Monday, April 23, 2018

Raw fruit and vegetables provide better mental health outcomes

That is the simple message from University of Otago researchers who have discovered raw fruit and vegetables may be better for your mental health than cooked, canned and processed fruit and vegetables.

Dr Tamlin Conner, Psychology Senior Lecturer and lead author, says public health campaigns have historically focused on aspects of quantity for the consumption of fruit and vegetables (such as 5+ a day).

However, the study, just published in Frontiers in Psychology, found that for mental health in particular, it may also be important to consider the way in which produce was prepared and consumed.

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I Actually Like New York’s Double Jeopardy Loophole The Way It Is, But We Can’t Have Such Nice Things


New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is trying to close New York State's double jeopardy "loophole," in a clear attempt to protect prosecutions from possible Trump pardons of his cronies. Normally, prosecutions at the federal level do not preclude prosecutions at the state level. But New York has this weird rule where jeopardy attaches for state purposes if a defendant pleads guilty or a jury is sworn-in even for a federal case, subject to a few exceptions.

It means, potentially, that a person — say, Michael Cohen — who is tried by federal prosecutors, convicted, and pardoned by President Donald Trump could not later be prosecuted for state crimes, even though the president technically has no authority to pardon state crimes.


Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Ethical Considerations For Artificial Intelligence

When people imagine a future of "robot lawyers," they tend to focus on employment and economic effects — for example, the implications for the lawyer labor market (e.g., "will the robots take our jobs"). Often overlooked, but no less important, are the ethical implications of artificial intelligence.

Last week, at the Global Privacy Summit of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), I attended a session tackling this very subject — "Machines That Can Learn: Can They Also Be Taught Human Values?" — with the following panelists:

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Are You Crippled by the Fear of Leaving No Legacy Behind?

Often the biggest existential distress that we carry is the idea that no-one will remember us when we are gone. Initially, we know that our friends and family will hold who we are, but after a generation, these people are likely gone too.

At the end of life, the pressure to leave an unquestionably relevant legacy can be crippling for people, particularly for young people. When coupled with the limited energy that people have when they are unwell, the very nature of what people expect to achieve in the world shrinks, and the really important pieces come into focus.

When time is seen to be limited, every moment can take on a weight that has never before been experienced.

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