Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
Occupy Portland continues the fight
The parks are empty, but the people galvanized by Occupy Portland are still making their presence felt. The Occupy Portland Elder Caucus has two events you should know about this month- “To Sleep, Perchance to Dream”, a winter gear drive for Portland’s homeless community, and “Face to Face with S. Brian Willson”, an afternoon with a Portland-based peace and justice speaker. The links above will take you to the Facebook page for each event, or you could just call or come by our shop for details.
What to eat when you’re broke
Our Health Notes article this month is “8 Foods That Food Experts Won’t Eat” from a website called EatLocalGrown.com. It’s such a good resource on good, healthy food that we thought we’d also share their article on “What to eat when you’re broke”. That’s an increasingly important question for everyone, but especially for people on SNAP (Food Stamps) where the weekly per-person benefits range from $28.97 in Minnesota to $53.41 in Hawaii. This article can’t tell you how to stay fed on that amount, but it can tell you how to be hungry in a healthier way.
Creationism in the world of science
In July, Virginia Heffernan wrote an article entitled “Why I’m a creationist”. Many people are (and to each their own, but Virginia is a NY Times science and technology writer. It got us thinking about people with no love or understanding of science being in positions to guide or explain it, the prime example being the US House Committee on Science. With that in mind, we offer two great links clarifying the science and dispelling the misconceptions on two debates central to today’s science deniers, written by actual scientists…. Evolution and Climate Change. Dig in!
Take part in an actual scientific study
Our Book Spotlight this month talked about Jonathan Haidt’s important work on moral foundations theory. Of course, more interesting than reading about research is participating in it, so click here to help Haidt’s team gather information on moral foundations. There are about 20 different questionnaires you could answer on topics including Consumer Values, “Not-Quite-Everyday Behaviors” (pot use, casual sex, etc.), Justice, Behavioral Inhibition, Ideal Politicians, Moral Scenarios, and more. You always wondered who they survey for these kind of things… now it can be you!
