In the Sahara, Stone Age Graves From Greener Days – NYTimes.com
When Paul C. Sereno went hunting dinosaur bones in the Sahara, his career took a sharp turn from paleontology to archaeology. The expedition found what has proved to be the largest known graveyard of Stone Age people who lived there when the desert was green.
Daily Home – Things to consider before you take to two wheels
While everybody likes saving a little money, and driving a scooter or motorcycle can certainly help do that, downsizing to a two-wheeled vehicle isn’t for everybody. Consider the following before you make a visit to your local dealer:
o The rules of the road are a little bit different for bikers, and bikers are more vulnerable. Take a motorcycle safety course like the one offered at University of Montevallo. “This is so important for new riders or someone who’s re-entering,†said Jason Upchurch of Talladega Cycle Sales. The three-day Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program is also offered at locations in Jacksonville, Madison County, Dothan, Tuscumbia and Montgomery. Visit www.montevallo.edu/atsc/motorcycle for more information.
• You will need to purchase protective gear to wear while riding. “A lot of people come in and want a cheap motorcycle and then want a cheap helmet to go with it,†said Mike Wright at Yamaha Sea-Doo in Sylacauga. “I would say invest in a nice helmet and also protective gear.†Also remember, you will likely have to contend with helmet hair.
• Inclement weather. Sudden afternoon showers could cramp your riding style. However, there are weather suits available for such occasions.
• You can’t pack a lot of cargo or extra people onto a motorcycle or scooter. If you have small children you frequently tote around town with you, a bike may not end up saving you all that much money since you wouldn’t be able to use it on those occasions.
• Last, but not least: Biking isn’t for everybody. “If it’s not your thing, don’t do it,†said Faye Mather, 65, who just purchased her first scooter and loves it.
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I would add another thing — Automobile drivers/motorists DO NOT “SEE” motorcycle or scooters!
Many people I know have had wrecks due to motorists completely ignoring them while they drove ’sanely’ on their bikes.
From personal experience — and extremely lucky to be in one piece — I came out light on injury after a Firebird hit me from behind on Highway 21 (in Alabama)!
Insurance? No he did not have insurance.
Anyway, that was quite a number of years ago.
Two-wheels are fun and fuel efficient, yes. But if there is a wreck — two-wheel drivers usually don’t come off lightly, on injury.
– Cathy
weavercat@gmail.com
Tomatoes are fine, but FDA links jalepeno and seranno peppers to Salmonella | ajc.com
Tomatoes are fine, but FDA links jalepeno and seranno peppers to Salmonella
Largest of foodborne disease in a decade has sickened at least 1,220
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Actual culprit for illness found — millions of dollars of tomatoes plowed-under for no good reason, as it turns out.
– Cathy
weavercat@gmail.com
Wine chemical eases age-related ailments – San Jose Mercury News
It’s not exactly a fountain of youth, but a substance found in red wine, grapes and nuts can prevent many age-related problems in mice, an intriguing new study reveals.
The substance, resveratrol, led to healthier hearts, better bone density, fewer cataracts and greater motor coordination in the animals.
The findings, published online Thursday in Cell Metabolism, may increase interest in resveratrol as scientists seek to ward off the inevitable deterioration that comes with growing older.
“It slowed down substantially some of the main components of the aging process,” said Rafael de Cabo, one of the study authors. Cabo is a scientist with the Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the research.
UPDATE 1-Pressed wood released formaldehyde in trailers-CDC | Reuters
WASHINGTON, July 2 Reuters – Pressed wood products such as particle board are the main source of irritating formaldehyde fumes in trailers used to house disaster victims, according to a U.S. government report to be released on Wednesday.
Such temporary housing should be designed with better ventilation, the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests, and current health and safety standards may not be enough to protect people.
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Sounds reasonable to me…
– Cathy
weavercat@gmail.com
Albert Hofmann, the Father of LSD, Dies at 102 – New York Times
PARIS — Albert Hofmann, the mystical Swiss chemist who gave the world LSD, the most powerful psychotropic substance known, died Tuesday at his hilltop home near Basel, Switzerland. He was 102.
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Albert Hofmann in 2006.
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Novartis, via A.F.P. — Getty Images
Dr. Hofmann, date unknown, with a chemical model of LSD.
The cause was a heart attack, said Rick Doblin, founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a California-based group that in 2005 republished Dr. Hofmann’s 1979 book “LSD: My Problem Child.â€
Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938 but did not discover its psychopharmacological effects until five years later, when he accidentally ingested the substance that became known to the 1960s counterculture as acid.
He then took LSD hundreds of times, but regarded it as a powerful and potentially dangerous psychotropic drug that demanded respect.
Real Trekkie tricorder detects ailments – LiveScience- msnbc.com
New handheld medical scanners coupled with regular cell phones resemble “Star Trek” tricorders and could see what ails you with a push of a button.
The invention, using off-the-shelf cell phone technology, would allow medical scanners to boldly go where none have gone before — to the aid of the roughly three-quarters of the worlds population currently without access to ultrasounds, X-rays and other imagers used for everything from detecting tumors to monitoring fetuses.
Penis theft panic hits city… – Yahoo News
KINSHASA Reuters – Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink mens penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft.
Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur.
Bisphenol-A – BPA – Medicine and Health – Safety – A Hard Plastic Is Raising Hard Questions – New York Times
Are toxic plastics lurking in your kitchen?
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Stuart Bradford
Well
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It’s a question many families are asking after reports last week that a chemical used to make baby bottles, water bottles and food containers is facing increasing scrutiny by health officials in Canada and the United States.
The substance is bisphenol-a, or BPA, widely used in the making of the hard, clear and nearly unbreakable plastic called polycarbonate. Studies and tests show that trace amounts of BPA are leaching from polycarbonate containers into foods and liquids.
While most of the focus is on products for children, including clear plastic bottles and canned infant formula, the chemical is also used in food-storage containers, some clear plastic pitchers used for filtered water, refillable water bottles and the lining of soft-drink and food cans.
While there is debate about how much of a health worry BPA really is, retailers including Wal-Mart have said they are withdrawing baby products made with it. Nalgene, the maker of a popular sports bottle, and the baby-products maker Playtex have announced they will stop using it.
China Raises 800-Year-Old Sunken Ship – AOL News
China Raises 800-Year-Old Sunken Ship
AP
Posted: 2007-12-21 16:37:04
Filed Under: Science News
BEIJING (Dec. 21) – After 800 years at the bottom of the sea, a merchant ship loaded with porcelain and other rare antiques was raised to the surface Friday in a specially built basket, a state news agency reported.
The Nanhai No. 1, which means “South China Sea No. 1,” sank off the south China coast with some 60,000 to 80,000 items on board, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Wu Jiancheng, head of the excavation project.
Baltimore middle schoolers have long had access to contraceptives – Boston.com
Girls in Baltimore middle schools have had access to birth-control pills for more than 20 years at school-based clinics. Advocates believe the program has helped cut the city’s teen birth rate.
FDA adding hearing loss risk for impotence drugs | Health | Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators on Thursday said warnings about the risk of sudden hearing loss linked to popular drugs for impotence, including Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, would be added to the drugs’ labels.
FDA panel: No cold medicines to children under 6 – CNN.com
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Over-the-counter cold and cough medicines don’t work for children under age 6, and giving the common medicine to young children cannot be recommended, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee said Friday.
600 sick in Peru after ‘meteorite’ crashes
Hundreds of people flocked to get medical treatment after an apparent meteorite crashed in a remote part of southern Peru over the weekend, health officials said.
The fiery ball that witnesses say fell from the sky Saturday morning smashed into the Andean plain near the Bolivian border, leaving a crater 30 metres wide and six metres deep.
Scientists are on their way to the site to collect samples in order to verify whether the crater was caused by a meteorite.
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