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facts & arguments

Dad picks the team

"[L]ttle boys and girls don't choose their own sports teams, not in the beginning," says NPR.org. "As with language and religion, their first team gets chosen for them. … There are scholars who have studied these things, and one of their studies, from Daniel Wann and colleagues at Murray State University, asks: When a kid chooses his or her first sports team, who or what in their life most influences the choice? Is it family? Is it friends? Is it TV? Is it geography? School? Teachers, brothers, mothers, coaches, what? The answer's simple: In an overwhelming number of cases, it's dad. Dad says, 'We're Yankee fans.' Dad decides."

A pile of bad luck

"The world's most expensive home is lying unused and abandoned because its billionaire owners believe moving in will bring them bad luck," The Daily Mail reports. "The 27-storey, billion-dollar tower in Mumbai, called Antilia, is said to have fallen afoul of vastu shastra – an obscure Hindu version of feng shui. Built for India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani – ranked by Forbes as the ninth wealthiest person in the world with a fortune of $27-billion [U.S.]– Antilia has dominated the Mumbai skyline since being completed last year. But speculation has grown as to why Mr. Ambani, his wife Nita and their two children have not moved into their extravagant new home. Certainly the property – which has three helipads, six floors of parking and a series of floating gardens – is comfortable enough. According to reports, the Ambani family is concerned the building fails to conform with the ancient Indian architectural principles of vastu shastra. … Vastu, a philosophy that guides Hindu temple architecture, emphasizes the importance of facing the rising sun – and despite the staggering sum spent on Antilia, the building's eastern side does not have enough windows or other openings to let residents receive sufficient morning light."

Earthquake survival

How long can a person survive under earthquake rubble? "It all comes down to food and water," says MSNBC.com. "How long a person can survive on water alone depends on a variety of factors, such as the person's metabolism, the amount of extra fat a person has stored in his or her body and the temperature. As time goes on, a person's organs will start to shut down one by one, until the body can no longer properly function, but a healthy human can live without food for up to eight weeks. Surviving without water is a bit more difficult. A healthy person can go three to five days without water, though some have survived for eight to 10 days. Without water, a person cannot digest or absorb food."

Why do things look fair?

"Among the many issues raised by the Occupy Wall Street movement, perhaps the most basic is: What took so long?" says MillerMcCune.com. "Why did three years elapse between the time reckless financial traders nearly brought down the global economy and large numbers of people began collectively expressing outrage? A new psychological study provides at least a partial answer. It finds people are strongly motivated to perceive the socioeconomic system they live under as fair and just, and links this pro-status-quo impulse with a reluctance to protest against the Wall Street bailout. 'It is extremely difficult for most of us to believe that our political or economic system is inherently corrupt,' said New York University psychologist John Jost, 'and it is a belief that we are tempted to resist, even when there is evidence suggesting deep and fundamental problems.' "

All the wine in China

"The Chinese are developing a new taste for French wines these days," reports BBC News. "And in addition to buying them by the bottle or the case, the Chinese have also started buying the vineyards where their favourite Bordeaux vintages are produced. … But Chinese companies are not just investing here in Bordeaux – they are also developing winemaking in China, which is now the world's seventh-largest producer. They are even creating chateaux and vineyards that look just like the ones here in France. … Much to the astonishment of European experts, a wine made in China recently won a major international award in the Bordeaux category, beating its French rivals in a blind tasting."

Thought du jour

"If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky?"

Stanislaw J. Lec (1909-66), Polish writer

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