Arnaud Rousseau, a sixth-generation farmer in France, in a field of rapeseed. Twenty years ago, Europe largely rejected genetic modification at the same time the United States and Canada were embracing it.
Credit: Ed Alcock/The New York Times
LONDON — The controversy over genetically modified crops has long focused on largely unsubstantiated fears that they are unsafe to eat.
But an extensive examination by The New York Times indicates that the debate has missed a more basic problem — genetic modification in the United States and Canada has not accelerated increases in crop yields or led to an overall reduction in the use of chemical Read the Full Article
This March 21, 2016 file photo shows the Flint Water Plant water tower in Flint, Mich. After months of national attention on lead-tainted drinking water in Flint, many are starting to ask questions about a 74-mile pipeline being built from Lake Huron to the struggling former auto manufacturing powerhouse. The $285 million project is rooted in political ambitions and long-simmering resentment toward Detroit, which for decades had near-total control of the city’s water rates.
Credit: AP/Paul Sancya/Carlos Osorio/Brennan Linsley
People across the country have turned to the local ballot initiative process — by which citizens write, […]
Credit: Kelly Caminero/The Daily Beast
The Vatican has announced that Catholics may be cremated, but are unable to keep the ashes of loved ones in urns at home. The new guidelines, produced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, stipulate that cremated remains (cremains to the word-play lovers among us) should be kept in a “sacred place,” most usually a cemetery. The scattering of ashes at sea, in woodland groves, or in volcanoes is now strictly prohibited. Cremation is not anti-Christian, and funerary rites are not to be withheld from those who are cremated, but in general burial is much to be preferred.
This comes as news to the billions of Catholics who thought that cremation was acceptable because the Vatican explicitly said as much in 1963. If cremation was already permissible, why have they issued guidelines?
Skeptics note that this is really all about the money. The funeral industry is big business, and perhaps the Vatican wants a greater slice of the […]
Republican senator Marco Rubio
Credit: Think Progress
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) reinforced his support for fossil fuels and his opposition to slashing carbon emissions, saying climate policy will hurt jobs, as he faced Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy in a debate Monday.
Asked about sea level rise now affecting Florida, Rubio, a longtime climate denier, said he supports mitigation efforts but opposes laws that aim to cut carbon emissions.
“If in fact sea levels are rising… we should spend money to mitigate that,” he said, but added that “as a policy maker, you have to show me whether the laws you want me to pass will actually impact the issue that you are raising. I have people that come to me and say: we want you to pass these laws on carbon emissions, and I ask them, well how many inches of sea rise will it prevent?”
Credit: Yoga Journal
As mindfulness meditation and yoga have become mainstream and more extensively studied, growing evidence suggests multiple psychological and physical benefits of these mindfulness exercises, as well as for similar practices like tai chi and qi gong.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses analyzing hundreds of research studies suggest that mindfulness-based interventions help decrease anxiety, depression, stress, and pain, and help improve general health, mental health, and quality of life. These practices also appear to reduce inflammation and increase immune response.
You say vacation, I say meditation…
As much as this intuitively makes sense, I’ve often wondered if simple rest and relaxation could be just as good for you. The few studies conducted suggest that vacation does result in real, albeit temporary, positive effects on health and well-being.
So when the editors at Harvard Health Publications suggested I take a look at a recent study comparing a mindfulness meditation and yoga retreat to regular vacation in terms of mental health as well as physical […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
