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POPSManaging Distraction more: "Surfing or multitasking may have even more of a place in 21st-century society as strategies of learning," says Jackson. "But going forward, we need to do much more than hopscotch across the web, split-focused and pulled this way and that by choice distractions. We cannot mistake fragmented, diffused attention as avenues of higher thought-or deeper relationships." "Instead, we need to do better at cultivating deep focus, keen awareness and meta-cognitive "executive" attention-the package of skills that is crucial to moving forward in a complex, high-tech age," says Jackson. "If we can 'green' the earth, we can clean up our noisy, interrupt-driven environment, and set the stage for a renaissance of attention for all."
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POPSThe Methane Time Bomb "...If only 1% of permafrost carbon were to be released each year, that could double the globe's annual carbon emissions, Romanovsky notes. "We are at a tipping point for positive feedback," he warns, referring to a process in which warming spurs emissions, which in turn generate more heat, in an uncontrollable cycle."
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POPSMore Days of Extreme Heat in Europe "...An example of the effects of days of extreme heat, which will increase in frequency, is the heatwave that hit Europe in 2003. That summer record maximum temperatures were recorded in monthly, weekly and daily scales. For example, in Switzerland a temperature of 41.50ºC was recorded while in Portugal, 47.30ºC. Experts warn that excessive heat can cause stress, worsening of diseases and even death, such as in the summer of 2003, when over 30,000 people died throughout Europe from the high temperatures."
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POPSBeing Environment just got Sexy "Sam herself is a firm believer that sex can help the environment. “Turn off your telephone, turn off your TV, your computer and have great sex and I promise you that your life will be a happier place.” Source Coco de Mer
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POPSCalifornia economy loses $28 billion yearly to health effects of pollution Considered the most lethal form of air pollution, microscopic particulates expelled from tailpipes, factory smoke stacks, diesel trucks and equipment can penetrate through the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Exposure to these fine particles has been linked to severe asthma, cancer and premature deaths from heart and lung disease. "In the South Coast basin, an average 64% of the population is exposed to health-endangering annual averages of particulates," Hall said, "and in the most populated county -- Los Angeles -- it is 75%. "In most years, the South Coast and San Joaquin basins vie with the Houston, Texas, area for the worst air pollution trophy, but this year we took it back," she said. "That's not a prize you want to be handed. Essentially, imported T-shirts and tennis shoes are being hauled to Omaha and the big-rig diesel pollution stays here."