duh!
People with higher measures of cognitive ability are more likely to make good choices in several different types of economic decisions,
via People With Higher IQs Make Wiser Economic Choices, Study Finds.
pandemic flu?!
A novel flu virus has struck hundreds of people in Mexico, and at least 18 have died. It has also infected eight people in the US, and appears able to spread readily from human to human. The World Health Organization is calling an emergency meeting to decide whether to declare the possible onset of a flu pandemic.
Ironically, after years of concern about H5N1 bird flu, the new flu causing concern is a pig virus, of a family known as H1N1.
Flu viruses are named after the two main proteins on their surfaces, abbreviated H and N. They are also differentiated by what animal they usually infect. The H in the new virus comes from pigs, but some of its other genes come from bird and human flu viruses, a mixture that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls “very unusual”.
On Wednesday, the CDC announced that routine surveillance had uncovered mild flu cases during late March and April, caused by a novel swine flu virus. Those affected, aged 9 to 54, live in and around San Diego, California, and San Antonio, Texas, near the Mexican border. None was severe. Symptoms were normal for flu, with more nausea and diarrhoea than usual.
via Deadly new flu virus in US and Mexico may go pandemic – health – 24 April 2009 – New Scientist.
how to spot poison
Top 20 Produce Exporters to United States
Exporter 2007 Imports
1. Mexico: Tomatoes, watermelons, limes, orange juice, squash
2. Canada: Frozen potatoes, fresh potatoes,
processed tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, carrots
3. China: Apple juice, garlic, processed
mushrooms, canned peaches, processed tomatoes.
4. Brazil: Orange juice, apple juice, grapes, onions, watermelon
5. Chile: Grapes, apples, avocados, apple juice, peaches/nectarines
6. Argentina: Apple juice, pears, raisins, garlic, blueberries
7. Guatemala: Cantaloupe, processed mushrooms, frozen broccoli, watermelon, fresh snap beans
8. Costa Rica: Orange juice, cantaloupe, squash, carrot, watermelon
9. Peru: Asparagus, onion, artichokes, tangerines/tangelos, grapes
10. Honduras: Cantaloupes, watermelon, eggplant, orange juice, squash
11. Spain: Tangerines/tangelos, oranges, canned olives, lemons, artichokes
12. Italy: Processed tomatoes, kiwifruit,
oranges, apples, artichokes
13. New Zealand: Apples, kiwifruits, onions, apple juice, pears
14. Ecuador: Processed mushrooms, frozen
broccoli, processed peas, onions, artichokes
15. Turkey: Apple juice, processed tomatoes, processed mushrooms, lemons, canned olives
16. Thailand: Processed tomatoes, canned peaches, canned pears, processed peas, processed mushrooms
17. South Africa: Oranges, raisins, tangerines/tangelos, orange juice, apple juice
18. Belize: Orange juice, processed tomatoes
19. Dominican Republic: Avocados, processed tomatoes, orange juice, bell peppers, tomatoes
20. India: Pickles, processed mushrooms,
processed tomatoes, processed peas, apple juice
What are the Odds It is Imported?
100%: Limes
80%: Frozen Broccoli
75%: Apple juice, asparagus, frozen cauliflower, processed mushrooms, kiwifruit
60%: Artichoke, canned olives, avocado
50%: Grapes, garlic, cucumbers, grape juice
40%: Blueberry, eggplant, squash
33%: Tomato, bell pepper, cantaloupe
25%: Tangerine, honeydew melon, orange juice
20%: Frozen spinach, pear, frozen potato, frozen snap (string) beans
17%: Watermelon, apricot
14: Raspberry
13%: Onion
11%: Raisin, canned peach, lemon
10%: Snap (string) bean, processed pea, peach or nectarine, broccoli
9%: Mushroom
8%: Pickle, canned pear, carrot, cherry, strawberry, processed tomato, potato
6%: Apple, orange
5%: Grapefruit, frozen sweet corn
via La Vida Locavore:: Looking for Food From China? Here’s How to Find It.
words of wisdom
any time you have banks that are too big to fail, you are going to have oligarchs
via Simon Johnson says: “Break up the banks” – How the World Works – Salon.com.
Privilege Meme
The items that apply to me are BOLD
1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers (I take this to mean socio-economic)
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
9. Were read children’s books by a parent
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 see above
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively ….mostly
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (mostly)
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
23. You and your family lived in a single family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child.
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
27. Participated in a college entrance exam (eg. SAT/ACT) prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. (we didn’t have heating bills)
From “What Privileges Do You Have?”, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you please acknowledge their copyright.
another reason why public swimming pools are BAD
Although perhaps the greatest public health achievement of the 20th century was the disinfection of water, a recent study now shows that the chemicals used to purify the water we drink and use in swimming pools react with organic material in the water yielding toxic consequences.
University of Illinois geneticist Michael Plewa said that disinfection by-products (DBPs) in water are the unintended consequence of water purification…
In addition to drinking water DBPs, Plewa said that swimming pools and hot tubs are DBP reactors.
“The big concern that we have is babies in public pools because young children and especially babies are much more susceptible to DNA damage in agents because their bodies are growing and they’re replicating DNA like crazy,” he said.
Ironically, the DBPs that are regulated by the EPA tend to be some of the least toxic DBPs in Plewa’s study.
via What’s in your Water?: Disinfectants Create Toxic By-products.
10 Air Purifying Plants For Homes & Offices | WebEcoist
Even in huge, busy cities, outdoor air is cleaner and preferable to indoor air. Why is that? One reason is that trees and plants are constantly cleaning the air outside. This suggests that the eco-minded homeowner or office dweller should go out and buy some plants – but which ones? With all the hype of “going green”, every plant on the market is being promoted as an air purifier! But not to worry – NASA has conducted an official study on the top 10 air purifying plants, assigning each one a score based on how well they remove chemical vapors, resist insects, and how easy they are to maintain.
via 10 Air Purifying Plants For Homes & Offices | WebEcoist.
World’s major rivers ‘drying up’
The researchers analysed water flows in more than 900 rivers over a 50-year period to 2004.
They found that there was an overall decline in the amount of water flowing into the world’s oceans.
Much of the reduction has been caused by human activities such as the building of dams and the diversion of water for agriculture.
But the researchers highlighted the contribution of climate change, saying that rising temperatures were altering rainfall patterns and increasing rates of evaporation.
The authors say they are concerned that the decline in freshwater sources will continue with serious repercussions for a growing global population.
trash kills and maims
Photo courtesy of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation
A turtle nicknamed “Mae West” shows the danger of throw-away plastics. Environmentalists with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation say the turtle crawled inside the plastic ring when it was young; it was deformed by the plastic constriction as it grew.
Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins, of the California-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, reinforce their campaign with grim images of wildlife maimed by plastics and samples of plastic-laden water from a swirling plastic “soup” called the North Pacific Gyre in the Pacific Ocean.
While there’s no way to clean up the North Pacific Gyre — a confluence of ocean currents twice the size of the United States and laden with plastic refuse — it’s not too late to stop further dumping, the couple say.
via Couple cycling the West Coast to fight “plastic soup” in Pacific Ocean – OregonLive.com.
good looks matter even in high school
“…physical attractiveness was not the most important non-cognitive predictor of grades,” French said. “Instead grooming and personality were stronger predictors of academic success in high school for boys and girls, respectively.”
Looking at GPA as a function of a long list of individual, familial, school, and environmental characteristics that are likely to affect academic performance, the researchers were able to make several significant observations, including:
- Physical attractiveness has a positive effect on GPA for both genders, but only when considered alone.
- When physical attractiveness is considered along with grooming and personality, the positive effect of physical attractiveness on high school GPA turns negative for both genders.
- For male students, grooming delivers the biggest overall effect on GPA.
- For female students, personality is positively related to GPA.
- Physical appearance can be a way for adolescents to either rebel or accept adult’s standards. However, whether the student is a “rebel” or a “conformist” does not have a significant independent effect on GPA.
- The findings suggest that some degree of teacher bias is present in favor of, or against certain types of students.
- All else equal, Hispanics and African Americans have lower GPAs than whites and girls have higher GPAs than males.
- Students living with a mother who attended college, those that live in a two-parent household and those attending a small school have higher GPAs than those in different circumstances.
- Receiving public assistance is negatively associated with GPA.
TV – the opiate of the masses
A Warm TV Can Drive Away Feelings Of Loneliness And Rejection
ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2009) — Not all technology meets human needs, and some technologies provide only the illusion of having met your needs.
But new research by psychologists at the University at Buffalo and Miami University, Ohio, indicates that illusionary relationships with the characters and personalities on favorite TV shows can provide people with feelings of belonging, even in the face of low self esteem or after being rejected by friends or family members.
via A Warm TV Can Drive Away Feelings Of Loneliness And Rejection.
moving animal models of exposure to clean air did not completely reverse the exposure-related pathologies, which means that the lung damage will be a life-long legacy of any children that grew up in it.
Mad Scientist, Jr.: Developmental Effects of Ambient Air Pollution.
how stupid people kill…
Another little boy has killed himself after classmates teased and bullied him and called him gay. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11-year-old Jaheem Herrera hung himself inside his home on Thursday afternoon. His little sister, Yerralis, found his body.”They called him gay and a snitch,” his stepfather said. “All the time they’d call him this.”Kate Harding wrote about the impact of homophobic bullying last week, on what would have been the 12th birthday of Carl Walker-Hoover, who committed suicide in April after months of being tormented with anti-gay slurs.
via Another victim of homophobic bullying – Broadsheet – Salon.com.
why self-esteem is bad…
So this study suggests that our perceived level of self-worth effects our moral decisions. More specifically, it suggests that feelings of negative self-worth can predispose us to acting morally in an effort to fill up the self-worth bank account. If the account is already full, we might be predisposed to choosing not to act morally, or just not act at all.
I’m a welfare queen!! The irony!
Yes, many of our nation’s backwaters of right-wing hot air are limping along thanks to massive Federal subsidies, both direct and indirect. I shudder to think how bad Mississippi [West Virginia] would be if it wasn’t getting our cash at a 3-to-1 [2.97] ratio.
via ginandtacos.com » Blog Archive » AMERICA’S WELFARE QUEENS.
why SOLE food matters
This is more than about the safety of biotechnology; it’s about the ability of all of us to have a choice of the foods that we eat, and for our farmers to be able to freely use their own seeds, and grow food in the manner that they choose. In developing countries like India, biotechnology introduces higher costs of production to the farmers, and makes them highly dependent upon a small number of companies to purchase their seeds, and required chemical inputs. Increasingly, farmers whose crops fail to produce anticipated yields are propelled into a cycle of debt that cause many to commit suicide. Food sovereignty of developing countries; ecological preservation of the biodiversity existing in nature; the ability of nations to feed their own people; the preservation of local culture entwined with past farming traditions; and the right of a people to have access to their own seeds, and to choose the traits they wish to propagate, these are all issues that require careful thought and discussion.
phthalates (plastics) make you fat
Chemical reaction: A long term study by Mount Sinai Medical Center on children in East Harlem links exposure to a class of chemicals called phthalates — found in products that list “fragrance” as an ingredient, and in soft plastics — with childhood obesity. The study found that the heaviest children had the highest levels of phthalates in their urine. In trying to find the causes of obesity, the 10-year study took into account factors like pesticide exposure, diet, and proximity to bodegas. (EPA/Mt. Sinai via NY Times)
b/c you’re saving so much money….
The San Diego district attorney adopted a policy in 1997 under which applicants for welfare benefits must agree to a “walk through” of their residence while they are present. The inspectors check on whether the applicant has an eligible dependent child and has the amount of assets claimed. They also check on whether a supposedly “absent” parent lives at the residence. If residents refuse to permit a home visit, they can lose their benefits.
So that’s how you get the distinguished title of “lowest food stamp participation rate” in the U.S. And a judge ruled that this is legal because they aren’t searching for evidence of a crime. Legal, perhaps – but smart? Definitely not. How many kids are going hungry because of this insane policy?
So that’s how you get the distinguished title of “lowest food stamp participation rate” in the U.S. And a judge ruled that this is legal because they aren’t searching for evidence of a crime.
via La Vida Locavore:: Warrantless Home Searches for Food Stamp Recipients.
environmental politics-as-usual in WVa
DEP didn’t do its job, by failing to enforce the approximate original contour reclamation standard and the post-mining land development rules already on the books.
And, as I’ve written before, the state under former Gov. Cecil Underwood basically dared EPA to come in and take a closer look at valley fills when it insisted on passing a greatly weakened stream “mitigation bill.”
Today, the state is doing the same thing again, having passed the Stalling Selenium legislation, with hardly a word against it from DEP. Truth be told, this legislation is patterned after what DEP has already tried to do: Give coal operators more and more time to avoid actually complying with water pollution standards for a chemical that has pushed at least one West Virginia watershed to the “brink of a major toxic event.”
DEP’s standard line on mountaintop removal goes something like this: Sure, we made some mistakes years ago. But we’ve learned a lot and beefed up our program. We are tougher on the coal industry than any state in the country.
But you have to wonder …
If that’s true, why did it take EPA and the Justice Department to come in and fine Massey Energy $20 million for thousands of water pollution violations across the state’s southern coalfields?
Well, that’s because the folks at DEP for four or five years simply shoved “discharge monitoring reports,” or DMRs, that companies file into a drawer somewhere, not bothering to check and see if Massey and other companies were complying with their pollution permit limits.
And let’s not forget, DEP has repeatedly missed legislative deadlines to complete a study on whether coal slurry injected underground is pollution water supplies and making people sick.
Or, the fact that it took a federal court order for DEP to even consider beginning to write permits and comply with water pollution limits at the abandoned mine sites it controls under its Special Reclamation Program. DEP also proposed legislation this year that doesn’t got nearly as far as its own advisory panel said was needed to fix the finances of the Special Rec program.
And recently, the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement found serious problems with the way DEP polices coal-slurry impoundments, which is one of the agency’s most important jobs.
via Blogs @ The Charleston Gazette – » WVDEP’s Huffman goes off on Obama EPA.
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