XIAM007 - Generation X I am
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Friday, 28 February 2014
Unveiled: World's largest aircraft flies for 3 weeks straight... -
Unveiled: World's largest aircraft flies for 3 weeks straight... -
The world's longest aircraft, consisting of part airship, part helicopter and part plane, has been unveiled and could be the key to greener more efficient planes in future as developers predict one day there could be as many of the hybrids as there are helicopters today.
The world’s largest aircraft which can stay airborne for up to three weeks and will be vital in delivering several tonnes of humanitarian aid as well as transporting heavy freight across the world, has been unveiled.
The 300ft (91m) ship is part plane, airship and helicopter, and there are plans to eventually use it to transport hundreds of tonnes of freight across difficult terrain throughout the world as well as deliver aid to risky areas.
It is environmentally friendly, being part airship filled with inert helium, and will also be used for surveillance and communications. Developers hope to make more of the 'green vehicles' which they hope to make capable of taking off from land, water, desert, ice and fields.
Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd (HAV), which created the hybrid craft, said they expect there to be as many airships as helicopters in the sky in years to come as they provide an environmentally friendly and efficient solution to transporting dozens of tonnes of freight and reaching hard to access areas.
The company also expects to create 'luxury' hybrids, with infinity pools stretching across hundreds of feet, and planes being used for things like safaris and whale watching because they run on often just one engine so are quieter than traditional vehicles and can access hard to reach areas.
Read more -
The world's longest aircraft, consisting of part airship, part helicopter and part plane, has been unveiled and could be the key to greener more efficient planes in future as developers predict one day there could be as many of the hybrids as there are helicopters today.
The world’s largest aircraft which can stay airborne for up to three weeks and will be vital in delivering several tonnes of humanitarian aid as well as transporting heavy freight across the world, has been unveiled.
The 300ft (91m) ship is part plane, airship and helicopter, and there are plans to eventually use it to transport hundreds of tonnes of freight across difficult terrain throughout the world as well as deliver aid to risky areas.
It is environmentally friendly, being part airship filled with inert helium, and will also be used for surveillance and communications. Developers hope to make more of the 'green vehicles' which they hope to make capable of taking off from land, water, desert, ice and fields.
Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd (HAV), which created the hybrid craft, said they expect there to be as many airships as helicopters in the sky in years to come as they provide an environmentally friendly and efficient solution to transporting dozens of tonnes of freight and reaching hard to access areas.
The company also expects to create 'luxury' hybrids, with infinity pools stretching across hundreds of feet, and planes being used for things like safaris and whale watching because they run on often just one engine so are quieter than traditional vehicles and can access hard to reach areas.
Read more -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenertransport/10667081/Worlds-largest-aircraft-unveiled-and-hailed-game-changer.html
Coal Fire Turns Australian Mine Into Mordor's Mount Doom -
Coal Fire Turns Australian Mine Into Mordor's Mount Doom -
A fire at the the Hazelwood open-cut coal mine has turned a large swathe of Morwell, Australia into something out of J.R.R. Tolkien's Mordor.
The fire at the mine has been blazing for three weeks and is believed to be the result of a bushfire started by an arsonist. The town of Morwell and its 14,000 inhabitants has been blanketed in smoke and authorities fear it could take months to completely extinguish the blaze. The town is about 150 km east of Melbourne.
There is speculation that the government of the province of Victoria may soon order a total evacuation. Tens of thousands of gas masks have been distributed, according to Vice.
The blaze poses a difficult challenge for firefighters because even when flames are extinguished the coal continues to smoulder. The fire can reignite at any moment and rages underground. Firefighters are concerned about the danger posed by landslides caused by the huge quantity of water being used on the flames.
Read more -
A fire at the the Hazelwood open-cut coal mine has turned a large swathe of Morwell, Australia into something out of J.R.R. Tolkien's Mordor.
The fire at the mine has been blazing for three weeks and is believed to be the result of a bushfire started by an arsonist. The town of Morwell and its 14,000 inhabitants has been blanketed in smoke and authorities fear it could take months to completely extinguish the blaze. The town is about 150 km east of Melbourne.
There is speculation that the government of the province of Victoria may soon order a total evacuation. Tens of thousands of gas masks have been distributed, according to Vice.
The blaze poses a difficult challenge for firefighters because even when flames are extinguished the coal continues to smoulder. The fire can reignite at any moment and rages underground. Firefighters are concerned about the danger posed by landslides caused by the huge quantity of water being used on the flames.
Read more -
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/02/28/coal-mine-fire-australia-photos-morwell-hazelwood_n_4875147.html
'Dead' elderly man wakes up in body bag at funeral home... -
'Dead' elderly man wakes up in body bag at funeral home... -
Workers at a Mississippi funeral home say they found a man alive and kicking when they opened a body bag.
Holmes County Coroner Dexter Howard calls it a miracle that 78-year-old Walter Williams is alive.
The coroner was called to Williams' home in Lexington, a community north of Jackson, where family members believed he had died.
Howard says Williams had no pulse and was pronounced dead Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Early Thursday, workers at Porter and Sons Funeral Home were preparing to embalm Williams when he started to kick in the body bag.
Family members were called and Williams was taken to a hospital. Howard says he believes Williams' pacemaker stopped working, then started again.
Read more: -
Workers at a Mississippi funeral home say they found a man alive and kicking when they opened a body bag.
Holmes County Coroner Dexter Howard calls it a miracle that 78-year-old Walter Williams is alive.
The coroner was called to Williams' home in Lexington, a community north of Jackson, where family members believed he had died.
Howard says Williams had no pulse and was pronounced dead Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Early Thursday, workers at Porter and Sons Funeral Home were preparing to embalm Williams when he started to kick in the body bag.
Family members were called and Williams was taken to a hospital. Howard says he believes Williams' pacemaker stopped working, then started again.
Read more: -
http://www.myfoxny.com/Story/24850264/man-wakes-up-in-body-bag-at-funeral-home
STUDY: Stethoscopes Dirtier Than Physician's Hand... -
STUDY: Stethoscopes Dirtier Than Physician's Hand... -
According to a new study, stethoscopes carry more bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), than a physician’s hand.
After a physician’s exam, a stethoscope was found to be more contaminated with MRSA than all areas of the hand except the fingerprints, according to Dr. Didier Pittet, of the University of Geneva Hospitals in Switzerland, and colleagues. The fingerprints were the dirtiest.
The stethoscope averaged 89 colony forming units compared to 37 on the base of thumb, 34 on the base of the pinkie finger, and 8 on the back of the hand.
The researchers noted that most stethoscopes rarely get cleaned once a month.
“If we pay attention to hand hygiene, using an alcohol swab to disinfect the stethoscope between patients should have an impact on reducing a percentage of transmission from patient to patient,” Dr. Edward Septimus, of Texas A&M University in College Station and a member of the on antimicrobial resistance committee of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, told MedPage Today. “However, most hospitals have a policy of leaving a dedicated stethoscope in the room of each patient with MRSA.”
Dr. Dennis G. Maki of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison noted in an accompanying editorial that “there are many more patients on that same patient care unit with undetected colonization – patients who pose a greater risk of spreading these microorganisms that patients known to be colonized or infected and in isolation.”
Read more -
According to a new study, stethoscopes carry more bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), than a physician’s hand.
After a physician’s exam, a stethoscope was found to be more contaminated with MRSA than all areas of the hand except the fingerprints, according to Dr. Didier Pittet, of the University of Geneva Hospitals in Switzerland, and colleagues. The fingerprints were the dirtiest.
The stethoscope averaged 89 colony forming units compared to 37 on the base of thumb, 34 on the base of the pinkie finger, and 8 on the back of the hand.
The researchers noted that most stethoscopes rarely get cleaned once a month.
“If we pay attention to hand hygiene, using an alcohol swab to disinfect the stethoscope between patients should have an impact on reducing a percentage of transmission from patient to patient,” Dr. Edward Septimus, of Texas A&M University in College Station and a member of the on antimicrobial resistance committee of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, told MedPage Today. “However, most hospitals have a policy of leaving a dedicated stethoscope in the room of each patient with MRSA.”
Dr. Dennis G. Maki of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison noted in an accompanying editorial that “there are many more patients on that same patient care unit with undetected colonization – patients who pose a greater risk of spreading these microorganisms that patients known to be colonized or infected and in isolation.”
Read more -
http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2014/02/27/study-stethoscopes-dirtier-than-physicians-hand/
CLAIM: Low-carb diets can lead to heart disease, cancer... -
CLAIM: Low-carb diets can lead to heart disease, cancer... -
Low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage, but one nutrition expert has claimed that they may not be as healthy as we think.
According to Dr T Colin Campbell's new book The Low-Carb Fraud, giving up grains can mean putting yourself at a higher risk for heart disease, cancer and other regenerative diseases.
He says that not only are low-carb diets lacking in nutritional value, but they're actually even worse than the standard American diet.
The problem, says Dr Campbell, who has 40 years' experience in nutrition science, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease.
Even the standard American diet is too high in protein and fat, an imbalance that is merely worsened with a low-carb diet.
Consuming more meat also leads to smaller consequences like headaches, rash, cramps and bad breath, also known as halitosis.
Many low-carb diets require that you only consume 15 to 20per cent of your total calories from carbs, which often eliminates nutritionally rich plant-based and complex carbohydrate foods that prevent diseases and promote health.
While the author admits that following a low-carb diet can lead to quick weight loss - which is likely the reason it is so trendy - he adds that in the long run, it can lead to dire consequences.
'Low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diets cause high cholesterol - a major indicator of heart disease and cancer risks,' he told Elle.com.
Bad balance: The problem, says Dr Campbell, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease +2
Bad balance: The problem, says Dr Campbell, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease
The latest trend in this category is the Paleo diet, also known as the Caveman diet - which, as Dr Campbell points out, is merely a 'slightly tweaked' version of other previous fads including South Beach, the Zone and Atkins.
Not only does the Paleo diet cut out complex carbs that are good for you, but it also promotes the consumption of meat, something cavemen didn't even have easy access to, he explains.
Instead of following a fad diet with no scientifically proven health benefits, Dr Campbell recommends the Whole Food, Plant-Based diet, or WFPB, which involves eating mostly intact vegetables, fruits and grains and limiting refined carbs and salt.
He also suggest restricting your intake of added oils and fats, claiming that following these guidelines can rid you of autoimmune diseases and type 2 diabetes and even slow down the effects of cancer.
'The only redeeming factor of low-carb diets could be their removal of high-carbohydrate products like cookies, cakes, and soft drinks,' he conceded.
'But that's only true if it's emphasized that refined carbs, not all carbs, are the problem.'
Read more: -
Low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage, but one nutrition expert has claimed that they may not be as healthy as we think.
According to Dr T Colin Campbell's new book The Low-Carb Fraud, giving up grains can mean putting yourself at a higher risk for heart disease, cancer and other regenerative diseases.
He says that not only are low-carb diets lacking in nutritional value, but they're actually even worse than the standard American diet.
The problem, says Dr Campbell, who has 40 years' experience in nutrition science, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease.
Even the standard American diet is too high in protein and fat, an imbalance that is merely worsened with a low-carb diet.
Consuming more meat also leads to smaller consequences like headaches, rash, cramps and bad breath, also known as halitosis.
Many low-carb diets require that you only consume 15 to 20per cent of your total calories from carbs, which often eliminates nutritionally rich plant-based and complex carbohydrate foods that prevent diseases and promote health.
While the author admits that following a low-carb diet can lead to quick weight loss - which is likely the reason it is so trendy - he adds that in the long run, it can lead to dire consequences.
'Low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diets cause high cholesterol - a major indicator of heart disease and cancer risks,' he told Elle.com.
Bad balance: The problem, says Dr Campbell, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease +2
Bad balance: The problem, says Dr Campbell, is that people who cut out carbs tend to load up on animal protein and fat, which heightens cholesterol levels, sometimes leading to disease
The latest trend in this category is the Paleo diet, also known as the Caveman diet - which, as Dr Campbell points out, is merely a 'slightly tweaked' version of other previous fads including South Beach, the Zone and Atkins.
Not only does the Paleo diet cut out complex carbs that are good for you, but it also promotes the consumption of meat, something cavemen didn't even have easy access to, he explains.
Instead of following a fad diet with no scientifically proven health benefits, Dr Campbell recommends the Whole Food, Plant-Based diet, or WFPB, which involves eating mostly intact vegetables, fruits and grains and limiting refined carbs and salt.
He also suggest restricting your intake of added oils and fats, claiming that following these guidelines can rid you of autoimmune diseases and type 2 diabetes and even slow down the effects of cancer.
'The only redeeming factor of low-carb diets could be their removal of high-carbohydrate products like cookies, cakes, and soft drinks,' he conceded.
'But that's only true if it's emphasized that refined carbs, not all carbs, are the problem.'
Read more: -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2569612/Are-low-carb-diets-BAD-Nutrition-expert-claims-giving-grains-lead-heart-disease-cancer.html#ixzz2uZAHUkXO
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Why Is the Cold U.S. Winter Killing Off Stinkbugs? -
Why Is the Cold U.S. Winter Killing Off Stinkbugs? -
Humans aren’t the only species bugging out from the polar vortex, the winter weather system that’s still menacing large swaths of the United States with bone-chilling temperatures.
Be glad you’re not an Asian stinkbug, which are dying off in large numbers due to the cold, a new experiment shows. The invasive insect, commonly called the brown marmorated stinkbug, has been plaguing homes and devouring agricultural crops in 38 states for years.
Thomas Kuhar, a professor of entomology at Virginia Tech, and his team have been gathering stinkbugs for the past three years near his campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, to use in lab experiments. The bugs spend the winter outside in insulated buckets that mimic the walls, shingles, and attics that they inhabit when the temperature drops.
That normally works out quite well for the bugs—but this year stinkbugs have been, well, dropping like flies.
“In the previous two years, natural mortality averaged about 20-25 percent,” he wrote in an email. In January 2014, however, Kuhar’s team discovered that the subfreezing temperatures had killed off 95 percent of the population.
Normally the bugs have a twofold strategy for dealing with cold weather: first holing up in those walls or attics, and then activating cryoprotectants in their body that act like antifreeze, explained Kuhar.
But Kuhar’s recent observations suggest that in weather this extreme, the stinkbug’s natural defense mechanisms may not be enough—even though they’re generally better adapted to colder climates.
How significant of an impact this year’s unseasonably cold weather will have on stinkbug populations at large remains to be seen.
“I wouldn’t say mass die-offs, but temperatures probably reached lethal levels for many insects,” said Kuhar, who added that the biggest threat to insect populations occurs when temperatures fluctuate drastically—for example, a cold snap after a warming trend.
Read more -
Humans aren’t the only species bugging out from the polar vortex, the winter weather system that’s still menacing large swaths of the United States with bone-chilling temperatures.
Be glad you’re not an Asian stinkbug, which are dying off in large numbers due to the cold, a new experiment shows. The invasive insect, commonly called the brown marmorated stinkbug, has been plaguing homes and devouring agricultural crops in 38 states for years.
Thomas Kuhar, a professor of entomology at Virginia Tech, and his team have been gathering stinkbugs for the past three years near his campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, to use in lab experiments. The bugs spend the winter outside in insulated buckets that mimic the walls, shingles, and attics that they inhabit when the temperature drops.
That normally works out quite well for the bugs—but this year stinkbugs have been, well, dropping like flies.
“In the previous two years, natural mortality averaged about 20-25 percent,” he wrote in an email. In January 2014, however, Kuhar’s team discovered that the subfreezing temperatures had killed off 95 percent of the population.
Normally the bugs have a twofold strategy for dealing with cold weather: first holing up in those walls or attics, and then activating cryoprotectants in their body that act like antifreeze, explained Kuhar.
But Kuhar’s recent observations suggest that in weather this extreme, the stinkbug’s natural defense mechanisms may not be enough—even though they’re generally better adapted to colder climates.
How significant of an impact this year’s unseasonably cold weather will have on stinkbug populations at large remains to be seen.
“I wouldn’t say mass die-offs, but temperatures probably reached lethal levels for many insects,” said Kuhar, who added that the biggest threat to insect populations occurs when temperatures fluctuate drastically—for example, a cold snap after a warming trend.
Read more -
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/26/stinkbugs-winter-cold-nation-insects-animals-science/
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Chaos as company accidentally invites 61,000 people to job interview -
Chaos as company accidentally invites 61,000 people to job interview -
Police called to quell anger after Swedish employment office sends out email to every jobseeker in Stockholm
Police dispersed an angry crowd of jobseekers outside an employment office in Stockholm on Wednesday after it called 61,000 people for a recruitment meeting by mistake.
"Something has gone wrong with the mailing list ... it has set off a very messy situation at the city office," said Clas Olsson, acting director of the employment office.
An email call for a recruitment meeting that should have gone out to about 1,000 jobseekers went out to considerably more people, about 61,000 – apparently all the registered job seekers in Stockholm, police said.
Hundreds of people expecting to attend crowded into the alley where the labour office is located and spilled into the adjacent street, a main thoroughfare running through downtown Stockholm.
Emotions were running high and office staff sounded the alarm, bringing police to the scene.
"When we got there it was very crowded and there were some upset feelings," Police Inspector Ulf Lindgren told Reuters.
Olsson told the Aftonbladet newspaper he did not know if the cause was a human or technical error.
Read more -
Police called to quell anger after Swedish employment office sends out email to every jobseeker in Stockholm
Police dispersed an angry crowd of jobseekers outside an employment office in Stockholm on Wednesday after it called 61,000 people for a recruitment meeting by mistake.
"Something has gone wrong with the mailing list ... it has set off a very messy situation at the city office," said Clas Olsson, acting director of the employment office.
An email call for a recruitment meeting that should have gone out to about 1,000 jobseekers went out to considerably more people, about 61,000 – apparently all the registered job seekers in Stockholm, police said.
Hundreds of people expecting to attend crowded into the alley where the labour office is located and spilled into the adjacent street, a main thoroughfare running through downtown Stockholm.
Emotions were running high and office staff sounded the alarm, bringing police to the scene.
"When we got there it was very crowded and there were some upset feelings," Police Inspector Ulf Lindgren told Reuters.
Olsson told the Aftonbladet newspaper he did not know if the cause was a human or technical error.
Read more -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/sweden/10663445/Chaos-as-company-accidentally-invites-61000-people-to-job-interview.html
South American Lizard Overrun Parts of Florida... -
South American Lizard Overrun Parts of Florida... -
They're big and they're hungry.
Now, the tegu lizard is becoming a problem for Hillsborough County, Florida.
The tegu lizard was first spotted in rural Hillsborough County nine years ago. But since then reports have become more frequent.
The South American invader can grow up to four-and-a-half feet long and lays up to fifty eggs at a time.
Residents have seen them chowing down on local birds and animals and many fear their pets may be on the menu.
Biologists are setting traps in the Balm-Boyette Scrub Preserve to try to determine how big the problem is.
As the weather heats up, the tegus will start coming out of their burrows ready to feed.
Read more: -
They're big and they're hungry.
Now, the tegu lizard is becoming a problem for Hillsborough County, Florida.
The tegu lizard was first spotted in rural Hillsborough County nine years ago. But since then reports have become more frequent.
The South American invader can grow up to four-and-a-half feet long and lays up to fifty eggs at a time.
Residents have seen them chowing down on local birds and animals and many fear their pets may be on the menu.
Biologists are setting traps in the Balm-Boyette Scrub Preserve to try to determine how big the problem is.
As the weather heats up, the tegus will start coming out of their burrows ready to feed.
Read more: -
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/24828422/tegu-lizard-beginning-to-overrun-parts-of-florida#axzz2uSa3tSAM
'Techneck' wrinkles emerge from constantly looking at gadgets... -
'Techneck' wrinkles emerge from constantly looking at gadgets... -
We all know smart phones are zapping our free time, our sleep and even ruining our sex lives but it seems they are responsible for the demise of our looks as well.
Whether it is on the daily commute, at our desks or even lying in bed, we are constantly looking down at our gadgets.
All this screen gazing means tech-obsessed Britons could be ageing faster than ever. As the head is constantly bent downwards a new wrinkle appears around the neck and it’s not helping our backs either.
Labeled the 'Techneck', the wrinkle around the neck and chin is caused by the modern day compulsion to always be checking handheld devices and computers.
Joining the likes of 'laughter lines', 'crows' feet' and 'worry wrinkles'; the 'Techneck' is the latest face furrow and was identified following a surge of neck-related enquiries for treatment.
CACI, experts in non-surgical facelifts, have noticed the emergence of the new wrinkle amongst tech-obsessives and are offering to combat it with a treatment called the Microlift.
Dean Nathanson, Managing Director of CACI international commented:
‘We're a hard working nation and our hectic everyday lives mean that keeping one's head down, be it buried in work emails or in an e-reader, is completely the norm.
‘Recently we noticed a surge in enquiries for our product, specifically to combat lines around the neck area.
Read more: -
We all know smart phones are zapping our free time, our sleep and even ruining our sex lives but it seems they are responsible for the demise of our looks as well.
Whether it is on the daily commute, at our desks or even lying in bed, we are constantly looking down at our gadgets.
All this screen gazing means tech-obsessed Britons could be ageing faster than ever. As the head is constantly bent downwards a new wrinkle appears around the neck and it’s not helping our backs either.
Labeled the 'Techneck', the wrinkle around the neck and chin is caused by the modern day compulsion to always be checking handheld devices and computers.
Joining the likes of 'laughter lines', 'crows' feet' and 'worry wrinkles'; the 'Techneck' is the latest face furrow and was identified following a surge of neck-related enquiries for treatment.
CACI, experts in non-surgical facelifts, have noticed the emergence of the new wrinkle amongst tech-obsessives and are offering to combat it with a treatment called the Microlift.
Dean Nathanson, Managing Director of CACI international commented:
‘We're a hard working nation and our hectic everyday lives mean that keeping one's head down, be it buried in work emails or in an e-reader, is completely the norm.
‘Recently we noticed a surge in enquiries for our product, specifically to combat lines around the neck area.
Read more: -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2567642/Oh-no-Now-smartphone-giving-Techneck-WRINKLE-caused-constantly-looking-gadgets.html
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