Latest News – Page 62

Big Problems, Current Events, Global Warming, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News

Second Severe Amazon Drought This Decade Spells Disaster for Rainforests

February 6, 2011

Drought is a problem in the Amazon Rainforests.

The Amazon suffered a record-making drought in 2005, which was thought to be the worst in the 108 years since tracking rains and droughts began. However, researchers are now saying that the drought the region struggled through in 2010 was likely even worse. The impact of two major droughts within a decade could mean that the rainforest so important to carbon capture could be hitting an irreversible downward spiral.

Continue reading… “Second Severe Amazon Drought This Decade Spells Disaster for Rainforests”

Breakthrough Thinking, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Latest News, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints

10 Common Phenomena Explained

February 5, 2011

We often ask questions about the world around us. This list has ten explanations of common, every-day things that you probably did not understand. And if you did understand them you’re far cooler than us. Using this knowledge you can impress your friends, family, or romantic interests, because nothing is more attractive to the other sex than knowing how random things work.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Historical Perspectives, Internet, Latest News

StartingPage Now Returns Google Search Results, Privately

February 5, 2011

Google and other search engines track what users search; over time, the data collected can be pretty revealing, so much so that the DOJ wants access. For the most part, privacy policies are only as good as the lawyers backing them, and “law of the land” can trump anything. And all of that adds up to worrisome prospects for all of us.

But what if no data were collected to begin with?

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Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Globalism, government, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Latest News

Indian Government’s Controversial Skin Whitening Competition

February 4, 2011

Sammy Sosa has found the benefits of skin whitening.

A scheme – perhaps the first of its kind in India – that sees the government’s science department team up with a US multinational to promote innovation has run into controversy.

In December 2010 the Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched a monthly competition in association with Cincinnati-based Proctor & Gamble (P&G) to solicit innovative ideas from Indian researchers. Winners were promised a cash award of $1000 and possible commercialization of their ideas by P&G, which has a beauty business worth over US$10 billion in global sales…

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Analysis, Business, Corporate Manipulation, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Food, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News

Did the “Organic Elite” Sell Out to Monsanto?

February 4, 2011

In corporate America, avoiding litigation with Monsanto is infinitely more important than consumer safety.

By now, most of us have read the miscellaneous (numerous) statements from companies like Whole Foods, Organic Valley, Stonyfield, and the Non-GMO Project in defense of their participation in the so-called “coexistence” talks with the USDA and proponents of GE alfalfa.

These companies have claimed that they had no choice but to get in there and fight for safeguards against contamination and restitution for farmers whose fields are contaminated. Neither of which ended up happening.

They’ve said that they had a choice between staying to fight for protections, and walking away and letting Monsanto have their way. Monsanto, as we’ve seen time and time again, has had their way anyway…

Continue reading… “Did the “Organic Elite” Sell Out to Monsanto?”

Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Current Events, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Discoveries, People Making a Difference

A Statistician Solves a Scratch Lottery Code

February 4, 2011

A Lucky Scratch Card?

A Canadian geological statistician came to the realization that the numbers on some scratch lottery cards could not be random. “It wasn’t that hard,” Mohan Srivastava says. “I do the same kind of math all day long.”

“… I start looking at the tic-tac-toe game, and I begin to wonder how they make these things,” Srivastava says. “The tickets are clearly mass-produced, which means there must be some computer program that lays down the numbers. Of course, it would be really nice if the computer could just spit out random digits. But that’s not possible, since the lottery corporation needs to control the number of winning tickets. The game can’t be truly random. Instead, it has to generate the illusion of randomness while actually being carefully determined.”

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Entertainment, facebook, Historical Perspectives, Internet, Latest News

The Evolution of the Social Media Manager: Social Monetization Manager?

February 3, 2011

A Social Monetization Manager may be the next big thing to be!

The next evolution of the social media manager position may very well focus on a puzzle piece that is largely missing in the social media strategy of news companies: monetization.

Cox Media Group digital posted an opening Wednesday for a “Social Monetization Manager (SMM)” — someone who will focus on a strategy and implementation that will drive revenue to the company’s 100+ TV, radio and newspaper properties.

Although Cox is one of the first news media companies to hire for a position of its kind, this may signal a larger shift for news companies experimenting with ways to monetize social media…

Continue reading… “The Evolution of the Social Media Manager: Social Monetization Manager?”

Breakthrough Thinking, Current Events, Green Friendly, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, Latest Trend, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints, Science & Technology News

In the Future, Your Car May Be Made of Mushrooms

February 3, 2011

Video Games have long been using mushrooms as a source for power, energy and advancement.

In the future, mushrooms may be as common in cars as they are on pizza.

Believe it or not, scientists who are trying to find more sustainable ways to build car parts believe the answers may be found in things such as mushroom roots.

The newest episode of the PBS series “Nova,” which aired on Wednesday 2/2, focuses on the new discoveries that scientists such as Deborah Mielewski, the technical leader of plastics research at Ford Motor Co., are working on to reduce the carbon tire track that autos leave on the environment…

Continue reading… “In the Future, Your Car May Be Made of Mushrooms”

Analysis, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Latest News, Latest Trend, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints

25% of British Children Don’t Play Outside

February 3, 2011

British children enjoying the great indoors.

What happens when you survey 1,000 British parents and 500 children on their leisure activities? You might find out that a quarter of the kids don’t play outside. Or that 12% of adults admit to having ‘no interest’ in the outdoors and 5% thought that trees which don’t lose their leaves during winter are called Carnivores. But wait, it doesn’t stop there. 6% of British adults thought strawberries grew on trees, so it should come as no surprise that 25% of British kids did not know what a mouse looked like.

Yet, oddly, the same surveyed parents do recognise the benefits of outdoor play. The report revealed that 71% of parents think their children are happier when they play outdoors and 92% believe outdoor play is good for their children’s health. So why are they spending twice as much time glued to a computer or TV screen, than being outdoors?

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Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, Latest Trend, Medical Breakthrough, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints

Early Bowel Cancer Detected by Dogs in Japan

February 2, 2011

Continue reading the main story

Dogs sniffed out bowel cancer in more than nine out of 10 cases.

A Labrador retriever has sniffed out bowel cancer in breath and stool samples during a study in Japan.

The research, in the journal Gut, showed the dog was able to identify early stages of the disease.

It has already been suggested that dogs can use their noses to detect skin, bladder, lung, ovarian and breast cancers.

Cancer Research UK said it would be extremely difficult to use dogs for routine cancer testing.

The biology of a tumour is thought to include a distinct smell and a series of studies have used dogs to try to detect it.

Continue reading… “Early Bowel Cancer Detected by Dogs in Japan”

Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News, People Making a Difference

WikiLeaks Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

February 2, 2011

Another boost for the controversial WikiLeaks

A member of the Parliament of Norway says he has nominatedWikiLeaks for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

Snorre Valen, a member of the Socialist Left party, announced his decision to nominate the whistle-blowing organization on his blog.

“WikiLeaks have contributed to the struggle for [human rights, democracy and freedom of speech] globally, by exposing (among many other things) corruption, war crimes and torture — some times even conducted by allies of Norway,” he wrote…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Latest News

Maine to Legalize Switchblades for One-Armed People

February 2, 2011

May be legalized in Maine if you have only one arm.

A Maine legislator has introduced a bill to make it legal for people with one arm to own and carry a switchblade (because you need two hands to operate a regular clasp knife). I actually quite like this idea, but think it’s too narrow, I’d have worded it more like “lawful for people who, due to infirmity, disability or amputation find it difficult to operate a clasp-knife…” so people with arthritis, one-side paralysis, etc, could have and use that most useful of tools: a knife…

Continue reading… “Maine to Legalize Switchblades for One-Armed People”