site.openhandstore.org Blog

Mayor Newsom holds line on Ryan White

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has turned back a proposal to trim City funding for non-profits that provide supportive services to people living with HIV. Project Open Hand faced a significant loss of funding if the proposed cuts had been approved so we greet the news with a sigh of relief. At a time of significant inflation in food and fuel costs, the news is especially welcome. You can read more, here.

Good for What Ails Ya’

People are always asking us, why blog? And we always say, It’s like therapy, Mom. Now, we have proof!

Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

Read the whole story, here and get thee to a bloggery! 

In Defense of Food

When it comes to the subject of food, few authors are as passionate or persuasive as Michael Pollan. Mr. Pollan is the author of numerous books including, The Botany of Desire and The Omnivore’s Dilemma. His latest book is In Defense of Food. Watch the video posted below to get an idea of Michael Pollan’s philosophy of food (if the video is not visible, click here to view:

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This lecture is part of a series of talks taking place at the Google campus, we will post more worthwhile lectures in the days to come.

Wind to the Rescue?

The U.S Energy Department in cooperation with the alternative energy industry have released a report that includes a plan for deriving 20% of the nation’s energy from wind (we currently get 1% of our energy from wind). The plan is admittedly optimistic but hey, we’re an optimisitic lot. You can read the whole story, here.

As if we needed an excuse to sleep in

It’s good for you! Just don’t overdo it because then, it’s not so good

Salt + Tomato = Super Tomato!

Researchers in Italy have found a unique way to improve the nutrtional content of cherry tomotoes. You can read about it, here.

The Future Looks Bright for Solar

Uggh, bad pun but a good story so bear with us. One of the biggest impediments to solar adoption is the considerable upfront investment needed to install solar on a home or business. A good portion of these initial costs are tied into the high cost of silicon, the material used in the contstruction of photovoltaic (electrical generation) panels. The good news is that it seems we may have turned a corner in silicon production, a sign that the cost of generating electricity from solar power will drop dramatically in the near future. You can read all about it, here.