Middle school is difficult? Who knew?

From the NY Times:

EDUCATION | January 22, 2007
Taking Middle Schoolers Out of the Middle
By ELISSA GOOTMAN
Schools debate whether to extend the nurturing cocoon of elementary school or to rush students into high school.

That's a darn good question

From the NY Times:

WEEK IN REVIEW | January 21, 2007
Ideas & Trends: Why Are There So Many Single Americans?
By KATE ZERNIKE
It’s worth repeating: the “marriage gap” isn’t about men and women. It’s about class and education.

The real world: DC?

From the NY Times:

HOME & GARDEN | January 18, 2007
At Home With George Miller, Richard J. Durbin, Charles E. Schumer and Bill Delahunt: Taking Power, Sharing Cereal
By MARK LEIBOVICH
Will the senior senator from New York please make his bed?

Such is life ...

From the NY Times:

FASHION & STYLE | January 18, 2007
Help, I’m Surrounded by Jerks
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
A raft of books and seminars for coping with people who make life difficult.

For fans of the Barefoot Contessa (plus, a recipe)

If you don't know about Ina Garten, you really must find out.

From our own DallasNews.com:

Barefoot Contessa: Experiments in the kitchen

BROCCOLINI & BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Kosher salt
1 1⁄2 pound broccolini (or broccoli florets)
1⁄4 cup good olive oil
1 1⁄2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon


In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt to a boil. Remove and discard the bottom third of the broccolini stems.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt and pepper. When the water comes to a boil, add the broccolini, return to a boil and cook over high heat for 2 minutes, until the stalks are just tender. Drain well and place in a large bowl. Pour enough dressing over the broccolini to moisten, and toss well. Splash with a generous squeeze of lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and serve warm or cold. Makes 6 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 121 Fat 9 g (1 g sat) No cholesterol Sodium 49 mg Fiber 3 g Carbohydrates 8 g Protein 3 g

Here, girls gone wild. There, girls just gone.

From MSNBC.com:

China facing major gender imbalance
China will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women in less
than 15 years as a gender imbalance resulting from the country's tough
one-child policy becomes more pronounced, state media reported Friday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16593301/from/ET/

Uptown girls and downtown guys?

From MSN's dating page ...

Dating's new odd couples
by Kimberly Goad
Where have all the good construction workers gone? They're dating doctors! Read about this trend.

It's about time

Saw this on DallasNews.com. Made me giggle a little, because I wrote a column about this several months ago.

Study: Procrastination on the rise
02:12 PM CST on Thursday, January 11, 2007
Associated Press

More reasons I love the French

From the NY Times:

FASHION & STYLE | January 11, 2007
France Polishes Its Politesse
By ELAINE SCIOLINO
As Gallic civility declines and falls, an interest in old-fashioned manners revives.

You gotta love this ...

From the NY Times:

FASHION & STYLE | June 25, 2006
Modern Love: What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage
By AMY SUTHERLAND
I wanted - needed - to nudge my husband a little closer to perfect.

Silicone: Does it work as well for baking as for implanting?

From the NY Times:

DINING & WINE | January 10, 2007
Hot Stuff
By MARIAN BURROS
Cookware made of silicone is functional and playfully colorful, but can it displace metal and glassware in the kitchen?

Food for thought?

From the NY Times

OPINION | January 9, 2007
Appreciations: Mr. Noodle
The news last Friday of the death of the ramen noodle guy surprised those of us who had never suspected that there was such an individual.

For the politically-minded ...

Not a political statement on my part. Just an interesting take on personality types.

From the NY Times:

WEEK IN REVIEW | January 7, 2007
The Invasion of the Alpha Male Democrat
By RYAN LIZZA
Now that they are in Congress, the new macho men of the party could challenge and change it.

The science of happiness

From the NY Times:

MAGAZINE | January 7, 2007
Happiness 101
By D.T. MAX
Can classes in positive psychology teach students not just to feel good but also to do good?

Save money and energy

From the NY Times:

BUSINESS | January 8, 2007
Taking Control of Electric Bill, Hour by Hour
By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON
A pilot project in Chicago allows residents to save money by shifting their use of power.

Too fat-focused?

From the NY Times:

HEALTH | January 8, 2007
In Obesity Fight, Many Fear a Note From School
By JODI KANTOR
Several states now send students’ Body Mass Index scores home, turning the reports into a new rite of childhood.

You could pay more, but why?

From the NY Times:

OPINION | January 8, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor: Free-Market Justice
By MORRIS B. HOFFMAN
Why do private lawyers do better than public defenders?

Sherry's Pumpkin Dip

Sherry has graciously shared her recipe for the pumpkin dip she made for the "Comfort Food" breakfast. It earned rave reviews!

Thanks, Sherry!

* PUMPKIN DIP to Serve with GINGER SNAP COOKIES

** 2 Cups - Powdered Sugar
** 1 8 oz. pkg. - Cream Cheese (softened)
** 1 15 oz can - Pumpkin
** 1 tsp. - Cinnamon
** 1 tsp. - Ginger
** 1/2 tsp. - Vanilla

Mix together all the above ingredients...
Dip with Ginger Snap Cookies*.

* (I like to use the Ginger Snap Cookies found at WORLD MARKET...)

Get a life ... get an education?

From the NY Times:

HEALTH | January 3, 2007
The New Age: A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School
By GINA KOLATA
Education is the one factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in all countries.

For the fashionistas ...

From the NY Times:

FASHION & STYLE | January 4, 2007
Fashion Diary: Where You Least Expect It
By GUY TREBAY
Fashion is a fugitive. It steals in from the streets, the clubs, even the Gap. There are secret links, as five recent trendlets show.

Reading too much?

Girls who read diet articles later show signs of eating disorders - CNN.com*

Good call.

From the NY Times:

HEALTH | January 2, 2007
Essay: What’s Making Us Sick Is an Epidemic of Diagnoses
By H. GILBERT WELCH, LISA SCHWARTZ and STEVEN WOLOSHIN
For most Americans, the biggest health threat is not avian flu, West Nile or mad cow disease. It’s our health-care system.

Um ... yikes?

From the NY Times:

OPINION | December 29, 2006
Editorial Observer: Middle School Girls Gone Wild
By LAWRENCE DOWNES
What surprises me is how completely parents of even younger girls seem to have gotten in step with society’s march toward eroticized adolescence.

Fascinating France.

From the NY Times:

BOOKS | December 26, 2006
American Culture’s French Connection
By ALAN RIDING
In “Culture in America,” Frédéric Martel challenges the view that (French) culture financed by the government is good and that (American) culture shaped by market forces is bad.

Do princesses rule?

From the NY Times:

MAGAZINE | December 24, 2006
What’s Wrong With Cinderella?
By PEGGY ORENSTEIN
One mother’s struggle with her 3-year-old daughter’s love affair with princess culture.

The look of creativity

From the NY Times:

HOME & GARDEN | December 21, 2006
Saying Yes to Mess
By PENELOPE GREEN
A movement is afoot to embrace disorder as the detritus of a creative mind. But the effort is a little disorganized.

Are we there yet?

From the NY Times:

BUSINESS / YOUR MONEY | December 17, 2006
How Suite It Isn’t: A Dearth of Female Bosses
By JULIE CRESWELL
Though more women are getting M.B.A.’s, few reach the corner suite.

Good idea.

From the NY Times:

FASHION & STYLE / WEDDINGS & CELEBRATIONS | December 17, 2006
Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying
A few key questions that couples should consider asking before marriage.

No need to be SAD.

From the NY Times:

HEALTH | December 5, 2006
Personal Health: Getting a Grip on the Winter Blues
By JANE E. BRODY
SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, affects one person in five in the United States.

Ah, Venice.

From the NY Times:

TRAVEL | December 3, 2006
36 Hours: Venice
By DANIELLE PERGAMENT
The city that everyone said was sinking is in fact on the rise. Spend a weekend uncovering the reasons why visitors are paddling back.

NY Times' Best Books of '06

BOOKS / SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW | November 29, 2006
The 10 Best Books of 2006
The editors chose books by Gary Shteyngart, Amy Hempel, Claire Messud, Richard Ford, Marisha Pessl, Danielle Trussoni, Lawrence Wright, Nathaniel Philbrick, Michael Pollan and Rory Stewart.