She is only 12 but is studying Economics at Moscow's Financial Academy at the President of Russia. She has accelerated intellectual growth. Pyschiatrist Alexey Svetlov cautions against overworking child prodigies.

However, as experience shows, children with accelerated intellectual development have psychic functions that develop slower. Being adult, such people experienced heavy stresses more often than other people.

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Many of my friends have lost their sense of self once they have children. Every email I receive and conversation I have with them center around their children and todler friends, parties, and daily acitivities. It gets a bit annoying, I would say. They seem to be totally absorbed in their children's development. Would they not develop properly if they were given a little less attention? Give the children a break. They are kids after all and need time to grow and experience life.

For those overly concerned parents out there, the early childhood programs for the state Department of Education have developed a comprehensive list that shows typical abilities to age 5. This standard is meant to help families and child-care providers understand the natural development of youngsters and activities they should be doing through age 5. I know there are parents out there who are fearful their children won't become the geniuses they are meant to be and push their children too hard. Or they could be at the other extreme and not care about the development of their children at all. Read more.

Animated by Tim Cowie, this video highlights key concepts in Charles Leadbeater's new book, "We Think." It talks about the mass public space that is the internet and the communities that form within it. In the nebulous space, there is still structure and connections that we create to reflect our ideas and values. The focus is on ideas and how they have spread across the world and change it as a result. Knowledge, freedom, and creativity contribute to much of the advancement and have come to define a new age. It's all very exciting. We are living it.

In Michelle Obama's first speech as First Lady, she talked about her reasons and inspirations for choosing U.C. Merced, started in 2005. She went into her own background and the struggle, hope, community, and perseverance that she identified with in the Merced students. Her speech was hopeful and inspirational.

Part I

Part II

Part III