Rotundus.com

Teacher says nuked friend for immortality

"The detainee explained that he had a friend who was convinced he could become immortal through exposure to fissionable materials" - someone apparently must have watched a few too many superhero movies

B.C. minister's cat catches fire during Earth Hour

Just when I thought Earth Hour couldn't get weirder. "A romantic dinner in the B.C. Environment Minister’s house got some unexpected fireworks." (You end up with a somewhat less efficient electric grid due to the need to accomodate variation and the candles that people often seem to use to replace lights are actually far less efficient per unit of light output than compact fluorescent bulbs).

Kids lose "bad mother" lawsuit. Can't take mom to court over bad birthday cards.

These "kids" appear to be in their 20s. "Their claims about their poor upbringing had more to do with what mom didn't do, than what she did. For starters: she didn't send her son college care packages, or buy her daughter the homecoming dress she wanted. And their birthday cards? No cash or checks, just Hallmark sentiments."

Overeducated and underemployed

"Take taxi drivers for example. About 15%, or more than than 1 in 7, had at least a bachelor's degree in 2010, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data."

An article These Chores Don’t Count? On Men’s Hidden “Second Shift” took a look at the sort of chores that are tracked in time use surveys. Here's what the author noted on how one source outlines it's definition of housework:

housework was defined as "core chores," or routine housework that people generally do not enjoy doing such as washing dishes, laundry, vacuuming floors and dusting. "Routine housework, like cooking dinner or making beds, was captured in diaries ... " says Stafford.
... Other activities such as home repairs, mowing the lawn, and shoveling snow were not in the study. "Items such as gardening are usually viewed as more enjoyable; the focus here is on core housework," says Stafford.

That's one way to ensure that your study reaches the "correct" conclusion.

Perthshire village of Dull wants to forge ties with US town of Boring

"The potential link between the two places was the brainchild of Perthshire resident Elizabeth Leighton, who passed through Boring while on a cycling holiday. Boring is to consider Dull's request to become a 'sister community'. If the plan goes ahead, a new road sign at Dull would highlight the partnership."

Does International Child Sponsorship Work? Study Claims Answer

"Examination of Compassion International programs in six nations finds 'statistically significant' impact—especially in Africa." - It's a University of San Francisco study (what appears to be a Catholic university).

The Professors Who Make the MOOCs

A survey of those who've taught massive online courses - "As far as awarding formal credit is concerned, most professors do not think their MOOCs are ready for prime time. Asked if students who succeed in their MOOCs deserve to get course credit from their home institutions, 72 percent said no."

A Roomful of Yearning and Regret

A women reflects regretfully on the affair she had and the affair her husband had: "I look at my parents and at how much simpler their lives are at the ages of 75, mostly because they haven’t marred the landscape with grand-scale deceit. They have this marriage of 50-some years behind them, and it is a monument to success. A few weeks or months of illicit passion could not hold a candle to it."

John Van Reenen is a professor at the London School of Economics and recently wrote an article on the books that inspired him:

I have always located myself on the centre-left, but even in my strident student days I was seen as an incorrigible reactionary by my mainly anarchist friends. Such disdain encouraged me even more into reading Hobbes, Locke, Smith and classical liberal thinkers. Perversely, I think I always enjoy reading Conservative thinkers more than leftist ones. It’s much more fun to have books that really challenge your positions rather than confirming your prejudices.

Reminds me a bit of "chronological snobbery" - and the importance of seeking out views other than your own.