Boosting willpower and breaking bad habits Raise your hand if you’re having trouble keeping your New Year’s resolution. Not to worry; you’re in good company. Recent data shows that four out of five people who vowed to reform bad habits will eventually break those promises. A third of this group will give up on their resolutions by [...]

Thanks, Jerry: Honoring pioneering Stanford sleep research As the writer who has long covered the sleep “beat” for our office, I’m quite familiar with Stanford’s rich history of sleep research. For those in need of some background: The Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Center, the first center of its kind, was established in 1970 - by William Dement, MD, [...]

From the Archives: President Obama Signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act … … On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed his very first piece of legislation: the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The law, named after a woman who discovered her employer was paying her less than men doing the same job, makes it easier for [...]

Joining Forces for Caregivers First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks at the U.S. Department of Labor on new rules proposed to help caregivers of wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans, in Washington, D.C. Jan. 30, 2012. Mrs. Obama was joined on stage by Ms. RyAnne Noss, wife and caregiver of SFC Scot Noss, [...]

UN welcomes Iraqi ratification of pact on rights of persons with disabilities Celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities. UN Photo/Fardin Waezi 30 January 2012 The United Nations welcomed today the ratification by Iraq of a convention that protects, promotes, and ensures the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by persons with [...]

Top UN officials discuss preparations for sustainable development conference 30 January 2012 The heads of the General Assembly and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) met today to discuss preparations for the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20), which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June. The discussions between Assembly [...]

UNESCO forum to discuss role of Holocaust education in fighting prejudice 30 January 2012 Historians and researchers will gather in Paris tomorrow for a United Nations forum designed to address the impact that Holocaust remembrance can have in stemming the tide of intolerance around the world. The conference, which will be hosted by the UN [...]

With new blueprint in hand, Ban calls for action to chart more sustainable future Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the launch of report by his High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability. UN Photo/ Eskinder Debebe 30 January 2012 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for action on a new blueprint for creating a [...]

UN and Intel unveil initiative on technology-based training for midwives A midwife attending to an expectant mother in a health centre in northern Uganda. Photo: IRIN/Charles Akena  30 January 2012 The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the computing company Intel today unveiled a joint effort to strengthen the skills of midwives and community health [...]

UN experts begin assessment of effects of Fukushima nuclear accident Destroyed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Photo: UNSCEAR/ Wolfgang Weiss 30 January 2012 Sixty international experts assessing the radiation exposures and health effects resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan last March kicked off a week-long meeting today in [...]