I couldnt sleep after reading that news last night.
They'll soon be with each other in the room of the black ball. Then it's on to bigger and badder things like raptors and vampires.
How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?
Laura Blue from Time.com Wrote:Sleep is one of the richest topics in science today: why we need it, why it can be hard to get, and how that affects everything from our athletic performance to our income. Daniel Kripke, co-director of research at the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center in La Jolla, Calif., has looked at the most important question of all. In 2002, he compared death rates among more than 1 million American adults who, as part of a study on cancer prevention, reported their average nightly amount of sleep. To many, his results were surprising, but they've since been corroborated by similar studies in Europe and East Asia. Kripke explains.
Q: How much sleep is ideal?
A: Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hr. a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hr. or more, or less than 6.5 hr., they don't live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hr. Sleeping 8.5 hr. might really be a little worse than sleeping 5 hr..
Morbidity [or sickness] is also "U-shaped" in the sense that both very short sleep and very long sleep are associated with many illnesses—with depression, with obesity—and therefore with heart disease—and so forth. But the [ideal amount of sleep] for different health measures isn't all in the same place. Most of the low points are at 7 or 8 hr., but there are some at 6 hr. and even at 9 hr. I think diabetes is lowest in 7-hr. sleepers [for example]. But these measures aren't as clear as the mortality data.
I think we can speculate [about why people who sleep from 6.5 to 7.5 hr. live longer], but we have to admit that we don't really understand the reasons. We don't really know yet what is cause and what is effect. So we don't know if a short sleeper can live longer by extending their sleep, and we don't know if a long sleeper can live longer by setting the alarm clock a bit earlier. We're hoping to organize tests of those questions.
One of the reasons I like to publicize these facts is that I think we can prevent a lot of insomnia and distress just by telling people that short sleep is O.K. We've all been told you ought to sleep 8 hr., but there was never any evidence. A very common problem we see at sleep clinics is people who spend too long in bed. They think they should sleep 8 or 9 hr., so they spend [that amount of time] in bed, with the result that they have trouble falling asleep and wake up a lot during the night. Oddly enough, a lot of the problem [of insomnia] is lying in bed awake, worrying about it. There have been many controlled studies in the U.S., Great Britain and other parts of Europe that show that an insomnia treatment that involves getting out of bed when you're not sleepy and restricting your time in bed actually helps people to sleep more. They get over their fear of the bed. They get over the worry, and become confident that when they go to bed, they will sleep. So spending less time in bed actually makes sleep better. It is in fact a more powerful and effective long-term treatment for insomnia than sleeping pills.
^ Well said and all, but I think the problem there is how many of the people who were surveyed are telling the truth and if certain lifestyle choices cause or are caused by too much or too little sleep. Variables to make a conclusive study on human behavior are next to impossible to come by.
... (standard PolScie answer)
cabs Wrote:Sforza Wrote:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7442327.stm
A man armed with a knife has killed three people and injured at least 17 in central Tokyo, Japanese media say.
The incident occurred in the Akihabara district, a shopping area known as Electric Town that is popular with young people and tourists.
more info
Stabbing Rampage in Akihabara
Its all over the news and newspapers here...
Got an update:
Akihabara regulars pay 'otaku' tribute to stabbing rampage victims
Quote:Regular visitors to Tokyo's Akihabara district are paying tribute to the victims of Sunday's fatal stabbing rampage with anime characters and images, and other products that have gained popularity in the electronics district.
Seven people died in the killing, which took place as people crowded streets in the area. By Sunday evening, a stand for bouquets of flowers had been set up in Akihabara to mourn the victims.
"I'm going to remember them in an 'otaku' way," said a 42-year-old man from Chiba, who laid down an image from the popular anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" and observed a moment of silence. He expressed his anger over the killings.
"As a fellow human, no matter what the circumstances were, I cannot forgive murder," he said.
On Monday, the day after the killings, the weather in Akihabara turned to rain but crowds continued to gather around the bouquet stand. One 23-year-old man from Tokyo's Minato-ku said he came to see events featuring young "idols" in Akihabara every weekend.
"It's a town where people with similar interests can get to know each other, and I love it. The people who died here are my friends," he said tearfully.
By Tuesday, flowers had buried the bouquet stand. A 25-year-old man from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, approached the stand and placed a key ring showing a character from a video game developed by game lovers.
"It's my most precious thing," the 25-year-old said, adding that he was near the scene of the stabbings on Sunday. "It could have been me," he added.
On Thursday evening, a 21-year-old woman working at a maid cafe who said she was on her way home placed a bottle of juice on the bouquet stand.
"I work in Akihabara because I like it. I can't think of this as someone else's problem, and it's sad," she said.
The lighter side of the otaku community.
Kid tries to steal PSP from WWE wrestler, fails.
![[Image: ElijahBurke.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/ElijahBurke.jpg)
Elijah Burke Wrote:I was nearly robbed by a 14-year-old kid on my plane ride home last week. As I boarded the plane, I noticed my row had two guys in it already and I had the window seat, so rather than sitting with them I choose to sit in another row’s middle seat between a woman and kid (of course, first class was full). As I sat down, I took my iPod out of my bag and placed it in the seat rest in front of me and placed my PSP in the seat rest in front of the kid who was snoring like a hound dog. Needless to say, I was so exhausted that I immediately fell asleep and remained asleep until landing. Upon arriving to my destination, I awoke and grabbed my iPod (that I never listened to, btw) and placed it in my bag and then I reached over to the seat rest in front of the kid to grab my PSP only to notice that it was … GONE! Being the highly intelligent sophisticated morally sound human being that I am, I casually looked over to the kid who was sitting to my right, leaned over to him and whispered, “Do you feel lucky, punk? Go ahead, make my day!” Needless to say he immediately took my PSP out of his bag and gave it back to me. The nerve of him. That kid was one Elijah Express away from Neva-Nevadoitagainland! The Black Pope has Spoken!!
Sauce:
his official blog.
In time for MGS4,
someone has created OILIX in real life.
Quote:Apparently someone has gone and created OILIX in real-life. OILIX, of course, was the fictional MacGuffin that initiated the plotline to Metal Gear 2, only to never be mentioned again in any of its sequels; a lab-engineered microorganism designed to poop petroleum as a solution to the world's energy shortages. And now someone's gone and created it, nearly two decades later. Man, if you thought Kojima fanboys were insufferable in singing praises to his visionary genius before....
Sforza Wrote:The Princess and her entourage have returned to the stars.
About that... wasn't there another ship named MV Princess that sank/capsized a few years back due to sailing under a typhoons?
Maybe they should stop using that name. And maybe they should stop allowing ships to set sail in bad weather also. I read GMA was furious with the Coast Guard when she found out about this.
That was MV Princess of the Orient...
Burned at sea I think or was that a different ship...
Too many ship disasters.
MV princess of the orient... hmm...
Louisiana schools conspire to keep students stupid
Quote:As we noted last month, a number of states have been considering laws that, under the guise of "academic freedom," single out evolution for special criticism. Most of them haven't made it out of the state legislatures, and one that did was promptly vetoed. But the last of these bills under consideration, the Louisiana Science Education Act (LSEA), was enacted by the signature of Governor Bobby Jindal yesterday. The bill would allow local school boards to approve supplemental classroom materials specifically for the critique of scientific theories, allowing poorly-informed board members to stick their communities with Dover-sized legal fees.
Related Stories
The text of the LSEA suggests that it's intended to foster critical thinking, calling on the state Board of Education to "assist teachers, principals, and other school administrators to create and foster an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that promotes critical thinking skills, logical analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories." Unfortunately, it's remarkably selective in its suggestion of topics that need critical thinking, as it cites scientific subjects "including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."
Oddly, the last item on the list is not the subject of any scientific theory; the remainder are notable for being topics that are the focus of frequent political controversies rather than scientific ones.
Higher transport fares demanded
Riza T. Olchondra from Philippine Daily Inquirer Wrote:MANILA, Philippines—Although the new round of fare increases has yet to take effect, transport groups said Wednesday the fare hike was not enough and want more fare adjustments but Malacañang quickly thumbed down their demand.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Wednesday that the approved 50-centavo increase in the minimum fare for passenger jeepneys was enough for the meantime.
The Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) said it would file another petition for a nationwide fare increase of P1.50.
“While we welcome the approval of our previous petition ... this is not enough because diesel was only P36 per liter when we filed our petition on Oct. 26, 2007,” Piston spokesperson George San Mateo said in a text message.
He said diesel, which already costs P54.48 a liter, may go up by P10 per liter this weekend based on pronouncements made by oil companies and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes.
Homer Mercado, president of the Provincial Bus Operators of the Philippines (PBOAP), said bus groups would also “most likely” ask for an additional P1.50 increase in the minimum fare if the price of diesel rose by P10 a liter.
“If it (rise in diesel price) goes beyond P10, we will be forced to ask for another increase,” said Bong Suntay, president of the Philippine National Taxi Operators Association (PNTOA).
The energy secretary favors a one-time increase in the price of fuel even if it means a staggering adjustment of P6 to P10 a liter. The Consumer and Oil Price Watch estimates that oil firms have yet to recoup losses of P16 a liter from diesel, the fuel used by public utility vehicles.
“It is clear that the present fare hike will not be enough,” San Mateo said.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced on Tuesday that jeepneys may charge a minimum fare of P8.50, up 50 centavos, and an additional 25 centavos, or from P1.25 to P1.50, for each succeeding kilometer starting Friday. But the jeepney drivers need to post the fare matrix on the vehicles.
Metro Manila buses may charge an additional P1, or from P9 to P10, for the first five kilometers, with an additional 20 centavos for every succeeding kilometer (P1.75 to P1.95). Air-conditioned buses may charge P12 from P11.50 plus P2.35 per succeeding kilometer from P1.75.
Taxis may also start collecting an “add-on” rate of P10 on top of the meter charge instead of increasing the flag-down rate.
Second hike in 2 months
The increases were the second in less than two months.
On May 21, the minimum fare for jeepneys was raised by 50 centavos to P7.50, for ordinary buses in Metro Manila by P1 to P9 and for air-conditioned buses by P1.50 to P11.50.
For provincial routes, ordinary buses were allowed an increase in the minimum fare by 10 centavos per kilometer, while air-conditioned buses were allowed to charge 25 centavos more per kilometer.
San Mateo said the total minimum fare increase of P1 for jeepneys since May 21 would not even result in an additional income of P100 a day for drivers and operators. In contrast, he said, the 18 times that diesel prices went up since January [up by 42 percent] had cost drivers losses of P570 a day.
If the price of diesel increased by P10 a liter this weekend, it would result in an additional loss of P300 for drivers, according to the Piston spokesperson. San Mateo said a driver would suffer “a deficit of P870, which will be going to the oil companies.”
Transport needs gov’t help
Suntay earlier explained that the transport sector wanted to maintain its fares so as not to drive passengers away. But to do this, the sector would need help from the government.
He said the government may help by delivering on its promised fuel subsidies, access to safer and cheaper alternative fuels, and curbs on extortion and unlicensed public utility vehicles.
“We see no end to fuel price increases so far. We are running out of options for coping,” Suntay said.
Low-income taking from low-income
Some commuters, like Grace Ramos, said they were resigned to the idea that transport fares would go up again as a result of continuing fuel price increases.
Others, like Janet Rañola, an employee who commutes from Taytay, Rizal, to the Ortigas business district in Mandaluyong City every day, expressed frustration that measures to help wage earners cope with the situation were not being implemented.
“A higher fare is OK if there’s a substantial wage increase,” Rañola said.
She said high-income earners were not taking public transport unlike the minimum-wage earners. “So low-income drivers are taking their extra income from other low-income earners. And why is the value-added tax on oil not scrapped instead?” she said.
San Mateo said the passengers’ capacity to pay higher fares was also a serious concern for drivers, which was why his group was supporting labor groups’ call for an across-the-board wage hike of P125 per day nationwide.
“It is important for government to help workers improve their income so that they can cope with higher prices of goods and services. We are supporting this especially because minimum wage earners comprise the majority of our passengers,” he said.
VAT on oil
Besides backing a wage increase, Piston is continuing its campaign to get the VAT on oil and the Oil Deregulation Law scrapped.
San Mateo said these steps could result in a rollback of P6.53 a liter for diesel, P7.35 for gasoline and P90 per 11-kg tank of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The reductions, he said, would help the transport sector cope with surging costs without the need for a fare hike.
Double post
Eight New Natural Wonders Named