1. Vote may mark beginning of the end for Putin - CNN.com CNN 2011-12-06 |
A woman casts her ballot for Russian parliamentary elections in the box local election officials brought to her village home.
(CNN) -- Identifying the moment when a political regime begins to decompose is as difficult as dating the onset of a recession. But in histories of the decline of the order built by Vladimir Putin in Russia, last Sunday's parliamentary election is bound to feature prominently.
Despite a campaign marred by what international observers described as "procedural violations," "apparent manipulations," and "serious indications of ballot-box stuffing," the governing United Russia party failed to prevent a sharp drop in its vote total. Official results gave it just short of 50%, down from 64 percent four years ago.
Almost as striking was the surge in backing for three opposition parties that until recently had seemed on their last legs. The Communists won 20%, followed by the social democratic Just Russia party with 13 percent and Vladimir Zhirinovsky's ultra-nationalist Liberal Democrats with 12 percent.
Putin's regime is unlikely to collapse anytime soon. In many countries, leaders would be delighted to control 53% of the legislature's seats -- the share United Russia will receive after parties that failed to reach the 7% threshold are eliminated.
But the election makes it official: The downward slide has begun. All previous ballots saw United Russia increase its vote. The party held 70% of the seats in the last Duma, enough to change the constitution at will. Those days are gone. Speaking as results came in, a chastened President Dmitri Medvedev even uttered the dreaded word "coalition."
Personally, Putin still enjoys the approval of 67% of Russians. But his ratings, too, have been slipping. His peak -- 87% approval -- came, oddly enough, in December 2007, the month of the last parliamentary ballot. His negatives are also rising, with one-third of Russians now disapproving of his performance and 53% faulting that of the government he leads.
2. The Health Risks of Being Left-Handed
Lefties Face Chance Of ADHD, Other Disorders; Brain Wiring Holds Clues
The wall Street Journal DECEMBER 6, 2011
Left-handers have been the subject of curiosity, stigma and even fear over the centuries. Researchers now, however, are recognizing the scientific importance of understanding why people use one hand or the other to write, eat or toss a ball.
Modern lefty lore says left-handers are smarter, more creative and have an advantage over righties. But is it true? WSJ's Christina Tsuei looks into the science of lefties.
Handedness, as the dominance of one hand over the other is called, provides a window into the way our brains are wired, experts say. And it may help shed light on disorders related to brain development, like dyslexia, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which are more common in left-handed people.
Other recent research suggests that mixed-handedness—using different hands for daily tasks and not having a dominant one—may be even more strongly linked than left-handedness to ADHD and possibly other conditions.
About 10% of people are left-handed, according to expert estimates. Another 1% of the population is mixed-handed. What causes people not to favor their right hand is only partly due to genetics—even identical twins, who have 100% of the same genes, don't always share handedness.
More important, researchers say, are environmental factors—especially stress—in the womb. Babies born to older mothers or at a lower birth weight are more likely to be lefties, for example. And mothers who were exposed to unusually high levels of stress during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to a left-handed child. A review of research, published in 2009 in the journal Neuropsychologia, estimated that about 25% of the variability in handedness is due to genetics.
• Left-handed people make up about 10% of the population, while 1% of the population appear not to be dominant with either hand, known as mixed-handed.
•Being left-handed is only partially genetic.
For reasons not clearly understood, handedness depends mainly on how a baby's brain develops while in the womb.
• On average there is no difference in intelligence between right-and left-handed people. But lefties do better on an element of creativity known as divergent thinking.
•Six of the last 12 U.S. presidents, including Barack Obama and George H. W. Bush, have been lefties.
• Left-handed people earn on average 10% lower salaries than righties, according to a recent study. Findings of some earlier studies on income have been mixed.
•Despite popular misperceptions, lefties aren't more accident prone than right-handed people and don't tend to die at a younger age.
•Left-handedness has been linked to increased risk of certain neurodevelopmental disorders like schizophrenia and ADHD. Mixed-handedness is even more strongly associated with ADHD.
•Most people's brains have a dominant side. More symmetrical brains of mixed-handed people may explain the link to some neural disorders.
On average there is no significant difference in IQ between righties and lefties, studies show, belying popular perceptions. There is some evidence that lefties are better at divergent thinking, or starting from existing knowledge to develop new concepts, which is considered an element of creativity. And left-handed people have salaries that on average are about 10% lower than righties, according to recent research performed at Harvard University that analyzed large income data bases, although findings of some earlier studies were mixed.
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