Mozart does not boost IQ - Another myth debunked

Mozart does not boost IQ - Another myth debunked - Listening to Mozart will not boost your intelligence, new research has found. So if you have been playing Eine Kleine Nachtmusic around the clock hoping to improve your child's performance at school, take a break and listen to something else.

The so called "Mozart effect" first came to the public's attention in 1993, when a study published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature reported that listening to Mozart's 1781 sonata for two pianos in D major (KV 488) improved college students cognitive abilities compared with students who listed to other music or none at all.

Since then sales of Mozart CDs for children have become popular, and in 1998 the state of Georgia even gave every mother of a newborn baby a free classical music CD.

However, the findings of the study met with scepticism in the scientific community and other studies failed to achieve the same results.

To determine once and for all whether the Mozart effect really exists, psychologists from the University of Vienna analysed the results of 40 different studies involving over 3000 people worldwide.

The researchers say the findings are clear cut: the Mozart effect is no more than a myth.

"I recommend listening to Mozart to everyone, but it will not meet expectations of boosting cognitive abilities," says Dr Jakob Pietschnig, who led the study.

The Mozart effect was recently ranked sixth in the book '50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology', authored by psychologist Scott E. Lilienfield.

The findings are published in the journal Intelligence. ( yahoo )

READ MORE - Mozart does not boost IQ - Another myth debunked

Another Rajaratnam Named in Ring

Another Rajaratnam Named in Ring - Younger Brother of Galleon Founder Was Co-Conspirator, Prosecutors Allege; Pressure on Raj Builds

Prosecutors have alleged that a younger brother of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam was a co-conspirator in a criminal insider-trading ring, according to people familiar with the matter.

The latest development—which hasn't previously been made public—comes as the pressure builds on Raj Rajaratnam to plead guilty. The former hedge-fund titan is facing a criminal trial this month on 14 counts tied to insider-trading charges.

Prosecutors haven't disclosed any charges of wrongdoing against Ragakanthan Rajaratnam, 49, in the insider-trading investigation. Above, his borther, Galleon founder Raj Rajaratnam, leaves federal court last year.

In several other high-profile federal cases in the past decade, prosecutors have investigated relatives of major Wall Street defendants as they decided whether to plead guilty.

Raj Rajaratnam has denied the charges and said he will fight them in court. So far, 19 of 26 defendants in the Galleon case have pleaded guilty; several are cooperating with the U.S.

A representative for Raj Rajaratnam, 53 years old, declined to comment Tuesday, as did representatives for the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The government's move emerged in recent days in court filings related to charges against former Galleon trader Michael Cardillo, who pleaded guilty last week in a New York federal court to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

In filing charges against Mr. Cardillo, prosecutors cite a co-conspirator, or "CC-1," whom they allege participated in an insider-trading scheme with Messrs. Cardillo, Rajaratnam and others.

"CC-1" is Raj's brother, Ragakanthan Rajaratnam, a Clorox Co. vice president, according to people familiar with the matter; he worked at Galleon between 2006 and 2009 as a portfolio manager.

Prosecutors haven't disclosed any charges of wrongdoing against Ragakanthan Rajaratnam, 49, in the insider-trading investigation.

At Clorox, Ragakanthan Rajaratnam works in the marketing division, analyzing consumer trends to develop marketing programs and products, a Clorox spokeswoman said. She declined to comment further. Ragakanthan Rajaratnam didn't return calls for comment.

Known as "R.K." when he worked at Galleon, Ragakanthan Rajaratnam managed a portfolio of stocks, and his orders to buy and sell stocks were executed by Mr. Cardillo, 33, people familiar with the matter say. A lawyer for Mr. Cardillo declined to comment.

The charging document in the case against Mr. Cardillo alleges that Mr. Cardillo, Raj Rajaratnam and CC-1 executed transactions based on inside information in shares of J.M. Smucker Co. in advance of its acquisition of Folgers in June 2008 from Procter & Gamble Co. Prosecutors also alleged that Mr. Cardillo, CC-1 and Raj Rajaratnam traded on inside information in advance of earnings by P&G.

Representatives for Smucker couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

A P&G spokesman said the company is cooperating with the government's investigation and had been told it isn't a target or subject of the probe.

R.K., the middle of three brothers, graduated from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management in 1984 and worked at General Mills Inc., Kraft Foods Inc. and ConAgra Foods Inc. before moving to Galleon in 2006, according to public records.

There is a history of such tactics by the government. For instance, prosecutors investigated the daughter and the 80-year-old father of Samuel Waksal, the former chief executive of ImClone Systems Inc., after they sold ImClone stock based on information he gave them.

Mr. Waksal pleaded guilty in an insider-trading case in 2002, agreeing to cooperate but not against his relatives. His daughter Aliza and father, Jack, never were charged.

"The fate of a family member is a huge consideration for people who are confronting a criminal investigation—and the government knows that and takes advantage of it," said Mark Pomerantz, a lawyer who represented Mr. Waksal.

When former New York State comptroller Alan Hevesi pleaded guilty last year in a pension-fund investigation by then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, he negotiated an agreement in which prosecutors stipulated there was no evidence to charge his sons with any crimes.

Mr. Cuomo had examined whether one of Mr. Hevesi's sons had received assistance in running for a seat in the state Assembly and whether the other won business in connection with a kickback scheme at New York's pension fund.

Messrs. Hevesi and Cuomo declined to comment.

Mr. Rajaratnam's other brother, Rengan, 40, also drew the interest of investigators before the criminal probe of Galleon began. The case against Raj Rajaratnam and Galleon traces back to a 2007 civil insider-trading investigation involving Rengan Rajaratnam's hedge fund, Sedna Capital Management, by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC declined to comment; Rengan Rajaratnam couldn't be reached.

Sedna closed in 2007, and Rengan Rajaratnam went to work at Galleon.

The SEC hasn't filed charges in the Sedna investigation, but the probe is continuing.

In recent weeks, a technology researcher under scrutiny in a large, unrelated insider-trading case, John Kinnucan, received an SEC subpoena related to the Sedna probe, requesting three years' worth of documents and records from him, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Mr. Kinnucan, who was visited by the FBI and has also received a criminal subpoena in connection to the unrelated case, hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing.

A lawyer for Mr. Kinnucan declined to comment. ( online.wsj.com )

READ MORE - Another Rajaratnam Named in Ring

Primary Parenting

Primary Parenting - I have a confession to make: When I first started writing this back page column*, I was the perfect candidate for the job. I worked from home, I was on the PTA, I fed children through professional phone calls: I was the archetype Modern Mother. Okay, I may have smoked heavily at the time and worn my pyjamas almost constantly (thereby giving Lisa the Publisher a little pause for thought on her first impromptu visit), but I was, nevertheless, in serious Mom mode.

A lot has changed over the three years (gulp, is it really that long?) that I have been writing this back page. First, I now have an office job. I have also given up smoking (again) and have started wearing real clothes (well, jeans). But much more importantly, I am no longer the primary caregiver in our family. I have become the Dad.

Being egalitarian of set-up, my partner Andreas and I decided way back that we would try and share this parenting schtick as evenly as possible. So while I was the front-line parent for the first five years, Andreas took over around two years ago now. And boy, has it been interesting.

First of all, I can not stress enough how fun it is to be the Dad. To go to a job you enjoy and to be able to work at it undisturbed by sticky fingers, google-eyes or guilt, to come home to clean huggable children who have done their homework, a cooked dinner (or well defined take-out plans), a clean house and a loving partner… hell, what’s not to love?

Silly question really, because I know you all know the answer. I don’t love not being responsible for my children’s day-to-day wellbeing. It’s really hard to hand over the management of sticky fingers and homework to someone else. I am the mother. Thousands of years’ worth of female ancestors are looking down at me disapprovingly. And, dammit, Andreas doesn’t do it quite like I would – he is too strict with bath time, too uninventive with lunchboxes, too schedule-orientated, too… not me.

I remember how my stay-at-home mother used to tear her hair out when people at cocktail parties would ask her what she did and then rejoin: “Home with the kids? So you don’t really do anything then.” I am more violent a person than my mother and I know if anyone had said something similar to me when I was home with my kids I would have quite cheerfully torn their hair out.

I watch how everyone assumes Andreas doesn’t have a “proper job” because he is the primary parent (“Oooh! How lovely! Your husband just stays home all day then?”), thereby comprehensively negating the juggling act of the millions upon millions of working parents. Dreas does have a job, he is a scientist who works full day at a university, but he juggles his lunch hour, our housekeeper, the school’s aftercare programme and Woolworths’ extended shopping hours like all other working primary caregivers. And does a great job.

I watch how I get treated for being a dad-mom – raised eyebrows from art teachers (“What is it that you do that we never see you? What a shame.”) or bafflement from colleagues (“Did you just phone your husband to tell him you’d be late for dinner? Ha ha!”) despite the fact that I am behaving no differently from the men that surround me.

And then… I notice how many other couples all about are having similar battles. I see Dads in Crocs, expertly dummy-plugging whilst doing a shop. I see suited Moms on the phone patting children affectionately, but distractedly, on the head. I see men exchanging parenting tips. I see women having after work drinks. Most importantly, I see all manner of happy messy family stuff in between. And I see how, in our lifetimes, we are set to explode the distinctions between Mom and Dad and start truly parenting together. Well, if not explode, at least seriously crack.

How exciting is that? This Father’s Day, I’d like to raise my knitting and my briefcase to all parents out there – to mothering fathers and fathering mothers and conventional duos and super- capable singles and say… yay to everyone whose eyes go soft at the sight of a child. ( parent24.com )

Celebrate happily, everyone.

READ MORE - Primary Parenting

Teach your child gently

Teach your child gently - Kids react positively to tender methods of disciplining than to constant shouting and threatening.

Scolding or beating your child for every little mistake will only serve to make them more rebellious. Disciplining a child is something that needs to be handled carefully, delicately and with plenty of love.

Here's how to discipline your child:

Teach your child gently (Getty Images)

- Set examples for them to follow.

Kids tend to ape the behaviour of elders. If you want them to get habituated to doing something, you should do it too. For example, throw the garbage in the bin or straighten out your bed when you wake up or eat without chomping on your food, your kid will automatically learn and follow.


- If kids are unruly in a public place, be patient and try reasoning out with them first.

If they still don't pay heed to you, resort to some stern words. If the behaviour continues, walk away from them. However, remember to not raise your voice or slap them, this will result in them throwing tantrums to gain attention — negative or positive.


- Always treat your kids as grown-ups.

They too look for respect and importance from parents. Compliment them on a task well done, include them in decision making like choosing their clothes or shoes or the colour for their room, etc.


- Try not to scold your child. If you lose your temper, it will only reveal your weak spot and kids are quick to pick on those and use them effectively. Also, follow the manners you're trying to teach your child. For example, say please or sorry or excuse me instead of pushing people out of your way.


- If your kid is misbehaving in front of guests, don't scream at them.

Wait till you get back home and then explain strictly that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable. Also, warn them that if they repeat this behaviour, you will have to take stern action. ( indiatimes.com )

READ MORE - Teach your child gently

Younger mothers at greater risk of depression during pregnancy

Younger mothers at greater risk of depression during pregnancy, study claims. Younger mothers are at greater risk of suffering depression, both when they are pregnant and after they give birth, according to a study.

Young mothers need greater support, the study found. Photo Jonathan Lodge

Researchers warn that maternal mental illness will also affect their babies and put them in danger of developing emotional difficulties.

It is feared the problem could be particularly bad in Britain, which has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe with more than 40 in every 1,000 girls under 18 conceiving.

Lead author Cerith Waters, a researcher at the School of Psychology at Cardiff University, said: "Young mums can be very vulnerable and it is clear from these results that they need much more support, not only after the birth, but before as well.

"Programmes aimed at helping young mothers need to be multifaceted, and they need to begin during pregnancy in order to address both the mothers and the child's needs."

His research, presented at a British Psychological Society conference at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, analysed figures from the South London Child Development Study.

In total 180 families took part in interviews and psychological assessments over 16 years to determine the prevalence of maternal mental illness and its effects on children.

The study found that women who gave birth in their teenage years or their early 20s were more likely to suffer from depression during and after pregnancy than those who became mothers later in life.

It concluded that this difference partly accounted for the higher rates of emotional problems and cognitive deficits in their children. ( telegraph.co.uk )

READ MORE - Younger mothers at greater risk of depression during pregnancy