For “Summary Saturday”, News, Some New, Some Old:
„ǝןƃuɐ ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ ɯoɹɟ pןɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʞooן ɐ ƃuıʞɐʇ sı ǝɟıן oʇ ʇǝɹɔǝs ǝɥʇ„
If you can’t read that, is says: “The secret to life is taking a look at the world from a different angle”
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Palestinian vote at U.N. brings recognition, but is a far cry from practical statehood
A Palestinian girl waves a flag during a rally supporting the Palestinian U.N. bid for observer state status, in the West bank city of Ramallah, Nov. 29, 2012. / AP
“The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly to recognize a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians still face enormous limitations: They don't control their borders, airspace or trade, they have separate and competing governments in Gaza and the West Bank, and they have no unified army or police.
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U.S. birth rate lowest since 1920: Blame the economy?
istockphoto.com
“America's birth rate has fallen to the lowest number on record, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.
The drop may be due in part to falling birthrates among foreign-born women who immigrate to the United States, according to the researchers.
Looking at U.S. census data along with CDC statistics that were collected from 1990 through 2010, the researchers found the U.S. birth rate declined 8 percent from 2007 to 2010, and now stands at 63.2 births per 1,000 women who are of childbearing age. That's the lowest number recorded since 1920 when reliable statistics were first kept.
The U.S. birth rate's peak was in 1957 during the "Baby Boom," reaching 122.7 births per 1,000 women -- almost double today's rate.” More at: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57556442/u.s-birth-rate-lowest-since-1920-blame-the-economy/
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Renewed warnings of suffocation risk from infant sleep positioners
This 2010 image from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows the potential suffocation hazard for babies who are placed in infant sleep positioners. / CPSC.gov
“Infant sleep positioners have been marketed and sold as ways to improve a baby's sleep, while reducing risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A new report however from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds the products have caused 13 suffocation deaths in young infants since 1997.
Unintentional suffocation is the leading cause of injury death for U.S. children younger than 1-year-old, according to the CDC.” More at: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57553718/renewed-warnings-of-suffocation-risk-from-infant-sleep-positioners/
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Science Behind Tamiflu Recommendations “Missing in Action”
“Since 2009, Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, has refused to release data from eight of 10 clinical trials on the drug. To address the dangers inherent with withholding of clinical trial data, the Cochrane Collaboration group in collaboration with the British Medical Journal has created the BMJ Open Data Campaign.
There is currently no scientific basis for the worldwide recommendation to use Tamiflu for the prevention or treatment of influenza. It is believed, however, that the missing trial data may reveal potential harms, and/or verify the drug’s ineffectiveness.
Researchers are calling for an end to the “culture of haphazard publication and incomplete data disclosure,” the implementation of more robust regulation, and full access to the raw trial data to ensure transparency.” Complete article at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/28/science-behind-tamiflu.aspx
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"Doctor dogs" being trained to sniff out ovarian cancer
Schatzi is a rescue dog being trained to sniff ovarian cancer on a person's breath.
“Rescue dogs that were saved are now being trained to save other people's lives by sniffing out ovarian cancer. Dina Zaphiris, a pet owner and dog trainer from West Hills, Calif., is working with researchers at the Pine Street Foundation to teach dogs how to detect ovarian cancer from a person's breath. "These dogs would rather find the cancer sample than a steak," Zaphiris said. More at: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57553262/doctor-dogs-being-trained-to-sniff-out-ovarian-cancer/
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Click Here to Say "Thank You"!
“Good News! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has honored its obligation to our national parks by issuing a final cleanup plan for three '70s-era Arizona power plants that will better regulate some of the biggest park polluters in the country. Its requirement for modern, highly effective pollution controls will dramatically benefit skies over 18 national parks and wilderness areas, including the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde.”
Send a thank you note to the EPA for taking action for clean air in the Southwest's national parks More at: http://my.npca.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=15841&em_id=14005.0
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Grand Canyon '64 million years older than previously thought'
New dating methods have shown that the Grand Canyon could be as old as the dinosaurs.
Researchers believe the canyon was probably carved at different times and paces. Photo: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
“Scientists have long argued over the age of the vast canyon, which is more than a mile deep as many as 18 miles wide and 280 miles long. Most believe it was carved out about five or six million years ago, based on the age of gravel washed downstream by the ancestral Colorado River.
But new dating methods which harness the radioactive decay of uranium showed it is far, far older, according to a study published in the journal Science. "Our research implies that the Grand Canyon was directly carved to within a few hundred meters of its modern depth by about 70 million years ago," said co-author Rebecca Flowers of the University of Colorado Boulder. More at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9713127/Grand-Canyon-64-million-years-older-than-previously-thought.html
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Now You Can Help Homeless Pets While You’re Shopping Online Check Out AdoptAShelter.com
“Just about a year ago, a website called AdoptAShelter.com was launched to tap into the existing Internet economy and redirect some of the revenue generated to help animals.
When online shoppers visit the site, in a matter of seconds they can select the shelter of their choice and start shopping at any one of nearly 500 retailers, including Amazon.com, Petsmart, eBay, and others.
Over 700 animal charities in 48 states have registered with the site. So if you shop online, consider making your first stop AdoptAShelter.com so a small percentage of your purchase price can go to help homeless pets.” More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/08/22/help-homeless-pets.aspx
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Smartphone apps to save a life
When a medical emergency strikes, every second counts, which is just one more area where the rapidly expanding field of Smartphone apps comes in. Wyatt Andrews has a case-in-point.
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On This Day:
Ford's assembly line starts rolling, Dec 1, 1913:
“On this day in 1913, Henry Ford installs the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile. His innovation reduced the time it took to build a car from more than 12 hours to two hours and 30 minutes.”
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Rosa Parks ignites bus boycott, Dec 1, 1955:
“In Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks is jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man, a violation of the city's racial segregation laws. The successful Montgomery Bus Boycott, organized by a young Baptist minister named Martin Luther King, Jr., followed Park's historic act of civil disobedience.”
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Chunnel makes breakthrough, Dec 1, 1990:
“Shortly after 11 a.m. on December 1, 1990, 132 feet below the English Channel, workers drill an opening the size of a car through a wall of rock. This was no ordinary hole--it connected the two ends of an underwater tunnel linking Great Britain with the European mainland for the first time in more than 8,000 years.
The Channel Tunnel, or "Chunnel," was not a new idea. It had been suggested to Napoleon Bonaparte, as early as 1802. It wasn't until the late 20th century, though, that the necessary technology was developed. In 1986, Britain and France signed a treaty authorizing the construction of a tunnel running between Folkestone, England, and Calais, France.
Over the next four years, nearly 13,000 workers dug 95 miles of tunnels at an average depth of 150 feet (45 meters) below sea level. Eight million cubic meters of soil were removed, at a rate of some 2,400 tons per hour. The completed Chunnel would have three interconnected tubes, including one rail track in each direction and one service tunnel. The price? A whopping $15 billion.
After workers drilled that final hole on December 1, 1990, they exchanged French and British flags and toasted each other with champagne. Final construction took four more years, and the Channel Tunnel finally opened for passenger service on May 6, 1994, with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and France's President Francois Mitterrand on hand in Calais for the inaugural run. A company called Eurotunnel won the 55-year concession to operate the Chunnel, which is the crucial stretch of the Eurostar high-speed rail link between London and Paris. The regular shuttle train through the tunnel runs 31 miles in total--23 of those underwater--and takes 20 minutes, with an additional 15-minute loop to turn the train around. The Chunnel is the second-longest rail tunnel in the world, after the Seikan Tunnel in Japan.”
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Yesterday:
Ray’s floor didn’t get finished again, as Jay couldn’t be reached, but he had got his check, so that was no surprise.
Ray came over for some fresh orange juice made in my auger juicer, and we decided to get a few jobs jobbed.
One of the long 4’ florescent bulbs in the grooming room blew up, and even though the glass had been swept up, it still needed to have every inch in the Grooming Room and Middle Room vacuumed. The little tiny slivers had even scattered into the bathroom and closet. We both went over the whole area with 2 vacuums. Then Ray brought the tall stepladder in, replaced the bulb, and it worked. But it isn’t working properly now that the ladder has been put up!!
One of my cellular blinds just wouldn’t stay on the bracket on one side. We thought it might be something to do with the blind, so we tried swapping it out with one that isn’t used much. Murphy’s Law got in the way, and both plastic brackets broke on the second one. I found some online at $6.95 each, plus $4 shipping!! So, we rummaged through my ‘drapery parts dept.’, and there were 2 metal drapery brackets that we could use to make brackets for the blind. They had to be chucked up in the vise and hack-sawed shorter, screwed to the wall, then invisibly nut and bolted to the blind, but it worked. I fiddled with the screw adjustment on the first blind’s bracket, and made it work.
After being chilly in the 30’s at night for the last few days, it started out in the 60’s yesterday and was a nice ‘doors-and-windows-open’ day.
2 comments:
I wouldn't think that it is common for florescent bulbs to explode like that. Maybe you should check on the electrical circuit that feeds that fixture.
Hi DD.
I don't think it exploded, I think it just fell down and shattered, as we found out today that the new bulb was loose, too.
Happy Tails and Trails, Penny.
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