Must be the meditation thing. Or not? According to scientists, experienced Buddhists are less likely to be shocked, surprised or angry than others, and therefore are more prone to happiness. I don't know about you, but calm and self-control don't necessarily trigger an image of instant happiness to me. In fact, just the opposite might be true. Saying goodbye through the net A company has started broadcasting funerals on the Internet, giving friends and relatives who are unable to attend a way to say goodbye to whom they loved. Some, though, praise a more traditional family closure, and hope tech doesn't under valuate conventional funerals. Featuring Vitamin C to beat arthritis. Plus, take a look at this "champ diet": which are the meals that will boost your brain power and which are not. Fish could help fight pre and postpartum depression, and prevent heart attacks. Researchers get some clues on memory loss. And here, what laughter can do for us. Sex and drugs: not a good combination. Take a look at this study on Us teens' sexual behavior. The crisis in the retirement system pushes the French to have more kids. And Americans' trust and confidence in the military has soared among baby boomers' children, contrary to their parents' image of it.		May 29th, Thursday, 2003, ip nº42 Anything but you The Young Hipublicans Sneak a peek into a new phenomena: the conservative movement is taking over Us College campuses in response to the seemingly hegemonic liberalism and the exacerbated climate of political correctness, aiming at promoting multiculturalism rather than plainly at shocking. What the article exemplifies well is how the tendency to view things as in two opposed poles works its craft simplifying reality as well as thought (focusing on differentiation rather than on the construction of something different). Also it shows that trying to break through cultural hegemony and state a different attitude building your position concentrating entirely on opposing others can be tricky. Link: http://pub12.ezboard.com/fpoliticalpalacefrm14.showMessage?topicID=16.topic The vindication of genes Genes are so liberating Finally a more positive outlook on what genes can do for us, published in The New Scientist Magazine, which visualizes genes as mechanisms of human nature rather than causes of it, and praises their further study as a way to gain more freedom. This also supports the fact that fate can be avoided, and conveys an exiting attitude regarding the ability of humans to overcome even their own genetic predisposition, and affect the course of their lives. So, have we run out of excuses? Link: http://www.riorevuelto.org/news/ipmail_42_1.html And here some different interpretations on what free will implies and how it seems to work. Link: http://www.riorevuelto.org/news/ipmail_42_2.html Preserving the core Now homosexual couples will be recognized by the county clerk's office Here, a group of pieces on the demand of certain minorities to be legally accepted by institutions such as the State or the Church, which seems to transcend a mere symbolic ceremony, and could point out the bare need to be accepted by society as a whole. The first link refers to a sentence by an Argentinean court in favor of gay unions, and the second talks about the appointment of a prominent advocate of gay rights as a bishop. Link: http://www.riorevuelto.org/news/ipmail_42_3.html Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ And afterwards an interview to DeRose, a well known yoga teacher who fought for years for yoga to be recognized as a profession, which shows the same crave for approval, but delivers as well an interesting sample of a philosophy that not only aims at integration but also (in order to make it happen) selectively proposes to change only certain aspects of contemporary culture. Link: http://www.riorevuelto.org/news/ipmail_42_8.html Appeared in CNN (USA).		Take a look at the daily lives of the children and teens of Beijing, and the scenery created by the fear of SARS. > More data on our working lives: A third of British workers think it is all right to pull a "sickie" and don't go to work - being hungover the main reason to do so-, says a piece of research published this week. Privacy Issues Australia gets ready to have a national id number for students and a new computer system to monitor students' scholarships and loans. Protest voices didn't fail to appear. Go to privacy concerns section, clicking here. Cultural Maffia The FCC is considering changing some ownership media rules -which promote diversity of opinion, and prevent a few big companies from controlling information. Next, some of the pros and cons. To the astronomers' surprise it's spring-time in Neptune, a planet which was not believed to have seasonal changes. Check it out! Scientists found a red dwarf, which could be relevant to understand how near earth asteroids travel. And could Pluto be a holiday resort for the future? Answers ahead.