Big Think Blog

Good news for tech-savvy cancer patients: The Boston Globe reports that the internet has not only provided a medium with which to connect with others and share experiences, it may also improve their physical health. An Ohio State psychologist explains this as the “empowering process that goes on when cancer becomes something you can write about. It’s not just this thing that’s invaded you.” Big Think takes this one step further, not only facilitating discussion, but collecting the knowledge of cancer experts and research scientists. Chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Clifford Hudis says that “What everyone should know about breast cancer” is “it’s treatable.” He also discusses a new drug that gives him hope for a cure.



Monica Knoll, the Executive Director of Cancer101, gives tips on what one’s first steps should be upon learning of a cancer diagnosis.



Mitchell Gaynor, of Gaynor Integrative Oncology, gives advice to the families of patients with cancer.



While the Internet has empowered patients with the ability to access information about various cancer treatments and facilitated the speed and ease with which researchers can compare findings, Dr. Chudy Nduaka, of Pfizer’s research and development team, reminds us that it takes twenty years for a drug to make it from trials to shelves. So even if a cure for cancer were to be discovered tomorrow, it would be years before it became widely available.

If you’ve never heard of the Incredible Tree-Climbing Goats of Morocco, you’re in for a treat. This week, WebEcoist profiles these curious creatures, who have developed the ability to scale native Argan trees and maneuver through branches in search of food. But wait! That’s not all. They also leave behind droppings that can be ground into oil to be used for culinary and cosmetic purposes. I know. It’s incredible!

But like a lot of species in this messed up world, these kids are increasingly threatened as Argan trees continue to be over-harvested. And what is a Moroccan goat without a tree to climb? A very sad goat indeed.

Surely there is a way for humans and tree-climbing goats to coexist peacefully. Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA, spoke to BigThink about her notion of basic animal rights. It’s about “respecting them as individuals or other nations… with their own language, with their own culture, with their own way of doing things.” And if a goat wants to climb a tree, it darn sure ought to be able to.

The Atlantic’s blogger extraordinaire Andrew Sullivan posts a poem today about the fighting in Georgia that he calls “Pushkin with an eternal lament.” Dark falls upon the hills of Georgia/I hear Aragva’s roar/I’m sad and light, my grief-transparent/My sorrow is suffused with you/With you, with you alone…My melancholy/Remains untouched and undisturbed/And once again my heart ignites and loves/Because it can’t do otherwise. War=Poetry, it’s true. And it reminds of when poet C.K. Williams read his poem about Iraq. See below:

Is it possible? Even the cynics over at Gawker will admit to feeling all warm and fuzzy at the sight of a well-produced commercial? It seems that Schweppes’ new commercial—which depicts colorful water balloons bursting in slow motion in a number of contexts—is the type of feel-good advertising that screams “viral.” It doesn’t have to be quippy, or sexy, or plugged by a celebrity-of-the-moment. It’s all about nostalgia, aesthetics and getting back to basics. And who doesn’t love water balloons?

Nina DiSesa, Chairman of advertising firm McCann Erickson, spoke to Big Think about effective advertising today. In the end, it’s all about building a feeling around a brand that will influence consumers and drive them to act. Bombs away!

Last week, a report in The Archives of Internal Medicine, as digested by the New York Times, compared weight and cardiovascular risk factors among a representative sample of over 5,000 adults. Surprisingly, half of the overweight people and one-third of obese people are “metabolically healthy,” the Times explains. “That means that despite their excess pounds, many overweight and obese adults have healthy levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and other risks for heart disease.” Weirdly, the report also showed about one out of four slim people — those who fall into the “healthy” weight range — actually have at least two cardiovascular risk factors typically associated with obesity. So what’s the real skinny on obesity? Here’s one of the nation’s leading health experts Robert Rubino on the impact of obesity on, especially, women’s health.

Presidents of 100 prominent colleges are behind a new effort to have the drinking age lowered from 21 to 18. The Presidents of Duke, Dartmouth, Ohio State, Syracuse, Tufts and Colgate are included among the group who claim that drinking earlier in life prevents college students from feeling like they need to drink way too much all the time, according to the Associated Press. Big Think asked Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery what he thought about America’s stupid laws, which allows kids to fight and be killed in war before they can shoot a Jager bomb. He explains that Europe has a much for civilized relationship with alcohol.

Americans are holding their breath this week. No, not to see if U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team will win the gold (though good luck, ladies)! The suspense is being generated by Camp Obama, which says it will announce the senator’s running mate by Friday, according to the New York Times.

The debate surrounding this decision began long before Obama won the democratic nomination. While some are still holding out for Hillary, the Times speculates that Obama will choose one of the three following “safe” options: Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware. Political blog The Swamp has some predictions of its own. And on Big Think, Humorist Mo Rocca contends that while an Obama-Clinton ticket would certainly make history, it also “cries out to be mocked.”

Foodies and gluttons, lend me your ears! The Very Good Taste blog has issued the ultimate challenge. They list 100 foods that “every good omnivore should have tried at least once” during their lifetimes. The list ranges from the classics (PB&J) to the exotic (Umeboshi) to downright ridiculous (Roadkill). And for bonus points, you’re encouraged to blog about your experiences as you eat your way through this list.

But what really makes a memorable meal? Is it the ingredients? The setting? The company? For New York Chef Andrew Carmellini, it’s all of the above. And a little Japanese charcoal for good measure.

The maybe American ally in the War Against Terrorism, Pervez Musharraf resigned today as president of Pakistan, signaling a new flood of uncertainty in the already highly-uncertain country still reeling from the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. As the New York Times reports, Musharraf, who was under threat of impeachment, said he would put the future of his country above “personal bravado.” Who next rules Pakistan will be of vital importance to American foreign policy in the region. Here’s terrorism specialist Paul Cruickshank from the NYU Center on Law & Security on Al-Qaeda’s presence in Pakistan and what that means for the larger war against terror.

The biennial news consumption survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press were released Sunday afternoon.Editor & Publisher crunched the numbers and found that “the findings on TV news and online-only news produced a few surprises.” The results for newspapers continue to be mostly negative, especially for print, but also for some aspects of newspapers on the Web. For example, while more young people are indeed reading newspapers online, their total readership, print and Web combined, has not grown in two years. Here’s New York Times journalist Matt Bai on whether newspapers can survive the digital revolution. After you watch this search the site for other media experts who offer their thoughts on the subject.