More than a decade’s use of mobile phones does not increase the risk of brain cancer, according to one of the largest studies yet conducted into the link. The finding is reassuring with long-term use of mobiles increasing. Worldwide users of mobile phones now number more than one billion and concerns have grown about the possible health effects of the devices. But the latest study of 420,000 users who had owned mobiles for up to 21 years has confirmed earlier findings that there is no evidence of risk. Mobiles emit radio waves that can penetrate four to six cms into the human brain, raising fears that they may trigger malignant changes in brain cells. The latest study published in the US Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is a follow up to a study in 2001. It extends to an average of eight and a half years the period during which mobile users were monitored, with a maximum of 21 years. Professor Tricia McKinney, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Leeds, said: ‘The large numbers of subscribers in the study mean we can have some confidence in the results that have not linked mobile […]
WASHINGTON — Almost half of teens, 48 percent of those ages 13-18, use instant messaging, according to an AP-AOL poll. That’s more than twice the percentage of adults who use it. According to the poll: Almost three-fourths of adults who do use instant messages still communicate with e-mail more often. Almost three-fourths of teens send instant messages more than e-mail. More than half of the teens who use instant messages send more than 25 a day, and 1 in 5 send more than 100. Three-fourths of adult users send fewer than 25 IMs a day. Teen users (30 percent) are almost twice as likely as adults (17 percent) to say they can’t imagine life without instant messaging. When keeping up with a friend who is far away, teens are most likely to use instant messaging, while adults turn first to e-mail. About a fifth of teen IM users have used IM to ask for or accept a date. Almost as many, 16 percent, have used it to break up with someone. A bow to the traditional: When sharing serious or confidential news, both teens and adults prefer to use the telephone, the poll […]
New York City banned most artificial trans fats from restaurants on Tuesday, forcing national fast-food chains and mom-and-pop diners alike to phase out artery-clogging oils from their cooking. The law is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States and will require restaurants including McDonald’s Corp. to eliminate trans fats by July 2007. Restaurants will be given a three-month grace period before facing fines. Those making doughnuts and other baked goods will be given until July 2008 to phase out trans fats, which are made synthetically when food processors harden fat to make it more like butter in a process called hydrogenisation. The process is used to extend product shelf life and enhance the texture of some foods. Trans fats increase the risk of heart disease and stroke by increasing levels of so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol known as LDL, and reducing levels of ‘good,’ or HDL, cholesterol. The restaurant industry opposed the measure as costly, saying it should be allowed to continue voluntary efforts to eliminate trans fats. The industry has threatened to sue. ‘We’re keeping all our options open, including potential litigation,’ said Dan Fleshler, a spokesman for the National […]
AJMAN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES– The scarcity of water resources in Middle East nations is expected to create serious environmental challenges for the region if it is not properly addressed, a water expert said in a recent story in the Khaleej Times. Dr. Zain Al Abden Al Sayed Rizk, dean of the Institute of Environment, Energy and Water at Ajman University of Science and Technology, was quoted as saying that the region is ‘faced with a lot of challenges in terms of environment, water resources management and energy,’ adding that education about these challenges is one key to preventing future crises. This and other observations about both the challenges and opportunities for water development in the Middle East were recently compiled from various Middle East news sources by the Water Exchange Newsletter. Meanwhile, more than 200 water and wastewater projects are currently underway across Iran and 14 water treatment plants will become operational by March, according to an article on Iran Daily. And in Qatar, the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corp. forecasts an 11 percent growth in the demand for water during the next five years, The Peninsula reported. Saudi Arabia’s Water and Electricity Minister […]
WASHINGTON — One in seven Mexican workers have left their country and are working in the United States, an immigration study said on Tuesday. There were more than 7 million workers from Mexico in the U.S. labor force this year, 2 million more than six years ago, said the report’s author, Jeanne Batalova of the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington think tank. Batalova said the increase in numbers had to do with economic reasons, with more immigrants looking for a better life in the United States, but also with the increased enforcement at the U.S.-Mexican border. ‘It became more dangerous to cross the border, and that caused a ‘lock in’ effect,’ Batalova told Reuters in a telephone interview. Up to 9.4 percent of the all persons born in Mexico were living in the United States in 2005, according to the report. In the same year, 14 percent of Mexican workers had jobs on U.S. soil, compared to 2.5 percent of Canadians. Based on data from the Census Bureau 2006 Current Population Survey, Batalova found that Mexicans accounted for nearly one-third of the 22.6 million foreign-born workers in the United States, or almost 5 percent of […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
