liveonearth: (moon)
2014-06-06 02:44 pm
Entry tags:

A friend of mine is in China for the summer

China has never been high on my list because I don't like noise or being crowded. I know that is very American of me. She posted a video of the traffic out her window on her blogspot.
liveonearth: (Hands w/ Lotus)
2012-06-13 03:44 pm

Left-Handed People Die Young

TYPES OF HANDEDNESS
Redirected handedness = learned handedness
Natural handedness = genetic or inherited
Pathological handedness = caused by brain injury or other pathology

notes )
liveonearth: (Default)
2012-01-24 07:47 am

IMF Predicts Global Economic Downtrend

In its “downside scenario,” the fund said that a continued rise in European government borrowing rates and a worsening of problems with the region’s banks would push the world into recession.

“The current environment...provides fertile ground for self-perpetuating pessimism,” the fund wrote.


Their calculations predict the global downward trend in spite of the booming economies of China and India. Want to move there? I don't.

SOURCE
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/imf-report-global-economy-to-hit-mild-recession/2012/01/24/gIQAWR6SNQ_story.html?wpisrc=al_comboNE_b
liveonearth: (moon)
2010-12-17 02:10 pm

More Cannabinoids Soon to be Regulated


NEW FEDERAL ACTION
US feds began emergency action Weds 11/24/10 (takes 30 days)
to outlaw 5 chems used to make synthetic marijuana
will be schedule 1 along with cocaine, heroin, etc
emergency ban-->illegal for 1 year while DEA and DHS study them
may not kill industry, will create new black market
15+ states and some Euro nations have already banned them
manufacturers already reformulating to circumvent bans, are in touch with distributors

came to DEA attention in 11/08 when US Customs analyzed "spice"
in 2010 customs seized a 110lb load
law enforcement will use chemical tests
will focus on distributors, not users
notes )
liveonearth: (Default)
2010-10-08 09:36 pm

US slips to 4th place in Global Competitiveness

According to the World Economic Forum, that is. The US held second until last month, now Sweden and Singapore have passed the US. Switzerland just passed the US to take the #1 spot last year. China's moving up and has reached #27. Germany's also climbing the scale, now in the #5 spot. Japan's #6. Finland is #7 and Denmark is #9 putting Scandinavia as a whole in the top 10. Netherlands is #8 and Canada is #10. At the moment. Things are definitely shifting.

The rating is based on 12 variables: institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication, and innovation.

SOURCE
http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20News%20Releases/NR_GCR10
liveonearth: (Default)
2010-09-02 02:27 pm
Entry tags:

Three Gorges Dam Survives Flood


I don't know if you pay attention to the news about China, but the Three Gorges Dam just survived the biggest flood yet. It could have failed, but it didn't.
liveonearth: (Default)
2010-08-23 07:58 pm

Pathologic Internet Usage Assoc w/ Depression in Teens

(but not associated with anxiety)

"People who are susceptible to depression are already more prone to social isolation and withdrawal and therefore more likely to develop problematic Internet usage because the Internet provides an outlet for them," Dr. Christakis observed. "So the findings from the study are highly plausible, and because it was longitudinal and adjusted for baseline levels of depression and Internet use, the findings are both novel and robust."
notes from medscape article )
liveonearth: (Default)
2009-10-26 07:33 am

Grand Rounds: Geoffrey Cordell on Medicinal Plants

His main message is a heads up that our current system is not sustainable, our planet is already over capacity, and we are eradicating the species that could sustain us and the peoples who know know about them. His solution is science. It bears on the way I'd like to practice medicine.
notes )
liveonearth: (Default)
2009-10-05 07:21 am

Grand Rounds (week 4): Michael D Levin on Supplements

INEQUALITY
Dietary Supplements: Legal and Quality Issues - A Primer for Healthcare Practitioners
notes )
liveonearth: (Default)
2009-07-27 08:15 am

Raul Castro tells Cubans to go Back to the Land

I heard this on the radio this morning, and then swift on its heels a statement from Obama telling the Chinese to shop more. He wants Chinese people to become as blatantly materialist as Americans are, so that we can sell them things. What? Interesting times indeed. The Cuban leader is ahead of the American leader in recognizing the reality of the crisis that confronts our planet, and the solution to it. Maybe I'll move to Cuba. Much as I adore Obama for his cultural sensitivity and ability to bring previously disenfranchised groups to the table, he is still flunking on the economy. In the long run it may be incredibly beneficial to Cuba to not be sucked into the American paradigm of wealth. The embargo is a blessing in disguise.
liveonearth: (Default)
2009-05-21 01:57 pm

Mercury Levels in Fish Up 30% Since 1990: USGS Study

The bad news is that this increase is only the beginning--the curve is headed for the ceiling. I find it remarkable that my current Harvard-educated nutrition teacher talks about the health value of eating fish without expressing concern about mercury content. The research hasn't penetrated his consciousness yet. But it will.

I've stopped eating sushi since I tested with high mercury, arsenic, and very high lead levels, about a year ago. I have no idea where all my heavy metals came from, but I did eat a lot of sushi for a while there. I did a round of oral DMSA chelation. I'm going to retest soon to see if how much that treatment decreased my body load.
notes )
liveonearth: (Default)
2009-03-02 09:23 pm

New Cigs



We have now officially lost the original sacrament of tobacco. The new product is an electronic device that emits a "nicotene-infused mist", coming to you from Beijing, so that you can quit smoking. Yeah. It even looks like a cigarette.

SOURCE:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29435175/

liveonearth: (Default)
2008-11-23 04:48 pm

Melamine: the latest ubiquitous toxin

Melamine may be added to more foodstuffs than we know, because it makes them appear "high protein". Remember, this is the toxin that was added to dog food and caused a lot of animals to die of kidney failure. Then it was in baby food. Now they're finding it in eggs, because it's in the chicken feed.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=6157085
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/22/deceptive-protein-toxin-is-becoming-more-widely-spread-in-your-food.aspx

how to recognize melamine poisoning in infants )
liveonearth: (Default)
2008-08-26 08:17 pm
Entry tags:

Factoids

China now has more citizens with internet access than America, 253 million to 223.1 million.
The Hispanic population in America will outnumber whites in less than 100 years, if census trends continue.
liveonearth: (Default)
2008-05-17 02:44 pm

Microbio Takehome Exam #6

Q1: Many people in infectious disease circles are concerned about animal housing practices in countries such as China, where pigs and chickens are housed in close proximity. What are the primary concerns based on generation of new strains of flu? Are these concerns valid and why?
the rest of the homework )
liveonearth: (Default)
2008-04-14 08:01 pm

Boycotting the Olympics In China

What do you think? Should we?

This Oregon Libertarian, Wes Wagner, speaks sense on the matter:
liveonearth: (Default)
2008-04-01 10:32 am

America, Land of 1% Incarceration

Pelosi has told Shrub we should boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in China to protest their poor human rights record. Merckel (Germany) and Sarcozy (France) are already planning to boycott.
more )