Två miljoner greker är inte längre sjukförsäkrade, antalet hiv-smittade stiger, spädbarnsdödligheten ökar och patienter dör i brist på läkemedel. I spåren av svångremspolitiken har den grekiska hälsovården kollapsat – och den grekiska regeringens budskap att den värsta krisen nu är över klingar ihåligt för många.

KentuckyFC writes: "In behavioral psychology, the theory of operant conditioning is the notion that an individual's future behavior is determined by the punishments and rewards he or she has received in the past. It means that specific patterns of behavior can be induced by punishing unwanted actions while rewarding others. While the theory is more than 80 years old, it is hard at work in the 21st century in the form of up- and down-votes — or likes and dislikes — on social networks. But does this form of reward and punishment actually deter unwanted actions while encouraging good behavior? Now a new study of the way voting influences online behavior has revealed the answer. The conclusion: negative feedback leads to behavioral changes that are hugely detrimental to the community. Not only do authors of negatively-evaluated content contribute more but their future posts are of lower quality and are perceived by the community as such. What's more, these authors are more likely to evaluate fellow users negatively in future, creating a vicious circle of negative feedback. By contrast, positive feedback does not influence authors much at all. That's exactly the opposite of what operant conditioning theory predicts. The researchers have a better suggestion for social networks: 'Given that users who receive no feedback post less frequently, a potentially effective strategy could be to ignore undesired behavior and provide no feedback at all.' Would Slashdotters agree?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Ytterligare en person i USA bär på det fruktade viruset mers, men har inte insjuknat. Personen, som bor i Illinois, var i kontakt med den sjukvårdsarbetare som blev det första konstaterade fallet i USA tidigare i månaden.

Privata vårdcentraler uppskattas mer av patienter än offentliga – den analysen gör Vårdföretagarna av SKL:s patientenkät i primärvården. Håkan Jörnehed (V) gör en annan tolkning och menar att det är människor med god hälsa som är nöjda med vården.

Evacuations follow wave of anti-China unrest following Beijing's deployment of oil rig in contested waters.

Evacuations follow wave of anti-China unrest following Beijing's deployment of oil rig in contested waters.

An anonymous reader writes "Ars Technica published an article Friday highlighting the results from research conducted by a money-in-politics watchdog regarding the 28 congressmen who sent a combined total of three letters to the FCC protesting against re-classifying the internet as a public utility. These 28 members of the U.S. House of Representatives 'received, on average, $26,832 from the "cable & satellite TV production & distribution" sector over a two-year period ending in December. According to the data, that's 2.3 times more than the House average of $11,651.' That's average. Actual amounts that the 28 received over a two year period ranged from $109,250 (Greg Waldon, R-OR) to $0 (Nick Rahall, D-WV). Look at the list yourselves, and find your representative to determine how much legitimacy can be attributed to their stated concerns for the public."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Country's state security arrests ex-premier and opposition leader after he accuses authorities of rape and other abuses.

Country's state security arrests ex-premier and opposition leader after he accuses authorities of rape and other abuses.

Den sudanesiske oppositionsledaren Sadiq al-Mahdi har gripits i huvudstaden Khartoum, dagarna efter att en åklagare anklagat honom för att skylla våldet i Darfur på regimstyrkor. Gripandet skedde i al-Mahdis hus, enligt Reuters.

similarity measures for sets

En man i 35-årsåldern omkom på lördagen sedan han gått genom isen med en pistmaskin på Torneträsk i nordvästra Lappland, uppger lokala medier.

Med anledning av tragedin med den döda flickan i Karlskrona kräver Unicef Sverige och Akademikerförbundet SSR en rad åtgärder för att öka barnens rättigheter i samhället. Dessutom undrar de varför barnministern har varit så tyst i ärendet. Maria Larsson ger nu svaret att regeringen har gjort flera insatser för att stärka barn- och ungdomsvården de senaste åren.

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Tyler LeBlanc reports that Ottawa has a problem — a goose problem. Every summer the wandering waterfowl return to the beaches that line the Ottawa River leaving high concentrations of geese poop on beaches and in shallow water, which can lead to outbreaks of infection in human populations, particularly children. In the past, the city has tried a number of different methods of ridding their beaches of the geese, but this year, they are going high-tech. Steve Wambolt, the founder of Aerial Perspective, modified a drone with some flashing lights and speakers and took to the skies. 'I took existing land-based anti-pest technology and put it on a helicopter,' says Wambolt. 'When I tested it at the beach a few days later it worked remarkably well.' Using pre-recorded predatory calls (video) from hawks, eagles, owls, ravens and even wolves, Wambolt stalks the beaches of Petrie Island in an attempt to scare the loitering geese away from the area for good."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Candidates in the upcoming elections are promising Egyptians they will improve the economy.