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The End of Life Option Act Already Used by 111 People

Jun 28, 2017 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

End of Life Option Act

The End of Life Option Act was used by 111 since its enacting

The state of California enacted, on June 9th, the End of Life Option Act. This Act allows physicians to prescribe lethal medication to those patients that suffer from malignant or terminal illnesses, such as cancer, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s or others. This took place amid debate about reflection on ethics in these situations.

The End of Life Option Act Already Used by 111 People

Since its enacting and the end of 2016, over 250 people applied for the “end-of-life option process”, according to the law. From 250, 191 people received prescriptions from 173 different physicians.

These are statistics put forth by the California Public HealthDepartment, which mirrors findings published by the Oregon Health Authority.

Health officials state that 111 people ingested the drugs, killing themselves. There were 21 people that died of natural causes before taking the medication. And, for the rest of 59 people, there is not clear evidence as of what had happened. They also received prescriptions.

On a granular level, there were Asian, African-American, Hispanic, and white people that took advantage of the End of Life Option Act. Approximately half of them were women. Those who ingested aid-in-dying drugs mostly had college education/ They were also receivers of one form or another of medical care.

Further, those who made use of the End of Life Option Act suffered from malignant cancer diseases, or neuromuscular disorders, heart or lung diseases, among other. The average age of using the End of Life Option Act was 73 years.

The moral and ethical dilemmas regarding the End of Life Option Act heated the debate when the Act was proposed and approved. There are strict regulations regarding the way in which the Act can be activated. Only individuals with fatal, deathly illnesses can make use of the Act.

Image Source: Street Wised

Filed Under: Health & LifeStyle

Senate Decided to Kill Rule that Promotes Retirement Plans

Apr 1, 2017 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

seniors outside

Republicans has just voted in favor of eliminating the rule that promotes retirement plans.

The Obama administration initiated a rule that played in favor of fortuneless workers. Thanks to it, those who have been working for an employer that didn’t cover any sponsorship for them had a second chance to enjoy retirement plans nonetheless. However, the senate has just put an end to this law. From now on, local governments can no longer add workers from the private sector in their retirement saving accounts.

Only Two Republicans Did not Vote Against the Retirement Plans Rule

Republicans have been criticizing for a long time now the Obama administration of tolerating for too long the local regulators. Thus, the 50-49 vote that took place on Thursday is an overdue victory for them. The Senate has just put down a Labor Department rule that enabled local governments to connect employees of the private sector to their retirement plan in an automatic way.

It was a tight decision with 50 votes pro and 49 against. The majority of Republicans backed up this initiative, except Sen. Bob Corker who voted against and Sen. Johnny Isakson who wasn’t present at the meeting. The overruling is now on its way to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The controversial Labor Department rule was created last year. Its literature stipulates that cities and states are allowed to take advantage of a new loophole in the astringent Employee Retirement Income Security Act or ERISA. This situation would have led to the much-disputed retirement plans. The movement against this rule started last month, with the House approving two resolutions against the ERISA exemptions. On Thursday, the Senate sealed the deal. It now remains for the Senate to decide the date for a secondary vote regarding the resolution for state programs.

The United States Has a Retirement Crisis

On one hand, supporters of the Labor Department rule saw in it a great potential to attend to the needs of workers with little money for their retirement. On the other hand, those against the exemption interpreted this rule as an excuse for employers to create their own retirement programs. Moreover, it can also add conflict in the private sector.

Nonetheless, the United States is facing a concerning situation regarding the retirement issue. According to AARP, there are about 55 million U.S. citizens whose work isn’t enjoying the assurance of pensions after their retirement.

Image source: 1

Filed Under: Business

BlackRock Is Turning to Robots for Improved Stocks

Mar 30, 2017 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

robot woman

The largest money manager in the world is turning to computer for improved stocks.

BlackRock is a global investment management company that harnessed enough power to become the largest fund manager in the world. To remain on top of the world, the organization has just mobilized its business towards a new source of prosperous strategies. Thus, BlackRock announced a business streamline with job cuts, dropped fees, only to refocus its efforts on computers. The company hopes for improved stocks as an outcome of this major decision.

BlackRock Believes Robots Are More Capable of Generating Improved Stocks than Humans

BlackRock has been struggling to remain first-tier investment management company amid massive waves of withdrawals. In light of this power draining times, the organization took a critical decision to perform a total revamping process. Thus, from now on, the company is going to disregard active fund managers to the benefit of computer power as far as its investment decisions are concerned.

As a consequence, the $5.1 trillion investors has just renounced the deduction power of human nature to the great gain of artificial intelligence. The company decided that the latter is going to generate more improved stocks that humans will ever be capable of.

BlackRock Revamp Will Trigger Consequences Throughout the Industry

Thus, on Tuesday BlackRock announced major business shifts. Despite its activity that led to record high assets of $5 trillion, clients started to leave the biggest money manager in the world. As a consequence, the company took major decisions as well. Thus, the company announced that it is going to cut $30 million on several managed funds. Moreover, the organization will employ more services based on data science. To support this novel direction, the company is also adopting nine quantitative-strategy mutual funds. On the other hand, it will back away from outdated stock-picking funds.

“[Data science innovation] strengthens the connections that quantitative and fundamental investors both need to distill unstructured information into investable insights.”

The world leader in fund managing will surely set a new trend in the market. Stock pickers are going to face hard times ahead. The financial services holding organization, Credit Suisse, responded to this series of the critical decision through a report note. The company stated that BlackRock has just given itself away that it lost confidence in human deductions. In light of this event, the value proposition in U.S. might go way down to be able to face low-cost options in the retail market.

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Filed Under: Business

Amazon to Improve Services with Counterfeit Program

Mar 22, 2017 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

amazon cardboard

Amazon reinforces its counterfeit program to be ready for North America vendors next month.

Major retailers all over the world are facing a concerning internal issue that is damaging their business and their relationship with clients at the same time. There are more and more people that take advantage of the remote signup systems for vendors. Thus, they are able to put fake products for sale, which wouldn’t have been possible in a traditional store. This cyber felony puts in jeopardy the integrity of a brand as clients and vendors are losing their trust in the retailer. However, Amazon doesn’t want to remain passive. Thus, the company is updating its counterfeit program this spring.

The Counterfeit Program Will Require Logo and API Registration

On Tuesday, Amazon announced during a Shoptalk conference that it is going to test a new format of its counterfeit program. This is actually a brand registry. All vendors are compelled to register their logos and other IP details with the platform. The new system will roll out next month. Through this new strategy, the giant retailer hopes to eliminate any possibility for fake products to make it to the surface.

The company is also relying on the civic spirit to fight against contraband. Therefore, Amazon installed a mechanism through which anybody can report a suspicious product or vendor. These thorough plans want to reassure prospective vendors of the benefits of getting onto an online platform. Amazon wants to offer a safe medium for them where their trademarks are respected, and their IP is secured.

Each Independent Vendor Generated $100,000 on Marketplace in 2016

Amazon holds its third-party partners in great esteem. For instance, last year vendors registered the same number of sales as Amazon itself did. This translates into profit for all involved parties. Thus, this partnership is crucial for the growth of Amazon. Therefore, there’s no wonder that it continues to improve its Marketplace.

The Vice President of Amazon Marketplace, Peter Faricy, revealed important figures during the Shoptalk event in Las Vegas. According to him, each of the 100,000 vendors on the Amazon platform managed to sell $100,000 worth of goods.

“This puts Amazon in the position where we can protect your protects across the Amazon Marketplace.”

Thus, the brand registry will be up and running next month for vendors in North America. Another feature as a reinforcement against counterfeit is Transparency. Vendors are allowed to mark their packages with a code. Based on this code, customers can confirm the validity of their order with official information.

Image source: 1

Filed Under: Business

Improved Vision Not Legs Enabled Fish to Conquer Land

Mar 10, 2017 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

cetacean

Improved vision was the main trigger of evolutionary transition of vertebrate animals from sea to land.

In our ancient genealogy tree, our first ancestors lived in the sea. In their evolutionary path, they experienced the transition from the aquatic realm to the dry land. First and foremost, our imagination would tell us that in order to conquer the land, they would have needed to grow a pair of legs. However, this transformation was actually a secondary process in what really happened. A new study suggests that it was a temptation that came with an improved vision that triggered the evolution of the first vertebrate animals.

Around 385 million years ago, the first vertebrate animals lived in the sea. However, their life was about to change. A team of researchers at the Northwestern University in U.S. conducted a study based on the fossil record. They discovered that our ancient ancestors needed to increase the size of their eyes three times bigger than before so as to make it on the land. They believe that once their eyesight was better, large animals managed to find a new source of food for the first time. This source was of course on land, and it was easier to catch that in water.

Once they got their improved vision, they become aware of the better survival possibilities that awaited them on the soil. This instinct triggered an evolutionary move that allowed them to reach the unreachable. Thus, they managed to turn their fins into legs. Professor Malcolm MacIver stated that his team was the first one ever to attribute to an improved vision such an extraordinary capacity. He mentioned that the finding that led to their study was that vertebrates went through an eyesight transformation just before they migrated from sea to land.

The fact is that insects and invertebrates reigned over the land for 50 million years before vertebrates. This medium represented a real feast for our aquatic ancestors. Moreover, it was also a very accessible cornucopia, with centipedes, millipedes, spiders, and other sources of food at every step.

What is more is that researchers believe that this transition led to deeper analytical skills. While in water, vertebrates were relying on their instinct to discern from predator to prey in a split-second. However, the viewing through the air is clearer than in water. Vertebrates had more time to understand the world around them which might have led to a more strategic thinking.

Image source: 1

Filed Under: Science

Judge Ruled Markeith Loyd as Competent to Represent Himself in Court

Jan 27, 2017 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

Markeith Loyd

Judge Frederick Lauten deemed Markeith Loyd competent to represent himself in court on Thursday, January 26th.

Markeith Loys was accused of killing his pregnant ex-wife and injuring her brother who came to her rescue on December 13th, last year. He escaped custody and was spotted on January 9th, 2017 outside a Walmart in Orlando. Sgt. Debra Clayton responded to a call that described the suspect as he was leaving the premises. Markeith Loyd refused to comply with the police officer’s orders and fatally shot Sgt. Debra Clayton as he was making his escape. Moreover, Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Norman Lewis also died on the same day in a car crash while pursuing the suspect.

In spite of the 11 charges he faces, Markeith Loyd waived his right to an attorney. On Thursday, January 26th, Judge Frederick Lauten ruled that the suspect was competent to refuse counsel and represent himself in court. Even so, the judge urged the suspect not to, as he was facing attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree murder, and killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother. If found guilty, the suspect could spend the rest of his life behind bars, or even receive the death penalty by lethal injection.

Judge Frederick Lauten said his ruling was based on whether Markeith Loyd understood the implications of waiving his right to counsel, rather than on his ability to adequately represent himself in court. The decision came only a week after the suspect was apprehended in an abandoned house in close vicinity to Sgt. Debra Clayton’s residence. Loyd wore an eye patch over his left eye and multiple bandages on his head because of the injuries he sustained as he was resisting arrest. According to official court documents, the suspect answered only basic questions including his level of education and age and refused to comment on other aspects.

Last week, on January 19th, the suspect launched into a profanity-laced tirade as he was ordered held on no bond in court. However, the judge warned him he could lose his right to waive counsel if he continues to engage in violent behavior or any other outbursts of the sort.

Image Source: Youtube

Filed Under: U.S.

Nearsightedness in Teens Linked to Insufficient Sun Exposure

Dec 3, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

nearsightedness

A new study finds a direct link between UVB exposure and nearsightedness in teens.

According to a new study released on December 1st, 2016, teens who spend less time in the open are more susceptible to nearsightedness than others who spend most of their time engaging in outdoor activities. Furthermore, scientists say that the same also applies to young adults in their 30s.

As the findings suggest, the individuals who spend more time exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVB), are less likely to suffer from myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness. The participants of the study were people aged 14 and 39. By analyzing the results, the team of researchers was able to determine that they were less likely to develop nearsightedness later on and still benefit from good eyesight even in their 60s as opposed to individuals who spend less time exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

“Increased ultraviolet B radiation exposure was associated with reduced myopia, particularly in adolescence and young childhood”, reads the paper.

Nearsightedness is associated with the condition when an individual is forced to come closer to the objects in order to clearly distinguish them. The study focused on 371 people affected by myopia, respectively 2,797 healthy individuals who lived all across Europe. The subjects originated from countries like Italy, Norway, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and Estonia. On average, the study participants were 65 years old.

The team of researchers was looking for traces of Vitamin D in the subjects’ bloodstream. The reason is that previous studies linked the lack of Vitamin D with a higher risk of developing nearsightedness later in life. Moreover, the scientists were also interested in the subjects’ diets, habits, educational levels, and medical histories. However, they were most interested in the amount of time the subjects have spent outdoors between nine p.m. to five p.m. in their teenage years.

Based on the scientists’ discoveries and the data gathered from the participants, it turns out that people who have exposed themselves to ultraviolet B radiation in the early years of life were less likely to develop nearsightedness later on in their mid-60s.

Furthermore, this study lines up perfectly with other previous investigations into the matter conducted back in 2015. However, as much as the ultraviolet B radiation exposure is linked to preventing nearsightedness from affecting the population in the future, the researchers did not find any clear evidence that the lack of Vitamin D has something to do with myopia.

Image Source: Pixabay

Filed Under: Health & LifeStyle

Caregivers Face a Lot of Stress, Here’s How to Relieve It

Nov 30, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

stressed person pulling hair

Caregivers face a lot of stress while tending for the patient.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers face a lot of stress while taking care of their loved ones. Since it is important that the caregivers have the energy to tend to the needs of their patients, the AA released a special Caregiver’s Guide on how to Recognize and Manage Caregiver Stress.

The most common signs of caregiver stress are:

–    Anger;

–    Denial;

–    Anxiety;

–    Social withdrawal;

–    Exhaustion;

–    Depression;

–    Lack of concentration;

–    Irritability;

–    Sleeplessness;

–    Health problems.

Experts are recommending caregivers who are struggling with one or more of these symptoms to concentrate on their health and make sure that they are strong enough to perform their duties.

Me-Time Is Essential

Respite care, or professional care at a specialized institution, is always available when a caregiver feels a dire need for a break.

Experts found that many people caring for a relative struggling with Alzheimer’s are reluctant to seek for respite care as they are afraid that the patient will feel abandoned.

There is nothing shameful in needing some personal time. If caregivers refuse to take a break from performing their duties, they might end up resenting the patient, causing more harm in the long-run.

Know Your Limits

Stress can cause a variety of health problems from stomach irritation, blurred vision, and high blood pressure to irritation, and other behavior changes.

Doctors know that caregivers face a lot of stress, so they are recommending a healthy diet, plenty of exercises, and rest. Moreover, caregivers must pay attention to the signals sent by their bodies and seek medical attention as soon as they feel something is wrong.

It’s important to remember that ignoring symptoms might lead to severe mental or physical health issues.

Understand the Patient

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease. This means that the mental capacities of the patient slowly degenerate. With time, the symptoms change, the patient’s personality being affected.

Most family caregivers don’t know all the subtleties of the disease, this leading to a state of anger when the patient’s disease starts manifesting itself in different ways.

Doctors recommend family caregivers to educate themselves about the disease and learn all there is to learn about it so that they will know what to expect as the disorder advances.

Summing It Up

A healthy, stress-free caregiver knows when to ask for help and plan some personal time. The ideal caregiver is also an Alzheimer’s expert and is able to tell when his or her body needs help as well.

For more information, you can check out the pdf released by the Alzheimer’s Association.

Image source: Wikipedia 

Filed Under: Health & LifeStyle

British Red Squirrels Face to Face With Leprosy

Nov 14, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

A British red squirrel sitting on a man's backpack.

Scientists have recently discovered that many British red squirrels died of medieval leprosy.

Although leprosy is a disease remembered for causing the death of many people in the 1500s, it seems that it’s still present in some animal species, such as the British red squirrels. Based on the latest study conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh and EPFL, many red squirrels across Ireland, Scotland, and England died due to leprosy.

Furthermore, the researchers discovered a leprosy strain in Brownsea Island squirrels which was similar to the one which killed thousands of people in five hundred years before. It means that the disease has not been completely eradicated from the country, but it remained hidden in other animal species.

The scientists say that they will continue their investigation to find out the source of this outbreak. This way, they will be able to develop an efficient strategy to address this issue and to make sure that this life-threatening disease will not spread to humans.

Leprosy is a contagious disease caused by a bacterium which can live in the host’s body for several years without triggering any symptoms. It usually leads to nerve decays, eyesight problems, and severe skin lesions.

The team found similar symptoms in the British red squirrels including swollen digits, ears, eyes, and alopecia or hair loss. Despite the fact that many specimens were infected with leprosy, this is not the primary factor influencing the massive decline in the squirrels’ population.

Experts stress that many British red squirrels died due to habitat loss, pollution, lack of food, and excessive hunting. More precisely, these animals were hunted in the middle ages because their fur brought great profit to merchants.

Although there were once more than a few million British red squirrels across the world, just 120,000 specimens are remaining. Biologists observed that the squirrel population plummeted, so they decided to collect samples from various regions throughout the United Kingdom.

The team compared the samples with the DNA of infected people in Mexico and skeletons from the 1500s. Based on the lab results, they concluded that all of them presented the Mycobacterium leprae, which caused the classic form of leprosy.

The researchers say that one of their projects is to develop a captive breeding program aimed to boost the immunity of the British red squirrels. If the program is successful, the mortality rates will drop as well as the risk of an outbreak among humans.

Image Source: Geograph

Filed Under: Health & LifeStyle

Xiaomi Mi MIX Has Been Launched in China

Nov 9, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

Xiaomi on a table.

Xiaomi Mi MIX is currently available in China.

The long-awaited Xiaomi Mi MIX has been finally released, so the company has now two phablets on the market. The other one is the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 which has been recently launched as well.

Although it is not known yet the number of units sold by Xiaomi during the first flash sale, many customers didn’t have time to buy the Xiaomi Mi MIX because it was such in high demand.

During the second flash sale, all Mi MIX units were sold in 30 seconds, whereas the Mi Note 2 devices were sold in one minute. It is worth mentioning that the website was so crowded that it became quite slow, so it took a few minutes to refresh, meaning that the units might have been sold even faster than how it was approximated.

The company remained silent about how many units it sold, but analysts believe that there weren’t many. The reason is that the MIX’s exterior is made of ceramic. The next flash sale is scheduled on the 11th of November, so those who are currently in China and want to purchase one of the two phablets should get ready for the event.

Although both of them are the company’s flagship phablets, they are very different in terms of specifications. The Note 2 features a generous 5.7-inch full HD Super AMOLED curved display backed by a 1080 x 1920-pixel resolution.

Also, this model is available in two variants with 4GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, or 6GB of RAM with 128 GB of internal storage. Under the hood, it sports a Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor with Adreno 530 GPU. The Note 2 is fueled by a non-removable Li-Ion 4070 mAh battery.

On the other hand, the Xiaomi Mi MIX comes with a 6.4-inch screen with almost no bezel, which is thicker at the bottom. The best part about this device is that it has a 91.3 percent screen-to-body ratio, so we can safely assume that the company has really taken user experience to the next level.

In addition, it has a larger battery, as the Xiaomi Mi MIX sports a 4400 mAh non-removable Li-Ion power source. This model has the same Snapdragon 821 processor as the Mi Note 2.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Filed Under: Tech & Science

APA Tips to Reduce Election Stress

Nov 8, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

Business man affected by election stress

APA offers Americans a set of health guidelines to tackle election stress.

According to the American Psychological Association, this year’s election has been more than stressful for the Americans. More precisely, election stress affected half of those voters.

The survey included all American citizens regardless of their ethnicity or age. As tomorrow it will be decided who is going to be the next U.S. president, people are more stressed than ever. The complete study will be revealed in January 2017.

Around 3,500 American adults participated in the survey which was made online. Harris Poll, the APA representative, interviewed 3255 people in English and other 256 people in Spanish.

Based on the findings, election stress has taken its toll on 52 percent of Americans, who believe that the 2016 presidential election represents a stressful and hostile campaign. Also, specialists established that people who regarded the election stressful had an average stress level of around 5.1, where 10 represents a high level of stress and one is somewhere between little to no stress.

Participants who said that they were not affected by election stress had a median stress level of about 4.4. According to Dr. Vaile Wright, APA’s Research Director, Americans are affected by this year’s election because the presidential campaign has been more hostile than ever.

Based on ethnicity, the results showed that Hispanics experienced the highest levels of election stress, as 56 percent of them were affected by the campaign, while 52 percent of Native Americans and Whites were stressed by the election as well.

Over 45 percent of Blacks and other 43 percent of Asians were also affected by the presidential election. In case Trump wins, around 11.3 million Hispanics will most likely be deported, so that is why they are most stressed.

Trump also promised to build a wall that would separate the United States from Mexico. According to Dr. Asim Shah from the Baylor College of Medicine, people shouldn’t worry about these things, although both candidates promised to hold on to their promises.

Shah underlined that no politician could carry out everything he or she plans to do because the United States political system is very rigorous.

Shah’s piece of advice is simple: people should avoid any exposure to social media related to politics in order to reduce the election stress. It means that they should no longer watch TV programs related to the presidential campaign as well. Plus, they should refrain themselves from any political conversations, because people have various opinions.

Image Source: Static Pexels

Filed Under: Health & LifeStyle

Human Still Kill Many Snow Leopards

Oct 24, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

Snow leopards are endangered.

Many snow leopards are still killed by humans.

Although there are around 4,000 snow leopards throughout central Asia, humans have taken down about 450 specimens since 2008. These incidents are mainly caused by poachers who hunt the animals for their extremely valuable teeth, claws, and pelts.

However, herders also contribute to this massive killing because snow leopards prey on their livestock. A single snow leopard is capable of killing up to 20 goats at a time if they get trapped in a pen, and that is why herders are very hostile towards these big cats.

It is worth mentioning that rural communities living in the mountains strongly depend on livestock to survive because they cannot rely on agriculture or other food sources. Therefore, some herders might sell the parts from a snow leopard’s carcass to make up for the damage in their livestock.

The World Wildlife Foundation and the International Union for Conservation of Nature have joined their efforts to preserve and protect the remaining snow leopards because this species is endangered.

Even if the statistics show that around 450 specimens have been killed until now, it is more likely that this number is higher because the leopards killed in some remote areas are hard to detect, while the big cat’s trade is also difficult to tackle.

The good news is that the conservation efforts have paid off in places such as Kyrgyzstan, where the snow leopard population is significantly large. Experts underline that although just twenty-one percent of the specimens are hunted by poachers, around sixty percent of all leopards killed are sent on the market.

These findings indicate that some herders don’t kill just to protect their livestock but also to make some profit. Officials think that the best way to reduce the killings is better livestock protection living in all remote areas.

The Snow Leopard Foundation, Snow Leopard Trust, and the state’s government have created a hunting ground called Shamshy in Kyrgyzstan, where herders are allowed to come with their stock. This wildlife sanctuary contains large populations of mountain goat and ibex, the natural prey of the snow leopard.

According to director Kuban Jumabai uulu with the Snow Leopard Foundation, these new policies have had a positive impact on the snow leopards’ population, as their efforts will continue in order to spread this initiative across Central Asia.

Image Source:Pixabay

Filed Under: Science

Free Flowers Will Brighten Your Day

Oct 19, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

Free flowers given to a woman

Free flowers will arrive in Downtown soon.

Thanks to a great initiative from the Society of American Florists (SAF), free flowers will be offered on Manhattan streets in a few weeks from now.

According to statistics, flowers improve your mood and encourage people to gather together. This project is called ‘Petal It Forward’ and it is a widely-spread phenomenon in over 225 cities throughout the United States.

People who receive flowers will also get a second free bouquet that they can share with a colleague, complete stranger, family member, or a friend. According to Vivian Anastasia, a store owner from Newbury, delivering flowers has a positive impact on so many people every day.

Her family-owned store sells and designs flower bouquets for any life occasion, while it also has a delivery service which transports flowers to customers living in the nearby towns or across the country.

SAF was founded back in 1884 and consists of many allied organizations, designers, educators, importers, suppliers, retailers, wholesalers, and growers among others. That is why this national trade association represents a significant part of the United States floral industry.

This free flower campaign started in 2015 and spread in over 40 cities across 27 states throughout the country. Based on the estimates, more than 4,000 free flowers were offered in Time Square, whereas this initiative had a positive impact on over 212 million people.

According to the latest study conducted by the SAF, just smelling or seeing flowers improves your mood, while receiving them as a gift makes that particular occasion hard to forget. Scientists from Harvard and Rutgers University have previously conducted surveys to prove the positive impact of flowers on a person’s emotional state.

These results do not only apply to individuals who receive flowers but also to those who give them. More precisely, 80 percent of Americans declared that they felt happy whenever they received flowers, whereas 88 percent said that they felt happy when they gave flowers to someone dear to them.

According to Jennifer Sparks, SAF Marketing Vice President, although Americans have a hard time because of the presidential campaign which aims to divide people, free flowers will have the opposite effect by bringing them together. That is the reason why SAF members give two free bouquets instead of one in order to transform this event in a tradition that will find a well-deserved place in the American culture.

Image Source:Pixabay

Filed Under: Health & LifeStyle

Red Tide Affects Stone Crab Harvest: How are crabs affected by red tide?

Oct 18, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

Red tide affects stone crab harvest how are crabs affected by red tide

Red tide had a negative impact on stone crab harvests.

Southwest Florida fishers suspect that Hurricane Matthew is the primary factor influencing the development of a red tide that has had a negative impact on the stone crab harvests this year.

This situation is quite frustrating for local communities who have been eagerly waiting for the stone crab season. According to the latest reports, fishers were unable to set their crab traps along the Gulf coast because Hurricane Matthew hit lots of beaches.

When they were finally able to set out some traps, they ran into muddy waters and dead fish left behind by the red tide bloom which killed more than a few thousand fish this month. According to fishery manager Damas Kirk, the red tide didn’t kill stone crabs but instead, it helped them avoid the traps.

How Are Crabs Affected by Red Tide

The explanation to are crabs affected by red tide is simple because many dead marine creatures can be found on the bottom, so stone crabs have plenty food, meaning they no longer need to search for it on the beach. These crabs feed on anything they find, so basically they live by the saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’

The lowest stone crab harvest was recorded in the 2013-2014 season when fisheries managers in Florida caught 1.9 million pounds of crabs. Also, the 2014-2015 harvest was of 2.2 million pounds.

The 2015-2016 harvest was high, but because the water remained warm, crab prices have significantly dropped off compared with previous years. When the water is warm, fishers can harvest stone crabs later into the season, and that is why the prices remain low because there is an abundance of crabs on the local market.

Stone crabs are harvested for their unique claws, which should be around 2 to 3-inch long. It is worth mentioning that these harvests can be done more than once. After fishers remove the claws, the crabs are free to return to the water.

Kirk adds that although this season will last until May 15th, the harvest will begin when the red tide disappears. Also, this algal bloom can occur again if water temperatures rise, or in the case of a weather event such as the Hurricane Matthew.

It is hard for fishers to determine when or if the red tide will bloom again because it has been observed in many areas regardless if there was freshwater or not.

Image Source: Static Flickr

Filed Under: Science

Giant Panda No Longer in Danger

Sep 12, 2016 By Nathan Fortin

giant panda

The giant panda may be out of danger, but we still need to be careful.

The creatures’ population rapidly declined during the 1980s and early 1990s due to poaching, from almost a million to about 70,000; their current population is estimated to be between 100,000 and 150,000. Now, it appears the panda is making a comeback.

According to the State Forestry Administration, the population of the giant panda grew by 17 percent over the last ten years to more than 2000. China helped the panda population grow by by replanting bamboo forests, providing nearly all of the animals’ diet.  Also, wildlife experts say that the giant panda needs a lot of restored habitats and they claim that China has done that really well.

“The Chinese have done a great job in investing in panda habitats, expanding and setting up new reserves”, said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president at the World Wildlife Fund.

Statistics from China’s forestry agencies revealed that the giant panda is rising, with an estimated population of 2,060 in 2016-a much-welcomed improvement from the 1,596 counted in a 2000-2004 census.

Still, the forestry administration insists that the panda remains endangered due to the damage of habitats and the impact of climate change. Because of climate change it is expected that in the next 80 years more than one third of the panda’s main source of food, the bamboo habitat, will be wiped out.

“It’s not looking very promising for giant pandas,” said Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the IUCN Red List.

In the 1970s, the government designated several areas, including vast tracts of mountainous regions in West China’s Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces as protection zones and national parks. The goal was to protect the natural habitat in these areas, not only for the giant pandas, but also for other wild species that reside there.

Also, another measure taken in order to save the pandas is to involve the residents living in that area in the process of conservation, avoiding the destruction of the environment.  The residents understood the serious situation and they are now helping the organizations to restore the natural habitats.

Another main part of protecting the giant panda is helping them breed. Right now, there are more than 300 giant pandas being raised in zoos and breeding centers. Scientists are also researching different ways for the giant panda to conceive.

What is your opinion on this topic? Can you think of other possibilities to protect the endangered species ?

 

Filed Under: Tech & Science

Are Sex Robots the Future of Intimate Relations?

Sep 10, 2016 By Nathan Fortin Leave a Comment

sex robots will change the way we look at intimate relations

Scientists believe that sex robots will dehumanize us.

Thanks to a researcher at Kirkwood College, the scientific community is now engaged in a polemic regarding sex robots and the implications that come with the usage of such devices. Opinions differ, some saying that sex robots will not be able to replace human contact, others stating that the mechanization of intercourse will trigger the extinction of modern copulation methods.

The controversy began when Joel Snell published an article in the Daily Star in which he stated that sex robots will soon become an addict’s dream and that the ordinary lifestyle will be shaken by the new trends. According to him:

“Robotic sex may become addictive. Sexbots would always be available and could never say no, so addictions would be easy to feed. People will rearrange their lives to accommodate their addictions.”

The controversy is big enough to give birth to an official organization dubbed Campaign Against Sex Robots. Kathleen Richardson, the director of the group and senior research fellow in robotics ethics at the University of De Montfort, believes that the use of sex robots will plunge humankind into a spiral of dehumanization from which we will never recover.

“Everyone thinks sex robots are very exciting to begin with, but when you’re alone and you hate to carry a 40lb robot upstairs, or their programme breaks down and you have to call ‘support’ and go through automated options to speak to an ‘advisor’ to find out why your robot is twitching its head repeatedly – the excitement will quickly fade”

Her objections bring the notion of having sex with robots closer to reality. What will it be like when the device is updating? What if it updates during intercourse? What will it smell like? How will it be cleaned?

All of these are valid questions, and they will be most likely answered in the user’s manual that will come with the dolls. The biggest issue with this new technology is being raised by psychologists who say that sex robots will be a cleaner alternative to sex workers, and it will also eliminate the “chase.”

Basically, scientists are afraid that humans will lose interest in human contact and replace it with the sterile, mechanical version. Now that the in-vitro technique allows women to reproduce without copulation, the biggest concern is that people will lose their interest in intimate relations.

What is your opinion on sex robots? Do you think they will take over the world as some scientists are predicting?

Image source: Public Domain Pictures

Filed Under: Tech & Science

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