Most active commenters
  • hinkley(3)
  • silisili(3)

←back to thread

280 points antidnan | 42 comments | | HN request time: 2.161s | source | bottom
1. chromatin ◴[] No.41916576[source]
Serious question:

Given the mood alerting properties of lithium, are people living here chiller than would be expected (controlling for instance for poverty / SES) ?

replies(8): >>41916615 #>>41916687 #>>41916836 #>>41916871 #>>41916981 #>>41917788 #>>41918614 #>>41919801 #
2. no_wizard ◴[] No.41916615[source]
I am not a health researcher or anyting, but a quick googling seems to suggest its possible that it lowers risks of suicide[0] and other affective disorders, which by extension it would lower the rates of issues that can contribute to these issues I'd think.

That said, I honestly am unsure. It also is a requisite that it must be in the water in sufficient but low amounts

[0]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32716281/

replies(1): >>41917784 #
3. pfdietz ◴[] No.41916687[source]
The formation is 7000 feet below the surface, if I understand correctly, so I don't think there would be any communication of its brine with potable groundwater.
replies(1): >>41916812 #
4. mbreese ◴[] No.41916812[source]
I would like to think that if there were any interaction between theses putative deposits to the groundwater that we wouldn't have needed an ML model to find these deposits in the first place!
5. renewiltord ◴[] No.41916836[source]
Only when Mercury is in retrograde
6. coldbrewed ◴[] No.41916871[source]
My guess is that the presence of lithium in the groundwater is in trace amounts if at all, while the dosing of lithium is in the domain of ~300mg. A casual search for the quantity of lithium in brine from a mine shows a max of 1400ppm for a rich mine in Chile[1] so drinking straight brine wouldn't get you anywhere near the therapeutic dose. Good question!

[1]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01691...

replies(1): >>41916929 #
7. dmurray ◴[] No.41916929[source]
1400 ppm is one part in 700, so you'd get your dose from one cup (250 ml) of that brine.

I agree it's not likely you'd get a measurable effect from the local groundwater.

replies(1): >>41917207 #
8. janice1999 ◴[] No.41916981[source]
Potentially. See "Lithium in drinking water linked with lower suicide rates" [1].

[1] https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/lithium-in-drinking-water-linked-...

replies(2): >>41917239 #>>41917971 #
9. ◴[] No.41917207{3}[source]
10. thesuitonym ◴[] No.41917239[source]
I would assume any positive effects are balanced out by living in Arkansas.
replies(3): >>41917262 #>>41917330 #>>41917531 #
11. hinkley ◴[] No.41917330{3}[source]
My only experience with Arkansas was waking up to a speeding ticket at 3 in the morning. Who puts out a speed trap at 3 in the fucking morning?

But if it’s anything like Oklahoma…

replies(6): >>41917498 #>>41917658 #>>41917947 #>>41918452 #>>41920175 #>>41922258 #
12. ethanwillis ◴[] No.41917414{4}[source]
I have to ask. Why would you say this?
replies(1): >>41917427 #
13. edm0nd ◴[] No.41917427{5}[source]
You aint never been to Arkansas have ya? Its a meth joke.
14. elpakal ◴[] No.41917498{4}[source]
Um, why were you waking up while driving at 3 in the morning?
replies(2): >>41917605 #>>41917719 #
15. snakeyjake ◴[] No.41917531{3}[source]
People downvoted you to the point that your comment is grayed out and about to be hidden but there is hardly metric by which Arkansas is not in the bottom ten on a list of states.

Infant mortality rate? 3rd most deadly for babies.

Poverty rate? 7th poorest.

Homicide rate? 7th most dangerous.

Obesity rate? 3rd fattest.

Practically any map of any measurable statistic where states are colored red for "bad" and green for "good" Arkansas will be a deep, blood, red.

But it is rude to point that out.

replies(4): >>41917646 #>>41917703 #>>41917816 #>>41917841 #
16. hinkley ◴[] No.41917605{5}[source]
Some cars have seats for up to seven people, including the driver.
17. nativeit ◴[] No.41917646{4}[source]
People vote in good faith, I presume. Sometimes a comment’s factual basis matters less than its overall contribution to a productive and open discussion. Downvotes in this case are an example of HN’s surprisingly effective system for self-moderation working as it should. It isn’t vile enough to censor, but it also isn’t what a lot of readers come here for. It didn’t personally offend me (I didn’t vote either way), but I take occasional downvoting that I don’t fully agree with in stride, as the overall system seems to work better than most.
18. rootusrootus ◴[] No.41917658{4}[source]
I would have guessed better results in the 1am to 2am time slot, but 3am is not totally out of line. I bet the fraction of drivers at 3am that are drunk is much higher than at, say, 3pm.
19. rootusrootus ◴[] No.41917703{4}[source]
> But it is rude to point that out.

No, that is not rude at all. Making a flippant derogatory remark gets downvotes, people like to see numbers. Like the ones you just gave...

20. andrewinardeer ◴[] No.41917719{5}[source]
Happened to me on Ambien.
replies(1): >>41918065 #
21. kranke155 ◴[] No.41917784[source]
It also shrinks your white matter I think, and has other gigantic bad effects.

Source: am bipolar and take 600mg daily.

replies(1): >>41917828 #
22. ◴[] No.41917788[source]
23. silisili ◴[] No.41917816{4}[source]
Here's another list -

Highest poverty rate?

Lowest literacy rate?

Last in opportunity?

8th worst in public safety?

If you guessed California, you'd be right.

Sweeping generalities and handpicked metrics do not tell an entire story.

replies(3): >>41917946 #>>41918541 #>>41922290 #
24. astrange ◴[] No.41917828{3}[source]
It also causes obesity and may be the cause of American obesity in the South.

https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/08/02/a-chemical-hunger-p...

25. Agree2468 ◴[] No.41917841{4}[source]
I think in terms of natural beauty, it's definitely in the upper half. Specifically Ouachita National Forest in my opinion.
26. EB66 ◴[] No.41917946{5}[source]
You are citing the US News "best states" ranking. In that ranking, California is ranked #37 overall and Arkansas is ranked #47 overall. Even your own hand picked data source supports the OP...
replies(1): >>41918008 #
27. dyauspitr ◴[] No.41917947{4}[source]
Towns that make a living by ticketing people passing through.

The worst place in the world for this is Italy. Every time I go there they find some esoteric rule to ticket me for. This time in Padova, apparently I drove in an area where only locals are allowed to drive. Bunch of swindlers.

replies(2): >>41918389 #>>41922223 #
28. stevage ◴[] No.41917971[source]
Wow, that is super interesting.

I think I heard that long term usage of lithium has nasty side effects like damaging kidneys, but perhaps not at these very low concentrations.

29. silisili ◴[] No.41918008{6}[source]
37th/50 isn't good. But people never clamor on about how awful California is every time it's mentioned(well, rarely). This same ranking puts states like South Dakota and Indiana ahead, which I'm sure many would object to all the same.

This is the second day in a row I've watched threads about Arkansas of all places devolve into these nasty generalities(yesterday's was about WalMart and Bentonville). I don't live in Arkansas or anything, but I think we as a community can do better than devolve into it over and over, unless the topic at hand was the problems of a state.

replies(2): >>41918100 #>>41922351 #
30. hinkley ◴[] No.41918065{6}[source]
Hah! No I did my turn behind the wheel from 10-1 so nobody died on my watch. I was in the back.
31. EB66 ◴[] No.41918100{7}[source]
I'm not saying that 37 out of 50 is good. I'm saying that 47 out of 50 is bad. Your data source doesn't refute the OPs argument that Arkansas is not a great place to live -- it actually supports the OP.
32. thinkindie ◴[] No.41918389{5}[source]
Indeed in Italy there are area (mostly historical centres) where cities limit the influx of cars to keep it liveable and walkable, therefore only residents are allowed to bring their car in.
33. tomrod ◴[] No.41918452{4}[source]
Both areas can be great.
34. parsimo2010 ◴[] No.41918541{5}[source]
A large portion of the USA sees California as a place to avoid- so those sweeping generalities and those particular metrics might be accurate. California is only a nice place to live if you're rich, and most people are not.
35. AStonesThrow ◴[] No.41918614[source]
It may surprise you to learn that lithium is actually a toxic substance. No human being has ever suffered from a lithium deficiency. Lithium is not a natural or healthy component of anyone's diet.

So, the so-called therapeutic dose of lithium is merely a sub-toxic level, and must be monitored by frequent blood tests.

There are horrific side effects from using lithium in the long term, including convulsions, hair loss, diarrhea, suicidal and homicidal ideations, and extreme thirst (polydipsia).

So personally, I would rather not be tapping into lithium reserves for my health.

36. jaxgeller ◴[] No.41919801[source]
El Dorado, one of the towns in AR that overlaps with the deposits, does have an above avg level of lithium water supply [1].

[1]: I'm working on a DB of water quality, https://www.cleartap.com/water-systems/AR0000550

37. Eumenes ◴[] No.41920175{4}[source]
> waking up

you were sleeping and driving? lol

38. atq2119 ◴[] No.41922223{5}[source]
This is the kind of story that may say more about the story teller than the place it's about.

(I have driven in Italy as a foreigner several times without ever receiving a ticket.)

39. lightedman ◴[] No.41922258{4}[source]
"Who puts out a speed trap at 3 in the fucking morning?"

Cops trying to catch drunks speeding home after the bars have closed. In the south, last call was 2:45AM where I served as a freshly-turned 21 year old.

40. snakeyjake ◴[] No.41922290{5}[source]
>If you guessed California, you'd be right.

No I wouldn't.

California's poverty rate is lower than Arkansas', and California's literacy rate is higher five other states' (practically tied with Arkansas).

https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?ID=17826#P675e89693a5...

https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/skillsmap/src/PDF/STATE.pd...

Also, I'm in California right now for work.

It suuuuuuuuuuuuucks. Places with billboards aren't my vibe and when every other one is an ad for a personal injury or drunk driving attorney the place is DEFINITELY not for me.

Still not as bad as Arkansas, though.

41. lightedman ◴[] No.41922351{7}[source]
"But people never clamor on about how awful California is every time it's mentioned(well, rarely)."

Well, here's why it sucks, just so you can feel better.

1. the apartment rental industry is outright violating a court order that basically sets late fees and needs to outright face criminal charges. See Orozco v Casimiro

2. Ill-advised farmers up north are consuming tons of water on crops that make zero sense, and in many cases are growing crops that are basically exporting our scarce water overseas. Then they want to complain about a 'government-created dust bowl' when it's their own out of control water usage basically creating and exacerbating the situation. Oh and the desire to live in a floodplain, thus draining the largest lake in the state (if not landlocked lake in the country) and worsening drought conditions for the area for the past near-century.

3. OTHER STATES keep shipping their homeless here, thus drastically increasing our poverty numbers, artificially, and straining resources we don't really have thanks to ill-advised programs that do nothing to actually address anything.

4. Thanks to climate change, it's getting fucking HOT. Like, the heat you would normally only experience in the desert, is now a regular occurrence here in the valleys of SoCal. The deserts are actually cooler on occasion.

5. People can't drive and the cops do nothing even when it happens right in front of them. Oh, speaking of police, did you know many of them are in inter-department gangs? Yea, we just had to outlaw that.

6. Nobody's fixing the infrastructure. Sure new stuff is being built but that is supposed to be ON TOP of what we already have - and we're just letting what we already have crumble away. Yea internet and some power is going down but that's about it. Roadways, bridges, oh no. Route 66? It's screwed right now. Recent issues we had on the 40 forced a traffic reroute and the weight limit on those little bridges is 3 tons - guess what went over those bridges? Semi trucks with 10 or more tons of freight. You bet those bridges got wrecked, and nobody's fixing them. Ludlow to Cadiz is absolutely wrecked. Thankfully, I have an offroad vehicle and powerline roads exist, so I'm able to still get to digging areas or visit Dish Hill Volcano.

7. Thanks to new law, fast food workers have a minimum wage over the state minimum wage. So many jobs which require high skill, like what I do in LASERs and LED lighting, get paid less than them (I'm lucky, where I work knows my worth) and it ends up being demoralizing. I'm betting it caused a small hit across a few sectors as people said "I'll pay the $30 to get a license that lets me make $20 an hour" meanwhile starting techs in my sector get $16, or $17 on a night shift differential.

Happy yet? I can keep going. Rabbit hole's deep af.

replies(1): >>41922441 #
42. silisili ◴[] No.41922441{8}[source]
Thanks, I think. But no, I didn't mean to pick on California as a bad state, I thought for some reason most people thought it was a nice state. I do, at least, despite its warts.

All I meant to say is that we can find many reasons every state is bad. But we shouldn't post them every time it's mentioned.

If Meta declared they were opening a huge new office in the bay, we'd get interesting discussion. If they announced they're opening it in Little Rock, we get little more than how awful AR is.