It was that distant voice talking to Kevin Costner?s character in the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams that said ?If you build it, they will come? It worked well for him. The same can?t necessarily be said about the airlines attempt to revamp their business class cabins. Airlines worldwide are reporting below than normal bookings in their business class cabins. Sales for business class seats fell short for airlines like Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines in December. Both airlines are known for having the best business class in the industry. Qantas was even offering discounts on their business class options.
Experts are reporting that many companies who would normally book seats in business class for their employees are cutting back and opting to book in economy for short flights and economy plus on longer flights. The time seems to be coming when large companies need to curb their travel expenses.
The airlines business and first class options only take up 15% of the airlines capacity but nearly half of airline earnings come from customers who book in business class due to the more expensive price tag.
As the airlines invested millions to upgrade their premium service with new lay flat seating and state of the art entertainment offerings, the demand seems to be dwindling as worldwide economic conditions remain uncertain. Perhaps, the airlines might want to explore the option of creating a premium economy class cabin to act as a middle ground between business and economy. Some airlines have begun offering a premium economy class which features some amenities one might find in business or first class. American, Delta, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific are among those offering new premium economy class seating.
The airlines will need to focus on how to retain their current corporate customers and gain new ones in 2013. Offering premium class discounts on certain destinations could be the next big trend by many carriers to bring them back.
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I don?t know about you, but I am uber excited about the new Star Wars movies! ?My son is going to be the perfect age to enjoy them. ?I just found out that J.J. Abrams is going to direct them and now I am even more excited. I thought that the Mission Impossible films were exciting and the special effects and stunts were amazing. ?I can only imagine what ideas he has in store for the Star Wars franchise.
J.J. Abrams will direct?Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of?Star Wars?films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.
?It?s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new?Star Wars?movie,? said Kennedy. ?J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the?Star Wars?experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.?
George Lucas went on to say ?I?ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.? He?s an ideal choice to direct the new?Star Wars?film and the legacy couldn?t be in better?hands.?
?To be a part of the next chapter of the?Star Wars?saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,? J.J. Abrams said. ?I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.?
J.J., his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.
Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg.? Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on?The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark?and?Return of the Jedi.?Kinberg was writer on?Sherlock Holmes?and?Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have a proven track record of blockbuster movies that feature complex action, heartfelt drama, iconic heroes and fantastic production values with such credits as?Star Trek, Super 8,?Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and this year?s?Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm?s preeminent postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the feature films he has directed, beginning with?Mission: Impossible III. He also created or co-created such acclaimed television series as?Felicity,?Alias,Lost?and?Fringe.
IDC's Q4 report on the global mobile phone market reveals that Huawei sprang up into the top-three smartphone vendors in the world, a first for the company. In Q4, Huawei held a 4.9 percent marketshare based on unit shipments. This is much less than the 29 percent chunk held by Samsung and Apple's 21.8 percent slice, but still places Huawei ahead of Sony and ZTE. In the 2012 calendar year, Huawei was number four among the top five smartphone vendors by market share, after Samsung, Apple and Nokia, but ahead of Research In Motion.
While the image above hearkens to a simpler time in console competition, the modern day battle is no less heated between contemporary industry giants Sony and Microsoft.?What will the next generation of consoles bring to the table? We received a small taste late last week when plans leaked detailing the processing power, control scheme, and graphical output of Sony?s next contribution to the field?the PlayStation 4, code-named Orbis.
The console will pack an eight core AMD processer clocked at 1.6 GHz and 4 GB of RAM. Although 4 GB might seem somewhat underwhelming, especially considering the next-gen Xbox, code-named Durango, will pack 8 GB of RAM, the PS4 will use DDR5?ultra-fast, cutting edge memory?while the Xbox will reportedly stick with DDR3. Additionally, the rumored PS4 specs have more raw processing power than rumored Xbox specs.
In terms of graphics, the PS4 will, in keeping with it?s AMD theme, be powered by a Radeon GPU. In terms of sheer power, PS4 specs seem as though they will outpace those speculated to be part of the Xbox 720, a few details of which we discussed in this column a few months ago. However, anything can change prior to release, and it will be interesting to see how, and if, either Sony or Microsoft react to the other showing their hand.
Another rumor floating about suggests the PS4 controller will incorporate biometric sensors as well as a touch-screen, potentially bringing it closer to a Wii U controller than its PS3 predecessor. It?s difficult to imagine a complete departure from the classic PS controller, which has become iconic in its design, comfort, and functionality, but the times, they are a-changin?.
The downside of the leaked specs? The processor and GPU selection virtually guarantee that the PS4 will not be backwards-compatible with the PS3 (a personal pet peeve and an increasing transitional trend between console generations), so you won?t be able to consolidate your consoles if you?ve got PS3 classics you wish to keep around.
In other gaming news this week, The Elder Scrolls Online opens up for beta applications, the Wii U will be home to a new Zelda game, and THQ goes belly-up, auctioning off most of its franchises and projects in the process.
Zelda in HD? Believe it. Nintendo just announced that an HD cut of Zelda is in development for the Wii U.
Take Two is the proud new owner of the video game licensing rights to the lucrative WWE universe.
Finally, in the biggest (and most unfortunate) gaming news of the week, THQ has disbanded entirely, laid off its staff, and auctioned off all their video game franchise rights, with Sega, Take Two, Crytek, and Ubisoft getting in on the action. Best of luck to all former THQ employees, and here?s hoping they?ll land on their feet.
If there are games you?d like us to cover or blogs you think we should be following for more news, please let us know?@tdelucci?or?@pritpaulbains.
Jan. 24, 2013 ? An insect with a tiny brain and minimal computing power has become the first animal proven to use the Milky Way for orientation. Scientists from South Africa and Sweden have published findings showing the link between dung beetles and the spray of stars which comprises our galaxy.
Although their eyes are too weak to distinguish individual constellations, dung beetles use the gradient of light to dark provided by the Milky Way to ensure they keep rolling their balls in a straight line and don't circle back to competitors at the dung pile.
"The dung beetles don't care which direction they're going in; they just need to get away from the bun fight at the poo pile," said Professor Marcus Byrne from Wits University.
Byrne and his team previously proved that dung beetles use the sun, the moon and polarised light for orientation. In their experiments, they gave the beetles "caps" which blocked light from reaching their eyes. The team also discovered that the beetles climb on top of their dung balls to perform an orientation "dance" during which they locate light sources to use for orientation.
Now, further experiments, conducted under the simulated night sky of the Wits Planetarium, have shown that the beetles also use the Mohawk of the Milky Way -- giving new meaning to dancing with the stars!
"We were sitting out in Vryburg (conducting experiments) and the Milky Way was this massive light source. We thought they have to be able to use this -- they just have to!" said Byrne.
Not all light sources are equally useful landmarks for a dung beetle. A moth keeping a constant angle between itself and a candle flame will move in a circle around the flame. However, a celestial body is too far away to change position relative to a dung beetle as it rolls its ball, with the result that the beetle keeps travelling in a straight line.
The scientists suspect the beetles have a hierarchy of preference when it comes to available light sources. So if the moon and the Milky Way are visible at the same time, the beetles probably use one rather than the other.
A few other animals have been proven to use stars for orientation, but the dung beetle is the first animal proven to use the galaxy.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wits University, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Marie Dacke, Emily Baird, Marcus Byrne, Clarke?H. Scholtz, Eric?J. Warrant. Dung Beetles Use the Milky Way for Orientation. Current Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.12.034
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
This week, I?ve been experimenting with taking lactase supplements before eating anything with lactose. Lactase is the enzyme that helps us digest lactose. I suspect I might have trouble digesting lactose so I thought I?d give it a shot. I?m happy to report ? so far so good. I was supposedly lactose intolerant for a year when I was seven (I know, it makes no sense) but the symptoms disappeared. It was like I had been touched by the healing hands of Aragorn. That?s a Lord of the Rings reference, by the way.
Apparently, I somehow overcame the intolerance. Or did I? I?ve started thinking lately that maybe I?ve had a slight lactose sensitivity for the last two decades but, because my symptoms have been relatively minor, I?ve been sweeping them under the rug. (I love dairy. Give me a pint of cookie dough ice cream and any movie starring Meg Ryan and everything is right with the world. I?m such a girl.)
Experimenting with lactase has shown me that gut health is super important! Aside from the fact that none of us would want to be this guy, who was reprimanded at work for ? wait for it ? farting too much, it?s important to take care of the gut for a lot of reasons. But it?s not something the medical community tells us to pay attention to. On the contrary, they give us medications and antibiotics that kill gut flora and then leave us hanging with no advice about how to repopulate the good bacteria. Sigh.
So, why should we care? What?s the big deal about gut health? Well, poor gut health can lead to digestive issues like gas, bloating, constipation, diharrea, nausea and heartburn. Symptoms made worse by that fact that so many of us eat large amounts of processed food ? and we eat it too quickly, in the car or at the desk. But what?s worse is that many health professionals are starting to believe that gut health may be related to more severe conditions, like allergies, arthritis, autoimmune diseases and mood disorders. This is serious stuff, kids!
So listen to Jamie Lee Curtis and eat your yogurt! The woman was in both Halloween AND Beverly Hills Chihuahua, I think she knows what she?s talking about. Though I?d recommend a higher quality yogurt than Activia. Fermented foods, kombucha and kefir are also among the many tasty foods that are great for the gut. But let?s take it up a notch. If you?re experiencing symptoms and you?re concerned, get tested for food intolerances. Give the doctor a jar of your poo and find out if you have healthy levels of gut bacteria. It?s an important but often overlooked contributor to our overall health ? so if you want to be proactive, make gut care a regular part of your health routine.
Related: 12 Ways to Supercharge your Digestion Yoga Moves for Digestion
Each year, as your vehicle insurance policy is about to expire, take the chance to appear elsewhere for a better deal. Most shoppers mistakenly believe auto insurance coverage companies are alike. They renew their policies every year with out realizing they can appreciate a lot more value for their cash with other insurers.
A single of the worst-kept secrets in the auto insurance market is that insurers differ, typically dramatically. Comparing them side by side typically reveals crucial differences that prompt numerous consumers to switch organizations. In this article, we?ll clarify how to comparison shop auto insurers to see regardless of whether switching is the correct selection for you offered your situations.
The Importance Of Client Service
Have you ever known as your automobile insurance company, and been less than impressed with their response? For instance, their representatives may well have been unable to answer straightforward concerns their professionalism may have been lacking or your insurer?s claims workplace may have hours that are inconvenient for you. Whatever the purpose, lackluster customer service is noteworthy.
When you?re purchasing for auto insurance coverage coverage, get in touch with each business and ?test? their level of service. If it fails to meet your expectations prior to buying coverage, it will most likely be disappointing down the road.
Which Insurer Delivers The Most Generous Discounts?
Not all insurance companies extend the same discounts to their policyholders. Some provide a longer list than other people. Some offer greater discounts than other individuals. Right here once more, it pays to shop about.
Most insurers will agree to decrease your rates if you have a clean driving record, or insure numerous automobiles with them. Some companies will minimize your prices if you are a senior citizen, a student with good grades, or have an alarm program installed in your car. Ask your broker or insurance coverage representative to offer particulars relating to the discounts they supply.
Is The Auto Insurer Financially Stable?
The goal of getting car insurance coverage coverage is to protect yourself financially from unanticipated fees that result from loss or accidents. Sometimes, this requires the insurer paying to replace a automobile that has been stolen. Other times, it requires their paying healthcare and rehabilitation costs for injuries sustained in the course of an accident.
Just before you purchase coverage, check whether the insurer has the monetary strength to pay out claims. If you are involved in a major collision, you are going to want the peace of mind that comes with realizing your insurer has the indicates to fulfill their coverage obligations.
Be Prepared With The Right Details
In order to evaluate auto insurers ? whether you do so on-line or via the telephone ? you will require to provide them with particular info. Most insurance organizations will want to know your living address, social security number, and other individual particulars. A lot of shoppers are understandably loathe to offer their social security numbers. Whilst you can get a preliminary quote with out giving this information to the insurer, the quote will seldom reflect the final premium.
You are going to also require to provide particulars about your vehicle and driving habits. This includes your car?s make and model, odometer reading, common number of miles driven each year, and regardless of whether you have had any current accidents.
The reason insurers want this information is simply because it helps them assess their risk of insurance loss if they extend coverage to you. For example, if you reside in an location exactly where auto theft is a major problem, your rates will be higher than otherwise. Likewise, if you have 1 or two at-fault accidents on your driving record, expect to spend a higher premium than you would with a clean record.
Locating Cost-effective Auto Insurance coverage Coverage
Therefore far, we have avoided the problem of premiums. This is the feature that most consumers focus upon when they evaluate automobile insurance organizations side by side. Rates are crucial, and we encourage you to shop around for the lowest you can discover. That stated, low rates matter significantly less if the insurer has a track record for lackluster consumer service, sparse discounts, and a poor history of paying claims.
Think about the auto insurance coverage you purchase as portion of a package. As soon as you have narrowed the area to several higher-quality businesses, compare quotes between them. This is the most effective way to find affordable coverage you can be confident will meet your needs when the time comes.
Antibacterial agent used in common soaps found in increasing amounts in freshwater lakes Public release date: 22-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rhonda Zurn rzurn@umn.edu 612-626-7959 University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota study raises new questions about use of triclosan
When people wash their hands with antibacterial soap, most don't think about where the chemicals contained in that soap end up. University of Minnesota engineering researchers do.
A new University of Minnesota study determined that the common antibacterial agent, called triclosan, used in soaps and many other products is found in increasing amounts in several Minnesota freshwater lakes. The findings are directly linked to increased triclosan use over the past few decades.
In addition, the researchers found an increasing amount of other chemical compounds, called chlorinated triclosan derivatives, that form when triclosan is exposed to chlorine during the wastewater disinfection process. When exposed to sunlight, triclosan and its chlorinated derivatives form dioxins that have potential toxic effects in the environment. These dioxins were also found in the lakes.
The study was just accepted by the journal Environmental Science and Technology and is published online.
The study's results raise new questions about the use of triclosan. Triclosan was patented in 1964 and introduced into the market in the early 1970s. Since then it has been added to many consumer products including soaps and body washes, toothpastes, cosmetics, clothing, dishwashing liquid, and kitchenware. Beyond its use in toothpaste to prevent gingivitis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found no evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provide any benefit over washing with regular soap and water. The FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency continue to study the effects of triclosan on animal and environmental health.
"It's important for people to know that what they use in their house every day can have an impact in the environment far beyond their home," said the study's lead author William Arnold, a civil engineering professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering. "Consumers need to know that they may be using products with triclosan. People should read product labels to understand what they are buying."
Arnold said this research can also help chemical manufacturers understand some of the potential long-term impacts from triclosan on the environment.
The researchers studied the sediment of eight lakes of various size throughout Minnesota with varying amounts of treated wastewater input. They gathered sediment cores about one meter long from each of the lakes. After slicing the cores into several segments about two to four centimeters in thickness, they worked with researchers at the Science Museum of Minnesota's St. Croix Watershed Research Station to date the sediment. Some sediment segments dated back more than 100 years. Professor Arnold's group and researchers from Pace Analytical Services in Minneapolis used high tech methods to analyze the chemicals contained in the sediments over time.
The research found that sediment collected from large lakes with many wastewater sources had increased concentrations of triclosan, chlorinated triclosan derivatives, and triclosan-derived dioxins since the patent of triclosan in 1964. In small-scale lakes with a single wastewater source, the trends were directly attributed to increased triclosan use, local improvements in treatment, and changes in wastewater disinfection since the 1960s. When UV disinfection technology replaced chlorine in one of the wastewater treatment plants, the presence of chlorinated triclosan derivatives in the sediments decreased.
In the lake with no wastewater input, no triclosan or chlorinated triclosan derivatives were detected. Overall, concentrations of triclosan, chlorinated triclosan derivatives, and their dioxins were higher in small lakes, reflecting a greater degree of wastewater impact.
"The results were similar to other recent studies worldwide, but this was the first broad study that looked at several different lakes with various wastewater treatment inputs," Arnold said. "While wastewater treatment removes the vast majority of triclosan, these systems were not designed with this in mind. We need to continue to explore all aspects of this issue."
###
The lakes studied were Lake Pepin, Lake St. Croix, Lake Winona, East Lake Gemini, Lake Shagawa, Duluth Harbor, Lake Superior, and Little Wilson Lake. The research was funded by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. The National Science Foundation provided additional funds.
In addition to Arnold, the research team included University of Minnesota civil engineering graduate student Cale Anger; Charles Sueper, HRMS technical director at Pace Analytical Services Inc.; earth sciences graduate student Dylan Blumentritt; Kristopher McNeill, a professor from the Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics at ETH-Zurich, Switzerland and former University of Minnesota chemistry professor; and Daniel Engstrom, director of the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota and adjunct professor of earth sciences at the University of Minnesota.
To read the full research paper, visit the Environmental Science and Technology website.
At the University of Minnesota, researchers are exploring lasting solutions to environmental challenges. These game-changing efforts are the impetus behind MnDRIVE, the university's proposal for a new, ongoing partnership with the state to enhance Discovery, Research, InnoVation and Economic development. For more information, visit www.govrelations.umn.edu/biennial-budget.html.
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Antibacterial agent used in common soaps found in increasing amounts in freshwater lakes Public release date: 22-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Rhonda Zurn rzurn@umn.edu 612-626-7959 University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota study raises new questions about use of triclosan
When people wash their hands with antibacterial soap, most don't think about where the chemicals contained in that soap end up. University of Minnesota engineering researchers do.
A new University of Minnesota study determined that the common antibacterial agent, called triclosan, used in soaps and many other products is found in increasing amounts in several Minnesota freshwater lakes. The findings are directly linked to increased triclosan use over the past few decades.
In addition, the researchers found an increasing amount of other chemical compounds, called chlorinated triclosan derivatives, that form when triclosan is exposed to chlorine during the wastewater disinfection process. When exposed to sunlight, triclosan and its chlorinated derivatives form dioxins that have potential toxic effects in the environment. These dioxins were also found in the lakes.
The study was just accepted by the journal Environmental Science and Technology and is published online.
The study's results raise new questions about the use of triclosan. Triclosan was patented in 1964 and introduced into the market in the early 1970s. Since then it has been added to many consumer products including soaps and body washes, toothpastes, cosmetics, clothing, dishwashing liquid, and kitchenware. Beyond its use in toothpaste to prevent gingivitis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found no evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provide any benefit over washing with regular soap and water. The FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency continue to study the effects of triclosan on animal and environmental health.
"It's important for people to know that what they use in their house every day can have an impact in the environment far beyond their home," said the study's lead author William Arnold, a civil engineering professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering. "Consumers need to know that they may be using products with triclosan. People should read product labels to understand what they are buying."
Arnold said this research can also help chemical manufacturers understand some of the potential long-term impacts from triclosan on the environment.
The researchers studied the sediment of eight lakes of various size throughout Minnesota with varying amounts of treated wastewater input. They gathered sediment cores about one meter long from each of the lakes. After slicing the cores into several segments about two to four centimeters in thickness, they worked with researchers at the Science Museum of Minnesota's St. Croix Watershed Research Station to date the sediment. Some sediment segments dated back more than 100 years. Professor Arnold's group and researchers from Pace Analytical Services in Minneapolis used high tech methods to analyze the chemicals contained in the sediments over time.
The research found that sediment collected from large lakes with many wastewater sources had increased concentrations of triclosan, chlorinated triclosan derivatives, and triclosan-derived dioxins since the patent of triclosan in 1964. In small-scale lakes with a single wastewater source, the trends were directly attributed to increased triclosan use, local improvements in treatment, and changes in wastewater disinfection since the 1960s. When UV disinfection technology replaced chlorine in one of the wastewater treatment plants, the presence of chlorinated triclosan derivatives in the sediments decreased.
In the lake with no wastewater input, no triclosan or chlorinated triclosan derivatives were detected. Overall, concentrations of triclosan, chlorinated triclosan derivatives, and their dioxins were higher in small lakes, reflecting a greater degree of wastewater impact.
"The results were similar to other recent studies worldwide, but this was the first broad study that looked at several different lakes with various wastewater treatment inputs," Arnold said. "While wastewater treatment removes the vast majority of triclosan, these systems were not designed with this in mind. We need to continue to explore all aspects of this issue."
###
The lakes studied were Lake Pepin, Lake St. Croix, Lake Winona, East Lake Gemini, Lake Shagawa, Duluth Harbor, Lake Superior, and Little Wilson Lake. The research was funded by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. The National Science Foundation provided additional funds.
In addition to Arnold, the research team included University of Minnesota civil engineering graduate student Cale Anger; Charles Sueper, HRMS technical director at Pace Analytical Services Inc.; earth sciences graduate student Dylan Blumentritt; Kristopher McNeill, a professor from the Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics at ETH-Zurich, Switzerland and former University of Minnesota chemistry professor; and Daniel Engstrom, director of the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota and adjunct professor of earth sciences at the University of Minnesota.
To read the full research paper, visit the Environmental Science and Technology website.
At the University of Minnesota, researchers are exploring lasting solutions to environmental challenges. These game-changing efforts are the impetus behind MnDRIVE, the university's proposal for a new, ongoing partnership with the state to enhance Discovery, Research, InnoVation and Economic development. For more information, visit www.govrelations.umn.edu/biennial-budget.html.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
BERLIN (AP) ? A lawyer in Germany claims surgeons left up to 16 objects in her client's body after an operation for prostate cancer. She is seeking ?80,000 ($106,216) plus costs for the family of the patient, who has since died. Surgical slips such as these are rare, but with millions of operations performed worldwide each year mistakes do sometimes occur.
According to Loyola University in Chicago, citing medical studies, some 1,500 patients in the United States have surgical objects accidentally left inside them after surgery each year. Most of the objects are sponges used to control patient bleeding during long operations. They can lead to pain, infections and other medical complications.
Such cases have prompted doctors to coin the term "retained surgical items" and draw up guidelines to prevent them occurring. These include accounting for all items after surgery ? such as with the help of RFID chips ? and using equipment containing special strips that show up clearly in x-rays.
Some notable cases:
?In Dec. 2011, a man in Ohio who had two towels left in his body after surgery at a Veterans hospital won a $275,000 settlement from the federal government.
?In Aug. 2012, California regulators fined a Fresno hospital $50,000 for leaving a towel in a patient after abdominal surgery.
? In Sept. 2012, The Canberra Times of Australia reported that a patient required a second operation after a surgical instrument was left in the abdomen. The incident prompted Canberra hospitals to begin special training for staff to make sure they kept better track of instruments during surgery.
? In Feb. 2010, doctors in the Czech Republic discovered a foot-long metal tube had been left inside a woman's abdomen five months after surgery. The chief of the clinic said four staff members had been punished.
? In March 2009, a Kentucky jury awarded a woman $2.5 million after she required surgery to remove a sponge left inside her after a hysterectomy three years earlier. Part of her small intestine had to be removed.
The U.S. Attorney's office has quietly dismissed charges against Internet freedom activist Aaron Swartz, who?reportedly took his own life Friday.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz told Boston.com that paperwork was filed Monday dropping the charges, and that Ortiz does not want to discuss the case, being dismissed because of Swartz's death.
"We want to respect?the family's privacy at this time,"?DOJ spokesperson Christina DiIorio-Sterling?told?NBC?News via phone.?"His?death was a tragedy and we don't think it's appropriate to be commenting on ?this case at this time."
Swartz, 26, who helped create RSS when he was a teen, and was a passionate advocate for making as much information as possible public on the Web, was indicted in 2011 by the federal government on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud. In an attempt to provide free access to JSTOR, a subscription service for science and literacy journals on MIT's network, he downloaded nearly the entire library of 4.8 million articles and documents to make it publicly available, according to The New York Times.
"Aaron's death is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach,"?Swartz's family and partner said?in?a?statement?over the weekend.
Decisions made by officials in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's office and at MIT contributed to his death. The U.S. Attorney's office pursued an exceptionally harsh array of charges, carrying potentially over 30 years in prison, to punish an alleged crime that had no victims. Meanwhile, unlike JSTOR, MIT refused to stand up for Aaron and its own community's most cherished principles.
MIT said Sunday it is?launching its own "analysis" of what happened in the case. "I want to express very clearly that I and all of us at MIT are extremely saddened by the death of this promising young man who touched the lives of so many,"?said?MIT President L. Rafael Reif?in?an?email?to?those?in?the?MIT?community.?"It pains me to think that MIT played any role in a series of events that have ended in tragedy."
Meanwhile,?a?petition?has been filed with the?White House seeking to remove Ortiz?from office "for overreach" in the Swartz?case.?While?it?is?"too late to do anything for Aaron Swartz,"?the petition says, the prosecutor who "used the powers granted to them by their office to hound him into a position where he was facing a ruinous trial, life in prison and the ignominy and shame of being a convicted felon" for "an alleged crime that the supposed victims did not wish to prosecute"?should be ousted.
An Obama administration initiative called "We the People" says that staffers will respond and consider taking action on any issue that receives at least 25,000 online?signatures within 30 days.
Helen A.S. Popkin of NBC News contributed to this report.
Despite the fact that many people are cutting back on their finances and spending at the moment, due to the state of the UK economy and it has become more difficult to obtain a personal loan, even for people with a good credit rating, the number of unsecured loans and credit being taken out has continued to increase.
Even with people cutting back and making extra efforts to repay their personal unsecured loan debts and credit cards, year on year borrowing on consumer credit has increased according to the latest figures.
According to the latest statistics from the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA), the amount of borrowing on consumer credit in the UK, which includes unsecured loans, credit cards and overdrafts, saw an increase of around 6 per cent for the month of November last year, compared with the same period twelve months earlier.
Within these figures, there has been a significant reduction in the use of store cards, as well as a drop in the amount being borrowed on credit cards and unsecured loans. However, at the same time, there has been an increased use of instalment credit loans, second mortgages or secured loans and car loans and car finance.
Fiona Hoyle of the FLA said ?The strongest growth we are seeing is in instalment credit and car loans and finance, suggesting that consumers are taking advantage of the good finance deals currently on offer.?
?The figures show just how important the sector is to consumers and the economy in general. The government?s new regulatory system for consumer credit needs to take account of this and ensure that the market is supported and not undermined.?
If you're launching a line of extended-range electric vehicles, ala the Chevy Volt, it's hard to imagine a better person to help you with the launch than Bob Lutz, the driving force behind that very car. Now he's working with VIA Motors, which today introduced a line of electric vehicles of a rather different scale. The V-TRUX line of big boy toys includes modified GMC trucks, SUVs and vans, customized to include a Volt-like powertrain that enables up to 40 miles of electricity-only driving before switching over to the onboard 4.8 liter V8. More details after the break.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Kelsey Bone had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 20 Texas A&M to a 78-56 victory over Auburn on Sunday.
Kristi Bellock had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Aggies (13-5, 3-1 Southeastern). It was Bone's fifth straight game in double figures in both categories, while Bellock has done it in three of her last four.
Courtney Walker had 16 points and Adrienne Pratcher scored 11 for Texas A&M, which never trailed in the game and built a quick 16-4 lead. The Aggies were ahead 43-23 at the half.
Hasina Muhammad led Auburn (13-4, 2-2) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Tyrese Tanner added 15 points for the Tigers.
Metropolitan 1, a restored steam train travels near Earl's Court, London. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Sunday, January 13, 2013 7:33 AM
The first passenger journey on the London Underground was recreated this morning as part of celebrations to mark the Tube?s 150th birthday.
At precisely 9.54am specially invited passengers moved off from Kensington Olympia Tube station in west London aboard a train pulled by Met Locomotive 1, which was built in 1898.
The passengers were in the restored Metropolitan Railway carriage No 353, which was built in 1892, as well as a set of Chesham coaches on loan from the Bluebell Railway in Sussex.
Making up the train was the No 12 Sarah Siddons - one of the world?s oldest electric locomotives in service which was built in 1922.
The train travelled non-stop to Moorgate station in the City of London, moving at slow speed, meaning it was visible passing through a number of stations en route, including Earl?s Court, High Street Kensington, Bayswater, Paddington, Euston and King?s Cross.
The train reached Moorgate at 10.30am. Normal Tube services were running at the same time.
Londoners will get a chance to see two more journeys today as the steam train will travel on sold-out trips from Olympia to Moorgate at 7.15pm and from Moorgate to Edgware Road at 8.10pm.
Among further steam journeys to celebrate the anniversary will be those on Sunday, January 20.
The first stretch of the world-famous network opened on January 9, 1863, between Paddington and Farringdon, when it was known as the Metropolitan Railway.
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Sarahjane is helping me stick to this goal of finding something that inspires me each week - and I"m glad she's doing it, because sometimes its hard. And by that I mean it is hard, at the end of a long week (my first full week back at school), when I am tired, exhausted, ?and rather emotionally drained, to think of the beautiful little things that inspired me. But, events of late have forced me to think about friendship, true friendship. I read this beautiful post on love and a certain part struck me. She talks about prioritizing relationships. You can not be everything to everyone. It is also foolish to continue close relationships with people who do nothing but put you down. You must be selective about the people you chose to cultivate relationships with. If they are not a positive, uplifting influence on your life, they do not deserve the privilege of being one of your close relationships. That hit me. Hard. I hang on to people. I like to think the best of them - and I like to hold on to the good and shut out the bad. But, sometimes it takes just one little text, a single comment, or a memory of the silence for all the bad to flood back. Am I prioritizing my relationships? Do I choose to surround myself with people who uplift and motivate me? Or do I keep people around because they have always been there, despite their determined efforts to put me down? This is not meant to be a post on bad friends - these recent experiences have empowered me to be more conscientious in choosing my friendships. I am surrounded by so many wonderful people. They are supportive, caring, understanding, fun, and inspiring. They make me want to be a better version of me instead of asking me to make excuses for who I am. These people inspire me with their goodness, their motivation, and their service. They inspire me with their vision, their love, and their talents. Where ever you are, be someone who inspires others, someone who uplifts them, someone who loves them. Be the kind of person you want to surround yourself with.
How do you choose your friends?
What do you think about prioritizing your friendships?
P.S. I hope you enjoyed those pictures. I had so much fun going through old "friendship" pictures for this post...and these made me laugh the most. They were post preference (a big dance) freshman year. A boa may have been involved in the costumes - hence that one picture (we concluded it is what we would look like as birds). Thank you for humoring me :P I might have to share more of these oldies ... any one up for a pre-blog life recap?
Coaches and players love to espouse whatever success or failure happens early in a hockey season can be overcome or overtaken.
?It?s a marathon,? they?ll say, ?not a sprint.?
No one will say that this year.
When the Panthers ? and the other 29 teams in the NHL ? report for the start of training camp Sunday morning, they might as well be wearing a pair of Usain Bolt?s used Pumas.
This thing is going to go fast.
?It?s going to go by very, very quickly,? Panthers goalie Jose Theodore said.
?It seems like forever since we?ve been here, but at the same time, it feels like yesterday. All those months are gone. And the season is going to be like that. It?s great to go back to work. You can feel the intensity picking up around here.?
With the NHL lockout lasting four-plus months, there isn?t much of a season left as the league will play 48 games instead of its usual 82.
Teams will open the 2012-13 season Saturday ? a week before the originally scheduled All-Star break. That celebration, which was to be held in Columbus, Ohio, was canceled months ago.
Even preseason games have been shelved this year.
?Experience is going to play a big role,? Theodore said. ?We have a lot of veterans, so we should be OK. Preseason is good to have, but it?s not the real thing. What you are going to see is five very intense days of practice, and we?re going to be ready to play.?
The Panthers will hold physicals at the Saveology.com Iceplex in Coral Springs on Sunday morning with the possibility for a short practice at noon.
The team is expected to hold a training camp with workouts and scrimmages from Monday through Friday starting at 10 a.m. each day.
Florida kicks off its 48-game slate Saturday at BB&T Center in Sunrise against visiting Carolina.
?We?re going to be asking a lot of these guys in a shortened season,? said coach Kevin Dineen, who played for Hartford during the previous 48-game season in 1994.
?Every game is going to have a playoff-like atmosphere. You?re going to hear that a lot and that?s because it?s true. Things are going to come fast and furious. Everyone talks about how important that start is. I believe that. It?s going to be a very entertaining season.?
When the Panthers opened camp last year, there were more new faces than old. General manager Dale Tallon revamped Florida?s roster and had a new coach and system after firing Pete DeBoer and brining in Dineen.
One advantage the Panthers have in this shotgun season is their familiarity with one another. Florida will have a few new faces ? Peter Mueller, George Parros and Filip Kuba ? but the core of last year?s Southeast Division championship team returns.
?We have most of our team back and the additions we made were great,? center Shawn Matthias said. ?I think we have a really good team here. We?re all excited to get going. It?s going to be a sprint from start to finish.?
Florida?s top line of Stephen Weiss with Tomas Fleischmann and Kris Versteeg returns intact. Rookie Jonathan Huberdeau will be added to the forward mix this season, likely playing on the second line.
The Panthers bring back both goalies from last year and will replace Jason Garrison (Vancouver) on the blueline with Kuba (Ottawa).
Florida will have a handful of roster battles, but Huberdeau is a lock to make it.
Veterans Alex Kovalev and Marek Svatos are in on a tryout and might find openings with forwards Marcel Goc and Sean Bergenheim expected to miss the start of the season because of undisclosed injuries.
Dineen will likely carry the full 23 players on his roster to make it easier to substitute players during the many upcoming back-to-back sets of games.
?We?re going to have a real quick transition,? said Brian Campbell, Florida?s lone All-Star selection last season after coming over from Chicago.
?With a short training camp, having the same players and coaches is an advantage for us.
?We know the system. We know what to expect. Nothing is new.?
In Part 1 or our Home Ergonomics series, we looked at general concepts around customizing your home to make it more ergonomic. Today, we?ll look at some ergonomic home ideas that do no involve custom building or major renovations.
The quickest, easiest and least expensive way to adapt your home to your physical needs is to ensure that the tools and furniture that you use regularly conform to your requirements, are comfortable and are easy to use.
? The most obvious room in the house where you would want to make ergonomics a priority is in the bedroom. We spend one quarter to one third of each day in bed, so choosing the proper mattress and pillow to support our backs and necks is imperative.
? Beyond office chairs, there are a few sofas and chairs on the market that are specifically marketed as being ergonomic. These are an option, but you can also choose your seating with this in mind: your knees should be at approximately 90 degrees when sitting, your feet should be touching the floor or on a stool and your back should be supported. Also remember that those overly soft sofas that you sink into, while cozy, can be hard on the hips and back and probably aren?t a very good idea for extended periods of sitting.
? Kitchen gadgets, tools, knives and even brooms and mops are also available in more ergonomic designs to take the strain off while you get your housework done.
? Lawn care and gardening tools and shovels are all available with ergonomic handles to spare your back, arms and wrists from strain during repetitive motions and heavy work. Of course, if the strain of outdoor work is too much for you to sustain, you can also consider contracting a professional landscaping service to take care of these chores for you.
Come back soon for Part 3 of our Home Ergonomics series where we?ll be giving home improvement tips for ergonomics in kitchen design.
How have you adapted your home to meet your physical needs? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
Tagged as: ergonomics, home ergonomics, home improvement tips, landscaping Dayton, landscaping OH, landscaping Ohio, landscaping service, lawn care, lawn care Dayton, lawn care OH, lawn care Ohio, professional landscaping service
Women burns herself on her coffee, sues fast-food chain. We think we?ve heard this one before.
Gosh, don?t you just hate when you buy a coffee and it?s hot? There?s nothing worse than ordering a hot beverage and finding its temperature to err on the warmer side of tepid. And I am clearly not alone, because a Louisiana woman, Kathleen Perez is suing Burger King for just such an offence.
This most recent legal battle follows on from the notorious 1994 Lieback vs. McDonalds trial, which culminated in the food-chain paying around $160,000 in damages, reducing the temperature at which their hot beverages are served at, and printing larger warnings on their cup holders ? all because a woman burnt herself whilst opening her coffee.
Apparently a Burger King worker failed to properly secure the lid onto Perez?s drink, and its boiling contents spilled on her, causing burns to her arms and stomach. So off they go to court for what will probably be a long-winded, expensive trial.
I?m not trying to belittle the pain and suffering of Perez and other victims who have, over the years, tried (successfully and unsuccessfully) to sue various fast-food companies for injuries caused by hot drinks. But I would suggest that if they continue to sell coffee from drive-thru windows it should only be served cold. That way, the next time some middle-aged American clasps the coffee cup between their clammy thighs, whilst simultaneously eating a doughnut and driving, any spillage will result in an embarrassing wet-patch rather than burns and a law suit.
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Via
Image: Flickr
About the Author
Lucy Draper I'm features editor at Planet Ivy. I like writing about the weird and funny things that happen to people every day. I also have an unfounded, but deep-rooted, fear of zombies.
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Public release date: 22-Jan-2013
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Metropolitan 1, a restored steam train travels near Earl's Court, London. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire 
In Part 1 or our Home Ergonomics series, we looked at general concepts around customizing your home to make it more ergonomic. Today, we?ll look at some ergonomic home ideas that do no involve custom building or major renovations.