Snipped from ScienceBlogs.com.

Wow, I am deeply saddened by the continually sinking ship that is our mass media.

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Swine Flu. What a rollercoaster! It was a pandemic, now it is a joke. That is, if you listen to the media. They have done everything possible to make this H1N1 virus, first called swine flu, then called mexican flu, pure entertainment. But, who will be laughing in the end?

This swine flu, or H1N1, is much like every other virus. The difference is it is new, and that is why we are seeing its relative benign nature, at least, at the moment. The reason scientists are still warning of the danger is not because of what is happening now, but what they project may happen years from now.

See, viruses are made of genetic components just like every other organism on this planet, and that genetic material has to evolve to become efficient. Since it is relatively new, it hasn’t had time to get really nasty, but most scientists think it will.

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Snipped from ScientificAmerican.com.

It seems as though the government, although really slow, is catching on that corporations are not going to choose to do the right thing when the wrong thing is much more profitable.

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So, What’s the Chance?

What are my chances of dying from prostate cancer? What are my chances of getting mugged tonight? Just what are my chances? Well, it depends on whom you’re asking.

Statistics can be a very helpful tool for figuring out the likelihood that something may happen. Should I pack an umbrella for tomorrow; should I double down on this hand; do I need flood insurance? These are all important questions and our society depends on having some kind of numeric measure on which to rely. Fortunately, we have statistics. There is a 40% chance of showers tomorrow; you should never double down on a 16; no, you live significantly outside the 100 year flood plane. But when it comes to our health, should we rely on the numbers that represent our chances of dying or recovery? The short answer: Unless you’re sure you are looking at the absolute risk and not the relative risk, no, you shouldn’t.

Let me explain. Here is an example from Scientific American Mind:

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One of the items I use everyday, sometimes, twice, thrice that I make myself is my own mouthwash. I make my mouthwash up with equal portions of water and that of Hydrogen Peroxide (3% Topical Solution). The cost? Not dollars, but pennies. You do save.

HOWEVER, rather than provide you with formulas to make products so as to save money and stretch that dollar — we will do that — please forget the now, and let’s return to then. Blog4Brains.com will, in the interest of nostalgia, provide you these easy-to-prepare concoctions that may no longer be needed, nor are they similar to any store-bought products that reside on today’s retail shelves. Some products you can make may still be useful, but maybe only for you. They are selected in the quest for some laughter and for some serious application for our Blog4Brains.com readers.

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Snipped from TechnologyReview.com.

There is talk about a new power-grid linking the midwest, where the wind and sun are for renewable energy, to the coasts where the power is desperately needed, but is there a diminishing return on such an investment?

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