Tom Hanks to play Walt Disney: An Oscar shoe-in?

Tom Hanks to play Walt Disney: An Oscar shoe-in? - The two-time Best Actor winner will play the House of Mouse pioneer in Saving Mr. Banks, the tale of Disney's crusade to turn Mary Poppins into a film

Here's a bit of casting that doesn't need a spoonful of sugar to go down nicely: Variety is reporting that two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks is close to signing on to play Walt Disney in the upcoming film Saving Mr. Banks. Based on true events, the movie chronicles Disney's 14-year effort to convince Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers to allow him to adapt her novel for the big screen. Emma Thompson, who has two Academy Awards of her own, will reportedly play Travers, while John Lee Hancock, who directed the Best Picture-nominated The Blind Side, will direct. The film's script appeared on 2011's Black List of best unproduced screenplays. Can you say, "Oscar bait?"

This is tailor-made for Oscar: Judging by the cast and creative team being assembled for Saving Mr. Banks, says Angie Han at Slash Film, "we might as well pencil it now for the 2014 Oscar race." If there was a check list of elements a film must include to win an Oscar, Saving Mr. Banks would cross off each one: "Bittersweet real-life drama… Best Picture-nominated director… Oscar-kissed stars." Hanks, Thompson, and company should start rehearsing their acceptance speeches.

But the film may not be what we're expecting: It's hard to shake the feeling that Saving Mr. Banks will play "relatively fast and loose with its true story subject matter," says Sandy Schaefer at Screen Rant. This is a Mouse House production, so expect a romanticized version of the story, a la Finding Neverland. It also doesn't bode well that John Lee Hancock, who upped the Kleenex factor while helming the "based on real events" films The Blind Side and The Rookie, is directing. That's not to say that Saving Mr. Banks won't be a good movie, but it won't be that seminal Walt Disney biopic many are clamoring for.

And, whatever some critics say, Hanks is terrible casting: "I feel like a Grinch when I say this," says Drew McWeeny at HitFix. But Tom Hanks is "almost completely wrong for the part." Though one of the greatest living movie stars, "he has such a different energy than Walt Disney." Casting Hanks instead of an actor more suited to mimicking the "grandfatherly" Disney's distinctive mannerisms suggests that producers are "more worried about the box-office clout he brings than the accurate portrayal of Disney." Incidentally, if they were looking for a physical match, Nicolas Cage would be a better option. ( The Week )

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Move over Leonardo da Vinci: Introducing the robot that can DRAW

Move over Leonardo da Vinci: Introducing the robot that can DRAW - We may not be up to the levels of android intelligence as depicted in the Will Smith hit movie I, Robot, but Goldsmiths, University of London is showing off a robotic arm that can DRAW!

Supported in part by a Leverhulme Trust grant held at the Computing Department of the capital's University, artist Patrick Tresset has trained a robot to take portraits of humans, based on his abilities.

It has 'eyes' linked to an artificial mind which imperfectly simulates a small part of Tresset's abilities.

Now scroll down for video

Futuristic: The robotic arm gets to work sketching a face - based on Tresset's own drawing skills

Still as a statue: It always helps if the person being drawn sits still - especially when it's a robotic arm doing the work

The device has watched his master at work, sketching portraits, and then puts into practice what it has learnt.

A bit less ferocious than Terminator yes, and possibly a bit less exhilarating for the watcher, but impressive none the less.

Tresset is working with Professor Frederic Fol Leymarie, and their project, called AIKON-II has received in the past year notable media attention including from the BBC, Wired, Blueprint, New Scientist, El-Mundo.

Likeness? AIKON II was present at the the Kinetica art fair in London and drew over a hundred faces over two days

All comes together: It may just be lines and squiggles, but they all make up a likeness of a face portrait

The AIKON Project will follow two main research paths: one starts from the study of sketches in archives and notes left by artists and the other is based on contemporary scientific and technological knowledge.

Explaining more about the project on the University website, Prof. Fol Leymarie said: 'Even if still partial, the accumulated knowledge about our perceptual and other neurobiological systems is advanced enough that, together with recent progress in computational hardware, computer vision and artificial intelligence, we can now try to build sophisticated computational simulations of at least some of the identifiable perceptual and cognitive processes involved in face sketching by artists.'

The system has always been very limited by its lack of 'awareness' of what it was drawing - and the next step being worked on by Tresset and Prof Fol Leymarie is to tweak the machine so that it can think for itself and draw in its own style.

I see you: The robotic arm learnt from artist Patrick Tresset on how to sketch a face from a complex mix of lines

Good progress: A high-level diagram of the processes of just how the robotic arm works

Give it a go: Gallery visitors to the Goldsmiths, University of London, are able to have their face sketched by Tresset's robots ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Does misery really love company?

Some happy states have high suicide rates – Does misery really love company? - An intriguing new study suggests that may be the case - Researchers who study how people's sense of well-being varies from place to place decided to compare their findings with suicide rates.

The surprising result: The happiest places sometimes also have the highest suicide rates.

"Discontented people in a happy place may feel particularly harshly treated by life," suggested Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in England.

Or, put another way by co-author Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., those surrounded by unhappy people may not feel so bad for themselves.

But Wu urged caution in drawing conclusions, saying: "I don't think that means if you are unhappy you should be around others who are unhappy."

Their study ranked Utah as the No. 1 state for residents' sense of well-being, but it also scored a high No. 9 in suicide rate. By contrast New York State ranked a low 45th in well-being, but an even lower 50th in suicides.

The researchers came up with their rankings from a federal survey of behavioral risk factors and U.S. Census Bureau numbers on suicide rates.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, who wasn't involved in the research, agreed that living around people who are, on average, pretty satisfied with their lives, when you are not, can make you feel more miserable.

In an interview by email, she said the findings remind her of an effect researchers have discussed in cases where a city with a reputation for being a good place to live also has a high suicide rate.

The idea is, "If you're unhappy there, you conclude, `something must be really wrong with me,' or `nothing will make me happy,' so you're more likely to get depressed and take your life," said Lyubomirsky, who researches happiness and well-being.

However, she added, other things may also be at play.

She suggested there may be other factors that states with high life satisfaction have in common that could be associated with high suicide rates. For example, if they are more likely to be rural, that could mean people also are more isolated. Religious beliefs that vary among states may also have an effect, she said.

John F. Helliwell of the University of British Columbia, who has studied well-being and suicide rates internationally, said suicides tend to peak when days are longer, "not as you might have thought, when days are shortest." Researchers have suggested that when people who are unhappy see others in happy, social situations such as picnics, that may bring their own crisis to a head.

The new study, which has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, looked at the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

It lists the top 10 states for well-being as Utah, Louisiana, Colorado, Minnesota, Wyoming, Hawaii, Arizona, Delaware, Florida and Nevada.

Four of those states also are in the top 10 for suicide rates, with Nevada ranked 3rd, Wyoming, 5th; Colorado, 6th; and Utah, 9th. Among the others, Arizona was 11th and Florida, 15th.

The 10 states with the lowest well-being ratings are: Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan and Rhode Island.

Just one of those states, West Virginia, is among the top 10 for suicides, ranking No. 8. The only other state in the top 20 was Kentucky at 16th.

Wu noted that international studies have found that Scandinavian countries also display high satisfaction levels and high suicide rates.

But the researchers said that because of variations in culture and suicide-reporting systems, it's hard to make comparisons from one country to another.

To develop their data, Wu and colleagues used information collected by the federal government in the Behavioral Risk-Factor Surveillance System, a monthly survey designed to gather health data and identify emerging problems. One survey question asks people how satisfied they are with their life and the responses to that from people aged 18 to 85 formed the basis for the well-being assessment. The survey interviews more than 350,000 people each year. The suicide rankings are based on mortality data reported by the Census Bureau in 2008. ( Associated Press )

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How Positive Thinking Can Improve Your Finances

How Positive Thinking Can Improve Your Finances - Have you ever attempted a task that you thought was insurmountable? Go back in your mind as far as you have to. Perhaps it was as a child, when you thought you'd never run faster than your best friend. Or maybe, as a teenager, you thought you'd never get that driver's license. Or the time at work when you thought you'd never finish that big project. If you've succeeded in any of these goals, you did it through goal setting and a positive attitude--whether you know it or not.

This is the same approach you'll need to reach your financial goals. Though they can seem intimidating and unreachable, your financial goals are absolutely achievable. You'll just need create of series of smaller steps that lead you towards your goal--and begin with step one today.

Let's break the process down further.

How to Create Goals

Creating goals is an extremely effective tactic in improving any area of your life. Here's how to do it:

--Decide how you want your life to be different. In the case of finances, that will likely mean eliminating debt, then creating emergency funds and savings accounts, and finally investing your money in appreciable assets and investments.

--Find out where you stand. You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you are. No matter how dire your financial situation, you have to calculate your current state. It may seem difficult, but your problems certainly won't go away by ignoring them.

--Plan the steps that will lead to your goal. The reason that having a million dollars in your bank account sounds intimidating is because, well, it is. But saving $10,000 every year for 25 years doesn't sound quite as ominous. And with interest, that pace will get you there. All you'll have to do is find ways to earn more and spend less until you reach your $10,000 annual savings.

--Stay focused. Mapping out your path is usually the easy part. The tough part is staying on that path. You have to constantly remind yourself of your goal and why it's worth achieving. This is where a positive outlook will save the day.

How to Create a Positive Outlook

It's been said that "attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." I couldn't possibly agree more. Your mind is a thought factory, and the thoughts it produces become your actions in life. Produce positive thoughts and you'll find ways to move forward to your goals. Produce negative thoughts and you'll wallow in stagnancy. Here's how to build a positive outlook:

--Become aware of your thoughts. Listen closely to that voice in your head. When you think, "I can get out of debt" or "I can be a millionaire," how does the voice respond? If it says, "No you can't, and here are a list of reasons why," then you have at least a partially negative factory. That's okay; becoming aware of that is the first step toward change.

--Force your mind to think positively. Just like a real factory can stop production or begin building a new product, your mind can begin creating positive thoughts. One of my favorite quotes on this says, "Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be." Begin by simply searching for ways to approach a problem. Your brain is extremely complex and intelligent, and it will naturally begin to find solutions.

--Speak positively. If anyone asks what you're focusing on in life, don't be bashful about telling them your goal. If they begin giving you reasons why it isn't possible, don't be afraid to tell them that you're sorry they don't agree. Remember, this is your life; you'll be the one to enjoy the benefits or face the consequences of what you do today.

How to Maintain Your Positivity

Important goals, especially financial ones, can take a long time to reach fruition. This process can be extremely trying, especially when you witness the bad spending habits or negative attitudes of others. You must create a bubble of support and positivity around you.

--Control your first thoughts of the day. When you wake up, lay still. Take a few minutes and reiterate your goals. Remind yourself why these goals are important. Consider your plan for the day and make sure it aligns. This brief period of focus can have a major impact.

--Surround yourself with affirmative reminders. Reminders don't always have to come from within. Hang pictures and quotes around that will make you feel confident about reaching that future state. Some of my favorites are, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty," and "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right."

--Spend more of your time with positive people. It's been said that your success will be determined by the five people closest to you. If these people are pulling you back, saying you can't, and refusing to support you, it will be much harder to succeed. Choose a team who wants to learn about your aspirations, help you get there, and even to hold you accountable. This will make your path much, much smoother.

Stay Positive and You'll Succeed

The way to accomplish any task, no matter how big, is to break it into smaller pieces and start with the first step. With this approach you'll create a linear trail of dots which begin with this moment, right now. and end with your goal. Consider positivity to be your jetpack, allowing you to surge from dot to dot, breaking through every obstacle and pushing forward to success. With the right plan and the right attitude, anything is possible! ( usnews.com )

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Taking Care of a 'Hairy' Situation

Taking Care of a 'Hairy' Situation - It's funny how something so natural and universal can lead to so much discussion and opinion: why we have it; what we should do with it; why we even care -- all seem to be topics of discussion. The thing is, it’s not exactly appropriate dinner conversation.

Over the years, its style has certainly changed -- in the 1970s, it was cool for a woman to have ‘unkempt’ hair down there; today, she would never go on a date without waxing first (or at least shaving). These days, even men are known to trim things up in that area.

It can be hard to discuss even with your partner, let alone friends or family. Still the questions remain. So, here’s a little insight when it comes to five of the most commonly asked questions regarding pubic hair.

1. Why do we have it?

Even the experts can’t agree on this one. Warmth? Maybe. But then it would make sense for it to be on the shaft of the penis. To trap pheromones? Perhaps. But even without it, the pheromones still manage to do their job. To keep germs out? Could be. But then it should probably be present at the tip of the penis too. Evolution is a funny thing. Maybe we did need it at one time. But these days, no one has proved it to be a necessity.

2. Why do some choose to leave it be?

Some people prefer the natural look and feel, and there’s not a thing wrong with that. It’s certainly easier, of course, as it doesn’t require the maintenance and care that trimming, shaving and waxing do. Folks who prefer this look and feel often say that anything else seems fake -- or even bizarre. Some people take particular issue with the complete removal of the hair, as it leaves the person looking, to their mind, pre-pubescent. Followers also often say that the natural look adds to a natural musk of sorts that can develop when the hair is there, something that people either love or hate. But, the truth of the matter is, it’s all about personal preference.

3. Why do others choose to trim, shave or wax it?

One reason to trim, shave or wax some or all of the hair is purely for aesthetic reasons. There are men and women alike who simply prefer a manicured look. Some argue that this preference is based on pornography, which often portrays this look. But that’s really a question of whether life imitates art or art imitates life, you know? But, regardless of the impetus, tending the hedges has simply become part of our culture, just as it is not a part of other cultures throughout the world.

Of course, looks are not the only reason the bare or nearly bare look has garnered popularity. It’s also because it allows direct access to one’s naughty bits both for solo and partner play. A tongue, a touch, or a toy on bare skin creates a much different -- and many argue far better -- sensation than one that results when the natural look is sported. Some women say they really enjoy how it feels during the day to be bare, saying it makes them feel sexier and experience more sensation that inspires a desire for even more sensation when they get home. (If you get my drift).

Some also suggest that a man’s “package” appears larger when it is free of hair…

4. How do I tell my partner I'd like him or her to try a new ‘do’ or that I'd like to try something new myself?

It can be tough to talk to your partner about wanting to change the look of your personal ‘do’ or wanting them to change theirs. The key is to come at it from a place of “I” and to assure your partner that it has nothing at all to do with how much you love them and being intimate with them. It’s simply something you’d like to explore.

Here are some suggestions:

• “Honey, I would like to get a Brazilian wax. I love having sex with you and I’m curious what it would be like if you could see and feel me without distraction.”
• “Sweetheart, I was wondering if you’ve ever considered trimming, shaving or waxing your nether regions. I think it could be really sexy. And even if either or both of us don’t end up preferring it, it certainly would be a fun experiment!”

The point is to keep the conversation light and assure that it really is just about something as simple as hair and not about control or other deeper issues.

5. So, what are the options?

The sky’s the limit, my friends. Some people simply tidy things up. Others wax it bare. Some people take care of business themselves. Others go to spas or salons that will take care of the dirty work. Women sometimes leave a small patch of hair in a shape as simple as a triangle or a thin line. (The latter of which is commonly called a Brazilian). Others get various designs shaved into their pubic hair.

Believe it or not, there are even dyes made specifically for pubic hair. Do not, however, use bleach or any product designed for the hair on your head.

You can even decorate around the hair or where the hair once was with a practice called Vajazzling, where crystals in various designs are glued to the skin.

The bottom line is this -- it’s yours, it grows back; and no one has to see it but you and those you choose to show it to. So, there’s no reason not to do whatever turns you on. Besides, what a fun and sexy little way to express yourself and a great secret to carry with you and keep you feeling in the mood! ( foxnews.com )

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Designer clothes can help you bag a better job

Designer clothes can help you bag a better job - They may burn a bigger hole in your wallet – but designer clothes are a sound investment, a study suggests.

Wearing well-known brand labels makes you appear wealthier, more worthy of respect and can even help you bag a better job, the research found.

In one test, women who wore a well-known brand on their polo shirt were given almost twice as much money when they solicited for charity than when they wore non-designer outfits.

Interview: Wearing branded clothes not only increased a man's chances of being judged suitable for a job but even increased his salary

In another, wearing branded clothes not only increased a man’s chances of being judged suitable for a job, but even increased the salary those surveyed would offer him by 9 per cent.

The study, at Tilburg University, in the Netherlands, involved four experiments. They tested reactions to well-known brands when judging status and wealth, responding to an invitation to take part in a survey, assessing a potential employee and being asked to give to charity.

Researchers Dr Rob Nelissen and Dr Marijn Meijers said humans are failing to see beyond the surface and that we are being sucked in by advertising for designer brands. ( dailymail.co.uk )

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Calagans celebrate 'Wow Caraga 2011'

Calagans celebrate 'Wow Caraga 2011' - Residents from the Caraga region recently celebrated its 16th founding anniversary in a festival dubbed "Wow Caraga 2011."

Bislig City hosted the celebration, thus the festival had the tagline "Payanig sa Bislig".

Festivities started with the Bird Parade where students wore bird head gears, since many species of birds can be found in the region, particularly in Agusan Marsh.

The students then went to a Bird and Wildlife Forum at the De La Salle John Bosco College, organized by the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines and the Philippine Eagle Foundation.

The festival also featured a trade fair, exhibits of regional line agencies, the "Birds of Bislig" photo exhibit, and a garden show.

Contingents from Agusan del Sur's Naliyagan, Surigao del Norte's Lubi-lubi, Bislig City's Karawasan, Surigao del Sur's Paladong, and Bayugan City's Diwata participated in the Calagan Festival Grand Showdown.

Also held was a Search for Mutya ng Caraga 2011, the Calagan Culinary Show and Live Competition, the Calagan Singing Star Quest, and a wild bird-watching activity, the new project of Bislig City.

Formed as an administrative region under Republic Act 7901 enacted in 1995, Caraga is composed of the provinces Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and the Dinagat group of islands. The region has 6 cities: Butuan, Surigao, Bislig, Cabadbaran, Tandang, and Bayugan.

Department of Tourism (DOT) officials led by Assistant Secretary Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III joined Kalagans in celebrating the festival.

“The people of Caraga have a lot to be thankful for with the environment they have been endowed with but such great endowment comes with great responsibility. The people of Caraga must continue to protect the environment not only for themselves but also for future generations,” Enerio said. ( abs-cbnnews.com )

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The Magic Make-up Mirror

The Magic Make-up Mirror -- Most women have gone through the ordeal of buying a product at a beauty counter only to get home and discover it looks more clown than chic. But a virtual make-up mirror promises to put an end to these expensive embarrassments.

The first of its kind in Europe, the 'magic mirror' can give you a full make-over in seconds, lets you test hundreds of different products in minutes, and does away with the need for make-up remover afterwards.

Created by Japanese beauty brand Shiseido, the simulator allows users to virtually apply make-up to eyes, lips and cheeks. But it’s not yet able to slap on virtual foundation, so I primed my face with a simple base and sat down to see what it could do.

The future of make-up: Claire gets a tutorial in how to use the hi-tech simulator

A camera on the device captures your face and works out where your eyes, nose and mouth are. Using the touch-sensitive screen, you can choose from more than 50 different eye colours, around the same number of lip colours, and 12 blushers, bronzers and cheek tints.

You can whizz through a huge array of shades in a matter of moments, see how products change with more intensive application, and experiment with far more drastic looks than you might normally dare to.

The image you see is a perfect mirror image. If you squint to take a closer look at the eyeshadow you just 'applied', you’ll see it on the screen; turn your head slightly to see how that blusher looks and your mirror image will do likewise.

Once you find a look you like, you can take a still image. The machine can store a few of these, giving you an opportunity to compare different looks.

I experimented with pink eyeshadow, orange lipstick and far heavier blusher than I would ever have applied normally, managed to discover exactly the right shade of red lipstick, and became convinced that maybe it was worth giving purple eyeshadow a whirl, after all.

Of course it's a sales tool, but if you've ever spent half an hour having a department store makeover, only to scrub it all off in the loos because you hated it, or grabbed a lipstick colour that looked okay on the back of your hand but made you look like Morticia when you got home, you'll see the appeal.

On the downside, while you know that the colours you've opted for will suit you, the mirror can’t give you an idea of product texture, or guarantee that you’ll be able to apply them well.

For that you’ll have to rely on good old-fashioned human beings. Still, knowing the tech-savvy Japanese, a robot that can perfectly apply your make-up can't be very far away.The make-up simulator is currently on a roadshow of department stores across the country and will return to Selfridges in London on May 27.( antara )

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Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School

Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School - New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire.

Ours is an age of pedagogy. Anxious parents instruct their children more and more, at younger and younger ages, until they're reading books to babies in the womb. They pressure teachers to make kindergartens and nurseries more like schools. So does the law—the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act explicitly urged more direct instruction in federally funded preschools.

There are skeptics, of course, including some parents, many preschool teachers, and even a few policy-makers. Shouldn't very young children be allowed to explore, inquire, play, and discover, they ask? Perhaps direct instruction can help children learn specific facts and skills, but what about curiosity and creativity—abilities that are even more important for learning in the long run? Two forthcoming studies in the journal Cognition—one from a lab at MIT and one from my lab at UC-Berkeley—suggest that the doubters are on to something. While learning from a teacher may help children get to a specific answer more quickly, it also makes them less likely to discover new information about a problem and to create a new and unexpected solution.

What do we already know about how teaching affects learning? Not as much as we would like, unfortunately, because it is a very difficult thing to study. You might try to compare different kinds of schools. But the children and the teachers at a Marin County preschool that encourages exploration will be very different from the children and teachers in a direct instruction program in South Side Chicago. And almost any new program with enthusiastic teachers will have good effects, at least to begin with, regardless of content. So comparisons are difficult. Besides, how do you measure learning, anyway? Almost by definition, directed teaching will make children do better on standardized tests, which the government uses to evaluate school performance. Curiosity and creativity are harder to measure.

Developmental scientists like me explore the basic science of learning by designing controlled experiments. We might start by saying: Suppose we gave a group of 4-year-olds exactly the same problems and only varied on whether we taught them directly or encouraged them to figure it out for themselves? Would they learn different things and develop different solutions? The two new studies in Cognition are the first to systematically show that they would.

In the first study, MIT professor Laura Schulz, her graduate student Elizabeth Bonawitz, and their colleagues looked at how 4-year-olds learned about a new toy with four tubes. Each tube could do something interesting: If you pulled on one tube it squeaked, if you looked inside another tube you found a hidden mirror, and so on. For one group of children, the experimenter said: "I just found this toy!" As she brought out the toy, she pulled the first tube, as if by accident, and it squeaked. She acted surprised ("Huh! Did you see that? Let me try to do that!") and pulled the tube again to make it squeak a second time. With the other children, the experimenter acted more like a teacher. She said, "I'm going to show you how my toy works. Watch this!" and deliberately made the tube squeak. Then she left both groups of children alone to play with the toy.

All of the children pulled the first tube to make it squeak. The question was whether they would also learn about the other things the toy could do. The children from the first group played with the toy longer and discovered more of its "hidden" features than those in the second group. In other words, direct instruction made the children less curious and less likely to discover new information.

Does direct teaching also make children less likely to draw new conclusions—or, put another way, does it make them less creative? To answer this question, Daphna Buchsbaum, Tom Griffiths, Patrick Shafto, and I gave another group of 4-year-old children a new toy.* This time, though, we demonstrated sequences of three actions on the toy, some of which caused the toy to play music, some of which did not. For example, Daphna might start by squishing the toy, then pressing a pad on its top, then pulling a ring on its side, at which point the toy would play music. Then she might try a different series of three actions, and it would play music again. Not every sequence she demonstrated worked, however: Only the ones that ended with the same two actions made the music play. After showing the children five successful sequences interspersed with four unsuccessful ones, she gave them the toy and told them to "make it go."

Daphna ran through the same nine sequences with all the children, but with one group, she acted as if she were clueless about the toy. ("Wow, look at this toy. I wonder how it works? Let's try this," she said.) With the other group, she acted like a teacher. ("Here's how my toy works.") When she acted clueless, many of the children figured out the most intelligent way of getting the toy to play music (performing just the two key actions, something Daphna had not demonstrated). But when Daphna acted like a teacher, the children imitated her exactly, rather than discovering the more intelligent and more novel two-action solution.

As so often happens in science, two studies from different labs, using different techniques, have simultaneously produced strikingly similar results. They provide scientific support for the intuitions many teachers have had all along: Direct instruction really can limit young children's learning. Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn something specific—this tube squeaks, say, or a squish then a press then a pull causes the music to play. But it also makes children less likely to discover unexpected information and to draw unexpected conclusions.

Why might children behave this way? Adults often assume that most learning is the result of teaching and that exploratory, spontaneous learning is unusual. But actually, spontaneous learning is more fundamental. It's this kind of learning, in fact, that allows kids to learn from teachers in the first place. Patrick Shafto, a machine-learning specialist at the University of Louisville and a co-author of both these studies; Noah Goodman at Stanford; and their colleagues have explored how we could design computers that learn about the world as effectively as young children do. It's this work that inspired these experiments.

These experts in machine learning argue that learning from teachers first requires you to learn about teachers. For example, if you know how teachers work, you tend to assume that they are trying to be informative. When the teacher in the tube-toy experiment doesn't go looking for hidden features inside the tubes, the learner unconsciously thinks: "She's a teacher. If there were something interesting in there, she would have showed it to me." These assumptions lead children to narrow in, and to consider just the specific information a teacher provides. Without a teacher present, children look for a much wider range of information and consider a greater range of options.

Knowing what to expect from a teacher is a really good thing, of course: It lets you get the right answers more quickly than you would otherwise. Indeed, these studies show that 4-year-olds understand how teaching works and can learn from teachers. But there is an intrinsic trade-off between that kind of learning and the more wide-ranging learning that is so natural for young children. Knowing this, it's more important than ever to give children's remarkable, spontaneous learning abilities free rein. That means a rich, stable, and safe world, with affectionate and supportive grown-ups, and lots of opportunities for exploration and play. Not school for babies. ( slate.com )

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Take years off your face

Take years off your face - Our skin is a mirror of our inner health and well-being. The right diet, combined with the right exercise and a simple beauty routine does wonders to the way we look and feel every day.

The skin has a dual role of protection (from foreign, toxic substances) and the transfer point (for the release of toxins from our bodies becomes) and in the process it tires out when there is a work overload. It then craves a little more care than just the regular cleansing-toning-moisturising routine.

This is where facials come in: a deep and thorough cleansing procedure that is known to remove impurities embedded within the pores while replenishing essential nutrients to the skin!

Why facials are so good

Research reveals facials come with several benefits, both physical and psychological. "Facials counteract the effects of pollutants and sun exposure, helping cleanse, rehydrate and rejuvenate skin.

They can also be used as a mild treatment to take care of skin blemishes, dead skin and early wrinkles. It's best to start them at 25, when the skin begins to undergo its first round of wear and tear. Regular facials also ensure better penetration of anti-ageing skincare products," explains Mumbai-based dermatologist Dr Apratim Goel.

According to beauty expert, Shahnaz Hussain, one of the pioneers of facials in India, "Facials help maintain the oil-moisture balance of the skin, along with the acid-alkali balance. And since facials aid in the toning of both skin and muscles, it also doubles up as an effective anti-ager, when done on a regular basis, ideally once every month beyond the age of 30. Besides, it helps relax every muscle on the face and neck, bringing about a soothing effect." Every facial follows a few basic steps, each of which comes with individual benefits.

Deep cleansing and toning: The skin is deeply and thoroughly cleaned with a gentle cleanser to remove impurities and pollutants thereby improving blood circulation to the face almost immediately. This also helps products penetrate the skin faster, during the facial as well as later. Toning on the other hand aids in faster cell renewal preserving firmness and elasticity of the skin.

Exfoliation: Exfoliation with specific products (depending on the facial one opts for) boosts renewal of skin cells, making skin appear brighter and more translucent. This is mostly done with anti-oxidant creams used to help prevent free radical damage. This apart, it also helps remove blackheads significantly opening the clogged pores and allowing skin to breathe.

Massage: The most relaxing part of a facial, the gentle and rhythmic strokes relaxes muscles, thus increasing blood circulation, which in turn aids the removal of toxins and waste from the body and delays the onset of wrinkles.

Face masks: Available in various types such as firming, whitening, Vitamin C, etc., they are known to remove oiliness, shrink pores and add moisture to the skin, lending it a translucent feel. Herbal masks, on the other hand, improve cell renewal signficantly.

Choose your own beauty routine
With a flurry of options, it is important you choose your facials with care for maximum benefits.

Extremely sensitive/Acne-Prone Skin: "Facials are best avoided for people with very sensitive skin, acne or very oily skin or those with skin conditions such as rosacea. Clean-ups work best for such skin types which comes with the benefits of a facial, but reduced massage time, which is considered harmful for those with such skin types. Scrubbing is also a complete no-no for such skin," says Delhi-based dermatologist Charulata Bose.

Normal to oily skin: Go for a basic facial (a fruit facial, an oxygen-based facial) that stresses on cleansing, toning and a good face mask, advises Hussain.

Dry skin: Opt for facials that focus on massage and thick creams. This will help the cream penetrate deep in, thereby providing necessary hydration, suggests Bose.

What you should look out for

While facials come with a host of benefits, they are effective only when done the right way by qualified, experienced professionals and in completely hygienic conditions, with safe, high-quality products, cautions Goel. "Wrong massage techniques can cause skin to sag, leading to more prominent wrinkles," says Bose.

1. Know the ingredients and the brands being used on your face.
2. Test if you are allergic to any ingredient in the products. If you're experimenting with a new kind of facial, do a patch test of the major ingredients well in advance in order to rule out allergies.
3. Ensure your therapist uses only fresh products, especially in case of natural/organic/fruit facials.
4. Never peel away pimples as these could leave painful sores and permanent scars.
5. Make sure the spa/salon maintains good hygiene standards to avoid any kind of infection. ( yahoo.com )

READ MORE - Take years off your face

Sexual assault of American women soldiers on the rise

Sexual assault of American women soldiers on the rise - In a bid to address sexual crimes within the American defence forces more effectively, the United States Air Force will release a survey later this week in which it states that one in five women have been sexually assaulted since joining the military service.

The survey conducted by Gallup, interviewed 18,834 male and female airmen between July and August 2010 and had a response rate of nearly 19 percent.

Experts say the results, which will be published on the Air Force website will be important for the Air Force and the entire military, as top officials will be forced to acknowledge and confront the scope of the problem for the first time.

Charlene Bradley, an air force assistant deputy for force management integration said: " If we're ever going to get to the point where we know how much progress we're making or not making, our leadership has to find out the extent of the problem," adding that the Air Force leadership was "very concerned" when they reviewed the survey's findings.

She added: "They were concerned before, but they were very concerned when they saw this."

According to the military sexual assault includes a number of things including "sexual contact without consent." Out of the 18.9 percent of the female airmen who reported having been assaulted, 58 percent said that they had been raped and 20 percent said they had been sodomized, which the military defines as nonconsensual oral or anal sex.

It is expected to serve as a new base for tracking the crime. The survey is likely to be conducted every 18 to 24 months, says Bradley.

The survey has brought out that a majority of assaults were against women, nearly 80 percent and the perpetrators are fellow US service members.

Bradley says: "The survey was designed to help the Air Force evaluate its prevention programs to find out "how much progress we're making or not making."

The survey makes it clear that only a small percentage of victims reported the crimes and in order to control this it was important to change this fact.

A majority of those who were victims of unwanted sex said they did not think it was serious enough to report.

Nearly 60 percent of women who were raped said they did not want their superiors to know and 63 percent, said they did not want their fellow airmen to know." Nearly half said that they did not want to cause trouble in their unit, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

To overcome this problem, the Air Force is making large scale efforts on a bystander training program as the findings suggest that many victims of assault do tell a friend or fellow airmen, whether they officially report the crime or not.

Bradley said that the Air Force has full-time trained sexual assault response coordinators (SARCs), at every base, as well as volunteer victim advocates.

David Lisak, sexual assault specialist and clinical psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, Boston said that the Air Force is also focusing on better training for military lawyers who in many cases have little experience compared to the specialized civilian sexual-assault defense lawyers that many alleged perpetrators hire. ( news.yahoo.com )

READ MORE - Sexual assault of American women soldiers on the rise

‘Tree octopus’ is latest evidence the internet is making kids dumb, says group

‘Tree octopus’ is latest evidence the internet is making kids dumb, says group - Every few months, almost like clockwork, an alarming report comes along purporting to show that the Internet is turning everyone's brains -- particularly the brains of this generation's children -- into mush. It's apparently that time again.

A few days ago Pearson, which bills itself as "the world's leading PreK-20 educational publishing company," sent out a press release touting a new study. Its title was attention-grabbing: "Schools Facing Learning Crisis Spawned by Internet." Its opening line read: "Schools around the nation are facing a learning crisis caused by the Internet..."

Scary stuff, right? Tell us more!

Pearson's release explained that the Department of Education funded the study and that it was administered by Dr. Donald Leu, a former teacher and "national authority on integrating technology into instruction." Leu's study highlighted fallacious reports on the fate of the "tree octopus" -- an allegedly endangered species roaming the treetops of the Pacific Northwest -- as a key illustration of this baleful trend.

Researchers on Leu's team asked a group of students to hunt down information on the critter, which of course does not exist. But the same researchers pulled a bit of trickery on the students -- they directed them to a website dedicated to saving the mythical tree octopus from extinction. And presto: the kids taking part in the study fell for the hoax and even continued to believe in the tree octopus after the study's leaders explained that there was no such thing.

Here's a sampling of the tree octopus factoids featured on the site:

Tree octopuses have eyesight comparable to humans. Besides allowing them to see their prey and environment, it helps them in inter-octopus relations. Although they are not social animals like us, they display to one-another their emotions through their ability to change the color of their skin: red indicates anger, white fear, while they normally maintain a mottled brown tone to blend in with the background.

According to Leu, the founder and director of the New Literacies Research Lab at the University of Connecticut, the moral of the exercise is simple: "anyone can publish anything on the Internet and today's students are not prepared to critically evaluate the information they find there."

But is this really a "learning crisis" that's "caused by the internet?" Or, for that matter, is it a problem that's really specific to the internet at all? Indeed, the paucity of critical thought in our nation's schools has bedeviled experts for a very long time -- long before the internet made its sinister appearance on the scene.

In 2009 Dr. Robert Rose, a longtime Southern California educator, wrote a piece for the Huffington Post lamenting his struggles over the years in being able to teach kids to think critically. Rose argues that doing so will inevitably ruffle the feathers of some parents and educational bureaucrats.

Remember, in their developmental years, most American kids are encouraged to swallow all sorts of fanciful tales -- such as the one about the rotund, jolly fellow who comes down chimneys each Christmas to deliver presents, or the one about the fairy who exchanges small change for baby teeth tucked under a child's pillow. Additionally, many religions children are brought up in require significant leaps of faith. So is it really that big of a step from such socially sanctioned guilelessness to taking a website's claims about the mythical tree octopus at face value?

Citing the cultural legacy of childhood deference before the harmless fictions that please their elders, Rose draws a sobering conclusion: Instruction in truly critical thinking "does not and cannot happen in the way our schools are structured with their hierarchical power base that punishes thinking that differs from the status quo," Rose wrote. "For that reason . . . we can teach the process and skills of clearer thinking, but we can't teach them to think critically and apply those skills to the real worlds they live in. It goes against too many vested interests that fear their power will be diluted."

Nevertheless, we wanted to give the Leu study the benefit of the doubt -- without embracing it, well, uncritically, as some observers seem to have done. But the press release from Pearson was short on details and didn't supply any information about where the study's results and methodology might be found online. And the website for Dr. Leu's group does not appear to have published any such material.

So we sent the Pearson publicist who distributed the press release an email asking for specifics: "Regarding the release you sent out titled 'Schools Facing Learning Crisis Spawned By Internet' ... is there anywhere I can find the specifics of Dr. Leu's study? What age groups were the kids who fell for the tree octopus thing? How many of them? What percentage of the kids in the study fell for it? Etc." As of this writing, we have yet to hear back from them.

Still, we think the overall lesson for the kids here is as follows: Don't believe everything you hear or read, on the Internet or elsewhere -- or, for that matter, in press releases.

UPDATE: After this piece was published, Donna Bone, the Project Coordinator and the New Literacies Research Lab, sent us an email in response to our request for the demographics of the participants in Dr. Leu's study. She said that the group monitored "our 50 best online readers" in 7th grade classes from "economically challenged" areas of South Carolina and Connecticut. ( yahoo.com )

READ MORE - ‘Tree octopus’ is latest evidence the internet is making kids dumb, says group

How Facebook Intends to Kill Gmail

How Facebook Intends to Kill Gmail - The technology industry's latest rivalry takes centre stage this week when internet powers Google and Facebook lay out their competing visions to create a new generation of web services at a high-profile conference in San Francisco.

The relationship between the two internet icons has become increasingly confrontational, and the battle will most likely intensify on Monday US time when Facebook is expected to introduce a revamped version of its messaging technology that could pose a challenge to Google's Gmail.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, left, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Google chief Eric Schmidt will each take the stage, with dozens of other internet industry heavyweights, during the three-day web 2.0 conference that starts on Monday.

With reports swirling that Yahoo! is being eyed for a takeover by private equity firms, possibly in co-ordination with AOL or News Corp, Yahoo! chief executive Carol Bartz's talk at the conference on Tuesday will also be closely watched.

And investors hoping for an eventual wave of initial public offerings by a new generation of fast-growing web start-ups will keep an eye on appearances by executives from Twitter, Zynga and LinkedIn.

But all eyes will be on Zuckerberg and Schmidt, and the pitched struggle for web surfers' time online, advertising dollars and increasingly costly Silicon Valley talent.

Investors are waiting for details of Google's social networking strategy. Google has acquired several small social networking companies in recent months and Schmidt has said the company would begin to add social "layers" to its existing products in the autumn.

Clash of web titans

Google's internet search engine and Facebook's social networking service have grown into billion-dollar businesses, amassing vast numbers of users. Now, the two are increasingly on a collision course.

"Once you have that many [users], you want to try to be all things to all people in some sense, and I think everything falls out of that," said a person familiar with Facebook's thinking.

"They have similar aspirations and goals," the person said of Google.

The latest flashpoint appears to be email, with Facebook due to unveil "across the board" changes to its messaging service on Monday, according to the source.

Blog TechCrunch reported on Friday that Facebook would unveil a full-fledged web email product, along with "@facebook.com" email addresses for users, and noted that the product was referred to within Facebook as a "Gmail-killer". A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.

Last week, Google began blocking a Facebook feature that allows users automatically to import Gmail contact data into the social networking service. Google accused Facebook of siphoning up Google data without allowing for the automatic import and export of Facebook users' information.

They are also increasingly vying for engineering talent in Silicon Valley. Last week, Google internally announced plans to boost salaries by 10 per cent, according to media reports, in a move viewed as an effort to staunch an exodus of engineers and managers to Facebook.

But the social network itself lost a star engineer on Friday, when Paul Buchheit said he was leaving Facebook to join Y Combinator, a firm that invests in and provides services for technology start-ups.

Buchheit, who worked at Google from 1999 to 2006, is best known as the creator of Google's Gmail. But he would not discuss any Facebook product plans when reached on the phone on Friday.

When reports of Facebook building an email product first surfaced in February, Buchheit said he was not working on anything related to email at Facebook and that he didn't plan to. ( reuters )

READ MORE - How Facebook Intends to Kill Gmail

A hormone naturally created in the body could be the elixir of life

A hormone naturally created in the body could be the elixir of life, scientists believe - According to a study of thousands of over-50s, the substance known as DHEAS makes you live longer – and is more plentiful the wealthier you are.

A study of over-50s has revealed the DHEAS hormone makes you live longer - and is more plentiful the wealthier you are (posed by model)

Research suggests that in future tablets, patches or injections could boost the DHEAS level.

In the meantime, leading a more fulfilling life could have a similar effect, says Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who led the research.

Higher levels are associated with both greater amounts of exercise and an active life with lots of pastimes, interests, friends and family – all of which tend to come with wealth.

The hormone is secreted by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys.

Production is greatest in childhood and teenage years, before gradually declining through adult life.

By the age of 80 it could be just 10 per cent of the peak teen level.

Having more DHEAS in the body is linked to a better memory and ability to cope with mental tasks, particularly in men.

The research also found higher levels of a second hormone, the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), in those who are better off.

The two hormones help control reactions to stress and regulate various body processes including digestion, the immune system, mood and energy usage.
Researchers said it is too soon to say whether the higher level of DHEAS is a result of being rich.

However, Sir Michael believes the benefits of wealth, which include a better diet, greater control over life, less stress, more travel and involvement in the wider world through hobbies, sport or other interests will encourage the body to create DHEAS.

He stressed that improving the level of the hormone is not a simple matter of popping a pill.

‘In my view, it is a much bigger issue and involves the package of choices that wealth opens up,’ he added. The study was carried out by University College London for the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Hormone levels were measured by taking blood samples from more than 10,000 people aged over 50, who have been monitored since 2004.

Sir Michael said: ‘We found a clear social gradient in several health indicators with less wealthy people having higher levels of obesity, lower levels of physical exercise, higher levels of smoking, lower fruit and vegetable intake and being more likely to suffer from hypertension and diabetes.

‘A striking new finding is that the hormone DHEAS which predicts life expectancy also follows a social gradient – less wealth, lower levels of DHEAS.

‘I believe this is the first time this has been identified.

‘My own interpretation is that it is a counter to stress. Having higher levels of DHEAS protects you.’

The same study confirmed previous research showing a correlation between poverty and increased levels of obesity, larger waist size and other measures of ill-health. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - A hormone naturally created in the body could be the elixir of life

Corpse flower that smells of death grows to six feet before collapsing

The 'Groucho Marx' plant: Corpse flower that smells of death grows to six feet before collapsing - The trademark hair is certainly present and correct; all that is missing is the famous cigar.

Bearing more than a passing resemblance to Groucho Marx on one of his off days, this odd-looking plant is actually known as the corpse flower.

This fully bloomed Amorphophallus Titanum, as it is officially known, was photographed just minutes before it eventually collapsed, the final phase of the plant's life.

Separated at birth: Lois the Corpse Flower, left, bears similarities with legendary comedian Groucho Marx

Nicknamed Lois by staff at The Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston, Texas, it had reached a final height of close to six feet before toppling over.

The Indonesian plant has the world's largest blossom and during its full bloom smells like decaying or rotting flesh to attract beetles, flies and other insects for pollination.

Its life cycle will now start again after kit lies dormant for the next six months.

Thousands of people have lined up in the past few days to get a glimpse of the rare flower. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Corpse flower that smells of death grows to six feet before collapsing

Mickey Mouse goes nude?

Mickey Mouse goes nude? - A life size art-poster which blends Mickey Mouse's head with a body of a nude woman, lying down provocatively in front of the Nazi symbol, Swastika has caused much furore in Poland.

Mickey Mouse goes nude?

The extreme reaction to the satirical image shows that the memory of Nazi atrocities in Poland is still strong.

The poster, which was unveiled a month back, is an artist's take on what he calls the "horrors" of the American lifestyle.

"This art provocation is a form of violence against the sensitivity of many people," Norbert Napieraj told The Associated Press.

The Prosecutors, however, claim that the poster is art which does not violate the country's laws against glorifying Nazism.

The poster has been vandalised twice since it was put up but gallery director Maria Czarnecka said that she does not plan to remove it.

Czarnecka told The Associated Press, "Art should be provocative and controversial."

She insists that the poster does not intend to propagate Nazism but instead wants to explore "symbols and how they work." ( hindustantimes.com )

READ MORE - Mickey Mouse goes nude?

Six ways to improve your credit score

Six ways to improve your credit score. These days, it can be difficult to borrow if you don't have an excellent credit rating - but don't despair if you have a chequered past. Victoria Bischoff explains six steps that should help clean up your credit history...

During the boom years, it seemed like anyone who could sign their name had a decent chance of getting credit when they needed it.

However, since the credit crunch lenders have seriously tightened their belts. Nowadays, being accepted for market leading financial products is no easy feat - especially if you have a blemished borrowing past.

Thanks to the effects of the financial crisis, banks and credit card providers are more risk averse than they were a few years ago. They're concerned about keeping hold of as much cash as possible, and are reluctant to lend to anyone they fear will not repay their debts.

So, what should you do if you suspect your credit score is less than squeaky clean?


1. Check your credit report

Before you can start to clean up your credit score, you need to know what you're dealing with.

Therefore, your first step should be to bite the bullet and apply for a copy of your credit file from one of the three referencing agencies in the UK: Experian, Equifax and Callcredit.

If you're savvy you can bag this service for free by signing up for a 30 day trial with Credit Expert (under Experian) - just remember to cancel your direct debit before the offer expires.

Once you have your credit report, check that the data is accurate, ensure your debts are listed correctly and query any activity you don't recognise. If you do spot a mistake, write to the agency immediately and request for it to be changed.

If the agency refuses to amend your file, you're entitled to add a 200 word 'notice of correction' to it. This allows you to comment on any aspect of your credit history which you feel needs further explanation.


2. Cancel unused credit cards

When a lender checks your file, they look at how much credit is already available to you.

If you have access to a lot of credit, even if you don't use it, you may be viewed as a high risk customer.

Therefore, it's best to cut up and cancel any credit or store cards you no longer use.


3. Dissociate yourself from ex partners

Being financially linked to someone with a poor credit history could damage your own credit rating.

If you share a joint account or mortgage with a partner, and you split up, it's important you contact the credit referencing agencies as soon as possible to ask for a 'notice of disassociation.'


4. Show evidence of stability

Financial institutions like stability; they prefer to lend to people they can track.

Ensuring you're on the electoral role is a simple way to show lenders that you are who you say you are, and staying with the same bank or employer for a solid length of time will also show lenders you are reliable.

Using a landline, rather than mobile, phone number on application forms will also help with security checks.


5. Time applications carefully

Each time a lender searches your credit file to assess whether they want to let you borrow, they'll leave a telltale 'footprint' behind.

If too many of these are visible on your credit report, lenders are likely to assume you are already financially overstretched.

Therefore, make sure you always space out your applications and don't make a formal application for credit if you think it is unlikely to be accepted.


6. Build a credit history

If you've never borrowed money before, it's likely you'll have virtually no credit history. This means lenders will find it difficult to predict how you will handle debt, and as a result you may find it difficult to get a market leading product.

This can trigger a catch 22 situation. If you can't get credit in the first place, how can you build up a credit history or prove you are a responsible borrower?

If you're in this situation, a credit building card could help you get your foot on the first rung of the credit ladder.

Here are three cards you could choose from:

Provider	Typical APR	Credit limit
Barclaycard Initial Credit Card	27.9%	£2,000
Capital One Classic Visa Card	34.9%	£2,500
Vanquis Visa Card	39.9%	£1,000

As you can see, credit building cards come with very high interest rates. This is because they are aimed at 'high risk' customers.

The key to using these cards successfully is to avoid paying interest altogether. This means always clearing your balance in full at the end of each month - and never using them to make purchases you can't afford to pay for straight away.

If you use a credit builder card, it's also crucial you never miss a payment or exceed your credit limit. Not only will this damage your credit rating further; you're likely to be hit with a nasty fine.

It's a good idea to set up a direct debit to repay your balance in full each month, to ensure you make your payments on time.

Although these cards may not offer the most attractive deals on the market, they should open the door to better deals in the future. ( mailcompare.mailonline.co.uk )

READ MORE - Six ways to improve your credit score

Being away from each other was kind of a blessing'

Being away from each other was kind of a blessing'. The 6-foot guard for the Washington Wizards had been friends with Glass for four years by then, and he loved hanging out with the pretty schoolteacher who got along so well with his family. But at 31, he couldn't bring himself to call Glass his girlfriend, much less make her his wife -- and those commitment issues certainly didn't improve with the announcement in 2002 that she was expecting.

"Oh man," he says. "I was frantic."

The two first met in 1999 when a friend of Glass's, who worked in community relations for the Wizards, arranged for Whitney to speak to a group of fourth graders at Lamont Elementary School in New Carrollton. Whitney, who can be shy at times, was hesitant to walk into the classroom alone, so Glass, a special education teacher at the school, marched him down the hall and introduced him to the awe-struck 9-year-olds.

Glass often joined her friend at Wizards games, and in time, she and Whitney fell into the same social circle, gathering at clubs and restaurants to celebrate victories or hang out on off-days.

"I had feelings for him the whole time," says Glass, a Washington native. "He was very funny and nice and honest . . . and he had been through some struggles in his life, so he could appreciate what he had."

Whitney came to care for Glass, too, but, "I wasn't ready for a relationship," he says. As a professional athlete, there was too much travel and too many distractions, too many people grabbing for him and not enough confidence in whom he could trust.

"Both men and women, they get intoxicated with the lifestyle, the fame. You go somewhere and there's a line around the corner, but I walk to the front . . . some people love it," says Whitney, who grew up in Kentucky. "So you have to try to figure out who's there because, 'Hey, I like Chris. Chris is really cool.' "

If he'd asked her, Glass would've married Whitney when she found out she was pregnant. But it didn't go that way: Many of his friends and advisers were warning him to be careful.

"He still had people in his ear saying, 'Oh, she just wants the money,' " recalls Glass, who was also 31 at the time. " 'She's having a baby by you, so now she's in this category. She's trying to get this. She's trying to get that.' "

Two months after Casaan was born, Whitney was traded to the Denver Nuggets, leaving Glass to raise their son by herself. Even when Whitney returned to Washington the following year, he had limited contact with Casaan. "There was a lot of strain," Glass says.

Eventually the couple's relationship deteriorated completely: They stopped speaking for four years. Whitney went on to have three more sons with other women. Glass adopted a teenage boy whose parents passed away and had another son of her own.

In August 2008, four years after Whitney last played in the NBA, he switched to a new money-management firm and asked to meet with Glass to discuss their child-support arrangement. Standing face to face by her car, they lingered, catching up and looking at recent pictures of Casaan.

"It was like we never missed a beat. We just talked and talked . . . about things we never talked about before," Whitney says. "And the next thing you know, we were just always hanging out together. We did everything together."

But for a while, they did everything together in secret. Glass knew what her friends and family would think about a reunion between the two. For years she hadn't allowed his name to be spoken in her house -- even the friend who first introduced them worried Glass would be hurt again.

"It's shocking in a lot of people's minds," she says. Had someone predicted her relationship with Whitney would be rekindled, "I would've told them they were crazy."

But something had changed in Whitney since she knew him last. "Being away from each other was kind of a blessing -- it gave us each time to grow. To figure out what we wanted," Glass says. "He had focused so much on basketball all his life that he never took time out to think about family and what family means."

After four months, Glass invited Whitney to start spending time at her house with Casaan and the other boys. Like his father, Casaan, now 7, always had a painful shy streak. "But since his dad came home? It's like this child has blossomed," Glass says, now 38. "It's just been wonderful."

Whitney, also 38, began packing lunches, driving the kids to school and trusting that Glass liked him for who he was, not what he'd done on the basketball court. "She became my best friend -- somebody I could confide in and talk to," he says. "I'd never had anybody I could tell everything to before."

That winter he made a suggestion: "Let's become a family." They tattooed each other's names around their ring fingers and officially got engaged last September.

Glass is the type to turn everyone she meets into a friend, and keep them for life, so nearly 500 people were invited to the New Year's Day wedding at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Capitol Heights. Whitney walked down the aisle with Casaan, who served as best man as his parents exchanged vows. After a 70-minute ceremony that included a gospel band, a serenade from a guest and a nine-person wedding party they referred to as their "entourage," the couple left for a reception at the Glenview Mansion in Rockville.

Both sometimes think about why the bond that exists between them now didn't materialize 10 years ago.

"We just weren't ready for it," says Glass. "We wouldn't have known it if it flew in our face. But now it's like this road we traveled together." ( washingtonpost.com )

READ MORE - Being away from each other was kind of a blessing'