Daily News Wire

• Apparently, Vermont’s newly established single-payer healthcare system will actually save the state more money than the status quo. While what works for this state may not necessarily work for all others (let alone the whole US), it gives us something to consider as far as the feasibility of this kind of arrangement. Our healthcare system is already the most expensive in the world despite giving us one of the lowest returns on investment.

• One study finds that sharing posts on Facebook and other social media sites is as pleasurable to one’s mind as sex or good food. It certainly makes sense, given how much most people seek out the attention of others. I imagine  that receiving “likes” elicits the same reaction too. I think that would say a lot about how important social stimulation is to human beings. 

• Another study suggests that crowded environments, contrary to popular belief, actually encourage greater creativity. Basically, a little distraction actually gets your brain thinking more imaginatively. So the next time you have writer’s  block, opt to go to a cafe or other active area. It might stimulate your mind! 

• Senators are beginning to question whether solitary confinement is unethical. Some may go so far as to view it as a violation of the eighth amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. What say you all?

• Is Sudan enduring it’s own long-awaited Arab Spring? The government denies as much, go figure, but protests have been persisting for several days now. 

• One article challenges the notion that big government is always a bad thing. Granted, the Nordic model that is analyzed isn’t entirely translatable to the US (consider, for example, the cultural and ethnic homogeneity of the Scandinavian countries).  But it still dispels the idea that big government in principle is always bad. Could it be that it all depends on how that government is run and formulated, not so much it’s size?