August 11, 2009, 11:14 PM CT

Risks from medications and driving

Most older drivers are unaware of the potential impact on driving performance linked to taking medications, as per new research from the Center for Injury Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The findings, released recently by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, indicate that 95 percent of those age 55 and older have one or more medical conditions, 78 percent take one or more medications, and only 28 percent have an awareness of the risks those medications might have on driving ability.

The scientists surveyed 630 drivers ages 56 to 93. Only 18 percent reported receiving a warning from a health-care professional about potential driver-impairing (PDI) medications such as ACE inhibitors, sedatives and beta-blockers. The study observed that such warnings do not increase with increasing numbers of medications used or increasing numbers of medical conditions.

"These findings indicate that health-care professionals need to take a more active role in educating their patients about the risks of PDI medications," said Paul MacLennan, Ph.D., assistant professor of surgery at UAB and the study's main author. "Society needs to understand that PDI medications are a driving-safety issue, and there is a need for increased education geared at older drivers, their families and health professionals"......... Posted by: Jim      Read more         Source

August 11, 2009, 8:27 AM CT

For Debt Settlement, Trust Good Debt Negotiation Companies

Debt settlement is a wonderful way of escaping the clutches of credit card debt. Remember, it is easy to be in credit card debt, but really hard to get out of it. Debt settlement is a legal and ethical procedure by which you can be out of debt and avoid bankruptcy. If you do not have a clear understanding of debt settlement, then you need to know that it is a manner of reducing debt; the creditor as well as the debtor comes to an agreement regarding a reduced balance and that is deemed to be the payment in full.

Choosing a debt settlement company well

There are several debt settlement companies available but you need to know which one will be apt for you. Look for a company that has a good standing and maintains good practices. Good debt negotiation programs come with good debt settlement programs. You can opt for the many benefits that are actually provided by these companies.

• You can save a monthly payment in your trust or personal account for future use in settling the accounts. A part of the monthly payments you make are taken to be the fees of the debt negotiation companies. A good company will keep your account at a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured company or bank. You can have access to your account online and for 24 hours in a day. This will take place till you have enough money in your account to negotiate a debt settlement with the creditors.
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Posted by: Tom      Read more         Source

August 5, 2009, 10:49 PM CT

Sports Apparel for the Youth of Today

The youth apparel market is one of the most lucrative in the clothing industry. The fashion and styles worn by today's youth are strongly influenced by icons and role models. Presently there are no greater icons than sports figures. Sports have become such an integral part of life that young people choose to wear sports apparel even while not playing any sport.

Generally speaking, young individuals have very few expenses, leaving them with plenty of disposable income to spend on clothing and recreational merchandise. As a result, the sales for sports equipment and sports apparel, at companies such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Puma, Champion, and Wilson, among others, have surged beyond all expectations over the past decade. Market research surveys have found that the majority of consumers for sports apparel are between the ages of 12 and 34.

Although the US and UK remain the largest markets for sports apparel, the lure of sports has infiltrated almost every country across the globe and the demand is still growing. From hats, jerseys and shoes to sports memorabilia, there is a huge demand for anything related to sports, particularly youth apparel.

Of course, the success of the sports apparel business can be largely attributed to the growing popularity of the Internet and the rapid expansion of online stores. The convenience of online shopping plays a huge role in capturing buyers, which provides a huge boost to total sales......... Posted by: Joe      Read more         Source

August 4, 2009, 8:18 AM CT

Hybrid vehicle rebates produce scant environmental benefits

Despite major costs to taxpayers in the U.S. and Canada, government programs that offer rebates to hybrid vehicle buyers are failing to produce environmental benefits, a new UBC study says.

The study finds that hybrid sales have come largely at the expense of small, relatively fuel-efficient, conventional cars, rather than large SUVs, trucks and vans, which produce substantially greater carbon emissions.

"If the intention of rebate programs is to replace gas guzzlers with hybrids, they are failing," says Ambarish Chandra, a professor at UBC's Sauder School of Business and co-author of study. He says large vehicle sales have risen steadily since the introduction of hybrid rebates.

"People are choosing hybrids over similarly priced small- and medium-sized conventional cars, which are not far behind hybrids for fuel efficiency and emissions," says Chandra. "The reductions in carbon emissions are therefore not great".

The study also finds that the majority of consumers who purchase hybrids were not motivated to do so by government rebates, says Chandra, whose co-authors include Sumeet Gulati, assistant professor in UBC's Dept. of Food and Resource Economics, and Milind Kandlikar of UBC's Liu Institute for Global Issues and Institute of Asian Research......... Posted by: Jim      Read more         Source

July 28, 2009, 11:10 PM CT

US guns fuel Canada and Mexico crimes

Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (29 July 2009) Guns smuggled from the US arm criminals in Canada and Mexico, contributing to a higher murder rate in Canada and more intense drug crime conflict near the Mexican border, as per a research studypublished recently in a special issue of Criminology and Criminal Justice, published by SAGE.

However, authors Philip J. Cook, of Duke University Durham, NC, US, Wendy Cukier Ryerson of the University of Toronto, Canada and Keith Krause from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva, Switzerland highlight a dearth of empirical evidence on gun crime available to criminologists. Gun violence in North America remains the subject of considerable speculation and debate. In their paper The Illicit Firearms Trade in North America, the authors draw upon economics concepts, examining gun crime in the context of each country's regulatory framework.

The US is undoubtedly a major supplier of illegal guns (especially handguns) to both Canada and Mexico. But limited data hamper efforts to predict the effect of a successful crackdown on illegal firearms by US authorities, the authors suggest. Both policy makers and law enforcement would benefit from research to fill these information gaps......... Posted by: Tom      Read more         Source

July 27, 2009, 11:20 PM CT

Yawn alert for weary drivers

We've all experienced it after long hours driving, the eyelids getting heavy, a deep yawn, neck muscles relaxing, the urge to sleep, the head nodding down. But, you're hands are still on the wheel and you only just stopped yourself nodding off in time to avoid the oncoming traffic.

But what if your car could keep an eye on you while you drive and nudge you when you starting yawning and warn you to pull over and take a break? That's the aim of a new in-car yawn-detection system being developed by an international team in the US and India.

Writing in the inaugural issue of the International Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics, Aurobinda Mishra of Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, TN, and his colleagues Mihir Mohanty of ITER, in Orissa and Aurobinda Routray of IIT, West Bengal, India, describe a computer program that can tell when you are yawning and could prevent road traffic accidents.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that at least 100,000 road crashes are caused by driver fatigue each year.

The new program is based around an in-car camera hooked up to image-processing software that captures a sequence of images of the driver's face. It then analyses changes in the face and accurately identifies yawning as distinct from other facial movements such as smiling, talking, and singing. The yawn frequency is then correlated with fatigue behavior and could then be hooked up to a warning system to alert drivers to the need to take a break......... Posted by: Jim      Read more         Source

July 20, 2009, 11:42 PM CT

Marketing and cross-cultural differences

Westerner consumers are more receptive to unexpected promotional gifts than their East Asian counterparts, as per a newly released study in the Journal of Consumer Research

People from diverse cultures react differently to the element of surprise, as per authors Ana Valenzuela (Baruch College), Barbara Mellers (University of California, Berkeley), and Judi Strebel (San Francisco State University). The research team explored different cultural responses to promotional gifts, such as gift cards, mugs, snacks, t-shirts, etc.

The authors conducted four studies in which participants received a gift as a token of appreciation for participating in a survey. Some of the participants knew about the gifts before participating, while others were surprised. Regardless of the gift, participants from the United States enjoyed the surprise more than participants in Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

"Why does this phenomenon happen? For Westerners, an unexpected gift reinforces feelings of control over their environment. For East Asians, an unexpected gift indicates imbalance and prophesizes bad fortune," the authors write. "Our findings suggest that East Asians' experience of surprise is closely connected to their motivation to seek emotional balance"......... Posted by: Tom      Read more         Source

July 19, 2009, 11:06 PM CT

Know the Ways to Avoid Foreclosures

If you are a home owner and not able to pay your mortgage on time, do not hesitate to call the lender. Remember, that this step should be taken to avoid foreclosures. For those who are not aware of a foreclosure, know that this is a professional and legal proceeding where a mortgagee or lien holder attains a court order for the termination of the certain mortgagor's legal right of redemption.

There are some home owners who go into foreclosure purposely; this is a kind of mortgage fraud made with the intention of not making a single payment. A majority of home owners are faced with sudden circumstances that prevent them from making mortgage payments on time. The reasons for not making payments may be loss of job, death in the home owner's family, medical emergency, demotion in job, excessive debt commitments, and other related reasons.

How to avoid foreclosures

There is no need to lose heart if you are not able to make payments on time, you can still save money and avoid foreclosures.

• When you find payment will not be on time, you can contact your lender and have a talk with him/her. Just go ahead and discuss the problem with your lender if you want to get rid of the crisis situation.
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Posted by: Tom      Read more         Source

July 19, 2009, 10:58 AM CT

Sheer Curtains - a Blend of Style and Utility

While selecting a tapestry material, you sometimes need to look beyond sheer style. While style is necessary for your home, you should also look into the factor of utility. Hence, you need to select a material which is durable and a design which is suitable for you and your home.

Advantage of using sheer curtains

Sheer curtains are often used for highlighting huge windows and for softening the scorching rays of the sun when it is shining in full glory. Sheers have been used since ages due to their high degree of usefulness and their ability to make a statement in one's room. Sheer curtains are light in weight and are for single use as well as for use along with another heavy fabric.

The use of sheer curtains actually depends on the amount of sunlight you want to let into your room. Using only the sheer curtains will enable more sunlight to get into your room. The advantage of using a sheer curtain is that you can make it three times the breadth of the window so that it can also give you your desired privacy.

The sunnier side of the sheer curtains

If you really wish to brighten your room, then you can leave some portion from the top uncovered. You can opt for sheer curtains if you have orchids at your place; the curtains protect plants from being flooded with sunlight and are able to regulate the light that is streaming in. ........ Posted by: Tom      Read more         Source

July 12, 2009, 8:56 AM CT

Easy strength training exercise may help treat tennis elbow

People with pain in the elbow or forearm from playing sports or just from common everyday activities, might be able to use a simple bar and strengthening exercise to alleviate pain, say scientists who are presenting their study results at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, July 9th-12th.

Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis is a common condition effecting nearly three percent of the general population, not just those who play tennis. "Our study illustrated that a novel exercise, using an inexpensive rubber bar, may provide a practical and effective means of adding isolated wrist strengthening exercises to a therapy plan," said main author Timothy F. Tyler, PT, ATC, Clinical Research Associate, of the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma in New York City.

The study randomized 21 patients with tennis elbow into two groups. Both received the wrist extensor stretching, ultrasound, cross-friction massage, heat and ice for therapy. The eccentric training group performed isolated eccentric wrist extensor strengthening using the rubber bar (Flexbar, Akron OH) while the standard therapy group performed isotonic wrist strengthening exercises. Three sets of 15 repetitions were performed daily as part of a home program with intensity increased progressively during the therapy period. A variety of pain and movement scales were utilized to determine progress. Patients using the rubber bar had vastly better results on all scales, particularly correlation to strength. In fact, given the consistently poor outcomes for patients in the standard therapy group, it was deemed appropriate to terminate the randomization with 21 of the intended 30 patients having already completed the study......... Posted by: Jim      Read more         Source