Are you finally ready for some good news about the recession? As it turns out, a shaky economy might actually be good for your health.
Green Tip | Disposing of Expired or Unused Prescription Drugs
I was cleaning out my medicine cabinet and found a lot of old expired drugs. Since none were resellable (just kidding), I wondered what to do with them. My first instinct was to flush them, but according to the California Integrated Waste Management Board:
The U.S. Geological Survey in 2002 sampled streams in 30 states. Of the 139 streams tested, 80 percent had measurable concentrations of prescription and nonprescription drugs, steroids, and reproductive hormones.
Exposure to even low levels of drugs has negative effects on fish and other aquatic species, and also may negatively affect human health.
The best way to get rid of old medications is to take them to a pick up center that can take household hazardous waste. If you live in California, this link will help you find the location closest to you.
If you live too far from a collection point, the Board of Pharmacy has this little ditty called, ‘Don’t Flush Meds’ for you do-it-yourselfers out there.
Want to Improve Democracy? Try Design Thinking | Fast Company
Better ballot design could have changed the results of the 2000 election. A better design for information sharing might have prevented 9/11. Now, could design thinking help fix something fundamentally broken in American democracy: how we engage in national debate?
Whether the topic is climate change, financial regulation, or health care reform, when asked to “discuss amongst ourselves,” the conversation devolves into who can shout the loudest, hurl the nastiest epithets, or pervert the facts to fit their own agendas. Can this process be saved?
How Generous Are We? | FAIR
A Facebook post that got overheated about the U.S. being the most generous nation in the world got my interest and I decided to check it out for myself.
It turns out we’re second to last, just before Italy, in our aid to other countries. Japan, Germany and France all provide a much bigger share of their GDP to countries in need. Worse yet, many of the dollars that get counted are pledges and not actual cash. Remember George Bush’s pledge to provide $15BN to African countries to fight AIDS? It’s like that.
The biggest recipient of foreign aid is Israel at 12% or our aid budget. Most of this are subsidies for weapons systems. I’m not anti-Israel, so hold up on the hate mail, but Israel is literally the only place on earth where you can find venture capital, so I don’t think they’re hurting financially.
Also, most people don’t realize that most foreign aid is provided in the form of loans:
Many aid recipients in the developing world are burdened by debt payments to the wealthy nations and institutions, often for loans taken out decades earlier by dictatorial regimes that squandered the money. While the developing world receives about $80 billion in aid each year, it pays the developed world about $200 billion; it is still uncertain how much of that will be relieved.
This article is a real eye opener.
PG&E quitting U.S. Chamber over climate change views | Reuters
“Off the Deep End: A Look at the Decline of Dubai” Slideshow | Fast Company
We have several friends who have traveled extensively to Dubai over the last decade. They would come back with stories about luxury taken to the extreme. I have followed the construction of the Burg Dubai, the largest structure on earth at over 2,000 feet in height, with interest.
All of us had the same question: This can’t go on forever, can it?
This looks like part of the answer.
Microsoft’s Courier And Norhtec’s Tablet: The Impossible And The Possible? | Technomix | Fast Company
I WANT THIS.
29 Ways to Collect Email Addresses for Your Business | Vertical Response
Need more people? Here’s a great practical article on finding new people for your e-mail database.
Inside the Apocalyptic Soviet Doomsday Machine | Wired
Please read this. This article is a prime example of why no government is to be trusted.
And you thought Dr. Strangelove was a satire.
Thiel’s Deals – Now a Blog! | Paul Thiel, Area 9 Magazine
Our friend Paul Thiel, publisher of Area 9 magazine, publishes a deal compilation on his blog.
Click Here to check out the deal flow.
