The language of love

Jayden Hardacre on February 11, 2012 in School Stories | No Comments »

With Valentines Day approaching, you might want to know how to say I love you in another language. According to Google Data, more than 29 million searches are made every month for that very phrase.

The most popular searches are for the phrase in Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, German, Korean and Arabic. Instead of using Google Translate, online tool Omniglot is worth a look, it has a pretty comprehensive directory of I love you in these languages and many more you may never have heard of.

In other love and language news, scientists at the University of Texas have just published a new study on function words. These are described as everyday words which we use all the time, such as the, a, and and. The report investigates the way people speak, rather than what they say, and examines whether the speaking and writing styles couples adopt during conversation with each other can affect long-term strength of relationships. They conducted two experiments in which a computer program compared partners’ language styles.

You can test how compatible you are with your partner (according to whether you have matching language styles) by using study co-author James Pennebakers interactive application.

Source: Psychological Science

Professor Peter Mackenzie

Increasing the production of proteins that help rid the body of toxins may play a crucial role in the fight against breast and prostate cancer, researchers from Flinders University believe.

Fat soluble chemicals include many therapeutic drugs, vitamins, environmental pollutants and the two steroid hormones oestrogen and testosterone.

While most fat soluble chemicals are not directly harmful, their levels need to be controlled as they can accumulate in the body to toxic levels.

As oestrogen and testosterone are known to stimulate the growth of breast and prostate cancers, their removal by UGT enzymes may help reduce cancer growth.

Professor Mackenzie said his research will analyse the properties of five specific enzymes responsible for metabolising oestrogen and testosterone to see how they can be maximised in cancer cells to lower hormone levels.

By increasing the amount of enzymes, Professor Mackenzie said it is hoped that hormone levels in cancer cells can be reduced, thereby preventing or delaying the spread of disease.

“The initial stages of breast cancer are driven by oestrogen – once a cell changes to become a cancer, oestrogen contributes to its growth and it’s the same with prostate cancer, its growth is fuelled by abnormal androgen action,” Professor Mackenzie said.

“So if we can find a way to maximise the amount of enzymes made in these cells it might help reduce growth driven by oestrogen or testosterone because without this growth, hormone-dependent cancers such as breast and prostate cancer can’t survive,” he said.

“Unfortunately it will take some time to understand the underlying mechanisms, and then the next battle will be to find a drug that can increase the enzymes without being toxic or affecting the growth of the cancer cell in a positive way.”

The three-year study will also investigate how therapeutic drugs can be used more effectively “so when they’ve carried out what they’re supposed to do, they leave the body and don’t accumulate to toxic levels”, Professor Mackenzie said.

No one wants to go through the painful experience of losing a job or being unemployed. For most of us, our jobs mean more than just a way to make a living. They define who we are and how we feel about ourselves, and most importantly, how others see us. This is why being unemployed can be extremely stressful. Take a look at 5 hard-to-ignore truths!

1. Unemployment can change your life

Losing your job allows you to refocus. It provides an opportunity for you to look at your life and make changes where necessary. It also allows you to pay close attention to your career choices and to rethink your professional goals.

2. Losing a job is stressful

There’s no question that losing a job can add a lot of stress to your life. Losing a job can be one of the most stressful things you experience. But it is how you choose to handle the situation that makes all the difference in the world.

3. Unemployment is difficult to face

You can lose your self-confidence, self-esteem and your purpose in life. You might even feel scared at times. But only you can turn a bad situation into a good one. How you choose to handle the situation will determine whether the outcome is good or bad. It’s really all up to you.

4. Our jobs give us purpose in life

Many of us equate jobs with our purpose and without a job , sometimes life can seem meaningless. But it is not the end of the world. You still have time to pick up the pieces and move forward – hopefully to something better.

5. The sooner you get over the loss of a job, the better

Most people go through a period of feeling depressed due to being unemployed, which is normal, but for how long do you continue with it? It is best to focus immediately on finding another job, even if it’s something you are not really excited about. This way you can still have a source of income while you continue to look for something you really like.

No one wants to be unemployed. But how can you prepare for something like this? Is there a way to avoid unemployment?

If you’ve experienced job loss or unemployment I would like to hear from you. Please share your story and tell us how you managed to cope with the stress of unemployment.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve run editorials urging the Dallas school district to look for a superintendent who knows how to innovate, develop talent and manage an operation. No small feat, to be sure. And the Dallas school district has its list of priorities , some of which match up with those editorial suggestions.

But now we’re getting to the point where the district needs to start naming names. Or at least developing a serious list of candidates.

So, here’s my question: Who would you like to see on that list?

MIRAMAR, Fla. – A South Florida music instructor is a finalist for the national teacher of the year award. 

Alvin Davis, Florida’s 2012 teacher of the year, was named a finalist in the national contest by the Council of Chief State School Officers Thursday. Finalists from three other states are also vying for the prize.

Davis is a music teacher at Miramar High School in Broward County.

As part of duties as the Florida Department of Education/Macy’s Teacher of the Year, he has been traveling throughout the state visiting schools and sharing information.

A panel of educators selected the finalists from all 50 states. The winner will be honored by the president in April.