tingilinde

on public health

YLE on where we go from here

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Leadership matters. Ineffective or dangerous health policy decisions can be driven by mixing reasonable ideas with falsehoods and/or not accurately identifying what is causing us to be unhealthy and “fixing” that. For example, RFK Jr. said his first move would be removing fluoride from water—this is not grounded in scientific evidence, and reflects a fundamental misunderstanding between a hazard (that something could potentially cause harm) and a risk (the probability of something happening).

Importantly, all of this unfolds after 5 years of public health being through the wringer. And, in an already shifting landscape: general amnesia of vaccine-preventable diseases, loss of trust in institutions, and a changing information landscape fueled by social media.

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where do voting decisions come from?

What kind or news or none at all?

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Between Aug. 30 and Oct. 8, a team of researchers at four universities surveyed thousands of American adults and asked the following question: When making a decision about voting, including candidates for office and ballot initiatives, what is your most important source of information?

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a tip of the hat to Greg

 

 

private jet carbon emissions

There's a big rise for the top 0.01% of the population.

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Fewer than one in 10,000 people make use of private jets, but their carbon footprint is substantially larger than those who fly commercial. According to the study, the most prolific private fliers each produced 2,400 tons of carbon dioxide in the air last year, or roughly 500 times as much as the average person on Earth generates in an entire year.

The study also revealed a spike in private jet emissions around major global events, such as the World Cup or last year’s U.N. climate conference in Dubai. The climate negotiations were linked to hundreds of private flights, which together generated some 4,800 tons of carbon dioxide, roughly 1,000 times more than the average person produces yearly.

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will the 4B movement come to america?

South Korean women are swearing off dating men, having sex with them, marrying men and having children with them as traditional gender roles are seen as too toxic. Will increasing misogamy bring the movement here?

 

 

students at elite colleges who can't make it through a full book

A podcast interview with the author of the widely quoted (and paywalled) piece in The Atlantic.  audio and transcript.

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One of the rites of passage of middle and high school used to be reading books assigned by a teacher. I remember being pleasantly surprised by some of those compulsory reads and absolutely hating some others. Sorry. John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath really is a brilliant book, but 15 year old me was not quite in that headspace. But in recent years, reading lists at a lot of schools have been cold to the point that it’s possible to earn a high school diploma without ever having made your way through a single full length novel, let alone a handful, each semester. Which means there are students attending some of the very best universities in this country who are not prepared to take on what used to be considered college level reading. From Kera in Dallas, this is Think. I’m Krys Boyd. To be clear, this is not a case of students who lack basic literacy skills and might need some remedial help to catch up to their peers. These are the students whose grades and test scores earned them admission to highly coveted schools, only to report to their professors that they can’t possibly slog through an entire narrative as required by the class. Educators were stunned as they encountered the first students to object to this amount of reading. But now, as my guest has learned, some of them are responding by asking less of students. Rose Horowitch is assistant editor at The Atlantic, which published her article, “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” Rose, welcome to Think

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backward walking

It turns out to be beneficial 

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Retro-walking has a long history of being used in a clinical or rehabilitation sense, says Janet Dufek, a biomechanist and professor in the School of Integrated Health Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who has researched backward walking. One study, for example, found that after a six-week retro-walking program, participants with osteoarthritis in the knee experienced greater reduction in pain and functional disability compared to those who walked in the typical way. Another found that backward walking down a steep slope alleviated symptoms of plantar fasciitis. And in a study led by Dufek, walking backward reduced lower back pain and enhanced function among athletes.

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a tip of the hat to Greg

 

 

climate disasters and denial

Disasters can fuel denial

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One answer lies in a unique facet of human psychology – specifically, in how people manage the fear aroused by existential threats. For many people, denying the existence of a climate crisis is not only convenient, but may feel psychologically necessary.

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hcr's recap

Undoubtedly better reading that the political pundits.

 

 

the dutch and china

Going against US export controls on chip making tools.

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The Netherlands is not alone in rethinking the wisdom of export controls on China. At times other U.S. allies such as South Korea have taken a cautious approach regarding the Biden administration’s sanctions on China since it may affect Korean companies’ chip operations in China. Similarly, Taiwan – the world leader in advanced semiconductor production – continues a robust chip trade with China, concerned that implementing strict controls would undercut the economic health of Taiwan’s most important industry.

The divergence of the Netherlands, and potentially other European allies, on semiconductor export controls represents the nuanced approach that national governments are taking. While the transatlantic alliance is there to stay, European nations are poised to preserve their economic autonomy and prevent an escalation that can jeopardize industrial competitivenes

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the rain in spain

Satellite images of a global warming enhanced event.