The end of trans fats could be a really good thing

This news just broke. Essentially, the FDA is taking steps to eliminate trans fats from food supply, claiming they are no longer “generally recognized as safe.” If this all works out, foods with partially-hydrogenated oils (the major dietary source of trans… Continue Reading

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Is Scandinavia that great, or are there causes for concern?

Worldwide surveys consistently rank Scandinavia as one of the best places to live on Earth. Here’s one prominent example.  I’ve been obsessed with the area for a few years now; I have a background in education (was a teacher for a… Continue Reading

What exactly is the deal with daylight savings time?

Yep, that happens this weekend. I can still remember my mom teaching me how to remember it: spring ahead, fall back. I got it, but I had no idea why, what the purpose was, what it could possibly accomplish, and I… Continue Reading

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Our three options with the oceans might come down to ‘migration, adaptation or extinction’

This article is from August 2013. This one is from yesterday. (In more positive news, this is also from yesterday, and puts a lot of the ocean warming discussion into proper context — namely, that the newest studies provide incrementally rich data,… Continue Reading

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El Chapo should probably be listed among the most powerful people in the world

Here is Forbes’ list of the 100 most powerful people in the world; the big news here is that Putin unseated Obama at No. 1. That shouldn’t really be big news: Russia is about to be at the forefront of… Continue Reading

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Well hot damn, the 2014 Sochi Olympics are in 100 days. Um, should we be worried?

Russia’s about to welcome the world to Sochi, beginning a stretch somewhat akin to Brazil’s current stretch: in addition to these Winter Olympics, Sochi is hosting the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2014 until at least 2020, and is… Continue Reading

What exactly happened in Tiananmen Square?

This is going to be a hard one to figure out, because the censors are swooping in, but to recap, a Jeep plowed into the area and killed five (injured 38) in the process. It’s believed that the suspects are… Continue Reading

The Heinz-McDonald’s breakup probably isn’t that big of a deal, and has more to do with Brazil

Breathlessly, The Huffington Post called it “the divorce of the century.” But in reality, McDonald’s and Heinz have been through this dance before — notably in 1973, when a tomato shortage caused Heinz to focus less on their bulk fast-food accounts. After that,… Continue Reading