Random links

Submitted by David on Thu, 2011-11-17 19:18
Good for You, Good for the Planet? Is healthy food always better for the environment?
Some examples from the article: "It takes 466 kilocalories of energy to produce a pound of potatoes ... Spinach—a certified superfood packed with phytochemicals—requires 1,139 kilocalories per pound. ... it takes 1,136 kilocalories of energy to produce 1 pound of canned, prepared foods like soups and stews. Fresh foods came in at 1,151 kilocalories of energy per pound, a statistical dead heat with the canned meals. Canned, unprepared foods, like green beans and corn, were scored at 1,606 kilocalories per pound, and frozen foods rated between 2,250 and 2,405 kilocalories"
More Money Can Beat Big Money
Their idea for public funding of elections seems better than the current per-vote approach in Canada (which I'm hoping Harper actually does change). In the proposal here, it seems as though who you vote for isn't necessarily the same as the one you're subsidizing and there doesn't seem to be a minimum size limit to get that funding. Compare to the Canadian version where small parties don't get that funding (need 2% of the national vote total to qualify). My response to the introduction of the per-vote model was simply to stop voting - "don't vote; it only encourages them" became a bit too literal for my liking.
Who's More Likely to Vote - Women or Men? Gender Differences and Voter Turnout - Women Take Voting Seriously
"In non-presidential election years, women continue to turn out in greater proportions than men. And women outnumber men among registered voters. ... So the next time you hear a political analyst discuss 'the women's vote,' bear in mind that she or he is talking about a powerful constituency that numbers in the millions." Although the article claims that women have "yet to find [their] political voice and agenda," I'd dispute that. Women simply don't seem to exhibit a strong preference for female (vs. male) politicians. They do exhibit a preference for larger government programs though.
Technique spots patients misdiagnosed as being in ‘vegetative state’
"The findings ... provide startling — and in some ways disturbing — new evidence confirming previous indications that a significant proportion of patients diagnosed as being vegetative may in fact be aware. But, most important, the widely available, portable technology used in the research offers what could be the first practical way for doctors to identify and finally communicate with perhaps thousands of patients who may be languishing unnecessarily in isolation." - the article mentions this technique enabling them to communicate with 19% of patients in a sample group.

Comments

Ronik

Fri, 2011-11-18 04:37

That link about vegetative patients made me think of this link from a while back.

Article - http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/sep/12/health.healthandwellbeing

Youtube video about it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spTIBbBHQdc&feature=related (Part 1) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqUG3guq4Jk&feature=related (Part 2)

David

Sat, 2011-11-19 23:26

Wonder if that means the brain is rewiring itself in some funky way to react to stimuli differently.

Oh... and Netflix has a related video