Why do so many jobs pay so little?

I suggest reading the whole article at the following link:

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2013/08/12/130812ta_talk_surowiecki

by James Surowiecki August 12, 2013

A few weeks ago, Washington, D.C., passed a living-wage bill designed to make Walmart pay its workers a minimum of $12.50 an hour. Then President Obama called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage (which is currently $7.25 an hour). McDonald’s was widely derided for releasing a budget to help its employees plan financially, since that only underscored how brutally hard it is to live on a McDonald’s wage. And last week fast-food workers across the country staged walkouts, calling for an increase in their pay to fifteen dollars an hour. Low-wage earners have long been the hardest workers to organize and the easiest to ignore. Now they’re front-page news.

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Still, the reason this has become a big political issue is not that the jobs have changed; it’s that the people doing the jobs have. Historically, low-wage work tended to be done either by the young or by women looking for part-time jobs to supplement family income. As the historian Bethany Moreton has shown, Walmart in its early days sought explicitly to hire underemployed married women. Fast-food workforces, meanwhile, were dominated by teen-agers. Now, though, plenty of family breadwinners are stuck in these jobs. That’s because, over the past three decades, the U.S. economy has done a poor job of creating good middle-class jobs; five of the six fastest-growing job categories today pay less than the median wage. That’s why, as a recent study by the economists John Schmitt and Janelle Jones has shown, low-wage workers are older and better educated than ever. More important, more of them are relying on their paychecks not for pin money or to pay for Friday-night dates but, rather, to support families. Forty years ago, there was no expectation that fast-food or discount-retail jobs would provide a living wage, because these were not jobs that, in the main, adult heads of household did. Today, low-wage workers provide forty-six per cent of their family’s income. It is that change which is driving the demand for higher pay.

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Chinese firm paid insider 'to kill my company,' American CEO says

http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/06/19566531-chinese-firm-paid-insider-to-kill-my-company-american-ceo-says?lite

By Carl Sears and Michael Isikoff
NBC News
Aug. 6, 2013

A Chinese energy firm offered big money and access to women to entice an engineer at a U.S. company to launch a cyber raid on his employer, stealing sensitive computer codes and “thereby cheating (the firm) … out of more than $800 million,” according to newly unsealed court documents and internal messages and emails obtained by NBC News.

Federal prosecutors call the alleged cyber theft from American Superconductor (AMSC) in Devens, Mass., one of the most brazen cases yet of Chinese economic espionage in the United States. The techniques the Chinese used to rob the company of three quarters of its revenue, half its workforce, and more than $1 billion in market value were straight out of a “spy novel,” the firm's CEO said in an interview with NBC News.

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The Chinese firm enticed Karabesic to download American Superconductor’s encrypted source codes onto a thumb drive and then send them by email to Sinovel executives in China, according to prosecutors. As inducements, the emails and Skype messages show, it offered Karabasevic a $1.7 million contract, an apartment in Beijing and access to women -- as well as payments wired into the bank account of a girlfriend who was a Vietnamese flight attendant.

"All girls need money. I need girls. Sinovel needs me," read one of Karabasevic’s messages to a Sinovel executive in China.

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The Great Recession made some moms scream at their kids more

http://www.today.com/money/great-recession-made-some-moms-scream-their-kids-more-6C10848933

Allison Linn
Aug. 5, 2013

Here’s another downside to the Great Recession: It made some moms parent their children more harshly.

A research paper released Monday found that some moms reacted to the recession that ran from 2007 to 2009 by yelling at their kids more, and perhaps even doing more physically aggressive things like grabbing or spanking their children.

The harsher responses weren't just among moms who had lost a job or otherwise been personally hit by the recession. Instead, the researchers found that these moms became harsher parents once the general economy started to deteriorate, perhaps because it made them scared that something bad could happen to them.

“It’s the change in the rate of unemployment - the fear of unemployment - that stimulated the harsh parenting,” said Irwin Garfinkel, a professor on contemporary urban problems in the Columbia University’s School of Social Work, and one of the study’s authors.

The silver lining: Those same moms were actually better parents after the economy improved.

“These mothers, while they do worse in poor environments, they do better in good environments,” Garfinkel said.

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This study did not look at dads, so Garfinkel said they don’t know if dads had a similar reaction.

For this finding, the researchers tested whether the moms had a genetic variance that, the researchers believe, makes people generally more sensitive.

It was among the more sensitive moms that Garfinkel said they observed a bigger increase in harsh parenting during the recession, and the subsequent improvement in parenting when the recession improved.

Garfinkel cautions that there also were incidences of harsh parenting among the other moms. But he said that the increase in harsh parenting during the recession was more noticeable among the sensitive moms, who made up about half of those studied.

Nevertheless, he said that even among the more sensitive moms, it was still a minority and most of them weren't harsh parents.

Other research also has shown that moms and dads have a tougher time being good parents when they are having financial problems.

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Stephanie Coontz, a professor of history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and co-chair of the Council on Contemporary Families, said parents who are dealing with chronic stress or economic stress are sometimes more likely to focus on the bad behavior, and not notice the good things their kids or partners do.

“(They) pay attention to the negative and react more strongly to the negative,” said Coontz, who also was not involved in Garfinkel’s research.

Conger said his research has shown that kids in these environments can do worse in school, or have more social and emotional problems.

Still, Coontz said those effects could be mitigated if the stress doesn’t last very long.

“Kids are fairly resilient with parents who are distracted for short periods of time, or parent badly for short periods of time,” Coontz said. “If you’re bouncing back within a year or so, it may not have a long-term effect.”

tags: orchid children, sensitive personality

Injuries from teen fighting deal a blow to IQ

Men have larger fluid-filled spaces in their brains, giving more protection from trauma, which men are more prone to incure, eg., from fights, car accidents, etc.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-08/fsu-ift080213.php

Public release date: 2-Aug-2013
Contact: Kevin Beaver
Florida State University

New study explores connection between physical fights, cognitive decline

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new Florida State University study has found that adolescent boys who are hurt in just two physical fights suffer a loss in IQ that is roughly equivalent to missing an entire year of school. Girls experience a similar loss of IQ after only a single fighting-related injury.

The findings are significant because decreases in IQ are associated with lower educational achievement and occupational performance, mental disorders, behavioral problems and even longevity, the researchers said.

"It's no surprise that being severely physically injured results in negative repercussions, but the extent to which such injuries affect intelligence was quite surprising," said Joseph A. Schwartz, a doctoral student who conducted the study with Professor Kevin Beaver in FSU's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Their findings are outlined in the paper, "Serious Fighting-Related Injuries Produce a Significant Reduction in Intelligence," which was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study is among the first to look at the long-term effects of fighting during adolescence, a critical period of neurological development.

About 4 percent of high school students are injured as a result of a physical fight each year, the researchers said.

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Perhaps not surprisingly, boys experienced a higher number of injuries from fighting than girls; however, the consequences for girls were more severe, a fact the researchers attributed to physiological differences that give males an increased ability to withstand physical trauma.

The researchers found that each fighting-related injury resulted in a loss of 1.62 IQ points for boys, while girls lost an average of 3.02 IQ points, even after controlling for changes in socio-economic status, age and race for both genders. Previous studies have indicated that missing a single year of school is associated with a loss of 2 to 4 IQ points.

The impact on IQ may be even greater when considering only head injuries, the researchers said. The data they studied took into account all fighting-related physical injuries.

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‘Frack Gag’ Bans Children From Talking About Fracking, Forever

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/08/02/2401591/frack-gag-for-kids/

By Andrew Breiner on August 2, 2013

When drilling company Range Resources offered the Hallowich family a $750,000 settlement to relocate from their fracking-polluted home in Washington County, Pennsylvania, it came with a common restriction. Chris and Stephanie Hallowich would be forbidden from ever speaking about fracking or the Marcellus Shale. But one element of the gag order was all new. The Hallowichs’ two young children, ages 7 and 10, would be subject to the same restrictions, banned from speaking about their family’s experience for the rest of their lives.

The Hallowich family’s gag order is only the most extreme example of a tactic that critics say effectively silences anyone hurt by fracking. It’s a choice between receiving compensation for damage done to one’s health and property, or publicizing the abuses that caused the harm. Virtually no one can forgo compensation, so their stories go untold.

Bruce Baizel, Energy Program Director at Earthworks, an environmental group focusing on mineral and energy development, said in a phone interview that the companies’ motives are clear. “The refrain in the industry is, this is a safe process. There’s no record of contamination. That whole claim would be undermined if these things were public.” There have been attempts to measure the number of settlements with non-disclosure agreements, Baizel said, but to no avail. “They don’t have to be registered, they don’t have to be filed. It’s kind of a black hole.”

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It’s not the only time gas exploration companies have gone to great lengths to keep the health problems caused by fracking under wraps. A 2012 Pennsylvania law requires companies to tell doctors the chemical contents of fracking fluids, so long as doctors don’t reveal that information, even to patients they are treating for fracking-related illness.

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Wary of the bad press for putting a lifetime gag order on two minors, Pizzarella told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “we don’t believe the [Hallowich] settlement applies to children.” This, despite ready availability of the settlement transcript, in which the company’s lawyer states “I guess our position is it does apply to the whole family. We would certainly enforce it.”

Vallari, the Hallowichs’ attorney, doesn’t buy Pizzarella’s retraction via press. “Their lawyers insisted on that language, and they said they wanted it enforced,” he said when reached by phone. “Until they write me a letter or sign a stipulation saying [it doesn't apply to the children], I don’t believe it.” Pizzarella did not respond to requests for interview.

Wilson, the organizer, said that even beyond making political action more difficult, gag orders are causing people direct harm. “When you get a settlement and get gagged, you can’t warn your neighbors,” she said. “Then your neighbors drink the very same water, and have health issues that are probably permanent.”

Climate change may increase violence, study shows

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/us/climate-change-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
updated 6:41 AM EDT, Fri August 2, 2013

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When the temperature rises, so does aggression -- and that can lead to large-scale consequences, considering that climate change is turning up the heat over the entire planet.

A new study in the journal Science shows that shifts in climate historically have been associated with violent conflicts, among both individuals and groups, and that current warming patterns could significantly increase the abundance of human conflict by midcentury.

Researchers' meta-analysis of 60 studies suggest that, consistent with links between conflict and climate shifts in the past, the risk of intergroup conflict around much of the planet would be amplified by 50% in 2050.

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Studies both in laboratory settings and of "natural" human situations have found a connection between heat and violence (PDF), the study said. Higher temperatures have been linked to both innocuous hostile behaviors, such as horn-honking while driving, and more serious behaviors such as domestic violence within households, assault and rape. Police officers are also more likely to use force at higher temperatures, studies have found.

Conflict is also associated with extreme rainfall, particularly in societies dependent on agriculture. Higher rates of personal violence are found in low-income settings, where agriculture income suffers from extremely wet or dry conditions.

The Mayan civilization appears to have collapsed during long periods of drought, Hsiang said. The same global climate event seems to have brought down the Tang dynasty in China -- in fact, according to Hsiang, most Chinese dynasties collapsed during dry spells.

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Shifts in temperature and rainfall influence economic productivity and food prices, which may influence discontent and therefore riots. Climate changes can force the displacement of population, or urbanization, which may lead to clashes over resources.

There's also the mental and physical responses to rising temperatures, which need further scientific investigation. "For instance, climatic events may alter individuals' ability to reason and correctly interpret events, possibly leading to conflicts triggered by misunderstandings," the authors wrote.

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"Military, security, and intelligence analysts are now engaged with the issue, and there's a great deal of thought now being given to the long-term security implications of climate change," Homer-Dixon wrote in an e-mail. "There's very little skepticism within these circles about the reality of climate change, nor about the potential risk climate change poses to national and international security."

The scientific community agrees that human activity -- namely burning coal, oil and natural gas -- has been driving a rapid rise of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This is analogous to turning the dial up on an electric blanket, says Jim Butler, a senior scientist at NOAA; it takes a little while to warm up, and even if we stop emitting carbon dioxide, temperatures would still rise for a decade or two.

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Fish die as Alaska temperatures continue to break records

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/02/us-usa-heatwave-alaska-idUSBRE97118020130802

By Yereth Rosen
ANCHORAGE, Alaska | Fri Aug 2, 2013

Overheated water has been blamed for large die-offs of hatchery trout and salmon stocks in at least two parts of the state as hot, dry weather has set in, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Hundreds of grayling and rainbow trout died in June after being placed in a Fairbanks lake, the department reported. An unusually cold spring caused lake ice to linger much longer than normal, before the water quickly became too warm, department biologist April Behr said.

Surface temperatures in the lake rose to about 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius), she said. The precise number of dead fish was not yet known. "We picked up several hundred," she said.

A similar incident occurred in mid-July at the Crystal Lake Hatchery south of Petersburg in southeast Alaska.

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Heavy Cell Phone Use Linked to Oxidative Stress

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130729133531.htm

July 29, 2013 — Scientists have long been worried about the possible harmful effects of regular cellular phone use, but studies so far have been largely inconclusive. Currently, radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those produced by cell phones, are classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A new Tel Aviv University study, though, may bring bad news.

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Comparing heavy mobile phone users to non-users, they found that the saliva of heavy users showed indications of higher oxidative stress -- a process that damages all aspects of a human cell, including DNA -- through the development of toxic peroxide and free radicals. More importantly, it is considered a major risk factor for cancer.

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'Evolution Will Punish You If You're Selfish and Mean' - updated comment 8/6/2013

I long ago concluded that at least part of the reason large societies tend to disintegrate after a few hundred years is that they enable psychopaths and other takers to proliferate, because once people around them catch on to them, they can move elsewhere. But they depend for their survival on the givers, so when the takers become to large a proportion of society, it cannot survive.

8/6/2013 I realized later that my comment would probably be misunderstood by many. By the takers, I am talking most about people like the executives of drug companies who hide the results of tests that show some of their products are not effective, or are even harmful. Like the people who get ahead by sabotaging their more capable co-workers, and taking credit for others work. By the owners of companies who cheat their workers of their wages.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130801095509.htm

Aug. 1, 2013 — Two Michigan State University evolutionary biologists offer new evidence that evolution doesn't favor the selfish, disproving a theory popularized in 2012.

We found evolution will punish you if you're selfish and mean," said lead author Christoph Adami, MSU professor of microbiology and molecular genetics. "For a short time and against a specific set of opponents, some selfish organisms may come out ahead. But selfishness isn't evolutionarily sustainable."

The paper appears in the current issue of Nature Communications and focuses on game theory, which is used in biology, economics, political science and other disciplines. Much of the last 30 years of research has focused on how cooperation came to be, since it's found in many forms of life, from single-cell organisms to people.

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Salt May Spur Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune Disease

There are probably multiple factors working together leading to the development of these diseases. Since most people get way too much salt, it probably wouldn't hurt to try reducing salt intake to see if it would help a person with such a disease.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780480

Pauline Anderson
Mar 08, 2013

Salt may be a missing link that might explain what's triggering the recent marked increase in the incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, new research suggests.

As the numbers of new MS cases have risen steadily over the past half century, the diet in western developed countries has included ever-increasing amounts of salt. Although no study has found a direct link between high salt intake and increased incidence of MS, an earlier study by researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg suggested that excessive salt uptake can affect immune system activity.

Now, 3 new studies published online March 6 in Nature provide more evidence of a causative role for salt in MS.

"It's another reason to encourage patients to follow a healthy lifestyle, including a diet that's low in salt," said Bruce Bebo Jr, PhD, associate vice president of discovery research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, New York. "From a practical point of view, it's more evidence that there may be additional benefits to reducing salt in the diet."

He stressed, however, that the research is preliminary and "by no means proof" that salt is involved in MS. Numerous other environmental and genetic factors probably play a role, he said.

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Breastfeeding Duration Appears Associated With Intelligence Later in Life

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130729231601.htm

July 29, 2013 — Breastfeeding longer is associated with better receptive language at 3 years of age and verbal and nonverbal intelligence at age 7 years, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

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"However, the problem currently is not so much that most women do not initiate breastfeeding, it is that they do not sustain it. In the United States about 70 percent of women overall initiate breastfeeding, although only 50 percent of African American women do. However, by six months, only 35 percent and 20 percent, respectively, are still breastfeeding," Christakis continues.

"Furthermore, workplaces need to provide opportunities and spaces for mothers to use them. Fourth, breastfeeding in public should be destigmatized. Clever social media campaigns and high-quality public service announcements might help with that. As with lead, some of these actions may require legislative action either at the federal or state level. Let's allow our children's cognitive function be the force that tilts the scale, and let's get on with it," Christakis concludes.

Exercise May Be the Best Medicine for Alzheimer's Disease

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130730123249.htm

July 30, 2013 — New research out of the University of Maryland School of Public Health shows that exercise may improve cognitive function in those at risk for Alzheimer's by improving the efficiency of brain activity associated with memory. Memory loss leading to Alzheimer's disease is one of the greatest fears among older Americans. While some memory loss is normal and to be expected as we age, a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, signals more substantial memory loss and a greater risk for Alzheimer's, for which there currently is no cure.

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The good news is that these results were achieved with a dose of exercise consistent with the physical activity recommendations for older adults. These guidelines urge moderate intensity exercise (activity that increases your heart rate and makes you sweat, but isn't so strenuous that you can't hold a conversation while doing it) on most days for a weekly total of 150 minutes.

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Sensitive Parenting Can Boost Premature Children's School Performance

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130731104140.htm

July 31, 2013 — Sensitive parenting helps protect against the negative effects of being born prematurely on children's school success, a new study has found.

Children born prematurely are at risk of a variety of neurological impairments which can mean they are more likely to need special educational support when they reach school age.

But a new study led by the University of Warwick shows that parents of very preterm and very low birthweight (VP/VLBW) children can increase their child's academic achievement through sensitive and cognitively stimulating parenting.

Researchers looked at parenting styles of parents of children aged 6 to see what effect they had on those children's school success when they reached the age of 13.

The study found that highly sensitive parenting at age 6 boosted the academic performance of VP/VLBW children when they reached 13 to levels similar to full-term children. A parallel increase was not seen for full-term children.

However, the results also showed that more cognitively stimulating early home environments benefit all children's long-term school success, regardless of whether they were premature or not.

Professor Dieter Wolke of University of Warwick said: "By sensitive parenting, we mean adapting one's parenting to the individual child's behaviour and responses, while clearly remaining the more competent partner and setting age appropriate limits."

"So for example providing gentle feedback and suggesting potential solutions rather than taking over and solving the tasks for the child. [I suggest also asking gentle questions which lead children to figure out the solution for themselves.]

"Cognitively stimulating parenting is where parents include activities designed to get children thinking such as reading to them or doing puzzles together.

"We found that both these styles of parenting have a positive effect in increasing school performance, with sensitive parenting particularly effective at closing the gap in achievement between preterm and low birth-weight children and their full-term counterparts."

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Extreme Wildfires in Western U.S. Likely Fueled by Climate Change

Not surprising, but it is helpful to be reminded that we all need to put some effort into not being wasteful. Eg., turning off your computer at the end of the day takes negligible effort, and is something you can do to help.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130801113148.htm

Aug. 1, 2013 — Climate change is likely fueling the larger and more destructive wildfires that are scorching vast areas of the American West, according to new research led by Michigan State University scientists.

These erratic fires are harder to contain and often result in catastrophic damage and loss of property and life. Although not analyzed in the study, the recent Arizona wildfire that began with a lightning strike and killed 19 firefighters appeared to be such an unpredictable, fast-spreading blaze, according to a state report.

The MSU-led study, which appears in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, predicts the trend will continue in the western United States.

"Our findings suggest that future lower atmospheric conditions may favor larger and more extreme wildfires, posing an additional challenge to fire and forest management," said Lifeng Luo, MSU assistant professor of geography and lead author on the study.

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Climate Change Occurring Ten Times Faster Than at Any Time in Past 65 Million Years

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130801142420.htm

Aug. 1, 2013 — The planet is undergoing one of the largest changes in climate since the dinosaurs went extinct. But what might be even more troubling for humans, plants and animals is the speed of the change. Stanford climate scientists warn that the likely rate of change over the next century will be at least 10 times quicker than any climate shift in the past 65 million years.

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Although some of the changes the planet will experience in the next few decades are already "baked into the system," how different the climate looks at the end of the 21st century will depend largely on how humans respond.

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"There are two key differences for ecosystems in the coming decades compared with the geologic past," Diffenbaugh said. "One is the rapid pace of modern climate change. The other is that today there are multiple human stressors that were not present 55 million years ago, such as urbanization and air and water pollution."

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For example, the researchers note that, with continued emissions of greenhouse gases at the high end of the scenarios, annual temperatures over North America, Europe and East Asia will increase 2-4 degrees C by 2046-2065. With that amount of warming, the hottest summer of the last 20 years is expected to occur every other year, or even more frequently.

By the end of the century, should the current emissions of greenhouse gases remain unchecked, temperatures over the northern hemisphere will tip 5-6 degrees C warmer than today's averages. In this case, the hottest summer of the last 20 years becomes the new annual norm.

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Some climate changes will be unavoidable, because humans have already emitted greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the atmosphere and oceans have already been heated.

"There is already some inertia in place," Diffenbaugh said. "If every new power plant or factory in the world produced zero emissions, we'd still see impact from the existing infrastructure, and from gases already released."

The more dramatic changes that could occur by the end of the century, however, are not written in stone. There are many human variables at play that could slow the pace and magnitude of change -- or accelerate it.

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Failing to live

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.”

― J.K. Rowling

Huge methane belch in Arctic could cost $60 trillion

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23923-huge-methane-belch-in-arctic-could-cost-60-trillion.html

24 July 2013 by Fred Pearce

A sudden methane burp in the Arctic could set the world back a colossal $60 trillion.

Billions of tonnes of the greenhouse gas methane are trapped just below the surface of the East Siberian Arctic shelf. Melting means the area is poised to deliver a giant gaseous belch at any moment  - one that could bring global warming forward 35 years and cost the equivalent of almost a year's global GDP.

These are the conclusions of the first systematic analysis of the economic cost of Arctic melting, which delivers a sobering antidote to other, more upbeat assessments that say melting in this area would improve access to minerals on the ocean bed, increase fishing and create ice-free shipping lanes.

Previous work has estimated that more than a trillion tonnes of methane lie under the shelf, trapped inside lattices of ice known as hydrates, at depths as shallow as 20 metres. Concern about a possible eruption has grown since 2010, when research cruises over the shelf by Natalia Shakhova and Igor Semiletov, both now at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, found plumes of methane as much as a kilometre wide bubbling to the surface.

The pair calculated that a release of 50 billion tonnes would be possible within a decade, through known areas of melting and geological faults. Since methane is a greenhouse gas 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide, such a scenario would trigger a "climate catastrophe", they say, increasing the methane content of the planet's atmosphere twelve-fold, and raising temperatures by 1.3 ˚C (2.3 ˚F).

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"The global impact of a warming Arctic is an economic time bomb," says Whiteman. A release of 50 billion tonnes of methane would bring forward by 15 to 35 years the date at which global temperature rise exceeds 2 ˚C above pre-industrial levels, the model shows, with most of the damage in the poorer parts of Africa, Asia and South America. The largest costs envisaged include loss of crops to heat and drought, coping with sea level rise and worsening tropical storms.

So how likely is a giant belch? An abrupt release of 50 billion tonnes is "highly possible at any time", Shakhova says.

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ournal reference: Nature, vol 499, p 401

Meditation boosts genes that promote good health

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21829164.400-meditation-boosts-genes-that-promote-good-health.html

08 May 2013 by Andy Coghlan

FEELING run-down? Try a little chanting, or meditation – yes, really. Such relaxation techniques can boost the activity of genes that promote good health, and a few minutes each day is enough to show results.

"It's not New Age nonsense," says Herbert Benson of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He and his colleagues analysed the whole genomes of 26 volunteers – none of whom regularly meditates – before teaching them a relaxation routine lasting 10 to 20 minutes. It included reciting words, breathing exercises and emptying the mind.

After eight weeks of performing the routine daily, gene analysis was repeated. Clusters of beneficial genes had become more active and harmful ones less so (PLoS One, doi.org/mfj).

The boosted genes had three main effects: improving cellular energy efficiency; upping insulin production, which improves control of blood sugar; and preventing the breakdown of caps on chromosomes that help prevent cells wearing out and ageing.

Clusters of genes that became less active were those involved in chronic inflammation, which can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

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Class system? When it comes to school aid, rich have the edge

http://www.today.com/money/class-system-when-it-comes-school-aid-rich-have-edge-6C10798468

Kelley Holland CNBC
July 31, 2013

College students have a better chance of getting financial aid if they come from affluent backgrounds than if they are lower on the income scale, some new studies show.

There is growing evidence that colleges may be offering more scholarship money to wealthy students and less to those truly in need, and by doing so are perhaps closing a door to advancement for many families.

A new study by Sallie Mae found that 36 percent of students from wealthy families received scholarships averaging $10,213 for the school year just ended, while 35 percent of students from families earning less than $35,000 a year received scholarships worth an average of $7,237.

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Grants and scholarships covered 37 percent of low income students' college costs in the 2012-2013 school year, down from 42 percent in 2008-2009, according to Sallie Mae. But middle income students increased the share of funding they got from grants and scholarships, and use of grants and scholarships by wealthy students was essentially unchanged.

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Bagged salad caused parasite outbreak, states say

Good idea to wash any raw food, even that which is pre-washed and packaged.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/bagged-salad-caused-parasite-outbreak-iowa-officials-say-6C10798947

JoNel Aleccia NBC News
July 30, 2013

Health officials in Iowa and Nebraska on Tuesday tagged prepackaged salad mix as the source for an outbreak of parasite-borne food poisoning in those states even as federal officials worked to see if the conclusion applies elsewhere as well.

Iowa's top food inspector, Steven Mandernach, said that bagged salad was behind the cyclospora outbreak that has sickened at least 143 people in that state and another 78 in Nebraska. Overall, at least 372 people in 15 states have been sickened by the rare parasite since June.

"The evidence points to a salad mix containing iceberg and romaine lettuce, as well as carrots and red cabbage as the source of the outbreak reported in Iowa and Nebraska," said Mandernach, chief of the Food and Consumer Safety Bureau of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. "Iowans should continue eating salads as the implicated prepackaged mix is no longer in the state's food supply chain."

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