After falling over 28% during the period 1990 – 2003, suicide rates in America for males and females aged 10-24 climbed 8% – this is the largest single one-year rise in 15 years, says a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) report ‘Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)’. In 1990 the suicide rate for 10-24 year-olds was 9.48 per 100,000 people; in 2003 it fell to 6.78 per 100,000 people; in 2004 it rose to 7.32 per 100,000 people. Dr. Ileana Arias, director of CDC²s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said ‘This is the biggest annual increase that we’ve seen in 15 years. We don’t yet know if this is a short-lived increase or if it’s the beginning of a trend. Either way, it’s a harsh reminder that suicide and suicide attempts are affecting too many youth and young adults. We need to make sure suicide prevention efforts are continuous and reaching children and young adults.’ The report is the result of a study of yearly data from the NVSS (National Vital Statistics System), which is run by the CDC. The NVSS consists of the following US records: fetal deaths, divorces, marriages, deaths and […]
ANN ARBOR, Mich.— A camper who chases a grizzly but won’t risk unprotected sex. A sky diver afraid to stand up to the boss. New research shows that not all risk is created equal and people show a mixture of both risky and non-risky behaviors. The survey also shows that men are significantly riskier than women overall. The University of Michigan research refutes the standard theories of risk that group people as either risk-seeking or risk-avoiding, and suggests that we can have a mix of both risky and non-risky behavior depending on the type. The study appears in the journal Evolutionary Psychology. Daniel Kruger, a research scientist at the U-M School of Public Health, and colleagues X.T. Wang, University of South Dakota, and Andreas Wilke, UCLA, identified areas of risk taking (risk domains) based on the types of challenges that our ancestors faced during many thousands of years of human evolution. ‘People are complex,’ said Kruger. ‘Just because somebody seems to be a big risk taker in one area doesn’t mean they will take risks in all areas.’ The types of risks identified include competition with other individuals; competition with other groups; mating and allocating […]
The Justice Department said yesterday that Internet service providers should be allowed to charge extra for priority Web traffic. The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to network neutrality, the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user. Several phone and cable companies, including AT&T, Verizon Communications and Comcast, want the option to charge some users more money for loading certain content or Web sites faster than other content. Supporters of neutrality laws, including Google and Yahoo, argue that network operators should treat all Web services equally. The Justice Department said imposing network neutrality could hamper development of the Internet and prevent service providers from upgrading or expanding their networks. Providing different levels of service is common, the department said. As an example, it noted that the U.S. Postal Service charges customers different guarantees and speeds for package delivery. ‘Whether or not the same type of differentiated products and services will develop on the Internet should be determined by market forces, not regulatory intervention,’ the department said in its filing. The agency’s stance comes more than two months after Federal […]
Switzerland is known as a haven of peace and neutrality. But today it is home to a Swi new extremism that has alarmed the United Nations. Proposals for draconian new laws that target the country’s immigrants have been condemned as unjust and racist. A poster campaign, the work of its leading political party, is decried as xenophobic. Has Switzerland become Europe’s heart of darkness? At first sight, the poster looks like an innocent children’s cartoon. Three white sheep stand beside a black sheep. The drawing makes it looks as though the animals are smiling. But then you notice that the three white beasts are standing on the Swiss flag. One of the white sheep is kicking the black one off the flag, with a crafty flick of its back legs. The poster is, according to the United Nations, the sinister symbol of the rise of a new racism and xenophobia in the heart of one of the world’s oldest independent democracies. A worrying new extremism is on the rise. For the poster – which bears the slogan ‘For More Security’ – is not the work of a fringe neo-Nazi group. It has been conceived – and […]
WASHINGTON – Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday. Hagel plans to leave the Senate after two terms as a Republican Party maverick, people close to him say. Hagel plans to announce that ‘he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008,’ said one person, who asked not to be named. Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club. According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he had decided to retire. Hagel’s staff learned of his decision that afternoon. The North Platte native earned national recognition as perhaps the most vocal, at times angry, GOP critic of the Bush administration’s Iraq policies. His outspokenness on Iraq and other key issues, including Social Security and foreign policy, fueled national interest in Hagel as he flirted with a possible presidential bid. His national profile reached its zenith in March, when he headed to Omaha […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
