ART & CULTURE

Inside Turkey’s Circumcision Palace – in pictures

Much is made of male circumcision (or sünnet) in Turkey, a ritual that many believe marks the first step of a boy becoming a man. Photographer Bradley Secker has gained access to Istanbul’s Circumcision Palace, which claims to have performed more than 100,000 of the operations since it opened in 1976.

(Via TheGuardian.com)

KIDS/FAMILY/RELATIONSHIPS

What parents need to know about the magical power of re-reading a book

Many children participate in reading programs over the summer. Some are promoted by libraries; some are rewards programs invented on the fly by parents desperate to get their kids off screens. Most of these programs are fairly free form, and, of course, lots of children spend the summer blissfully free of any rules or restraints on their reading.

(Via FoxNews.com)

FOOD & KITCHEN

We tried a new dairy-free milk made from peas — here’s the verdict

A new milk substitute is joining the ranks of almond, soy, rice, and various other dairy-free milks. It’s called Ripple, and it’s a plant-based milk that’s made from yellow peas.

(Via BusinessInsider.com)

HEALTH

Money on the mind: Breadwinning men have worse mental, physical health

While gender stereotype holds that men should be the main breadwinner in a household, a new study suggests they would prefer women to take some of the financial burden; researchers find the responsibility of being chief earner is likely to take a toll on men’s mental well-being and physical health.

(Via MedicalNewsToday.com)

MOTHER EARTH

The week in wildlife – in pictures

Burrowing owls at the Olympics, a pygmy elephant with very special tusks, and a rare white mynah bird are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

(Via TheGuardian.Com)

INTERNATIONAL

Hungry Venezuelans break into Caracas zoo and butcher a horse

Venezuelans suffering from hunger and shortages in their struggling country broke into Caracas zoo and pulled a black stallion from its pen, butchering it for the meat.

(Via Telegraph.co.UK)

SCIENCE

Is Everything In The Universe The Same Age?

It’s been 13.8 billion years since the Big Bang, something we’ve been able to date from a variety of lines-of-evidence. But that’s the amount of time that has passed for us since the Big Bang; since time is relative, what does that mean for observers in other parts of the Universe? Our Earth exists in our galaxy, and everything that we perceive within it is that same 13.8 billion years old. Well, almost.

(Via Forbes.com)

6 images that show how violent and destructive the universe can be

The universe can be a pretty violent place. Supermassive black holes spin through space, stretching any hopeless matter that spirals too close into spaghetti-like strands.

(Via BusinessInsider.com)

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Medical mudslinging: Right wingers reach a new low with their smears about Hillary’s health

How do we know it’s the dog days of August in a presidential election year? Swimmers and swiftboats, that’s how. Actually until August of 2004, we used to call swiftboating by other names: whisper campaigns and smear jobs. But after the success of the slick, pre-packaged set of lies about Senator John Kerry’s war record this tactic will always be known for the boat that first made Kerry a hero and later destroyed his reputation.

(Via Salon.com)

FEMINA

Discriminating Gender

It is a remarkable fact that we treat men and women, boys and girls, differently. I’m not talking about wage disparities and implicit bias. No, I mean that we openly and freely treat males and females as if they were simply different kinds of people.matter.

(Via NPR.org)

POTLUCK

13 Tweets That Hilariously Sum Up The Struggle Of Growing Older

Whether you love it or loathe it, aging happens to all of us. So why not meet it with a healthy dose of humor? We’ve rounded up the best tweets from mid-lifers who are taking this whole getting older thing in stride.

(Via HuffingtonPost.com)

Author: Pilar Gut-Rod

eCommerce, film, video games, websites, toys, theater and TV shows, Pilar's tight leadership and organization makes ideas a reality! Although it's hard to beat baseball with her 8 year old kiddo on Sundays, Pilar is at her happiest working with bold visionaries. With a background in technical and creative project management, she has been considered the right-hand woman to directors, CEOs and top managers. She is currently a reoccurring writer as well as the right-hand woman to the bold visionary that started Baby Mama. View all posts by Pilar Gut-Rod

The Mama Report… An End Of The Week News Quickie