07 Siberians Discovered America Sept. 25, 2010 Russian scientists say the earliest settlers of America were Siberians who went there through the current Far East region. Society How to Take Care Of Our Families hat did researchers see when they spied on every living, breathing moment of 32 families for four days straight? Fights, bribes, hugs, eye rolls, and some amazing truths about how we can all live more happily together. Researches found that getting a glimpse into the lives of other families gives us a unique perspective on how to better take care of our own. Use what they learned to calm stress and create joy in your house, Red Book reported. 1. Low-stress couples don’t divvy up the chores. “Surprisingly, it didn’t matter how evenly couples split up the chores,” says lead researcher Tami Kremer-Sadlik, Ph.D., director of research at UCLA’s Center on the Everyday Lives of Families. “We found that both spouses were happier when both felt like they were working toward the same goal, regardless of who did more” (and women did more across the board). Know that just talking about your joint mission for the family can eliminate much of the “keeping score” conflict. 2. Low-stress families find small moments of togetherness. “I think a lot of us have this idea that we need to create big moments of togetherness, but we saw so many times that families had opportunities to connect throughout the day that they weren’t aware of,” Kremer-Sadlik says. “I remember one moment when a daughter and mom were folding laundry, and the daughter stuck her foot in a sock and challenged her mom to find her foot among the pile of laundry,” she recalls. “It was a loving moment of laughing and playing around in the midst of daily life.” Family Dynamic 3. Low-stress parents are role models--not pals. Treating your partner with respect is not only good for your marriage-- it also actually affects the whole family dynamic. “When spouses showed patience and support, as opposed to being impatient, sarcastic, or critical, their children were more respectful toward them, and the smoother the households ran,” Kremer-Sadlik says of her findings from a previous study. “Their mini goals throughout the day, such as getting dinner on the table or finishing homework, ran more smoothly and more pleasantly.” 4. Low-stress moms make dinner from scratch. Believe it or not, using processed convenience foods for dinner doesn’t actually save you cooking time. That’s what really surprised 39year-old mom and researcher Margaret Beck, whose focus for the study was food preparation. “All the families spent roughly one hour preparing dinner, whether they used processed foods or fresh ingredients,” she says. And if you want your children to eat what’s on the table: “The kids who assisted in the food preparation always ate what was served,” Beck says. 5. Low-stress moms take five minutes of me time. There’s a secret to being fully present and enjoying family life after a demanding day at work: “The findings suggested that when women unwound alone for 5 or 10 minutes, it set a positive tone for the rest of the night,” says researcher Shu-wen Wang, who helped review more than 1,540 hours of footage. 6. Low-stress families watch TV together. If you feel guilty every time your family plops in front a television after a long day rather than doing something more interactive, don’t sweat it. “Families who watched TV together showed many bonding behaviors,” Campos, one of the researchers involved in the study says. 7. Low-stress families embrace daily rituals. “I used to believe that spontaneity and excitement were what kept couples connected, but it’s truly the routine and continuity that set the foundation for making family relationships thrive,” Wang says. “Whether it was a couple sitting down at the end of the day with a cup of coffee or parents reading a bedtime story to their children, these little moments are what make family life so comforting and kept couples close.” Cow Politics in India Life for 42-year-old Ashok Malik, a hardline Hindu activist who lives on the outskirts of New Delhi, is dedicated to one cause: stopping the slaughter of cows. Malik’s cow protection team of 30 men is trained to chase trucks transporting cows and raid slaughter houses with the police to nab those selling beef in the Indian capital. Over the years, a majority of Indian states, including the New Delhi area, have passed controversial slaughter laws which make killing local cows illegal. The animal is known by Hindus as “Kamdhenu”, that which fulfils human needs, and it has a central place in religious rituals as well as free rein to roam in streets -scenes familiar to anyone who has visited India. “I have saved over 7,000 cows in the last 15 years from being butchered,” Malik told AFP proudly. He and his fellow activists are affiliated to India’s main opposition, the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the driving force behind the spread and hardening of cow rights legislation across the country. The Other View Critics say the law deliberately targets Muslims, who tend to be the butchers, fuelling religious tensions that explode periodically in India with deadly consequences. Early this year, violence erupted in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh when a Muslim butcher killed a cow in a fit of rage after it had failed to give milk for more than three years. Hindu protesters damaged two mosques in response, setting the doors of one of them on fire. The law allows police to search houses, shops and warehouses and arrest anyone who stores, sells or consumes beef from Indian cows. Offenders face jail terms of up to seven years and fines of 50,000 rupees (1,000 US dollars). “Over the years, the BJP has pushed cow protection as an integral part of their political agenda by including it in their manifesto,” said B.K. Gandhi, a political analyst at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in New Delhi. The ruling left-leaning Congress, however, rejects the BJP pitch for votes via cow politics. Every year, young BJP workers are chosen to be a part of the Gau Raksha Samiti (Cow Protection Committee), where they are trained to gather information about butcheries and conduct surprise raids. German Schools Use Dogs to Boost Pupils’ Grades After rescuing stranded people in mountains and hilly terrain and guiding the blind, dogs are now being used in German schools to boost performance in the classroom. Despite a grainy, grey September morning, the mood is upbeat in a class in Karlsruhe in southwestern Germany: and that’s largely because Paula--a six year-old Golden Retriever--is here, AFP reported. “Paula, come here,” the students cry out one by one as she brings them question papers strewn on the floor. The papers have cork caps so that the canine can access them easily. Each student pats Paula when she fetches them a paper and rewards her with a croquette. “Its a pleasure to go to the blackboard, even for math,” said Meryem, a 12-year-old. “We are all responsible for the dog,” added Sergen, 13. “We cannot disturb her when she is in her corner, we cannot throw things on the floor because she might eat Call for o Distracted D Driving Driv r Label on Cell Phoness US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he wants warning labels on mobile phones to get the message to Americans that cell phones can become deadly distractions if used while driving. “We’re going to work with our friends in the technology industry to maybe think about, when you go in to buy your phone, maybe there’s a big warning label on the box: ‘Do not use this device while you’re driving,’” LaHood said. LaHood spoke at the opening of the second US summit on distracted driving, an “epidemic” that killed thousands and injured nearly half a million on US roads last year, AFP reported. The number of deaths and injuries blamed on distracted driving has fallen slightly from 5,870 in 2008 to around 5,500 last year thanks to greater awareness of the problem, legal bans, and stiffer punishments, LaHood said. Since last year, 12 more states have passed laws banning text messaging while driving, bringing the total number of states with such bans to 30. Active People Less Prone to Heart Failure Low-stress families find small moments of togetherness. W News in Brief them and we have to see that there is always water in her bowl,” he added. Parents Skeptical Some parents were skeptical at the start, said teacher Bettina Brecht who has been bringing her dog to the classroom for the past five years. “Some would ask whether their children would learn anything at school and others were scared their children would be bitten.” But Paula has convinced the doubters, she said. “A dog breaks the ice between teacher and pupil,” Brecht said, adding that she had also helped boost the students’ confidence. Dogs are being brought into some German schools since the end of the 1990s and there are about 120 institutions welcoming canines. They range from primary schools right up to high schools, said Lydia Agsten. Agsten, who teaches handicapped children at a special facility near Dortmund, however said the figure was an estimate as this phenomenon was not officially recognized in the German educational system. But some say there is no clear link between canine presence and better grades. Individuals involved in a moderate amount of physical activity on the job or during their spare time are at a lower risk of developing heart failure, a new study says. Previous studies have reported the influence of being physically active during the time off on the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. According to the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, increasing the level of physical activity either at work or during the leisure time is associated with a considerable decline in the risk of developing heart failure, Press TV reported. While moderate levels of occupational activity are needed to reduce the chance of heart conditions in women, men need to get involved in high levels of such activity to achieve such a goal. Walking or biking to work can also reduce the risk of heart failure, particularly in women, the study found. Paris Fountain Puts Fizz Into Tap Water Eco-conscious Parisians can now get their sparkling water free and in unlimited supply at a new public drinking fountain installed by city authorities, which aims to wean consumers off bottled water and onto tap. Unveiled in the Jardin de Reuilly park in the east of the city by publicly owned water company Eau de Paris, the fountain injects carbon dioxide into regular tap water to make it bubbly, and chills it before delivering it to consumers, Reuters reported. Separate faucets also provide a still version of the beverage, both refrigerated and unrefrigerated, and again pumped directly from the city’s own public water supply. “Our aim is to boost the image of Paris tap water,” said Philippe Burguiere, spokesman for Eau de Paris. “We want to show that we’re proud of it, that it’s totally safe, and that it’s ecological as there’s no oil involved, no waste and no packaging,” he said. The French are the world’s eighth biggest consumers of bottled water, downing an average of 128 liters (28 Imp gallons) each of the still or sparkling beverage in 2009, according to statistics from the Earth Policy Institute. That generated over 262,000 tons of plastic waste, while just making the bottles consumed close to 4.5 million barrels of crude oil equivalent. Growing Demand for Chinese Luxury Funerals Demand for luxury funerals is booming in Southeast Asia, driven by the rising ranks of the wealthy in the region. From $100,000 gold-plated caskets to million dollar burial plots, a growing number of the rich are making the passage to the afterlife with the best that money can buy, Reuters reported. “Our clients tell us their loved ones deserve the best in life and in death,” said Au Kok Huei, the group chief operating officer of Malaysia’s NV Multi Corporation Berhad, Southeast Asia’s sole listed bereavement services provider. The company offers a range of funeral services and runs cemeteries and columbariums in six countries--Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan. Its 100,000 clients are mainly ethnic Chinese who make up more than 40 million of Southeast Asia’s population. Muslims make up the majority of the population in the region, but lavish funerals are frowned upon by religion. Company officials said demand for luxury funerals among the ethnic Chinese has been growing especially in Indonesia, which has a small but affluent Chinese community and in Singapore, where the company runs a $22 million columbarium.