NYTimes.com: Mom the Mega-Star, Happily Balanced

MOVIES | May 02, 2010 Summer Movies: Mom the Mega-Star, Happily Balanced By LEAH ROZEN Julia Roberts is still one of the world's biggest stars, but these days the family comes along on the film shoots. "Ms. Roberts’s character is pressed by her husband to reveal intimate details about her adultery. “We did it seven times and she blushed at the same exact point every time,” Mr. Nichols said. “Now, who can do that? Most actors have to do work to produce emotion; Julia has to do work to suppress it.”

NYTimes: More American Expatriates Give Up Citizenship

Expats renouncing citizenship because of tax required to be paid on
income over $91K even if already taxed in the foreign country already.
And because they're prevented from opening bank accounts without a US
address.

More American Expatriates Give Up Citizenship

A growing number of overseas Americans are renouncing their
citizenship over taxation and banking problems.

http://nyti.ms/8WXjco

Travel destinations without the crowds: Escaping the Crowds

Escaping the Crowds
Greece, Montréal, Barbados, South Carolina.

Eight off-season getaways where the throngs have yet to appear, hotel
rates are down and the beaches are bare.

http://nyti.ms/9mHpFS

NYTimes: Caring for Hips and Knees to Avoid Artificial Joints

" study ... found that when a woman lost 10 pounds, her risk of osteoarthritis of the knee dropped by half."

PATIENT MONEY: Caring for Hips and Knees to Avoid Artificial Joints

If your crucial joints are still intact, or just beginning to creak, here are some ways to keep osteoarthritis — and the cost of hip or knee replacement — at bay.

http://nyti.ms/cUk50J

NYTimes: The Search for Genes Leads to Unexpected Places

Intriguing that neighboring genes in distantly-related species have
'deep homology' and take on new, related roles in other species. Cell-
wall genes in yeast are all genes controlling vascularization. A new
window to search for gene-based disease.

The Search for Genes Leads to Unexpected Places

Edward M. Marcotte and colleagues have found hundreds of genes
involved in human disorders.

http://nyti.ms/btrS1s

Great Kids' Photos by Sara Montgomery

http://smontgomeryphoto.blogspot.com/search/label/Sara%20Montgomery%20Photography%20News

Great photos and a list of tips for photographing kids.

Think hard about a location. Drive around and look at your neighborhood in a new way. Look for color... look for fields.

make sure you are comfortable in your clothes.

Add details.... add a flower to your daughter's hair, bring along a baseball and mitt, bring bubbles, or a favorite toy. You can even bring a chair or a couch. I know that may sound crazy, but it looks great and adds SO much to an image. Bring scarfs, hats, blankets, pillows...

If you have young children try to prepare them for the day. The night before, talk to them about how much fun the day will be. On the day of your session, start your morning with a smile.... one of the most important things... DO NOT FORGET THE BRIBES!

Get a good night sleep the night before the session!

NYTimes.com: In the Wild, With Tent and Tablecloth

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm TRAVEL | April 25, 2010 Explorer: In the Wild, With Tent and Tablecloth By BONNIE TSUI A number of outfitters are offering a kind of "cooking school goes wild" for those with interests both active and gourmet. http://www.rowadventures.com/Cooking-Adventure-Culinary-Rafting-in-Idaho.html

NYTimes.com: An Open Mind

An intriguing, thorough analysis of online courses, how they are changing education, and where they are going. Lots of links to interesting online lectures, like this one. "the "open educational resources" movement...has helped dislodge higher education from its brick-and-mortar moorings." EDUCATION | April 18, 2010 An Open Mind By KATIE HAFNER Putting free courseware online was a first step in reimagining education. What now? Wiki U's, smart courses and, maybe, learning.

NYTimes.com: Weighing the Evidence on Exercise

Exercise may not make you lose weight, but at least keep it off. And it may take less exercise than people previously thought - even just standing versus sitting. "Emerging evidence suggests that unlike bouts of moderate-vigorous activity, low-intensity ambulation, standing, etc., may contribute to daily energy expenditure..." [enough to maintain weight loss.] MAGAZINE | April 18, 2010 Weighing the Evidence on Exercise By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS Does working out really help you lose weight - or keep it off?

NYTimes.com: Pad Thai

DINING & WINE | April 22, 2010 Recipe: Pad Thai Tamarind paste adds a delightful tang. 4 ounces fettuccine-width rice stick noodles 1/4 cup peanut oil 1/4 cup tamarind paste 1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla) 1/3 cup honey 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste 1/4 cup chopped scallions 1 garlic clove, minced 2 eggs 1 small head Napa cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups) 1 cup mung bean sprouts 1/2 pound peeled shrimp, pressed tofu or a combination 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 limes, quartered. 1. Put noodles in a large bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let sit until noodles are just tender; check every 5 minutes or so to make sure they do not get too soft. Drain, drizzle with one tablespoon peanut oil to keep from sticking and set aside. Meanwhile, put tamarind paste, fish sauce, honey and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring just to a simmer. Stir in red pepper flakes and set aside. 2. Put remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add scallions and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add eggs to pan; once they begin to set, scramble them until just done. Add cabbage and bean sprouts and continue to cook until cabbage begins to wilt, then add shrimp or tofu (or both). 3. When shrimp begin to turn pink and tofu begins to brown, add drained noodles to pan along with sauce. Toss everything together to coat with tamarind sauce and combine well. When noodles are warmed through, serve, sprinkling each dish with peanuts and garnishing with cilantro and lime wedges. Yield: 4 servings.

Slower wound healing if couples argue (!)

"couples in troubled marriages appear to be more susceptible to illness than happier couples" they tested wound healing in couples who were prompted to argue versus those who weren't: "Among couples who exhibited especially high levels of hostility while bickering, the wounds took a full two days longer to heal than those of couples who had showed less animosity while fighting." MAGAZINE | April 18, 2010 Is Marriage Good for Your Health? By TARA PARKER-POPE What the research shows about the relationship between relationships and physical well-being.

NYTimes.com: Web Coupons Know Lots About You, and They Tell

Unlike ordinary coupons, an internet coupon or coupon that displays on your phone conceals many tracking parameters that allow merchants to gauge the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. "Using coupons to link Internet behavior with in-store shopping lets retailers figure out which ad slogans or online product promotions work best, how long someone waits between searching and shopping." BUSINESS | April 17, 2010 Web Coupons Know Lots About You, and They Tell By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD Printed or sent to cellphones, the coupons look standard, but they can contain a startling amount of data.

NYTimes: Big Banks Draw Big Profits From Microloans to Poor

From The New York Times:

Big Banks Draw Big Profits From Microloans to Poor

Microfinancing has grown so popular that some of its proponents are
wringing their hands. Larger banks now dominate the field, often
charging high interest rates.

http://nyti.ms/bOgN9S

NYTimes.com: For the Best of the Best, Determination Outweighs Nature and Nurture

| April 10, 2010 Shortcuts: For the Best of the Best, Determination Outweighs Nature and Nurture By ALINA TUGEND Parents should beware: the main ingredient in talent is dedication, and children have to supply that themselves. "Grit is what Professor Duckworth calls perseverance or, as she defines it, “the capacity to sustain effort toward a very long-term and challenging goal.” Her studies have shown that grittier individuals thrive in extremely challenging situations, and that grit is quite distinct from talent. "What we can do is teach ourselves and our children that we have far more ability to develop our skills than we think we do, but that it doesn’t come easily, said Daniel H. Pink..."

NYTimes.com: News Sites Rethink Anonymous Online Comments

Anonymity on the web is waning. Editors have little time to preview comments to weed out the offensive ones...and advertisers don't want their comments next to vitriol. But editors find that requiring email address and name entries before posting weeds out the worst comments. TE TECHNOLOGY | April 12, 2010 News Sites Rethink Anonymous Online Comments By RICHARD P'EREZ-PE~NA Sites that once embraced anonymous comments are revising their policies to hold users more accountable.

NYTimes.com: 10 Simple Google Search Tricks

Operators "or" "-"(excluding) ".." (between) site: time san francisco 100 pounds in dollars filetype:ppt area code TECHNOLOGY | April 02, 2010 10 Simple Google Search Tricks By SIMON MACKIE of GigaOm I'm always amazed that more people don't know the little tricks you can use to get more out of a simple Google search. Here are