subject: Can Old Ideas Be Recycled? [print this page] Purifying water in the sun isn't a new ideaPurifying water in the sun isn't a new idea. However, adding salt to the water improves the idea. Putting clear, plastic containers of water in the sun for 6 hours kills viruses and bacteria; but the water has to be clear enough for the sun to penetrate. Salt added to murky water makes particles of bentonite clay stick together and sink. Adding salt and bentonite clears water containing other types of clay soil. Bentonite's electrostatic charge is attracted to the charged ions in salt. Seventeen percent of the world's population doesn't have enough clean drinking water. This idea can "clear up" the situation.
Using maggots to clean wounds isn't a new idea either. It's a renewed idea. A study published in the Archives of Dermatology compared 2 types of debridement - the removal of dead and damage tissue to aid healing. Traditionally, doctors use a scalpel - a procedure requiring 40 minutes 3 times weekly. However, nurses applying maggot-filled dressings require only 10 minutes 2 times weekly. Not only were the maggots painless, the wounds were clean in half the time. Although maggots are baby flies, the FDA approved their use in 2004 - so it doesn't "fly in the face of reason".
Vogue says it will work only with healthy models. That's an idea concerned parents have been waiting to see put into action. As of June 2012, 19 global additions of the fashion magazine won't use models under age 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder. The magazine also promises to encourage healthy eating among models and use models from a broader range of body sizes. However, critics say the agreement doesn't go far enough. In Italy and Spain models aren't used if they fall below a certain BMI - height-weight ratio. Therefore, Vogue's agreement seems "thin on" specifics.
Alerting pedestrians to the dangers of using cellphones is a new - but seemingly needed - idea. In 2012 police in Fort Lee, New Jersey started issuing $85 fines for careless walking and the Utah Transit Authority started issuing $50 fines for distracted walking near trains. Delaware tried something different. One hundred large stickers with the words "LOOK UP" were put on sidewalks near crosswalks in Wilmington, Newark and Rehoboth Beach. According to research by Ohio State University, cellphone use by pedestrians caused more than 1,000 emergency-room visits nationwide in 2008. Hopefully, cellphone users will listen to this "call - to attention".
