Perception often counts more than reality

A series of experiments in Chicago and Sweden has confirmed what a lot of us already intuitively knew — that expectations can influence one’s reality. Another way of putting it: There’s a sucker born every minute. The experiments, reported in the journal PLOS ONE, involved researchers providing cups of coffee that had been brewed the same way with the same coffee beans to people who were told that one cup was "eco friendly" and the other was not. The drinkers had been queried about their views on environmentalism, and those who scored favorably in that regard tended to say the "eco friendly" coffee tasted better than the regular coffee — even though they were the same.

The lesson? Beware if someone tells you it will help the environment if you buy the Brooklyn Bridge from them.

Debate over pesky pesticides use makes progress

It appears to be little comfort to Kauai activists that the large agribusinesses there are complying with the state’s voluntary program for disclosing pesticide use and creating buffer zones around their properties.

It’s understandable that the agribusinesses — Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer, BASF, Dow AgroSciences and Kauai Coffee — would cooperate with the state rather than Kauai County, which recently enacted a new ordinance that covers the same ground, but with stricter and mandatory controls. In this contentious battle, it’s good that some of the companies are discussing pesticide use and buffer zones with the community. But ignoring the county’s ordinance would be ill-advised. It needs to be part of that discussion. Otherwise, expect the battle to rage on.