Pesticides Could Be Hurting Your Memory

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Exposure to even low levels of organophosphates in pesticides can cause lasting harm to the brain, scientists have concluded.

A review of 14 separate studies has shown that chemicals can reduce memory and the ability to process information quickly.

The findings, by researchers at University College London and the Open University, are the most comprehensive evidence yet that organophosphates can harm human health at low levels.

Doctors have long recognised that in high doses the chemicals, which are used to kill or repel insects and are also ingredients in aviation fuel and in some flame retardants, can be toxic, but the effects of lower doses have remained controversial.

Dr Sarah McKenzie Ross, a clinical psychologist and honorary senior lecturer at University College London, said that there now needed to be tighter safety rules for people exposed to the chemicals during their jobs.

She said: “The studies we looked at were in people who were exposed occupationally on a regular basis but were not getting ill from that exposure.

“The weight of evidence is that low level exposure is harmful. It targets memory, information processing speed, the ability to plan and have abstract thoughts. “

The report, which is published in the journal of Critical Reviews in Toxicology, examined evidence from 14 studies that had looked at the health of 1,600 participants.

Using statistical analysis, Dr McKenzie Ross and her colleagues concluded that low level doses could impact on memory and information processing, it did not impact on language or overall intellect.

Farmers are among those who are regularly exposed to organophosphates through sheep dips while aircrews are exposed from the additives in aviation fuel.

Veterans from the Gulf War are also known to have experienced the ill effects from pesticides they were exposed to during the conflict.

Dr McKenzie Ross added: “We have conducted our own study into UK farmers and those we interviewed said it was making it difficult for them to work at auctions where things happen fast.

“Aviation workers have also talked about struggling to retain information from air traffic control.

“We now need to be clear about what the risks are and make sure the correct safety measures are taken.”

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/X-8hUTElY7A/organophosphates-could-harm-memory-2012-12

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16 U.S. Cities Have Installed Special Traffic Lights Just For Bicyclists

For anyone who’s ever stopped confidently into a crosswalk only to have a bicyclist zip by and almost take off your nose, or for those on two wheels shaking a fist at that dang car that just cut you off, we’ve got some good news: American cities are becoming more European, and it has nothing to do with baguettes (mmm, … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/12/03/16-u-s-cities-have-installed-special-traffic-lights-just-for-bicyclists/

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Inside Denny's Crazy 'Diner Of The Future'

denny's diner of the future

Denny's is opening a massive flagship restaurant in Las Vegas, and it's turning out to be one of the craziest diner spots in the world.

The restaurant is hefty 6,400 square feet and is located in downtown Vegas' Fremont St.

Denny's has dubbed it the "Diner of the Future," and it has all sorts of features that you won't find at a regular Denny's spot.

And, being located where it is, the diner has the prerequisite amount of over-the-top flair with a bright neon yellow web covering the exterior.

Everything is set to go at the diner except for one thing — the wedding chapel. Yes, it's going to have a wedding chapel. Denny's wants to get that section up and running by Valentine's Day, according to Eater.

Welcome to the ridiculously bright Denny's flagship in Vegas. It's very yellow.

"A normal Denny's is not going to cut it in Vegas," CMO Frances Allen told Reuters. Well, she definitely went all out with this one.

The place is huge, coming in at 6,400 square feet and ranking in the world's top 10 biggest Denny's.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/AEbZkHji2kg/inside-dennys-crazy-diner-of-the-future-2012-12

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Why We Think Priceline Is Fully Valued At $590

While we maintain a positive outlook for Priceline's long-term growth prospects, we think the current growth rate is difficult to sustain in the long run and estimate this to slow in the years ahead.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/11/30/why-we-think-priceline-is-fully-valued-at-590/

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Summit Series Now Owns A $40 Million Mountain, And One Of The First Things It Built Was A Giant Bird Nest For Humans

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It cost them about $40 million, but Summit Series, the destination startup conference for a younger, "cooler" set of entrepreneurs, now owns a mountain in Eden, Utah. It will use Powder Mountain, which the group is calling "Summit Eden," to to host all of its future conferences, retreats and events.

The property is 10,000 acres and includes a lake surrounded 360 degrees by mountains.

"It's a place where a horizon line isn't a boundary, it's a beginning," the founders wrote on their site.

The founders, Elliot Biznow, Brett Leve, Jeff Rosenthal and Jeremy Schwartz, want Summit Eden to become a permanent place of innovation, and they'll be building a few roads and structures to turn the mountain into a community where businesses can flourish. 

The first thing the team built, though, is unusual.

"One of the first structures we actually had built on the mountain is a nest made of 100% natural materials, no nails, woven together in a tree," says Summit's community development leader, Natalie Spilger. "It allows you to stumble upon it in a way that makes you think, 'How can this be possible?'"

Summit Series was founded in 2008 and the first gathering included 19 entrepreneurs who spent three days at a Utah ski resort. The series has grown to hundreds of attendees. Speakers have included Bill Clinton, Sean Parker and investor Peter Thiel.

Business Insider first broke the news that Summit Series was seeking $40 million for Powder Mountain in March; the founders wanted 40 people to invest $1 million each.

For more on the mountain and Summit Series' vision for it, check out the video, below:

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/ZjSYzfv-I60/summit-series-now-owns-a-40-million-mountain-and-the-first-thing-it-built-was-and-a-giant-bird-nest-for-humans-2012-12

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Study Begs The Question: If You Love Your Phone So Much, Why Don?t Ya Marry It?

We already know there’s a name for that intense anxiety you might feel at being separated from your cellphone (where are my fellow nomophobics at?) but how many of actually admit we love our phones with true, shameless burning affection? A new study from Pew says if you adore your phone but feel a little weird about that, you’re … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/11/30/survey-begs-the-question-if-you-love-your-phone-so-much-why-dont-ya-marry-it/

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There's Another Half To Your Job

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Corralling brilliant and creative individuals to work together as a team is incredibly difficult.  That’s why every successful company where people are both productive and happy feels a little magical.  The harried, stressful environment or the disengaged, sullen office are both far more common sights.

You might think that creative and productive individuals easily combine to form creative and productive teams, but I’ve noticed that the opposite happens more often than not.  An individual’s creativity and productivity are extremely fragile things that are liable to fall apart when individuals are put in a room to work on problems that are complex, time-constrained, and flat-out hard.  

A well-intentioned response that I often see out of productive people is to get frustrated when not enough is getting done and go 100 percent into heads-down mode, but that just exacerbates the problem.  What ends up happening is embitterment, disengagement, and finally, attrition.  Preventing all that from happening is the other half of everyone’s job.

Tom Sachs is a contemporary artist famous for his sculptures which are elaborate DIY recreations of modern engineering and design masterpieces (like the space program) who has a surprising take on how to get creative people to work together and get stuff done.  In his studio, if you’ve done your work, you’ve only done half of your job.

‘[S]ent does not mean received’ is a profound thing. Half of your job in this studio is doing your work, the other half of your job is communicating that it’s been done. Because if you do it, and I don’t hear about it, how do I know what’s going on? I’m not trying to control everything, but in an intimate work environment, where we’re really trying to develop something complex, a nod, saying, ‘I got it,’ helps moves things along.

Focusing too hard on getting stuff done just produces more stuff that needs to get done, and that’s a trap.  This is most poignant to people who’ve worked on projects with lots of moving parts.  Communicating that you’ve gotten the work done is another half to your job that’s absolutely vital.

Ultimately, we as humans are extremely sensitive creatures and the moments when we do our best work can quickly become fleeting.  In Tom Sachs’s understated words, “Working with 15 people is very difficult.”  

To me, this is what people talk about when they talk about company culture: it’s the entire other half of everyone’s job to make the company run smoothly.  What Sachs says about artists rings true for anyone involved in creative work.

The artist’s creative process is a very fragile thing. Nowhere else do you find people who are as brilliant and self-motivated as in the arts and yet as fragile and insecure. Working with 15 people is very difficult. We’re trying to cultivate the indulgences of the creative process and, at the same time, eliminate creativity as a capricious gesture. In other words, a little creativity goes a long way. It’s like chili pepper. A lot of artists are filled with caprice and silliness. Finding that balance is the key to everything.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/dTwea9kVsCo/there-are-two-halves-to-collaborating-with-coworkers-2012-11

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Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are fourteen of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or just plain neatness.

Our Flickr Pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up … [More]

Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/11/30/consumerist-friday-flickr-finds-170/

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Mark Sanchez Furiously Scribbles Down Notes After The Jets Scored

Sanchez got benched and Greg McElroy came on the NFL field for the first time ever and led the Jets into the endzone.

Here's a funny GIF of Sanchez taking notes after the touchdown via Big Lead Sports:

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/OPEadVqKzwA/mark-sanchez-furiously-scribbles-down-notes-after-the-jets-scored-2012-12

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