Studying for cfa level 1

A new study has found that females who have their genitals touched when young are likely to hit puberty earlier than their peers. Research carried out on prepubescent female rats found that touching their genitals can cause the brain region that responds to such tactile stimuli to double in size, and signs of puberty can appear on the body up to three weeks earlier than non-stimulated females. The researchers are hoping to discover whether hormones or sexual experience play a greater role in the onset of puberty. Recommended How a woman gave birth using ovary frozen before puberty They also conclude that sexual touch has a lasting effect on the brain. “Sexual touch is strictly regulated in most human cultures and this is particularly true during development,” said Professor Michael Brecht from Humboldt University in Berlin. “It has also become painfully clear that sexual abuse and inappropriate sexual contact during development have long-lasting … [Read more...] about Sexual touch at a young age can trigger puberty, claims study

Each year, parents responding to the Phi Delta Kappan poll report high levels of satisfaction with their kids’ education. Asked to assign letter grades to their children’s schools, the vast majority of parents—generally around 70 percent—issue As and Bs. If those ratings were compiled the way a student’s grade point average is calculated, the public schools would collectively get a B. When asked to rate the nation’s schools, however, respondents are far less sanguine. Reflecting on public schools in general, a similar share of respondents—roughly 70 percent—confer a C or D. Again calculated as a GPA, America’s schools get a C or C-. So which is it? Are public schools generally meeting Americans’ expectations? Or are they teetering on the brink of failure? This may seem like an academic exercise. After all, school quality is what it is, regardless of perception. But, as it turns out, this gap in perceptions is a matter of tremendous importance. Consider the impact on policy. … [Read more...] about Are America’s Schools Really That Bad?

Photographs by Tony Luong O n a Friday afternoon in mid-April, Gladys Vega received a disturbing message: A woman hospitalized with COVID-19 needed food for the 11-year-old daughter she’d left at home. Worried that the girl would go hungry, Vega rushed out of her office and into the tangle of downtown Chelsea, Massachusetts, a 1.8-square-mile city across the Mystic River from Boston. The 52-year-old Vega, wearing a black tracksuit, a highlighter-yellow T-shirt, and a little bit of matching eye glitter, jumped out of the car so quickly, I could barely keep up. She approached a narrow brick apartment building and asked the people on the stoop to open the front door. “You don’t have to worry; I’m not immigration,” Vega said in Spanish. “Let me in.” Vega was accustomed to convincing fearful Chelsea residents to trust her. More and more restrictive federal immigration measures had motivated some locals—day laborers, food-factory workers, janitors, and other employees now deemed … [Read more...] about How Fear Spreads the Coronavirus

Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges has said she has been “harassed and demonised” after being prevented from racing in a women’s event this weekend. Bridges, 21, had been due to race against the likes of Dame Laura Kenny at the National Omnium Championships in Derby this weekend, her first race in the female category, but on Wednesday evening British Cycling announced that world governing body the UCI had ruled her ineligible. It is understood that although British Cycling had accepted she had met the requirements – current transgender regulations require riders to have had testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre for a 12-month period prior to competition – the UCI has not yet granted her switch in licence. In a statement on social media, Bridges expressed frustration at the process, saying she had been in contact with both British Cycling and the UCI for the last six months, providing the medical evidence necessary, and has not yet been given a full … [Read more...] about Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges ‘harassed and demonised’ after being excluded from competition

D uring the height of the pandemic, after getting fully vaccinated, I had to do a few cross-border flights. They were not fun at all, but confusing and exasperating. Check-ins, security checks, body scans, customs and immigration clearances, uploading vaccine certificates, and downloading apps for departure and arrival are time-consuming and, in many instances, complicated even for the tech-savvy. I remember my first transoceanic flight on an Air India Jumbo Jet, Emperor Ashoka, from the Santa Cruz airport in Bombay to the JFK airport in New York City. The aircraft had a Mughal décor and it felt like a flying palace. The exquisite sari-clad cabin crew, the smell of the newly furbished interiors and the ambience, the roar of the jets, and the food and drinks, all had mesmerising appeal. That was the heyday of air travel. Stylish, vibrant advertisements depicting beautiful sceneries and young people extolled the virtues of flying. I reminisce one of the airlines’ commercial … [Read more...] about Air pocket

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole’s renewed verbal assault against his Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition allies, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena, has put a question mark on the three parties contesting the critical Maharashtra civic polls together. Mr. Patole stirred the pot of controversy soon after the Congress’s Chintan Shivir at Udaipur where, by his own admission, he submitted a litany of complaints to the party high command pertaining to the NCP’s consistent ‘betrayal’ of the Congress and its alleged efforts to undermine the party in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Chief (MPCC) chief then sternly rebuked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena for drawing up the three-ward system for the upcoming civic polls without allegedly consulting the Congress. Without directly naming either party, Mr. Patole censured the ‘opportunism’ of both the Sena and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP by hinting that the three-ward arrangement was … [Read more...] about Analysis | Maharashtra Cong. chief Patole’s jibes at allies put question mark over MVA alliance ahead of civic polls

The rupee extended its losses and slumped 10 paise to close at a record low of 77.72 (provisional) against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, weighed down by a negative trend in domestic equities and unabated foreign fund outflows. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened lower at 77.72 against the greenback, and finally settled for the day at 77.72, down 10 paise over its previous close. During the trading session, the rupee touched an intra-day low of 77.76 and a high of 77.63. On Wednesday, the rupee declined by 18 paise to close at 77.6​2. "Rupee consolidated in a narrow range despite sharp sell-off in domestic and global equities. Dollar also retraced from higher levels after economic number released from the US came below estimates," said Gaurang Somaiya, Forex & Bullion Analyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.28 per cent lower at 103.51. Global … [Read more...] about Rupee slumps 10 paise to close at all-time low of 77.72 per USD

Delhi Capitals will need to come out all guns blazing in a do-or-die clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. A win in this last group stage match will guarantee Capitals a playoff spot. The side will go level on 16 points with Royal Challengers Bangalore, but Capitals’ superior net run rate (+0.255 to Royal Challengers’ -0.253) will prove decisive. If Capitals lose, Faf du Plessis’ men will grab a playoff spot. Two wins on the trot Capitals enter this crucial fixture with two wins on the trot. Australian Mitchell Marsh has fired with bat and ball, while Shardul Thakur picked up the Player-of-the-Match award for his four-wicket haul in the previous outing, against Punjab Kings. Opening batter David Warner may have fallen for a duck against Kings, but as the team’s highest run-scorer this season, the Australian remains a big threat. Among the bowlers, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (20 wickets) has been impressive, as has left-arm speedster … [Read more...] about Day of reckoning for Delhi Capitals

Cantonese opera singer Yam Bing-yee - also known as Ren Bing'er - died peacefully in her sleep at home on Saturday morning (May 21) at the age of 91. Yam was the younger cousin of renowned Cantonese opera actress Yam Kim-fai, also known as Ren Jiahui. She started studying Cantonese opera under her illustrious cousin at the age of 11. In her teens, she began acting in Hongkong films including The Pitiless Sword (1964) and Frolicking With A Pretty Maid In The Wineshop (1952) . She was also a member of the famous Xianfengming Opera Troupe founded by her cousin and another opera legend Bai Xuexian in 1956. In recognition of her long career in Cantonese opera,she was awarded the 2011 Award for Outstanding Contribution in Arts by the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network … [Read more...] about Cantonese opera singer Yam Bing-yee dies at 91

Former Union minister P Chidambaram stated on Sunday that the facts of the central government’s fuel price tax reduction are “contrary” to what he had previously said. On Saturday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced an excise duty drop of Rs 8 per litre on petrol and Rs 6 per litre on diesel to bring down surging fuel prices caused by a rise in international crude oil prices due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. “The notification on reduction of duty on Petrol and Diesel is now available. FM used the words ‘Excise Duty’, but the reduction is in Additional Excise Duty which is not shared with the states. Hence, contrary to what I said yesterday, the entire burden of the reduction falls on the Centre. To that extent, I stand corrected,” Chidambaram said. The states are getting very little by way of share of duties on petrol and diesel, he said, noting that their revenue is from VAT on petrol and diesel. “I wonder if they can afford to give up that revenue unless the Centre … [Read more...] about ‘I Stand Corrected’: Chidambaram ‘Takes Back’ Critique; K’taka ‘to Consider’ Further Cut | Reactions