Thirteen participants in a weeklong outreach recently interacted with refugees, supporting OM’s refugee work in Linz.

Easter is a popular time for outreaches in Europe. Stories from last year inspire this year's team.

Regional and political divisions have emerged in many nations over how fast to lift coronavirus lockdowns as worries about economic devastation collide with fears of a second wave of deaths.

SPENDING less on skin care products can be tempting. Aren’t all the products the same? Don’t they all just use the same ingredients? You’re basically just paying for the brand name, right? It’s far too easy to fall into this trap – the trap which leads us to try and convince ourselves that the dollar store brand stuff is just as good as high-end beauty products.

I dimly remember a time when the subject of keeping a house warm would have left me cold. In a previous existence, my brother-in law would visit in the depths of winter and complain about how chilly the place was. The problem was not our thermostat, however, but that he chose to sit in a bay window overlooking the Firth of Forth, through which the wind would find him in his short-sleeved shirt.

A young American dressed for the hills wandered past our cottage last week with the air of someone lost. Alan who, since we moved here, has found his calling as a human Google map, asked if she was looking for something. “Yeah,” she said, “a Diet Coke.” He told her that, despite our community’s many attractions, a shop wasn’t one of them. Pointing her in the other direction, towards a village two miles away, he said she’d find what she needed there.

There was a time when I would sit up late in bed, reading novels. As a reviewer, this was often for work, but that didn’t diminish the pleasure of ending the day in another world. Of late, however, I’ve hurried through ordinary books the way you rush the main course in expectation of pudding. The reason? I’ve discovered the joy of gardening catalogues, and of roses in particular. As a result, my evening ritual is extended to include a last look at roses that ramble over walls, or join hand

When I first moved to the country, I anticipated taking long sturdy walks every few days, filling my lungs with fresh air, and gradually – proudly – achieving the weathered complexion of a Norwegian fisherman. Such is the variation in outdoor complexions in rural parts, Farrow & Ball could start a new range: shepherd’s sunburn, builder’s brick red, farmer’s frozen snout.

One of the loveliest towns in Italy is the walled city of San Gimignano, an hour’s drive from Florence. When I first visited it was bleak midwinter and all but a few shops and cafes were shuttered against the sleet. Its claim to fame is a profusion of medieval towers, hence its hyperbolic label as the Manhattan of Tuscany. When I arrived these fortresses soared overhead, making shadowy streets even darker.

In search of peanuts for the birds, I stumbled across an agricultural shop in a nearby village. From the outside it was unspectacular, but opening the door was like stepping into an episode of The Archers. They did indeed have peanuts, in sacks the size of whisky barrels. I wouldn’t have been able to drag one as far as the till, and I wondered if other weaklings had ever secretly slashed them open and let nuts pour into their pockets, gloves and wellie boots, before staggering out like overstu

There is little to like about the present predicament, but one thing I don’t miss is checking my diary every evening for a reminder of what tomorrow will bring. Our social life is not what you’d call a whirl, so usually memory can be relied on for the occasional gatherings. Here in Hoolet, socialising is often impromptu, a random encounter leading to a casual evening drink a few hours later, or a last-minute supper in a kitchen, so soon after the invite that nobody could possibly forget.

Sunday, April 19, 2020.

AN EDINBURGH-BASED hydrogen technology firm is to open the first public hydrogen refuelling station for vehicles in Scotland’s central belt.

Temaki

The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) at Penn State is looking for undergraduate entrepreneurs from any Penn State campus to compete in the 2020 Inc.U Competition. Six finalist teams will earn a spot on “The Investment,” a production of WPSU-TV, giving them a chance to pitch their company for a share of $30,000 in funding. The 2020 Inc.U Competition submission deadline is Feb. 7.

One of the country's most-loved couples returned to Channel 4 this week with Richard & Judy: Keep Reading And Carry On. The presenters talk to Georgia Humphreys about marriage, their love of books, and filming in lockdown.

Everyone who knows anything about education seems to now be running a livestream from their room, and the explosion of home-schooling resources can be enough to send a busy parent into lockdown meltdown. That's why we've created a check-list of some of the books and sites that could help. It’s not all about BBC Bitesize and the Khan Academy – it can be all the more fun when you go a little off the beaten path.

The only way an ed-tech company can have a meaningful impact in schools is by addressing a specific problem and offering a real solution.

NEIL Mackay (“Johnson? Sturgeon? When it comes to coronavirus they are both the same”, The Herald, May 5) lambasts Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson for both taking an almost identical approach in their fight against Covid-19, somehow implying that this is in itself a fault.

Rural advocates say developing youth entrepreneurs is one way to spark economic development, and a new Rural Entrepreneurship Teaching Unit gives educators a template for teaching students about that issue.

Yong Zhao speaks to BookMarks about the new education paradigm that he proposes in World Class Leaders (Corwin, 2012).

At age 17, Nick D'Aloisio just sold Summly to Yahoo! for $30 Million. With technology increasingly penetrating our everyday lives, today's children grow up with computers in their blood: thus, this rise of the teenage entrepreneur is not fading anytime soon.

Entrepreneurship education should be universally available, to provide all students with opportunities to explore and fulfill their potential, write Stephanie Bell-Rose and Thomas W. Payzant.

Entrepreneurship is a powerful tool that can be used within an established institution to foster innovation and accelerate promising initiatives. Leading a startup project within an organization is called "intrapreneurship" and there are many ways to do that within a school setting.

While ed-tech entrepreneurship may be less risky than other sectors, there are still many uncertainties to be aware of. Financial, technology, and market sectors are all areas for deep thought and caution.

Many programs designed by educational entrepreneurs are rendered ineffective by complications with current public policy, suggests a report published by the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

K-12 educational entrepreneurship today is marked by at least three major tensions that deserve a lot more careful attention.

What does it take to get students interested in learning entrepreneurial skills?

There are many entrepreneurs who can claim that "they've always known they would start their own business," but I am not one of them. So how did I end up as an entrepreneur writing this blog?

Entrepreneurship is often considered a "risky" endeavor. But I think ed-tech startups are often less risky that startups in other industries.

By providing authentic opportunities to practice self-direction, connect with the larger community, collaborate with peers, and develop their respect for social responsibility, the annual Magnolia Makers Market is one way Montessori For All works toward preparing children to be successful leaders in

School board members in Tucson, Ariz., acted after learning that a controversial economics textbook that hadn't been properly vetted.

Rudy Gay's Flight 22 Foundation is partnering with ed-tech company EverFi to teach students how to create a successful business.

SOMETIMES, for a giggle, I like to imagine what Scotland would have been like had we kept the oil for ourselves. Like Saudi Arabia without the weather and executions, maybe? Or more like canny Norway, investing the cash in a big brolly for some future rainy day?

Jose, an Argentinian worker serving in Southeast Asia, tells of how he entered overseas service and what he has seen God do through his not-so-typical ministry.

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) has been the initial respiratory support for many preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Nasal intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) seems to increase the beneficial effects of NCPAP by combining it with ventilatory inflations.

This study suggests that NIPPV, as an intial respiratory support for preterm infants with RDS, is feasible and safe and may have beneficial effects, when compared with NCPAP. (Read the full article)

The prevalence of asthma and smoking among adolescents in Jordan is high. Well-designed, school-based, peer-led education programs can have a positive impact on asthma self-management in adolescents. Student peer leaders can be useful and responsible partners in health promotion programs.

A peer-led asthma education program —Adolescent Asthma Action—for adolescents developed in Australia was adapted to suit non–English-speaking cultures in the Middle East. Peer-led education led to improved self-management of asthma and motivated students to avoid smoking. (Read the full article)

Prematurely born children have an increased prevalence of behavioral problems in the long term. Knowledge regarding the effects of early intervention programs is sparse, and more randomized controlled trials are warranted.

A modified version of the Mother-Infant Transaction Program showed beneficial effects on behavioral outcomes reported by both parents of preterm infants with birth weights of <2000 g at a corrected age of 5 years. (Read the full article)

Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein with anti-infective activities being part of the innate defensive network. Bovine and human lactoferrin share high homology. Bovine lactoferrin can prevent late-onset sepsis in preterm very low birth weight neonates.

In preterm very low birth weight infants, bovine lactoferrin is able to prevent not only late-onset sepsis but also systemic fungal infections. This protection is achieved independently from their colonization status. (Read the full article)

Preterm infants are exposed to inadequately managed painful procedures during their NICU stay, which can lead to altered pain responses. Nonpharmacologic approaches are established for the treatment of single painful procedures, but evidence for their effectiveness across time is lacking.

Oral sucrose with or without the added technique of facilitated tucking has a pain-relieving effect even in extremely premature infants undergoing repeated pain exposures; facilitated tucking alone seems to be less effective for repeated pain exposures over time. (Read the full article)

The effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment of patients with Kawasaki disease within 9 days of illness has been established. However, the effectiveness of such treatment ≥10 days after illness onset has not yet been clarified.

Intravenous immunoglobulin treatment ≥10 days after illness onset was observed to be effective for achieving inflammation resolution. Patients who are strongly suspected to have Kawasaki disease and demonstrate ongoing inflammation should therefore be treated as soon as possible. (Read the full article)

Candidate genes involved in thrombophilia, inflammation, and preterm birth have previously been associated with cerebral palsy. Most studies to date have included small cohorts, did not allow for multiple testing, and require replication.

This study of children with cerebral palsy and their mothers did not confirm previously reported candidate gene associations. Prothrombin gene mutation was associated with hemiplegia in children born at term to mothers with a reported infection during pregnancy. (Read the full article)

Previous observational studies and randomized trials have reported an association between the use of epidural analgesia for pain relief in labor and intrapartum maternal fever. Studies have also reported an increase in adverse neonatal outcomes with intrapartum maternal fever.

Among low-risk women receiving epidural analgesia, intrapartum maternal temperature >99.5°F was associated with adverse neonatal outcomes, with the rate of adverse outcomes increasing directly with maximum maternal temperature. Without temperature elevation, epidural use was not associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. (Read the full article)

Some studies reveal an association between exposure to alcohol consumption in movies and youth drinking, but the evidence is sparse.

Exposure to alcohol consumption in movies is associated with youth binge drinking, is little influenced by cultural differences between countries (Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, and Scotland), and is specific to movie alcohol, not movie smoking, depictions. (Read the full article)

Numerous late preterm infants undergo repetitive heel lancing procedures during their first hours of life to evaluate glycemic control. Heel lances are painful and 25% glucose solution is effective on reducing procedural neonatal pain scores and crying behavior.

This noninferiority randomized controlled trial demonstrated that compared with breast milk, 25% glucose provided lower pain scores and reduced duration of cry. Further research is necessary to clarify breast milk’s mechanisms and efficacy on neonatal pain relief. (Read the full article)

Pneumonia is still a significant problem in young children from developing countries where zinc deficiency is prevalent. Although zinc supplementation reduces the risk of childhood pneumonia, the effect of adjunct zinc on severe pneumonia is unclear with conflicting results.

The overall effect, if any, of zinc as adjuvant therapy for World Health Organization–defined severe pneumonia in young children is small. (Read the full article)

Insulin is commonly used to treat neonatal hyperglycemia, but there are few data to support its use. Tight glycemic control with insulin improves outcome in diabetic patients, but it is not known whether it is effective in hyperglycemic preterm infants.

Tight glycemic control with insulin in hyperglycemic preterm neonates decreases the rate of linear growth despite increased weight and occipitofrontal head circumference gain and increases the risk of hypoglycemia. Insulin may not be a safe and effective treatment in hyperglycemic preterm neonates. (Read the full article)

Emergency contraception is a safe and effective method of pregnancy prevention after unprotected intercourse.

Pharmacies commonly communicate misinformation, both to adolescents and to physicians, concerning who is able to access emergency contraception and through what means. (Read the full article)

Nearly one-third of all US children are overweight or obese, with even higher prevalence among Mexican American children. Overweight and obesity increase systemic inflammation, contributing to increased risk for chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease.

Obese Mexican American children had concurrent alterations in both inflammatory markers and traditional disease risk markers, relative to healthy weight children. Our results provide evidence partially explaining the health disparity for disease in Mexican American children who are overweight/obese. (Read the full article)