Rotundus.com

With all the talk of increasing inequality, I following the following bit of a New York Times blog post entitled When Cheap Foreign Labor Gets Less Cheap interesting:

in Asia, inflation-adjusted average wages have about doubled since 2000. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, average wages almost tripled

The global poor, at least in certain large, highly populated areas of the planet, seem to be becoming significantly better off financially over the past few years.

In a world with low communication and transportation costs some global levelling of wages seems more or less inevitable, and the Western poor are still a lot better off than many of their foreign counterparts.

Coffee from an elephant's gut fills a $50 cup

Another new entrant in the coffee-pooped-by-some-animal-species category, this one selling for $500/lb.

Jailers worry about dental floss as a weapon

"Dental floss may prevent toothaches, but it's given jailers plenty of headaches."

Rejection improves eventual impact of manuscripts

"A study of papers’ histories from submission to publication unearths unexpected patterns."

Bottom of the barrel - Expansion of fishing to the deep sea is not sustainable

"Over the last 50-60 years many shallow water fish stocks have become depleted and others have outright collapsed. As a result fishers have targeted fish stocks in deeper and deeper waters. Studies on global catch have shown that the average depth of catch has increased in recent years and fishing now regularly occurs over 1000 meters and in some cases to 1800 meters. Fishers are literally reaching into the bottom of the barrel for fish." - an argument that this is unsustainable as a result of the long lifecycles of deep-ocean fish due to the lower availability of food and whatnot.

Using algae to provide biofuels from (in this case) a cement plant's emissions is kind of cool:

HT: AS

Restoring the Urban Sea by Farming It

"While much of the dialogue about sustainable seafood focuses on maintaining adequate resources, some forms of aquaculture can actually help to regenerate ecosystems, revitalize economies, and enhance food security." - Looks like seaweed and shellfish may be more common on menus in the future.

Diabetics With Cancer Dangerously Ignore Blood Sugar

Relative risk: "When people with Type 2 diabetes are diagnosed with cancer -- a disease for which they are at higher risk -- they ignore their diabetes care to focus on cancer treatment, according to new Northwestern Medicine research. But uncontrolled high blood sugar is more likely to kill them and impairs their immune system's ability to fight cancer."

Unearthing the Sex Secrets of the Périgord Black Truffle

Are mass-market truffles to be found in future supermarkets? "Truffle growers in France and Italy have a mixed reaction to the work of Dr. Martin’s team on the truffle’s genome. On the one hand, they “are always complaining we are not doing enough for them,” Dr. Martin said. On the other, “they don’t want us to get the magic recipe to produce truffles by the ton because then the price would go down.”"

On the problems with a bumper sticker like "Don't like abortion? Don't have one."

"When pro-life advocates claim that elective abortion unjustly takes the life of a defenseless human being, they aren't saying they dislike abortion. They are saying it's objectively wrong, regardless of how one feels about it. ... Imagine if I said, "Don't like slavery? Then don't own a slave." Or, "Don't like spousal abuse? Then don't beat your wife!""