This week's compendium

Here’s this week’s compendium. This week…

1. Nutrition Diva reminded us chocolate’s good for us due to the flavanol content as well as the cacao percentage [1]. And cocoa beans from different countries have vastly different flavanol content.

2. Drew Ward, CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, resigned. He said he’d achieved his objective of taking the event from a car race to a major entertainment event. And he denied being pushed out [2]. He didn’t because it isn’t. And he was.

3. a treehugger item showed off beautiful and cosy slippers made from recycled sweaters and leather jackets [3]. What about it, Foxs Lane?

4. 1,500 West Australians including Federal and State parliamentarians, stood up to support Israel [4a, 4b]. Good on them – every single one of them.

5. gizmodo convincingly and colourfully demonstrated that iPhone users have more sex [5]. Sweetheart Vivienne is an iPhone user. Ho hum.

6. the Annals of Internal Medicine published research showing high blood lipid levels in early adulthood are associated with increased coronary calcium 20 years later [6]. It’s never too soon to start healthy behaviours.

7. an Archives of Neurology study showed high accuracy diagnosing Alzheimer disease – based on protein patterns in the cerebrospinal fluid [7]. I don’t know if early diagnosis is worthwhile if there’s no effective treatment?

8. the WHO decreed that the H1N1 flu pandemic’s officially over [8]. And what a beat-up it was, too.

Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.

This week's compendium

Here’s this week’s compendium. This week…

1. treehugger.com quoted an Australian report concluding increased energy efficiency could deliver 65% of worldwide carbon cuts by 2020, i.e. almost twice renewable energy, nuclear power and clean coal combined [1]. So surely this is the way to go, world.

2. in a US court, 91 Israeli civilian victims of the 1996 Second Lebanon War, filed a US$91.2B lawsuit against al-Jazeera claiming it intentionally reported realtime coverage of rocket strike locations in Israel, so Hezbollah could more accurately aim its rockets [2]. The Israelis must have good evidence. Time will tell.

3. the Age reported that Melbourne researchers who’ve developed a revolutionary treatment for Alzheimer’s, are having trouble raising A$1.5M of the A$3M needed for a clinical trial [3]. The Victorian Government wastes A$50M+ on the Grand Prix. Each year.

4. Grammar Girl's topic was ‘When to use Female Nouns’ [4]. I like her summary: 'What matters is getting across the massages you want to send, and trying to block those you don't'.

5. an HonestReporting item revealed a Lancet multi-article series on Palestinian health that’s scandalously and unequivocally biased [5]. It’s okay if the Lancet wants to be a political journal. But it shouldn’t masquerade as a medical journal.

6. the Archives of Internal Medicine published a 6-year prospective study finding a correlation between low vitamin D levels and the onset and progression of cognitive decline [6]. A chicken-and-egg scenario. But there’s no downside to ensuring one’s vitamin D level’s normal.

7. treehugger.com reported on a London urban orchard [7]. It’s terrific, but not as salubrious as the Artist as Family’s Food Forest in Sydney.

8. speaking of which, AaF’s Food Forest Plant-in Day last Saturday got some great media [8]. Well done, AaF.

Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.