Well Done, My Old China


In London, U.K. 'my old china' is a friendly term for 'friend'.  It originated in the rhyming slang expression: 'china plate', rhyming with 'mate'.

Edit: a reader has spotted an error.  The reference should be to an interview, not a visit.

In a recent visit to Australia interview on Australian TV, US President Barack Obama on Thursday said China can't be allowed to wait until its standard of living improves before tackling climate change.

"It is in our interests, both of our countries interests for China to be successful, for China to be prosperous, because that means they're more likely to be stable," he said.

In Writing As Superpower we discussed that writing is really for the eye, at the expense of the hands, despite the fact that our brains may have evolved to comprehend speech.  We still prefer to 'listen' with our eyes, despite our eyes not having been designed for this.

The way we write is for the hand but the shapes of our symbols are for the eye.  And that is due to culture.

Blythe Corbett’s insights may be unique among researchers developing new interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders – at the M.I.N.D. Institute or elsewhere. Corbett’s Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE) lab focuses chiefly on analysis of the behavioral and biological effects of the stress hormone cortisol on children with autism. But her work is informed by the eclectic professional experience of someone with a background in autism diagnosis, brain analysis, behavioral intervention – and acting.

Arctic Tipping Points - #1: Background And Recent History

It is Spring, and with each passing day a greater area of Arctic sea ice has 24 hours of - albeit weak - sunshine every day. It is not surprising to see ice melting in these Lands Of The Midnight Sun.  What is surprising to many is the current extent of ice, and rate of loss, compared with past records.

"Every school boy learns that at the two ends of the earth the year is composed of one day and one night of equal length, and the intervening periods of twilight; but the mere recital of that fact makes no real impression on his consciousness. "