By Tara Parker-Pope
Eating fatty food appears to take an almost immediate toll on both short-term memory and exercise performance, according to new research on rats and people.
Other studies have suggested that that long-term consumption of a high-fat diet is associated with weight gain, heart disease and declines in cognitive function. But the new research shows how indulging in fatty foods over the course of a few days can affect the brain and body long before the extra pounds show up.
To determine the effect of a fatty diet on memory and muscle performance, researchers studied 32 rats that were fed low-fat rat chow and trained for two months to complete a challenging maze. The maze included eight different paths that ended with a treat of sweetened condensed milk. The goal was for the rat to find each treat without doubling back into a corridor where it had already been. The maze was wiped down with alcohol, so the rat had to rely on memory rather than sense of smell.
All of the rats studied had mastered the maze, finding at least six or seven of the eight treats before making a mistake. Some rats even found all eight on the first try.
Then half the rats were switched to high-fat rat chow (comprised of 55 percent fat), while the remaining rats stayed on their regular chow (which had 7.5 percent fat). After four days, the rats eating the fatty chow began to falter on the maze test — all of them did worse than when they were on their regular chow. On average, the rats on the fatty diet found only five treats before making a mistake. The rats who stayed with their regular food continued the same high level of performance on the maze, finding six or more treats before making a mistake.
read the rest> http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/fatty-foods-affect-memory-and-exercise/
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Flip-flops are a magnet for dangerous, deadly bacteria
Flip-flops are the most disgusting thing I see on people’s feet. We need to somehow influence more people that flip-flops are dangerous and people should stop wearing them. NYC people unite and have flip-flops banned from city streets.
By Leah Chernikoff AND Jacob E. Osterhout
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Tuesday, August 11th 2009, 4:00 AM
Life on the street: Our reporters' germy flip-flops.
The flip-flop is the preferred summer shoe for many New Yorkers. But on city streets, the flimsy footwear can be deadly.
That film of grime that coats your feet at the end of a day of flopping around town is some dangerous dirt.
Lab tests of two reporters' flip-flops, worn for four days, revealed a potentially deadly germ - Staphylococcus aureus - lurking on the rubber.
If it seeps into a cut on your foot - an entirely common summer affliction - the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and, if left untreated, kill you.
"It can make you pretty sick if it got into a wound and into your blood, where it could attack any of your internal organs," says Dennis Kinney, Ph.D., the manager of the microbiology lab at EMSL Analytical. "If you didn't treat it with antibiotics, you could die from it."
read the rest > http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/08/11/2009-08-11_flipflops_are_a_magnet_for_dangerous_deadly_bac.html
By Leah Chernikoff AND Jacob E. Osterhout
DAILY NEWS WRITERS
Tuesday, August 11th 2009, 4:00 AM
Life on the street: Our reporters' germy flip-flops.
The flip-flop is the preferred summer shoe for many New Yorkers. But on city streets, the flimsy footwear can be deadly.
That film of grime that coats your feet at the end of a day of flopping around town is some dangerous dirt.
Lab tests of two reporters' flip-flops, worn for four days, revealed a potentially deadly germ - Staphylococcus aureus - lurking on the rubber.
If it seeps into a cut on your foot - an entirely common summer affliction - the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and, if left untreated, kill you.
"It can make you pretty sick if it got into a wound and into your blood, where it could attack any of your internal organs," says Dennis Kinney, Ph.D., the manager of the microbiology lab at EMSL Analytical. "If you didn't treat it with antibiotics, you could die from it."
read the rest > http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/08/11/2009-08-11_flipflops_are_a_magnet_for_dangerous_deadly_bac.html
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
G.M. Says Volt Will Get Triple-Digit City Mileage
Hello oil producing countries, the Volt technology revolution is coming to your front door.
By BILL VLASIC
WARREN, Mich. — General Motors said Tuesday that its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, scheduled for release in 2011, will achieve a fuel rating of 230 miles a gallon in city driving.
The rating is based on methodology drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency, and most other automakers have not revealed the mileage for the electric cars. Nissan, however, announced last week that its all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, which comes out in late 2010, would get 367 m.p.g., using the same E.P.A. standards.
Figures for highway driving and combined city and highway use have not been completed for the Volt, but G.M.’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, told reporters and analysts at a briefing that the car is expected to get more than 100 miles a gallon in combined city and highway driving.
read the rest here> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/business/12auto.html?hp
By BILL VLASIC
WARREN, Mich. — General Motors said Tuesday that its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, scheduled for release in 2011, will achieve a fuel rating of 230 miles a gallon in city driving.
The rating is based on methodology drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency, and most other automakers have not revealed the mileage for the electric cars. Nissan, however, announced last week that its all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, which comes out in late 2010, would get 367 m.p.g., using the same E.P.A. standards.
Figures for highway driving and combined city and highway use have not been completed for the Volt, but G.M.’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, told reporters and analysts at a briefing that the car is expected to get more than 100 miles a gallon in combined city and highway driving.
read the rest here> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/business/12auto.html?hp
Monday, August 10, 2009
States End Up Losers in Gambling Pullback
Consumers' Timid Betting Leads to Drop in Income From Commercial Casinos and Lotteries, Exacerbating Budget Deficits
By CONOR DOUGHERTY
States' revenue from casinos, slot machines and lotteries is falling for the first time in many of the 48 states that have grown to depend on gambling as a crucial source of income.
View Full ImageAssociated Press
A technician looks over one of the 3,000 plus on the floor of the new Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
Revenue contributed by commercial casinos to state and local governments was down 2.2% in 2008, to $5.7 billion, according to the American Gaming Association, an industry trade group. In many states, the declines have continued.
Eight of the 12 states that allow commercial casinos saw their take of gambling revenue fall in the fiscal year ended June of this year, compared with the same period a year ago, according to data from states and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York.
In five of those states, including Illinois and Nevada, gambling income fell by a greater percentage than the state's overall revenue did. Nevada's gambling-tax revenue fell 15% in the fiscal year ended June compared with the same period a year earlier. That contributed to a drop of 10% in the state's overall revenue.
Many lotteries also are hurting. In a sampling of 20 state lotteries, including California and Illinois, 14 had year-over-year drops in revenue for the fiscal year ended in June, according to Rockefeller Institute.
It is a harsh reversal for states that had come to count on the gambling industry's rapid expansion to provide steady revenue growth. States saw total gambling revenue including casino games, lotteries and horse-racing wagers rise 65% from fiscal year 1998 to $23.9 billion in 2008. Overall state revenue over the same period grew to $774 billion, up 65%.
read more hear > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124985382195717807.html
By CONOR DOUGHERTY
States' revenue from casinos, slot machines and lotteries is falling for the first time in many of the 48 states that have grown to depend on gambling as a crucial source of income.
View Full ImageAssociated Press
A technician looks over one of the 3,000 plus on the floor of the new Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
Revenue contributed by commercial casinos to state and local governments was down 2.2% in 2008, to $5.7 billion, according to the American Gaming Association, an industry trade group. In many states, the declines have continued.
Eight of the 12 states that allow commercial casinos saw their take of gambling revenue fall in the fiscal year ended June of this year, compared with the same period a year ago, according to data from states and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York.
In five of those states, including Illinois and Nevada, gambling income fell by a greater percentage than the state's overall revenue did. Nevada's gambling-tax revenue fell 15% in the fiscal year ended June compared with the same period a year earlier. That contributed to a drop of 10% in the state's overall revenue.
Many lotteries also are hurting. In a sampling of 20 state lotteries, including California and Illinois, 14 had year-over-year drops in revenue for the fiscal year ended in June, according to Rockefeller Institute.
It is a harsh reversal for states that had come to count on the gambling industry's rapid expansion to provide steady revenue growth. States saw total gambling revenue including casino games, lotteries and horse-racing wagers rise 65% from fiscal year 1998 to $23.9 billion in 2008. Overall state revenue over the same period grew to $774 billion, up 65%.
read more hear > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124985382195717807.html
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Mexico and Canada Tussle Over Immigration
It continues to amaze me that Mexico blames their own problems on it's neighbors to the north. Mexico has to start to acknowledge their internal problems, correct them, and most of these tussles would be avoided.
Mexico and Canada Tussle Over Immigration
By MARC LACEY
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Ahead of President Obama’s arrival in Mexico on Sunday night for a summit meeting of North American leaders, immigration was prompting significant behind-the-scenes debate. But it was Mexicans entering Canada, not the United States, that was the contentious issue.
Too many Mexicans, the Canadian government complained, were fraudulently claiming political asylum in Canada, overwhelming the system. So Canada announced last month that it would begin requiring Mexican nationals to secure visas before entering the country, a decision that sparked outrage in Mexico.
The Mexicans struck back with an announcement that Canadian diplomats and government officials would now require visas to enter Mexico.
Although some angry Mexican lawmakers urged President Felipe Calderon to go further and require visas for all Canadian visitors, Mr. Calderon held off, not wanting to further damage Mexico’s tourism industry, which relies heavily on North American visitors.
Aides to Mr. Calderon said he planned to use his one-one-one meeting Sunday with Stephen Harper, Canada’s prime minister, to push Canada to reconsider its decision. No breakthrough was expected, though, with Canadian officials saying beforehand that they did not plan to immediately change the policy.
The annual summit, an outgrowth of North American Free Trade Agreement signed in 1994, is designed to put the United States and its northern and southern neighbors on the same page when it comes to policy. In fact, officials said Mr. Obama, Mr. Calderon and Mr. Harper intended to forge common strategies for climate change, fighting the swine flu virus and responding to the debilitating economic crisis.
read the rest >http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/world/americas/10prexy.html?_r=1
Mexico and Canada Tussle Over Immigration
By MARC LACEY
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Ahead of President Obama’s arrival in Mexico on Sunday night for a summit meeting of North American leaders, immigration was prompting significant behind-the-scenes debate. But it was Mexicans entering Canada, not the United States, that was the contentious issue.
Too many Mexicans, the Canadian government complained, were fraudulently claiming political asylum in Canada, overwhelming the system. So Canada announced last month that it would begin requiring Mexican nationals to secure visas before entering the country, a decision that sparked outrage in Mexico.
The Mexicans struck back with an announcement that Canadian diplomats and government officials would now require visas to enter Mexico.
Although some angry Mexican lawmakers urged President Felipe Calderon to go further and require visas for all Canadian visitors, Mr. Calderon held off, not wanting to further damage Mexico’s tourism industry, which relies heavily on North American visitors.
Aides to Mr. Calderon said he planned to use his one-one-one meeting Sunday with Stephen Harper, Canada’s prime minister, to push Canada to reconsider its decision. No breakthrough was expected, though, with Canadian officials saying beforehand that they did not plan to immediately change the policy.
The annual summit, an outgrowth of North American Free Trade Agreement signed in 1994, is designed to put the United States and its northern and southern neighbors on the same page when it comes to policy. In fact, officials said Mr. Obama, Mr. Calderon and Mr. Harper intended to forge common strategies for climate change, fighting the swine flu virus and responding to the debilitating economic crisis.
read the rest >http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/world/americas/10prexy.html?_r=1
Friday, August 7, 2009
Sirius Widens Quarterly Loss
NEW YORK (AP) -- Satellite-radio operator Sirius XM Radio Inc. said Thursday its second-quarter loss widened to $157.4 million as one-time charges offset growing revenue.
Sirius has been struggling to turn a profit amid the recession's disastrous effect on auto sales -- a pivotal factor for the company because it signs up many of its new subscribers when they buy vehicles. It took a $530 million loan from Liberty Media Corp. in February in order to stave off a bankruptcy filing.
The downturn continued to hurt the company in the most-recent quarter. Sirius ended the April-June period with roughly 18.4 million customers, down about 1 percent from the year before. Its ''churn,'' or customer turnover rate, climbed to 2 percent from 1.7 percent.
Sirius helped mitigate those declines by cutting $187 million from expenses. It also boosted the average revenue it got from each subscriber per month to $10.66 from $10.55.
The company now expects $400 million in adjusted income from operations this year, up from a May forecast of $350 million.
Sirius said its per share loss amounted to 4 cents for the three months ended June 30. It reported a loss of $83.9 million, or 6 cents per share, a year ago. But those results did not yet reflect its July 2008 acquisition of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. Sirius also had more shares outstanding in the second quarter of 2009.
The latest results included $108 million in charges related to paying off debt and other one-time costs. Before special items, the adjusted loss came to a penny per share, in line with analysts' expectations, according to a Thomson Reuters survey.
Sirius said its revenue more than doubled to $590.8 million, largely because of the XM acquisition. Assuming the acquisition had already been completed in the same quarter a year ago, revenue was up 1 percent to $607.8 million, matching expectations.
Sirius has been struggling to turn a profit amid the recession's disastrous effect on auto sales -- a pivotal factor for the company because it signs up many of its new subscribers when they buy vehicles. It took a $530 million loan from Liberty Media Corp. in February in order to stave off a bankruptcy filing.
The downturn continued to hurt the company in the most-recent quarter. Sirius ended the April-June period with roughly 18.4 million customers, down about 1 percent from the year before. Its ''churn,'' or customer turnover rate, climbed to 2 percent from 1.7 percent.
Sirius helped mitigate those declines by cutting $187 million from expenses. It also boosted the average revenue it got from each subscriber per month to $10.66 from $10.55.
The company now expects $400 million in adjusted income from operations this year, up from a May forecast of $350 million.
Sirius said its per share loss amounted to 4 cents for the three months ended June 30. It reported a loss of $83.9 million, or 6 cents per share, a year ago. But those results did not yet reflect its July 2008 acquisition of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. Sirius also had more shares outstanding in the second quarter of 2009.
The latest results included $108 million in charges related to paying off debt and other one-time costs. Before special items, the adjusted loss came to a penny per share, in line with analysts' expectations, according to a Thomson Reuters survey.
Sirius said its revenue more than doubled to $590.8 million, largely because of the XM acquisition. Assuming the acquisition had already been completed in the same quarter a year ago, revenue was up 1 percent to $607.8 million, matching expectations.
Governors Fear Added Costs in Health Care Overhaul
The fraying of the nation’s Medicaid system has many indicators, and one of them is Connie Baugh’s stockings.
Ms. Baugh received a letter the other day from the state saying that as a result of budget cuts, Medicaid could no longer pay for the compression stockings that support her circulation and keep her aching leg ulcers from flaring. “I thought, oh God, another problem,” recalled Ms. Baugh, a 77-year-old retired dietitian.
At $239 a pair, the stockings are more than one-third the value of the monthly Social Security check she lives on.
Such cutbacks, in response to the recession that has eroded state finances even while swelling Medicaid ranks, is the reason Washington’s Democratic governor, Christine Gregoire, is among governors from both parties who fear the implications of the health care overhaul now being devised in Washington, D.C.
The governors worry Congress will give the states expensive new Medicaid obligations without providing enough new money to pay for them.
“We can’t afford to have Congress raise the eligibility for Medicaid coverage without paying for it,” Ms. Gregoire said in an interview.
If anything, the states’ fears were stoked further last week when House lawmakers drafting health legislation reached a cost compromise with conservative Blue Dog Democrats that would force states to take on a greater Medicaid spending burden than an earlier version of the bill.
read the rest> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/business/07medicaid.html
Ms. Baugh received a letter the other day from the state saying that as a result of budget cuts, Medicaid could no longer pay for the compression stockings that support her circulation and keep her aching leg ulcers from flaring. “I thought, oh God, another problem,” recalled Ms. Baugh, a 77-year-old retired dietitian.
At $239 a pair, the stockings are more than one-third the value of the monthly Social Security check she lives on.
Such cutbacks, in response to the recession that has eroded state finances even while swelling Medicaid ranks, is the reason Washington’s Democratic governor, Christine Gregoire, is among governors from both parties who fear the implications of the health care overhaul now being devised in Washington, D.C.
The governors worry Congress will give the states expensive new Medicaid obligations without providing enough new money to pay for them.
“We can’t afford to have Congress raise the eligibility for Medicaid coverage without paying for it,” Ms. Gregoire said in an interview.
If anything, the states’ fears were stoked further last week when House lawmakers drafting health legislation reached a cost compromise with conservative Blue Dog Democrats that would force states to take on a greater Medicaid spending burden than an earlier version of the bill.
read the rest> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/business/07medicaid.html
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