Think About These Things Over the Weekend

• Record numbers in "severe poverty" in the US. Up 26% between 2000 and 2005. Uh, let's see. What was going on here in those years? Oh, yeah. That growing economy and historic presidential leadership.
• NC getting serious about planning the state's response to global warming and greenhouse gases. Details and more details. It's possible for states to do something. The ones that don't are worse than the Inhofes and the other obstructionists and deniers.
• Double dipping for the North Atlantic. Global warming on the one side and "cod collapse" on the other. The testing of the ocean's ecosystem that's resulting is ominous.
• This won't surprise you, I don't think. Turns out that meetings with everyone contributing actually shut down the range of options and possibilities that would have occurred had the members just thought about things on their own. The researchers speculate that when a group of people receives information, the inclination is to discuss it. The more times one option is said aloud, the harder it is for individuals to recall other options, explained Krishnan, associate professor of marketing at Indiana University. Another contributing factor is variation in learning and memory styles. People store and retrieve information in myriad ways, so in a group situation, the conversation could cause individuals to think about the cues differently than they would if they were alone. Show this to your boss Monday. S/he'll really appreciate it.
• Joel Jacobsen at Judging Crimes blog has a great analysis and takedown of the ridiculous nonsense on "24" showing how everything that's done on that show is, surprise, counterproductive when attempted in, you know, reality and the best interrogation techniques are, you know, exactly the opposite. And here we have a fun little presentation on a study showing that the only grad program in which pessimists outperform optimists is law school. Really, good times.
• The Swedes have come up with a demonstrably effective program to cut the alcohol abuse among high risk college students. Don't see it taking hold anymore than Ricola, do you?
• Finally, those crazy Canadians. Their Supreme Court unanimously whacked the government's efforts to detain foreign terror suspects indefinitely. Seems it violates their Bill of Rights. Could we get a Bill of Rights here, please? Seriously.