Should We Tax Coke and Pepsi?

New York State is proposing to levy a hefty tax on soft drinks. There is evidence that the consumption of sugary drinks is a significant cause of obesity and resulting costly health problems. The theory is that imposing a tax will lower consumption, the same way high tobacco taxes seem to have reduced smoking. Read a summary article here.

New Findings About RNA Revolutionize Genetics

Research shows that RNA "once considered a mere messenger boy for DNA actually helps to run the show". There turn out to be many types of RNA, some of which do not perform the usual task of translating DNA instructions into proteins, but instead directly activate genes and direct protein production. Hopes are high that the research could lead to disease therapies. Read the whole article here. To see a graphic representation, click here.

What's Happening in Somalia?

Somalia has been one of the world's trouble spots for many years (recall the Black Hawk down incident of 1993) Now it is back in the news as the home of the pirates now infesting the Indian Ocean. For a summary of the current political crisis in Somalia check this link. For an excellent collection of Somalia information see this New York Times page.

The Butter Tart Tour

It would seem that we at CCVI are living close to the Butter Tart centre of the world without knowing it. The Toronto Star has outlined a tour of northern Wellington County that will take you past some of the countries best tarts. Click here for a map of the Trail. A great way to see some our local area from a gastronomical viewpoint.

Confessions of a Wall Street Investment Banker

Where did the U.S. banking system go wrong? This article by a former banker at Salomon Brothers suggests that nobody really knew what was going on.

Feeling Sick? Stay off the Web.

A study by Microsoft using its own employees found that "cyberchondria" was a common affliction. Web users who consulted health and medical sites for self diagnosis very often came to the erroneous conclusion that they suffered from the most serious disease available that matched the given symptom.

Why Are Women Leaving Computer Science?

Although females now account for over half of university graduates in science and engineering in North America, the percentage of women in computer science has languished and actually fallen. This article suggests a few possible reasons for this phenomenon.

Should General Motors Go Bankrupt?

In South Western Ontario, the automobile industry is a critical part of the economy. Thus, the life or death of GM is of vital concern. This article argues that letting GM go into "Chapter 11" bankruptcy is the only way that the company can be restructured significantly enough to survive.

What's Happening in the Congo?

The horrific killings and fighting in the Congo seem to have been going on for so long, it is hard to remember the background, the causes and the protagonists. This article by the Toronto Star's Carol Goar presents a good summary of those facts.

Origins of the Universe?

From the New York Times, physicists search for the ultimate particle.
THREE hundred feet below the outskirts of Geneva lies part of a 17-mile-long tubular track, circling its way across the French border and back again, whose interior is so pristine and whose nearly 10,000 surrounding magnets so frigid, that it’s one of the emptiest and coldest regions of space in the solar system.

Read the rest of the article;