A new study shows that more than half of teenagers mention drugs, alcohol, sex or violence on their MySpace pages. Yet getting teens to clean up their pages is easier than many might assume, researchers say.
Young people also could be rejected by college or business recruiters who see coarse language or photos on their profiles, says the study’s lead author, Megan Moreno, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: In the opinion of several media antitrust experts, the current joint distribution deal and sharing of editorial content doesnâ??t quite cross the line. But further consolidation might. â??It does raise some concerns,â? said University of Wisconsin law professor Shubha Ghosh, an expert on media antitrust cases. â??But you would have to prove who is harmed in this process. The readers probably are not, under the strict definition of the law. But if they start combining ad rates, competing media or those that buy the ads might have a case.â?
Quoted: “This is one of the largest community exposures to chlorine gas since World War I,” study lead author David Van Sickle, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the University of Wisconsin, said in a news release issued by The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, which published the report in its January issue.
Quoted: That can make it hard for doctors to decide on treatment and for experts to compare studies aimed at determining the optimal level of vitamin D in the blood. â??If you get your vitamin D level measured in the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic and the Timbuktu Clinic, it would be nice if it came out the same value,â? said Dr. Neil C. Binkley, associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin.
Quoted: Director Jim Seward of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking in the UW-Madison Business School is skeptical of the value of what he called the auto industry’s classic turn around management.
The nation’s stock market is already in recovery and gross domestic product should begin to recover in mid-2009, University of Wisconsin-Madison Business School Dean Michael Knetter said today.
High unemployment, however, will linger through the year, he predicted.
Knetter told Milwaukee Rotarians during their weekly luncheon that the change in the presidential administration is part of the reason for the market’s rebound.
Quoted: “The idea that you’re going to make a lot of money tearing down an old house to build a new one, that’s gone,” says Morris Davis, a real estate economist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison who has advised the Federal Reserve on the teardown trend.
Quoted: J. Michael Collins, a professor who specializes in consumer psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: “Strictly on the basis of this video, it is impossible to determine whether the shooting was justified because the officer who fired the shot might have seen some imminent threat to his or others’ lives that the camera does not detect at that distance, angle and resolution,” said Michael Scott, a University of Wisconsin law professor, former police chief in Florida and co-author of “Deadly Force: What We Know.”
Quoted: Salt lowers the freezing point of water, said UW-Madison chemistry professor Bob Hamers.
Quoted: Embryonic cells remain the “gold standard,” said Tim Kamp, co-director of the University of Wisconsin Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Centre, and scientists say it is still far too early to abandon embryonic stem-cell research. But that could change in the years to come as this new field of research takes off.
Quoted: Lewis Leavitt, a University of Wisconsin pediatrics professor and an expert on the effects of war on children. “There are some children who can manage well and actually succeed, but as with any heavy burden, some people can’t handle it.”
Quoted: “It’s the body’s natural attempt to get rid of the booze,” said Susan Smith, a professor of nutritional sciences at UW-Madison. “The reality is it just happens with time.”
Quoted: “It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” said Susan Nitzke, chairman of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at UW-Madison. “But it distracts from how most children learn to like new flavors: people enjoying them as part of the daily routine.”
Quoted: â??People donâ??t want to panic,â? said Brian W. Gould, an agricultural economist at the University of Wisconsin, adding that farmers were receiving $20 for 100 pounds of raw milk just a few months ago. The price is expected to drop to about $14 for 100 pounds of raw milk in coming months. â??It is unclear as to whether this will be a short-term or long-term market correction. It all depends on how long it takes the U.S. economy to recover,â? he said.
Quoted: Donald Downs, a UW-Madison professor of political science, law and journalism, said he thinks the plaintiffs will have a tough time winning. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that starting a legislative session with a chaplain or prayer is not a violation of the First Amendment because it has been a traditional practice, he sa
Quoted: Some experts say the ultimate human choice is whether to think positively or not, even in times of woe. Studies show it helps to pay attention to the good things in your life, said Carol Ryff, a UW-Madison professor who studies psychological well-being.
Quoted: It’s entirely possible to maximize the good feelings associated with drinking alcohol while avoiding the bad ones, said Kevin Strang, a UW-Madison faculty associate with a doctorate in human physiology.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business Dean Mike Knetter said rates are great but that homeowners should be sure to do a reality check of their own financial well-being. He said it all depends on a homeowner’s current rate.
Noted: To be sure, only about 10 percent of new childrenâ??s books published last year focused on minorities, according to the Cooperative Childrenâ??s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, a library that serves the universityâ??s School of Education.
The number of books about minorities has remained around 10 percent since 1992, said Kathleen Horning, the centerâ??s director.
QUoted: “We’ve been looking into this for a century,” said Adam Gamoran, interim dean of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “First researchers focused on personality characteristics, then qualifications, and now we measure what teachers do in the classroom.
Quoted: Barry Orton, professor of telecommunications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the transition has been poorly organized, with too many entities, private and public, managing the process. It should have been done locally, with each television market managing its own transition, he said.
The cold and snowy weather is forcing many people indoors this time of year, and that can make life miserable for those with allergies.
UW School of Medicine Allergist Dr. Robert Bush says allergy sufferers face many common irritants this time of year. Those include dust, mold, pets, and even Christmas trees. Although, he says those allergic to the trees may really just be reacting to the smells they bring in the house.
Quoted: But education experts say the push needs to start well before college. This month, it was announced that the performance of American students on the most recent international science test had declined. And researchers have found many students do not retain what they’ve learned, says Sarah Miller, co-director of the Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
If you were one of the many people who checked out President-elect Barack Obama’s topless Hawaiian beach photos this week on the Internet, don’t worry, you’re not a presidential pervert.
“Everybody’s gonna talk about it,” says Charles Franklin, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, who admits that he, too, visited paparazzi blog bauergriffinonline.com late Monday night to see our soon-to-be commander in chief in swim trunks, looking sun-kissed and svelte.
Q: Is it possible to catch the same cold more than once?
A: Probably not the exact same cold, says Jonathan Temte, an associate professor of family medicine at UW-Madison. “With an infection, you will mount an immune response that is specific to that particular strain, but the common cold is usually caused by a rhinovirus, and well over 100 rhinovirus strains affect people.”
Quoted: Jim Leary, director of UW-Madison’s folklore program.
Seven University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty members have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
“The consensus view is that (economic growth) will be negative until the middle of next year,” said UW-Madison economist Menzie Chinn. “For the ordinary American, it may feel like you’re in a recession for a lot longer than that.”
UW-Madison scientist James Thomson was among three stem cell researchers who received the Massry prize for 2008.
Eight of the award’s recipients have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize.
Quoted: Gary Gerhart, a professor of human resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A UW-Madison economist says any rescue plan for the auto industry should have a time limit.
Donald Hester says the idea behind any bail out package should be to help the auto makers avoid bankruptcy. He says they need enough help to stay in business for a few months, but then the decision on how much help to provide them in the future needs to come from the next administration.
UW-Madison stem cell pioneer Jamie Thomson received the prestigious Massry Prize for 2008.
The award recognizes Thomson, who is director of regenerative biology at the Morgridge Institute for Research and a professor at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health, for his groundbreaking discovery of human embryonic stem ES cells a decade ago, and his subsequent work in developing induced pluripotent stem iPS cells.
Eight previous winners of the Massry Prize have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize.
With the country in a recession and daily doses of bad economic news, could another Great Depression lie ahead?
UW-Madison economist Donald Hester says he doesn’t think we’re heading for another Great Depression, but he won’t rule it out. Hester does have hopes for an economic turnaround late next year, even though we’re currently in uncharted territory for many markets, such as housing and other commodities.
It is possible that China, just like Japan in East Asia, could be the main driving force for African development in the short term, according to Chinese politics expert Edward Friedman in Yale Global, a publication of the Yale Centre for the Study of Globalisation, of Yale University.
Quoted: Dr. Adam Rindfleisch, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Family and Integrative Medicine Clinic in Madison.
Jack Balkin of Yale and Ann Althouse of the University of Wisconsin debate whether marriage should be replaced with civil unions for both gay and straight couples. (Video.)
Quoted: And it will be a fitting way for Biden to leave Wilmington after traveling by train between the city and his Washington office throughout his 36-year Senate career. The trip also fits with the other events of Obama’s presidential campaign, said Charles O. Jones, political science professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: Robert Bradley, emeritus professor of dairy science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. â??Why not butter?â?
Quoted: Charles O. Jones, political science professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: Political science professor David Canon, an expert on Congress at UW-Madison
Quoted: Scott Craven, a University of Wisconsin-Madison wildlife ecologist.
Quoted: “They are meant to be used as add-ons controllers with ICS,” says Mark Moss, a pediatric allergist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. If LABAs are not combined with ICS, the risk of death increases, he adds.
Quoted: All the positive wishes sent out to Obama might be just the motivator he needs to close the deal. Or maybe not, says Dr. David Jorenby, a specialist in smoking cessation.
Quoted: “Leverage matters a lot when you buy a house,” says University of Wisconsin economist Morris Davis, an expert on housing prices and rents. “We’re not going to go back to the days of only 20 percent (down payment) mortgages, but the days of putting nothing down are long gone.”
Quoted: “The timing is horrendous,” said Steve Deller, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He estimates the closure could cost Rock County nearly 9,000 jobs, with the plant closing affecting everything from construction to health services.
Q. Are poinsettias really poisonous for your pets?
A. The belief that poinsettias are toxic to pets has been perpetuated for years, but the truth is that the plant’s reputation has been blown out of proportion.
While the milky substance in poinsettia leaves can be slightly irritating to an animal if eaten, causing drooling or vomiting, the plant isn’t deadly.
“The warning about poinsettias being poisonous is a highly exaggerated rumor,” says Sandra Sawchuk, a veterinarian at UW-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
Quoted: Sybil Pressprich, a senior counselor at the Adult and Student Services Center at UW-Madison.
Quoted: Laura Dresser, Center on Wisconsin Strategy.
Quoted: Steve Deller, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted — Morris Davis, School of Business:
Leverage matters a lot when you buy a house,” says University of Wisconsin economist Morris Davis, an expert on housing prices and rents. “We’re not going to go back to the days of only 20% (down payment) mortgages, but the days of putting nothing down are long gone.”
Quoted: “You get greater improvement in lung function; you get less asthma attacks and less need for rescue medications,” William Busse of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the authors of the NIH guidelines, said about the long-acting beta agonists.
Quoted: “Investment in infrastructure will have a longer-term payback in increased output because we’re increasing the nation’s stock of capital (but) there is a substantive debate over the size of this long-term impact,” said Menzie Chinn, a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin.
Quoted: Mucus in the nose and sinuses forms a blanket or coating over the mucous membranes lining the upper airways, explained Dr. Thomas Pasic, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Quoted: But participating in fantasy sports is often about more than personal satisfaction. University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor Erica Halverson, who researches â??competitive fandomâ? and fantasy sports, says fantasy sports leagues engender a sense of community. â??With the explosion of access online, people are able to have deeper participation in activities they care about,â? Halverson says. â??People have a desire to be members of cultures and participate in activities that matter to them. That mirrors the experience of fantasy sports.â?
Quoted: “The ability to build energy infrastructure is pretty limited in this country,” said Michael Corradini, chairman of the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s not just a shortage of nuclear engineers, but of all the trades involved in building, because coal plants, nuclear plants, all need pipefitters, carpenters, civil engineers.”
University of Wisconsin-Madison students looking for a job this year dont need a dismal report from the National Bureau of Economic Research to tell them the United States is officially suffering through a recession.
They’re living it.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison meteorologist Steve Ackerman. (First item.)
Joseph Salmons, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has done a study that indicates that many German immigrants who arrived in the 1800s didn’t learn English and that their children and grandchildren often didn’t learn English, either. The findings probably apply to other waves of immigrant groups of the late 1800s and early 1900s, Salmons said.
Quoted: The event inspired Brahe to commit himself further to studying the stars, launching a career of meticulous observations that helped lay the foundations of early modern astronomy, said Michael Shank, a professor of the history of science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
