you wish, on others those included tips have become mandatory and cannot be adjusted. In this case, says Hilton, “the tipping is no longer about you and the person giving you good service—it’s about service in general on the ship.” And that service, he says, can even extend to things the cruise lines shouldn’t expect passenger tips to cover—including employee education. Always check with your cruise line to find out if tips are included (and whether or not they can be adjusted) before setting sail.
via 8 Most Common Tipping Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them | Fox Business.
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BBC News – UK City of Culture: Events announced for Derry celebration
The Turner Prize, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Ballet will all feature in Londonderry as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations.
The first edition of the programmes arrived in the city by speedboat along the river Foyle.
Derry will take on the title in 2013. The year will kick off with a special Sons and Daughters of Derry concert.
Frank Cottrell Boyce has also been commissioned to devise a performance piece on the River Foyle.
‘Superb programme’
Derry defeated stiff competition from Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield to win the title for 2013 – the first time it has ever been awarded.
The chairman of the Culture Company, Martin Bradley, told the BBC that the city had undergone a “physical and psychological transformation”.
“We’re the first city of culture, there is no blueprint for this. All eyes are watching us to see how we do,” he said.
“A huge amount of work has gone into this over the last 18 months. It’s a superb programme.”
The event will open with a Sons and Daughters concert on the 20 January 2013 in a new purpose built building in Ebrington Square.
The concert hopes to celebrate Derry’s rich musical heritage and will be broadcast by the BBC.
The Turner Prize will be held outside England for the first time. It will be staged in the former military barracks on Ebrington Square.
via BBC News – UK City of Culture: Events announced for Derry celebration.
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Foolproof strategies for finding hot toys – Money – TODAY.com
It’s that season again, when parents begin the scramble for the next toy their child can’t live without.
While there’s no breakout hot toy for Christmas this year — so far — as parents know, that doesn’t mean the most popular presents will be easy to find. This year, stores are being cautious with inventory, so some toys might be scarce on store shelves when the holidays get nearer.
But never fear: Here are some strategies to make sure that whatever toy your child wants, from the latest Monster High doll or robotic Furby pet to the child-size LeapPad Explorer, is under the tree — without having to pay exorbitantly on eBay or elsewhere.
SHOP EARLY: Toy makers and retailers are working more diligently than ever to ensure that there won’t be a large oversupply of toys after the holidays are over, which ends up costing them money. Jim Silver, an analyst at Timetoplaymag.com, predicts the hottest toys will be scarce by Dec. 1 — a time when many people are just starting to think about Christmas gifts. So even though you’re child’s thoughts may still be on Halloween, now is the time to figure out what he or she wants and start shopping.
MAKE A RESERVATION: Fortunately, this year stores are making it easy to shop early, with layaway services and other offers. So even if you don’t have the cash yet, you can still start shopping. Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and Kmart have dropped fees, minimum balances, and other requirements to make it easier than ever to use layaway programs. In addition, Toys R Us this year launched a “hot toy” reservation system, which lets parents reserve hot toys before they even hit shelves.
via Foolproof strategies for finding hot toys – Money – TODAY.com.
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