Things I learned lately 12 March

• Calgary is adopting a hen (urban livestock) licensing program. No roosters allowed. Only 100 coops will be allowed for now.
• Between 2001 and 2021, Calgary grew from 427 sq/km to 628 sq/km and added 504,698 residents, reaching 1,482,508. Unlike most Canadian cities, our population density increased 3.3%.
• Not only is there a placebo effect, where if you tell a test group that they're getting a great new drug, they'll get better even if they're really getting a sugar pill, there is an opposite nocebo effect, where if you give people the drug but tell them that they're getting a placebo, they may experience declining health related to the illness being treated. A great example of the nocebo effect is a witch doctor telling you, that they put a curse on you, and you believe in their power. You will experience something bad. On the placebo effect side, when a doctor gives you a pain killer, 70% of the pain relief is the result of the drug, and 30% is the result of your belief in the drug's power.
• There are currently over 743 giga-watts of wind power deployed around the world, and over 50% of it is in China.
• The longest possible train journey in the world is 18,755 kilometers. It would begin (or end) in Singapore and end in Lagos, at the south end of Portugal. It would pass through 13 different countries, including Spain, Poland, Belarus, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, to name a few. The trip would last 21 days and cost about US$1,350.
• Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar are basically the same drink (Coke Zero Sugar has one more type of artificial sweetener added). Diet Coke will likely phase out as the word 'diet' has a connotation of a poor self-image and deprivation. Younger consumers (i.e. Millennials) prefer to eat healthier instead of going on a diet. Less sugar is a draw for them.