Clipmarks | mugofcoffee's odds collection

Pain 'linked with low vitamin D'

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:05:08 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee

Low levels of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, may contribute to chronic pain among women, scientists believe.

The link does not apply to men, suggesting hormones may be involved, according to a study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases said.

The team from the Institute of Child Health in London said studies were now needed to see if vitamin D supplements can guard against chronic pain.

About one in 10 people are affected by chronic pain at any one time in the UK.

The causes are not well understood and much of the focus to date has been on emotional factors.

The nutrient, essential for healthy bones, is produced in the body when exposed to sunlight and is also found in oily fish, egg yolks and margarine.

Among the 7,000 men and women aged 45 from across England, Scotland and Wales that they studied, those who were smokers, non-drinkers, the overweight and the underweight all reported higher rates of chronic pain.

Among the women, vitamin D levels also appeared to be important.

Look who speaks???

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:08:51 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: Karadzic says chance of fair trial unimaginable

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has said it is unimaginable he could get a fair trial at the U.N. war crimes tribunal because the world's media have already branded him a war criminal.

In a document submitted to the tribunal by Karadzic and published by the court on Friday, Karadzic wrote: "My arrival here was accompanied by many drastic irregularities."

The first irregularity I would mention is the media witch-hunt which began in the Muslim media even before the beginning of the armed conflict and which proclaimed me a war criminal at a time when the only victims were Serbs."

The international media continued that media witch hunt ... so that is now unimaginable to many people that this court could acquit me. I believe that this fact seriously jeopardizes the trial itself".

Reporting by Alexandra Hudson

Can't believe this, sincerely!!!

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:24:56 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: U.S. agents can seize travelers' laptops:
report

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents have been given new powers to seize travelers' laptops and other electronic devices at the border and hold then for unspecified periods the Washington Post reported on Friday

Under recently disclosed Department of Homeland Security policies, such seizures may be carried out without suspicion of wrongdoing, the newspaper said, quoting policies issued on July 16 by two DHS agencies.

Agents are empowered to share the contents of seized computers with other agencies and private entities for data decryption and other reasons, the newspaper said.

DHS officials said the policies applied to anyone entering the country, including U.S. citizens, and were needed to prevent terrorism.

measures have long been in place but were only disclosed in July, under pressure from civil liberties and business travel groups acting on reports that increasing numbers of international travelers had had their laptops, cellphones and other digital devices removed and examined

Human blood vessels grown in mice

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:01:35 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: strictly no comments!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The structure of blood vessels is complex

Scientists have used human cells to grow new blood vessels in a mouse for the first time, a US journal reports.

It could eventually help patients who had suffered heart attacks, they said.

A mixture of "progenitor" cells, taken from blood and bone marrow, made cells lining the vessels, and also those surrounding the lining.

A UK expert said that the Harvard research was "promising", and could eventually help lab-grown organs to be implanted successfully.

The ability to develop swiftly a new network of tiny blood vessels - known as capillaries - would be a prize for scientists.

There are dozens of potential applications in medicine, particularly in the treatment of conditions which involve damage to a tissue's blood supply, such as that to the heart muscle following a heart attack.

However, the complex structure of these vessels has slowed progress.

Don't go there!

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:16:39 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: had stumbled upon this website...very interesting..had clipped a bit..for more, you need to visit the site...

Clip Source: dontgothere.org

Don’t Go There!

Places in the world NOT to visit

Don't Go There!

Have you had a trip or vacation that just went horribly wrong? We want to know...if there is a hotel, airline, town, city, state or vacation spot you would avoid like the plague, let us know here.

Clip Source: dontgothere.org

At the Days Inn, I sat on the bed and it collapsed.

When the maintenance guy came, he lifted the bed and readjusted the bricks that was holding the bed up. Fortunately, we were only there one night and went on to a condo in Tampa the next night.

Written by: Tyler

Clip Source: dontgothere.org

Days Inn - Fresno, CA

July 17th, 2008

Clip Source: dontgothere.org

Monterey Inn, St. Augustine, FL

Clip Source: dontgothere.org

South Padre Island, Texas

Desk rage spoils workplace for many Americans

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:00:47 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

By Ellen Wulfhorst

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Get out of the way, road rage. Here comes desk rage.

Anger in the workplace -- employees and employers who are grumpy, insulting, short-tempered or worse -- is shockingly common and likely growing as Americans cope with woes of rising costs, job uncertainty or overwhelming debt, experts say.

"It runs the gamut from just rudeness up to pretty extreme abusive behaviors," said Paul Spector, professor of industrial and organizational psychology at the University of South Florida. "The severe cases of fatal violence get a lot of press but in some ways this is more insidious because it affects millions of people."

Nearly half of U.S. workers in America report yelling and verbal abuse on the job, with roughly a quarter saying it has driven them to tears, research has shown.

Other research showed one-sixth of workers reported anger at work has led to property damage, while a tenth reported physical violence and fear their workplace might not be safe.

Iran tests missiles, heightening tension with West

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:36:54 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: The White House told Iran to "refrain from further missile tests if they truly seek to gain the trust of the world."...
...means in plain english, "Don't antagonize us and by and large, we are the World!"
"In anyway, we have all the rights in the world to test everything, including the missiles!"

The arrogance of the US Govt. is the reason for more than half the anger and anguish of the world!
{It does not mean that what Iran has done is correct!}

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

By Zahra Hosseinian and Alistair Lyon

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday and warned the United States and Israel it was ready to retaliate for any attack over its disputed nuclear projects.

Washington, which says Iran seeks atomic bombs, told Tehran to halt further tests. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, says its nuclear program is only for electricity.

Iran later announced night-time missile maneuvers, and its missile tests rattled oil markets, helping crude prices to rebound about $2 a barrel after recent falls.

Speculation that Israel could bomb Iran has mounted since a big Israeli air drill last month. U.S. leaders have not ruled out military options if diplomacy fails to end the nuclear row

thousands of missiles were ready to be fired at "pre-determined targets.

Hossein Salami

"Another night missile maneuver is taking place right now," Salami

Call for sex lessons at age 4! don't know what 2 comment on this?

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:56:30 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: Glad that they haven't introduced a new technology that would teach the "sex lessons" when the child is still in the mother's womb!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Call for sex lessons at age four

Children as young as four should be given compulsory sex education, two leading sexual health charities say.

The Family Planning Association and Brook told BBC Newsbeat more should be done to cut abortion rates and sexually transmitted infections among teenagers.

They argue gradual education from such a young age would help children not to rush into sex when they were older.

The Department for Children, Schools and Family said it was reviewing the

delivery of sex education in schools.

Children aged four might be taught about the names of body parts and basic ideas about different relationships.

The government is not giving young people enough information about sex and relationships, the charities add.

He added: "All the evidence shows that if you start sex and relationships education early - before children start puberty, before they feel sexual attraction - they start having sex later.

"They are much more likely to use contraception and practise safe sex."

Spam experiment overloads Inboxes!!!

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:27:57 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Surfing the web unprotected will leave the average web user with 70 spam messages each day, according to an experiment by security firm McAfee.

It invited 50 people from around the world, including five from the UK, to surf without spam filters.

One UK participant received 5,414 spam e-mails during the month-long trial.

But the US still tops the global spam league.

US - 23,233

Brazil - 15,856

Italy - 15,610

Mexico - 12,229

UK - 11,965

Australia - 9,214

The Netherlands - 6,378

Spain - 5,419

France - 2,597

Germany - 2,331

Data supplied by McAfee

Participants in the US received a total of 23,233 spam e-mails during the course of the experiment compared to 15,856 for the second most spammed country - Brazil.

In the UK, the five participants racked up 11,965 spam messages during the course of the experiment. Germany attracted the least spam, with just 2,331 junk messages.

The results show that spam is showing no signs of slowing down, although the opposite can be said of those receiving messages.

Sex diseases 'double in over-45s'

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:21:02 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Sexually transmitted infections have doubled in under a decade in people over 45 and are now rising faster than in the young, research suggests.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) study said internet dating and erectile dysfunction drugs were partly to blame.

Men were most likely to be affected, with increases in herpes, syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts.

The number of sexually transmitted infections is rising in both young and old, despite sexual health campaigns urging people to avoid unsafe sex.

In total, 4,445 infections were detected in older people, with genital warts accounting for almost half of these diagnoses.

Within the over-45 age group, men and people aged 55 to 59 were most likely to have a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

The overall rate of infections more than doubled over the eight-year period from 16.7 per 100,000 population to 36.3 per 100,0000.

This meant a significantly higher increase for older people compared with younger patients.

Why is the US Army on so many prescription drugs?

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:03:51 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks:

Why at all??

Sources:
Time June 5, 2008

Clip Source: articles.mercola.com

For the first time in history, a sizable number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy combat tours.

Data from the army’s Mental Health Advisory Team report indicate that about 12 percent of combat troops in Iraq and 17 percent of those in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope.

they could mean that as many as 20,000 troops in all services in the two regions were on such medications last fall.

Troops have historically been barred from using such drugs in combat, and soldiers have usually been prescreened for mental illnesses before enlisting. The increase in the use of medication among U.S. troops suggests the heavy mental and psychological price being paid by soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sergeant Christopher LeJeune, said the drugs may be creating unfit soldiers.

Controversial diet drug approved...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:48:10 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: tell me something new...

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

An obesity drug has been approved for NHS use in England and Wales, despite links to an increased risk of depression and suicide.

Rimonabant is already used by thousands of Britons, and, coupled with exercise, could help patients lose up to 10% of their body weight.

Scotland and the US have not approved the drug amid safety concerns.

However, an obesity specialist welcomed the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) ruling.

Doctors have been told not to give it to patients with a history of major depression, and to be alert for new symptoms of depression in patients taking the drug.

Patients will not be allowed to have the drug, whose brand name is Acomplia on the NHS unless they have tried and failed using alternative drugs such as orlistat.

Evidence suggested one in 10 people might develop mental side-effects including low mood and depression, anxiety, irritability, nervousness and sleep disorders.

India baby girl deaths "increase"

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:47:52 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The number of girls born and surviving in India has hit an all time low compared to boys, ActionAid says.

A report by the UK charity says increasing numbers of female foetuses were being aborted and baby girls deliberately neglected and left to die.

In one site in the Punjab state, there are just 300 girls to every 1,000 boys among higher caste families, it says.

ActionAid says India faces a "bleak" future if it does not end its practice of cultural preference for boys.

ActionAid teamed up with Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to produce the Disappearing Daughters report.

Under "normal" circumstances, there should be about 950 girls for every 1,000 boys, the charity said.

But it said that in three of the five sites, that number was below 800.

In four of the five sites surveyed, the proportion of girls to boys had declined since a 2001 census, the report said.

Elephants caught in Sri Lanka war

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:20:41 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: By Roland Buerk
BBC News, Anuradhapura

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

"Gunshot wound, this is a gunshot wound, and this one, there are so many gunshot wounds," said Sri Lankan government vet, Doctor Chandana Jayasinghe.

He was standing next to the huge, slumbering bull elephant in a clearing in the jungle, hypodermic syringe in hand.

"It is normal, they all have gunshot wounds."

The men of the Wildlife Conservation Department had ventured into the tangled scrub to find the wounded elephant.

Treading carefully not to snap twigs and prompt a charge, they had moved up close, so near they could see his ears flapping behind the thick greenery, before one man shot him with a tranquiliser dart.

Now he lay on his side, slow, heavy breaths rattling in his trunk.

They gave him antibiotic injections and sprayed disinfectant on his wounds, some old and calloused, others new and raw.

Of the 74 elephants which died in the north and north-west region last year, 44 were killed by gunfire.

WORLD PEACE hitcher is murdered

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:28:00 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: Sick people God, sick people!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

An Italian woman artist who was hitch-hiking to the Middle East dressed as a bride to promote world peace has been found murdered in Turkey.

The naked body of Giuseppina Pasqualino di Marineo, 33, known as Pippa Bacca, was found in bushes near the city of Gebze on Friday.

She had said she wanted to show that she could put her trust in the kindness of local people.

Turkish police say they have detained a man in connection with the killing.

Ms di Marineo was hitch-hiking from Milan to Lebanon with a fellow artist on their "Brides on Tour" project.

They had separated in Istanbul, planning to reunite in Beirut.

Ms di Marineo was last seen on 31 March in Gebze.

An Italian embassy official told the Associated Press news agency police tracked the man when he put a new SIM card into Ms di Marineo's mobile phone.

Local media identified the suspect only by the initials MK and said he had a previous conviction for theft.

Tags: world peace, murder.