Links for Dec. 6, 2009
Sunday, 6 December, 2009 — links money environment education unintended-consequences
Is Money Tainting the Plasma Supply?
NYT piece on plasma centers in Texas and the economic attraction of plasma donation, particularly to Mexican factory workers.
Interesting figure: The average $30 donation payment results in $300 worth of product. Also, a Michigan blood center is seeing some whole-blood volunteer donors shifting to being paid for plasma elsewhere.
What’s Going to Happen to Textbooks?
With some college texts running over $200, and tuition costs increasing, there’s a bit of curiosity about the future of textbooks and how they might live on ebook readers like the Kindle or Nook. The Atlantic Wire collects some links. (Disclosure: My daytime employer, WebAssign, does business with universities and college textbook publishers)
Cancer from the kitchen?
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof looks into whether what we cook with and store our food in impacts our health.