May 2012
36 posts
It's Hurricane Preparedness Week →
ready.gov
Are you ready? Learn how to make a plan and build a kit so you and your family can be ready if a hurricane hits.
Porter Square Run Club - sponsored by City Sports
Meets every Saturday 10am at 1815 Mass Ave Cambridge (Lesley’s UHall and location for City Sports store)
- open to all levels of runners
- choose your distance: 3 and 5 mile loop route
- City Sports Insiders earn $1 reward for each mile logged
- check out City Sports running gear and guest vendors
- raffles, give-aways, and refreshments
conscious consumption of media
different concept of health and nutrition in the age of digital technology
a pbs newshour interview with clay johnson, author of “The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption.”
[…] the problem is that we have this idea that it is the information’s fault. So call it information overload. But that doesn’t really make sense. It’s sort of like saying we are suffering from obesity and therefore we’re suffering from food overload. It’s like blaming the chicken for our obesity problems.
this sounds like a fascinating book with chapters on the changing definition of literacy, information over affirmation (i.e., people would rather hear something supporting their opinions (however misinformed) rather than seek out diverse sources of info), and the physiological/psychological impact of information consumption.
EWG's sunscreen guide
a comprehensive guide to sunscreens, makeup with sunscreen, and lotions with sunscreen- updated for 2012
A quarter of this year’s products still contain vitamin A ingredients that accelerate the growth of skin tumors and lesions on sun-exposed skin, according to recent government studies. Also, 56 of the products we reviewed had no active ingredients that protect against the sun’s damaging UVA rays. And the industry continues to load store shelves with sunscreens that claim misleading, sky-high SPF ratings that may protect against sunburn-causing UVB rays but leave skin vulnerable to UVA.
Have You Had Your Child's Vision Checked? →
healthfinder.gov
May is Healthy Vision Month. Celebrate by learning about eye exams for kids.
Safety Rules for Riding a Bicycle →
blog.usa.gov
Riding a bicycle is more than a fun and healthy family activity. Besides being great way to exercise, many people also use bicycles to commute to work, go to the grocery store, or to visit friends and family. Some people use them as their primary mode of transportation.
With summer fast…
Erasing the Regifting Taboo -- WSJ →
blogs.wsj.com
Did you know there is a National Regifting Day? It’s December 20, 2012. Regifting seems like a perfectly rational way to direct something you don’t really want to someone who might appreciate it. But it has a bad rep.
This Wall Street Journal writeup reports on research that might help shift attitudes about regifting:
Regifting is often presented as synonymous with tackiness, but the taboo on the practice is partly the result of a misunderstanding: Recipients of gifts think the givers are far more offended by regifting than they truly are. Givers assume that they’ve passed on “title” to the gift and that recipients can do what they wish with it. Receivers, meanwhile, feel constrained by the giver’s original wishes.
Researchers recently demonstrated this disconnect through a series of experiments involving hypothetical and real-world scenarios. …
The taboo against regifting was considerably weakened when researchers — Gabrielle S. Adams, of London Business School, Francis J. Flynn, of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Michael I. Norton, of Harvard Business School — introducing the idea of National Regifting Day (which really exists but has little traction).
Hypothetical gift recipients who were informed about that holiday altered their judgment of regifting to the point where it matched that of givers….
Unless or until National Regifting Day catches on, the authors suggest givers “encourage receivers to use their gifts as they please …” — including you-know-what.
The whole piece is here.
