Rotundus.com

Sounds rather like English class:

The tremendous pleasure that comes from reading Shakespeare was spoiled for generations of high school students who were forced to go through Julius Caesar, Hamlet, or Macbeth scene by scene, looking up all the new words and studying all the scholarly footnotes. As a result, they never really read the play. By the time they got to the end, they had forgotten the beginning and lost sight of the whole. Instead of being forced to take this pedantic approach, they should have been encouraged to read the play in one sitting and discuss what they got out of that first quick reading. Then they would have been ready to study the play carefully, for they would have understood enough of it to be able to learn more.

- Mortimer Adler

Early Food Choices Seem to Influence Taste for Salt Later

The byline: "Infants fed starchy foods at 6 months of age tended to prefer salty flavor by preschool". Is it time to end the war on salt? - I'd answer that with a somewhat cautious yes.

Is There A Pedophilia Gene?

"A study conducted by neuroscientists at Turin University and researchers at the department of neurological science of the University of Milan asserts that pedophilia is caused by a defective growth factor called pleiotropic protein Progranulin (PGRN)" - the problem with the if-someone-is-born-that-way-then-it-must-be-OK view... at least if that's the entirety of the argument. I'd imagine that not everyone with the gene is a pedophile.

3 Man Chess

The board game. The rules.

Why Are There Statutes of Limitations in Child Rape Cases?

Some interesting info on the extension of the statutes of limitations in recent years: "Historically, only murders were exempt from statute of limitations laws, but there’s been a general trend in the U.S. toward increasing the statute of limitations on sexual assaults in almost every jurisdiction. Pennsylvania is a good example of the wider trend: Before 1991, child sexual assault victims had two years to report inappropriate touching and five years to report a greater abuse, like sodomy or rape. As the Inquirer explains, the statute of limitations law in child sexual assault cases has been extended three times since then. Now, child victims have until they turn 50 to report sexual assaults." Worth a read.

The song is taken from an indie album dubbed Album of the Year by Christianity Today. Better still, the artist is offering the whole album as a free download.

Are Greeks Lazy? Europe is a mess because Germans work hard and Greeks are shiftless. False!

Seems as though German workers put in fewer hours than those in some of the countries in financial crisis. The article notes that "Closer to the mark is the observation that Germans (like the Dutch and the Austrians) are thrifty, net savers who consume less than they produce and therefore export more than they import" but goes on to talk of the fairly obvious limits of that - someone can to import your exports after all.

Seeing Terror Risk, U.S. Asks Journals to Cut Flu Study Facts

It almost sounds a bit like the journalist hasn't heard of classified documents (although I guess there may be a few slight differences here). "The panel cannot force the journals to censor their articles, but the editor of Science, Bruce Alberts, said the journal was taking the recommendations seriously and would probably withhold some information — but only if the government creates a system to provide the missing information to legitimate scientists worldwide who need it." - looks like the information will be getting to scientists anyways, just in a more-controlled fashion. In an interview with the lead researcher he argued that "We have made a list of experts that we could share this with, and that list adds up to well over 100 organizations around the globe, and probably 1,000 experts. As soon as you share information with more than 10 people, the information will be on the street. And so we have serious doubts whether this advice can be followed, strictly speaking."

Waiter, I'll Have the Crowd-Pleaser:
Casual Restaurants Try to Lure Foodies Without Alienating Other Diners; What Makes a Dish 'Cravable'

"At Olive Garden restaurants, diners were casting a wary eye at the gnocchi... dishes failed these field tests until chefs at the company's Orlando, Fla., headquarters tried gnocchi in chicken soup, billed as a 'traditional Italian dumpling.' Sales took off. ... In several years of tests, Olive Garden diners often deemed pesto too oily, bitter or green. Capers, with their salty, pickled flavor, are too unexpected for many customers, says a spokeswoman." *sigh*

Killing us Quietly: How the US Government legally favors the health and well-being of women over men

"Despite an already longer and healthier life span, Congress and the President, between 1970 and the present, have passed over 70 different medical programs, research projects and treatment initiatives, at costs exceeding $100 billion dollars, which are specifically allocated for women and girls." - an survey and assessment of US government gender-specific health program funding.