Moments of Awareness

29 July 2010 Last updated at 18:59 ET Calcium pills 'increase' risk of heart attack By Emma Wilkinson Health reporter, BBC News Calcium supplements are commonly taken by older people at risk of fracture Calcium supplements taken by many older people could be increasing their risk of a heart attack, research shows. The study, in the British Medical Journal, said people who took supplements were 30% more likely to have a heart attack. Data from 11 trials also suggested the medicines were not very effective at preventing bone fractures. Almost 3m people in the UK are thought to have osteoporosis and many take calcium pills to prevent fractures. The study recommends doctors review their use of calcium supplements for managing osteoporosis. The National Osteoporosis Society said most people should be able to get enough calcium through their diets, ...

When it comes to laptop computers and cell phones, bigger isn't better. The same logic applies to satellites: the bulkier the satellite, the more time it takes to design and build, and the more expensive it is to put into orbit. Researchers are now taking advantage of the electronics technologies that have made personal gizmos compact and affordable to make satellites that weigh and cost a fraction of their predecessors. These pocket- and backpack-sized satellites are changing the way astrobiology research is done. Conventional satellites used for communications, navigation or research can be as large as a school bus and weigh between 100 and 500 kilograms. Universities, companies and NASA are now building small satellites that weigh less than one kilogram (picosatellites) or up to 10 kilograms (nanosatellites). These small satellites can be considered miniature versions of full-size counterparts. They contain the same components—battery, o...

Editor's note: Christopher Ryan is a psychologist, teacher and the co-author, along with Cacilda Jethá, of " Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality ," published by Harper Collins. (CNN) -- Seismic cultural shifts about 10,000 years ago rendered the true story of human sexuality so subversive and threatening that for centuries, it has been silenced by religious authorities, pathologized by physicians, studiously ignored by scientists and covered up by moralizing therapists. In recent decades, the debate over human sexual evolution has entertained only two options: Humans evolved to be either monogamists or polygamists. This tired debate generally devolves into an antagonistic stalemate where women are said to have evolved to seek male-provisioned domesticity while every man secretly yearns for his own harem. The battle between the sexes, we're told, is bred into our blood and bones. Couples who turn to a therapist for guidance through the inevi...

Vitamin D promises to be the most talked-about and written-about supplement of the decade. While studies continue to refine optimal blood levels and recommended dietary amounts, the fact remains that a huge part of the population — from robust newborns to the frail elderly, and many others in between — are deficient in this essential nutrient. If the findings of existing clinical trials hold up in future research, the potential consequences of this deficiency are likely to go far beyond inadequate bone development and excessive bone loss that can result in falls and fractures. Every tissue in the body, including the brain, heart, muscles and immune system, has receptors for vitamin D, meaning that this nutrient is needed at proper levels for these tissues to function well. Studies indicate that the effects of a vitamin D deficiency include an elevated risk of developing (and dying from) cancers of the colon, breast and prostate; high blood pressure and cardiovascular disea...

Greater use of technology allows for decreased numbers, but improved quality, of teachers? October 5, 2009 5 Comments Terry Moe and John Chubb say… There is every reason to believe that technology will only become more effective with time. The same cannot be said of the traditional “technology” of education – teachers and classrooms - unless that world changes fundamentally. (p. 77) Scores of technology-based instructional programs are being used in schools throughout America. . . . A recent survey indicated that the two main issues holding back technology use are “It doesn’t fit in the schedule,” and “There is not sufficient time to train teachers.” Nowhere does it say that the software is inadequate or that technology has dubious instructional value. (p. 77) If elementary students spend but one hour a day learning electronically, certified staff could be red...

It’s About Quality, Not Victory February 18, 2008 11 Comments What follows is an actual conversation between me and a dear friend who is also an administrative colleague. His name has not been changed, since he is guilty and cannot be protected like the innocent. Setting: About four o’clock on a wintry afternoon in Vice-Principal Jim’s office in NJ.  The office’s aged, mint green walls are adorned with motivational quotes from great NFL, NBA, and MLB coaches. ME: "So Jim, what do you think the Superintendent is going to say about the proposed change to the school’s grade scale?" JIM: "You know what, whatever gets the kids working harder.  I just think the weighting of AP and Honors courses is going to throw off the ranking system." ME: "Good.  The ranking thing should go.  We’re not about competition – we’re about learning.  If it were up...

WASHINGTON – Charlene Cotton will talk to anyone about sex. Several days a week she stands behind a table decorated with a bowl of flavored condoms and safer sex pamphlets, calling to women passing on the street, "Come check out my table. Don't be scared." She asks: "Have you heard of the female condom?" Then, to show how it works, she picks up her demonstration kit — a condom and anatomical models. It's a seemingly awkward conversation to have on a city street, but Cotton isn't embarrassed. She's part of a citywide effort to promote female condoms in the hope they can help stop the spread of HIV in Washington, which has one of the highest infection rates in the country. Community groups are handing out 500,000 of the female condoms, flexible pouches that are wider than a male condom but similar in length, during instruction sessions at beauty salons, barber shops, churches and restaurants. CVS is selling them in all its District of Colum...

NEW YORK – Bedbugs are spreading at an unprecedented rate in New York City, and officials on Wednesday announced the start of a plan to battle the infestation, including a public awareness campaign and a top entomologist to head the fight. The bloodsucking pests, which do not spread disease but are known to cause great mental anguish with their persistent and fast-growing infestations, have rapidly multiplied throughout New York and many other U.S. cities in recent years. Health officials and pest control specialists nationwide report surges in sightings, bites and complaints. In New York City, the pests — whose bites leave itchy red welts — have been discovered in theaters, clothing stores, office buildings, housing projects and posh apartments. The stigma of having bedbugs and the elusive nature of the pests make it impossible to fully understand the problem, experts say. But for the first time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration included a question about bedbugs...

Pristine beaches on the island of Oahu in Hawaii belie the chemical weapons that may lie hidden off their shores. Credit: Brendanreals | Dreamstime In June, a clam boat happened upon some old military munitions off the coast of Long Island, New York. Mustard gas, released when the fishermen inadvertently hauled in the shells, blistered one crew member and reminded government officials, scientists and the public of the weapons arsenal that is buried deep below the surface of the world's oceans. This arsenal includes ammunition, explosives and chemical weapons such as sulfur mustard (mustard gas), arsenic, cyanide, lewisite (a gas that blisters the skin and irritates the lungs) and sarin (now classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations). The problem isn't going away anytime soon, experts say, because the dangers are hard to measure and because safe ways to remove and dispose of the weapons are lacking. "Other than for research purposes, s...

Rolf Hagberg Sweet Cheeks organic baby food is made with locally sourced ingredients. In her column, We Made It Ourselves, Charlotte Druckman writes about restaurants and small businesses with interesting house-made treats. Lately, there’s been some talk of the beautiful people (see: Abbey Lee Kershaw) and a baby-food diet . While these reports might seem suspect , anyone who has tasted Lori Karis’s Sweet Cheeks pureed sweet potatoes for “newbies” might actually consider such a regime. There’s something scarily candy-like about the orange mush; plus, you cut out chewing time. Karis, who has spent the last 25 years in the nanny business, might strike one as a contemporary Mary Poppins. Let’s face it: a spoonful of sugar wouldn’t go over so well in most households nowadays. A magic governess would whip up organic baby grub with locally sourced ingredients, don’t you think? The youngest of a large family, Karis discovered her knack for child tending early on; in grade sc...

Most women who have had Caesarean sections can safely give birth the normal way later, studies have shown, but in recent years hospitals, doctors and insurers have been refusing to let them even try, insisting on repeat Caesareans instead. The decisions have been based largely on fears of medical risks and lawsuits, medical and legal experts say. The hospital rules have infuriated many women, added to the nation’s ever-increasing Caesarean rate and set off a bitter debate over who controls childbirth. Now, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is issuing a new set of medical guidelines meant to make it easier for women to find doctors and hospitals that will allow vaginal birth after Caesarean , or VBAC (pronounced vee-back). Women’s health advocates praised the new guidelines because they expand the pool of women considered eligible for vaginal births, but they expressed doubts about whether the recommendations go far enough to change a decade of ent...

White bark pine forests are in trouble all across Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Great swaths of trees are dead or dying after being attacked by the mountain pine beetle and a disease called white pine blister rust. The forests used to be protected by harsh winters and cool summers. But warmer winters and summers have allowed the beetle to breed more quickly and to move to the higher elevations favored by white bark pines. Last summer, pilots working with the United States Forest Service and the Natural Resources Defense Council made low-level flights over 25 million acres of forest, trying to gauge how much damage has been done. The results, released this month, are devastating. Just over half the white bark pine forests are dead; one-fourth have medium to high mortality; few forests have escaped some damage. The wider ecological effects could be serious. These forests slow the rate of spring snowmelt; without them, the spring runoff will happen faster and streams and rivers wil...

Jaialdi 2010 7/27/2010 - 8/1/2010: Jaialdi 2010 Click on the following link to find a schedule of events, lodging, and volunteer information: Jaialdi Flyer Schedule of Events Welcome to Jaialdi on the Basque Block 5-11 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, July 27 and 28. Food, drink and strolling musicians. Free. Amuma Says No at Alive After Five at the Grove in Downtown Boise 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 28. Free. Basque Culture Conference, Egyptian Theatre 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, July 28. “Euskal Herria Mugaz Gaindi” will be attended by prominent world experts in Basque immigration and feature presentations about surnames and baserris. Hosted by the Basque Studies Center at Boise State University. Free. Annual NABO Pilota Tournament Semi-Finals 2-6 p.m. Thursday, July 29. Anduiza Fronton on the Basque Block. Free. Sports Night at Qwest Arena 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29. Three weight lifters from Euskal Herria will be lifting cylinders weighing 250-400 pounds and balls weighing 250 pounds....

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