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Wednesday, April 6, 2016
April events at Mystic Aquarium
Tool in the fight against insomnia
Purdue University
Overweight and obese adults who
are losing weight with a high-protein diet are more likely to sleep better,
according to new research from Purdue University.
"Most research looks at the effects of sleep on diet
and weight control, and our research flipped that question to ask what are the
effects of weight loss and diet -- specifically the amount of protein -- on
sleep," said Wayne Campbell, a professor of nutrition science.
Understanding what happened in Rhode Island during the Great Recession
A look at the hard data could sharpen the narrative about the
state's slow comeback.
By
Mary A. Burke and Austin J. Drukker, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in Communities and Banking
Rhode Island was among the states hit hardest during the Great Recession. Payroll fell 8 percent, the largest decline among the New England states and larger than the nationwide decline of 6 percent.
Rhode Island’s unemployment rate reached
an alarmingly high peak of 11.3 percent in June 2009, and for an extended
period (October 2013 to June 2014), the jobless rate was the highest in the
nation. (See "Unemployment Rates in New England States.")
Although
Rhode Island’s unemployment rate has since fallen considerably and is no longer
the highest in the nation, the state has yet to fully regain the jobs it lost
in the recession.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
The joke’s on America – he doesn’t WANT to be President
Donald Trump Is Beginning His Exit Strategy
In
fact, he never wanted to be president.
His entire campaign has been a long con
and a ruse to strengthen his brand and feed his ego.
Last week, Stephanie Cegielski, a strategist for the Make
America Great Again super PAC published an open letter to Trump supporters on
the website xoJane in
which she details the original intent of Trump’s presidential bid:
Almost a year ago, recruited for my public relations and public policy expertise, I sat in Trump Tower being told that the goal was to get The Donald to poll in double digits and come in second in delegate count. That was it. The Trump camp would have been satisfied to see him polling at 12% and taking second place to a candidate who might hold 50%. His candidacy was a protest candidacy.
Cegielski then goes on to describe the events and circumstances
that unfolded, surprising everyone:
But
something surprising and absolutely unexpected happened.
Every other candidate
misestimated the anger and outrage of the “silent majority” of Americans who
are not a part of the liberal elite. So with each statement came a jump in
the polls. Just when I thought we were finished, The Donald gained more
popularity.
Somewhere in the middle of the letter she gets to the brass
tacks:
You can give Trump the biggest gift possible if you are a Trump supporter: stop supporting him.
He doesn’t want the White House. He just wants to be able to say that he could have run the White House. He’s achieved that already and then some. If there is any question, take it from someone who was recruited to help the candidate succeed, and initially very much wanted him to do so.
I’m sorry, could you repeat that?
Association for Psychological Science
Mind wandering--sometimes seen as daydreaming or "zoning
out"--has been shown to facilitate creative thinking and problem solving,
but in the wrong context it can become distracting or even dangerous.
Inattentive students can get behind in class, and drivers who aren't paying
attention to the road are far more likely to end up in accidents.
And for some
professions, like surgeons or air traffic controllers, zoning out on the job
can lead to disaster.
Coffee and your butt
University of Southern California - Health Sciences
Whether you like your coffee black, decaf, half-caff or even instant, feel free to drink up. Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center of Keck Medicine of USC have found that coffee consumption decreases the risk of colorectal cancer.
The study examined over 5,100 men and women who had been
diagnosed with colorectal cancer within the past six months, along with an
additional 4,000 men and women with no history of colorectal cancer to serve as
a control group.
Participants reported their daily consumption of boiled
(espresso), instant, decaffeinated and filtered coffee, as well as their total
consumption of other liquids.
A questionnaire also gathered information about
many other factors that influence the risk of colorectal cancer, including
family history of cancer, diet, physical activity and smoking.
"We found that drinking coffee is associated with lower
risk of colorectal cancer, and the more coffee consumed, the lower the
risk," said Stephen Gruber, MD, PhD, MPH, director of the USC Norris
Comprehensive Cancer Center and senior author of the study.
American business leaders WANT progressive policies
By
Mary Bottari in PR Watch
Yet, the fact that these top
executives have empathy for their workers is a major take away from a
closed-door webinar about a new poll taken by LuntzGlobal, the
polling firm of prominent GOP pollster Frank Luntz.
The polled executives want to raise
the wage, expand paid sick and maternity leave, and support predictive
scheduling. Their desire to "keep health care costs low for American
families" far outstrips their opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
CMD was provided with a copy of the
poll which was shared with business lobbyists, who were instructed on how
to manipulate the public debate over those policies rather than
implement the views of the business executives who were polled.
Below are
some of the surprising highlights of the full poll, which you can access
here. New materials about this are available here.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Can you handle the truth?
8 Right-Wing Abortion Myths Debunked
The recent anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling,
Roe v Wade, brought with it a renewed debate about an age-old controversial
subject.
It actually made me wonder if perhaps the true take-away from the legalization of abortion isn’t a permanent ideological divide in this country.
It actually made me wonder if perhaps the true take-away from the legalization of abortion isn’t a permanent ideological divide in this country.
Most people feel very strongly on one side or the other, and
often it seems that no amount of discussion is going to persuade them to the
opposing viewpoint.
My intention in writing this piece
is not to convince you to believe as I do, that a woman has a right to choose,
but instead to point out some actual facts and debunk some of the more common
myths.
I think that even if you
are staunchly pro-choice, you will find a lot of this surprising. I’ve tried to
use the most persuasive arguments (myths) that I hear from the pro-lifers, and
then show what the research and facts say about them.
Trump handlers handle Trump’s worst week
By Oliver Willis·
An internal memo leaked from Donald Trump’s campaign to the national press shows that his cultish campaign team is not dealing well with the campaign’s most recent round of negative press.
The memo was leaked to the Washington Post from a Republican operative in touch with Trump’s inner circle.
Entitled “Digging through the Bull [expletive],” Bennett’s memo urged Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski — who was charged with battery last week for yanking a reporter — and others to ignore critics who have questioned whether Trump’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination has waned.
“America is sick of them. Their idiotic attacks just remind voters why they hate the Washington Establishment,” Bennett wrote, citing tracking poll data favorable to Trump.“Donald Trump 1,” Bennett declared, as if he was scoring the past week. “Washington Establishment/Media 0.”
By nature, most campaigns devolve into a bunker mentality, but
this document reads more like a personal letter to Donald Trump to buck up
after a disastrous week.
Continue reading to see the entire memo....
Retirement is good for your health
University of Sydney
A landmark study led by University of Sydney has found that people become more active, sleep better and reduce their sitting time when they retire.
Published in the American Journal of Preventative
Medicine, the study followed the lifestyle behaviours of 25,000 older
Australians including physical activity, diet, sedentary behaviour, alcohol use
and sleep patterns.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
No more stalling. No more diversions
It’s Time To Vote On Marijuana Legalization
By Beth Comery in the Providence Daily Dose
A new idea has bubbled up in the General Assembly regarding marijuana legalization, and that is the possibility of passing a non-binding resolution instead of holding a vote on the Marijuana Regulation, Control, and Taxation Act currently being introduced to the House and the Senate.
Jared Moffat, director of Regulate Rhode Island, wants us to consider what is at stake with this pointless delay.
By Beth Comery in the Providence Daily Dose
A new idea has bubbled up in the General Assembly regarding marijuana legalization, and that is the possibility of passing a non-binding resolution instead of holding a vote on the Marijuana Regulation, Control, and Taxation Act currently being introduced to the House and the Senate.
Jared Moffat, director of Regulate Rhode Island, wants us to consider what is at stake with this pointless delay.
It is certainly encouraging to see top lawmakers talking more and more about the possibility of ending marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island. However, putting a non-binding resolution on the November ballot — as some have suggested — would only delay the inevitable and urgent work the legislature must do to establish a more rational policy.
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