Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Life Expectancy for Selected Countries
Life Expectancy for Selected Countries, 2006
Australia 80.5 Canada 80.2 Israel 79.5 Norway 79.5 United Kingdom 78.5 United States 77.8
life expectancy chart
Monday, March 05, 2007
Giggles Computer Funtime for babies
Giggles Computer Funtime for babies
Giggles Computer Funtime for Baby
is a software application aimed specifically at babies and toddlers aged 6 to 24 months. Mac and Windows-compatible, it cost $24.95, now $17.99, and two versions are available — one with shapes and one called My Animal Friends.Each software title features fourteen different related activities that ... more
A reason why video games are hard to give up
A reason why video games are hard to give up
Violent video games desensitize players to real-world violence. Kids and adults will stay glued to video games because the fun of playing actually is rooted in fulfilling their basic psychological needs.
Psychologists at the University of Rochester, in collaboration with Immersyve, Inc., a virtual environment think tank, asked 1,000 gamers what motivates them to keep playing. The results published in the journal Motivation and Emotion this month suggest that people enjoy video games because they find them intrinsically satisfying. more
Creators put politics into video games
Creators put politics into video games
Ian Bogost takes some of the fun out of video games — and replaces it with opinion. The Georgia Institute of Technology professor creates games — or "playable editorial cartoons," as he calls them — that are packed with political messages.
One he created just after liquids were banned from carryon baggage pits players as a frustrated airport screener faced with an ever-changing set of rules. Another challenges gamers to double the price of crude oil by afflicting a fantasy land with a series of natural disasters. more
Video games may be beneficial to the brain
Video games may be beneficial to the brain
Video games have been maligned by many as "a mindless activity," but playing them may be good for the brain, says a researcher who is conducting studies on the possible benefits.
The research, being done at McMaster University in Hamilton, involves hooking test subjects up for a brain scan while they are given tests of their working memory - otherwise known as short-term memory.
"We've looked at a series of tasks in which video gamers and non video gamers do these memory tasks... more
Game teaches kids advanced chess moves
Game teaches kids advanced chess moves
Fritz & Chesster's Chess for Winners
uses a series of mini-games to teach advanced chess strategies to kids. Lots of kids know how to move chess pieces, but when they learn tactics and strategies, they discover what makes chess such a great game. The computer game Fritz & Chesster's Chess for Winners is a great way for kids' to expand their chess knowledge.
Chess for Winners is the third title in the award-winning Learn to Play Chess with Fritz & Chesster series, and continues the series' tradition of teaching chess strategy within the framework of an interactive computer adventure. more
Germany may ban violent video games
Players and vendors could be jailed for up to a year
Legislation being proposed in Germany could see people who play violent games being jailed for up to year.
Regional politicians in the states of Lower Saxony and Bavaria have proposed laws that would see players and retailers of games that feature 'cruel violence' being locked up.
In reality, this could mean most first-person shooters or horror-based games for the PC, PS3 or Xbox 360 with a age game rating of 16+ could be banned for violent content. The proposed legislation would also apply to online gaming, affecting over two million German players.
The controversial laws are reaction to a shooting in November, when an 18-year-old shot himself after injuring 11 others in an attack on his school. He was reportedly an avid gamer and there is a growing backlash in Germany to violent games.
Germany already has very strict gaming bans in place and, unlike in the UK or US, games developers have to edit out gratuitous content and bloodletting in the German versions of their games.
As reported in the Financial Times, there is a growing anti-violent games lobby and surveys are showing that many Germans want violent games severely curbed.
“It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitise unstable characters to violence and can have a stimulating effect,” said Günther Beckstein, Bavaria’s interior minister, earlier in the week.
The German computer entertainment market is worth over £1bn a year and is the third largest in the world. The legislation, if passed, will severely damage its entertainment industry and severely impact the revenues for the major console and games makers.
Tags: Crime, Law
Friday, March 02, 2007
Binge eating is now top disorder
Binge eating is now top disorder The most common eating disorder is neither anorexia nor bulimia - it is binge eating, by far. Binge eating is consuming unusually large amounts of food in a short period of time at least twice a week. The researchers found that 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men had been binge eaters. Binge eating seems to be a more stubborn condition. People who reported binge eating said they had it for eight years on average, compared with 1.7 years for anorexia. "That was very surprising because one of the things we thought we knew about anorexia was that it was chronic and tended to persist for long periods of time," Hudson said. "Binge eating was thought to kind of come and go. These data suggest that's not the case." Not surprisingly, binge eaters were at increased risk for obesity. more
Art show explores emotional toll of eating disorders
Art show explores emotional toll of eating disorders The show, entitled "The Art of Recovery: Insights into Eating Disorders," is composed of 15 pieces of art ranging from painting and sculpture to poetry and collage, all of which were created by those recovering from an eating disorder. "I think a lot of our clients are really creative and artistic, and an eating disorder tends to numb that," says Lynne Victory, a nutritionist and coordinator of the show. "By bringing out their creativity they're able to heal more. So it's using your creative outlets to heal." more
Abused kids one-stop approach haven
Abused kids one-stop approach haven Until the center opened, children who reported abuse were often re-traumatized by the way evidence was gathered, Whittier said. The children would be interviewed by police in a police station, examined by a physician in a medical center and re-interviewed by child protective workers and prosecutors. "It's a big advantage to kids, families and our office," he said. "The single location makes it much more convenient for families and for victims. They're not being trucked around from one spot to another. We know who is providing services to the kids, who is conducting interviews, and what training they have received, and we know it's the highest-qualified investigation and care that we can afford." more
Anorexia Or Bulimia Suffer From Some Personality Disorder
Almost Half Of Young Women With Anorexia Or Bulimia Also Suffer From Some Personality Disorder Among the young women diagnosed as having anorexia or bulimia, 48.5% also suffer from a personality disorder. Even though treatments are effective, the percentage of relapses is still high. Being able to unravel and understand how personality disorders influence the tendency to relapse can also help increase the treatment's chances of success.
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Babies Sleeping 12 Hours a Night
The Baby Coach Gets Babies Sleeping 12 Hours a Night What’s a frazzled new parent to do? A new book teaches parents how to get their babies to sleep an astounding twelve hours a night. It’s called The Baby Sleep Solution
and it’s by Suzy Giordano. “Originally developed for newborn multiples, the Baby Coach’s sleep-training method worked so well with twins and triplets that families of singletons and older babies began asking her to share her recipe for success,” the press release says. “In this simple step-by-step guide, parents will learn the Baby Coach’s 'Limited Crying Solution' which will have babies sleeping through the night by the age of just twelve weeks old.” moreCan Babies Be Peace Activists?
Can Babies Be Peace Activists? One L.A.-Based Business Thinks So! Babypeace, a unique business committed to promoting peace through clothing design and community service, has taken root in Los Angeles. The young woman behind this operation is combining her creative designs in infant and toddler clothing with a mission to support global peace efforts on behalf of children. Owner Haarhoff said her definition of peace is much more than just the absence of war. It has to do with nurturing and safety in the home, within the family, and community cohesion. The Babypeace slogan sums it up in a catchy but poignant way: "Peace by Piece, for Our Children's Sake." more
Taking a bite out of eating disorders
Taking a bite out of eating disorders According to a new Harvard University study, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia occur twice as often among women as among men, and are most prevalent among women under the age of 20. These researchers also say that binge eating is more common than once thought. No wonder middle schools are beginning to discuss these issues. Parents play a critical role, but coaches, teachers, and marketers play a part. Sending messages that reinforce a girl's sense of her own worth will reduce eating disorders, and perhaps finally define beauty as more than skin deep. more
Belief in exercise may make it more effective
Belief in exercise may make it more effective People who think they're getting a good workout obtain more benefits than those who perform the exact same activities, but don't think what they are doing is exercise, according to the findings of a study by Harvard researchers. While the placebo effect of fake pills is widely accepted, Crum and Langer note, no one has yet studied whether the belief that exercise is maintaining fitness might exert a kind of placebo effect as well. "These results support the hypothesis that exercise affects health in part or in whole via the placebo effect," Crum and Langer write. "Whether the change in physiological health was brought about directly or indirectly, it is clear that health is significantly affected by mind-set." more
Circus Bingo KIDS are our priority - sponsored by B2KBingo!
Almost Half Of Young Women With Anorexia Or Bulimia Also Suffer From Some Personality Disorder Among the young women diagnosed as having anorexia or bulimia, 48.5% also suffer from a personality disorder. Even though treatments are effective, the percentage of relapses is still high. Being able to unravel and understand how personality disorders influence the tendency to relapse can also help increase the treatment's chances of success. more
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Alternative energy profiles
Alternative energy profiles Wind Power: Companies across the country are investing in wind power...Nuclear Power.. Ethanol.. improving automobile emissions...
Alternative-energy ideas await approval
Alternative-energy ideas await approval
Coming soon - or maybe never - to a light socket near you: Electricity generated by cow manure or the churning of the Gulf Stream.
Egyptian, Chinese Companies to Build Rigs in Egypt
Egyptian, Chinese Companies to Build Rigs in Egypt
Meeting in Cairo, three Egyptian and one Chinese companies in the oil and gas sector signed a contract to set up a joint venture to manufacture oil rigs in Egypt.
Making electricity from hog waste
Making electricity from hog waste Progress Energy, the Raleigh-based electric utility, will evaluate the feasibility of making electricity from hog waste, according to the N.C. Pork Council. The pilot project will be conducted with participation from hog farms throughout the state.
Russian shock at 'gagged' babies
Russian shock at 'gagged' babies Russian prosecutors are investigating allegations that hospital staff in Yekaterinburg gagged babies because they did not want to hear them crying.
Giant mirror to light up Swiss mountain village
The construction of a giant mirror to light up a Bondo, Swiss mountain village whose 198 residents are deprived of sunlight for three months each year, is being considered.
istorical UK ship passenger records available
Historical UK ship passenger records available online for first time
UK National Archives is enabling online access to the first comprehensive database of passenger lists from ships departing the UK on long-distance voyages to destinations including North America, Australia, India and South Africa between 1890 and 1960. Genealogists will get very excited.
Jailed for blogging news Casino Player Network
Jailed for blogging
In a cramped jail cell in Alexandria, Egypt, sits a soft-spoken 22-year-old student. Kareem Amer was sent to prison for over a month for allegedly "defaming the president of Egypt" and "highlighting inappropriate aspects that harm the reputation of Egypt." Where did Amer commit these supposed felonies? On his weblog.
Overlooked Major Humanitarian Stories in 2006 news Casino Player Network
Study: U.S. Media Overlooked Major Humanitarian Stories in 2006
Last year millions of people in many countries lost their lives as a result of wars, violence, disease, and hunger, yet the "Top Ten"
most underreported stories of 2006 highlighted by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, accounted for just 7.2 of the 14,512 minutes the three major television networks devoted to their nightly newscasts in 2006.
Non-GMO: Hottest Food news Casino Player Network
Non-GMO: Hottest Food
Trend Consumers of any age can improve their health with one change. "Avoid eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs)," says expert Jeffrey M. Smith, who points to evidence of mounting health risks associated with gene-spliced foods.
Porcupines become fashion victims in S.Africa news Casino Player Network
Porcupines become fashion victims in S.Africa
South Africa's porcupines are being slaughtered so their quills can be turned into tourist souvenirs.
Porcupines are being hunted wholesale for the fashion market and nobody has any idea how many are being killed.
Robot twitcher to scan skies for rare bird news Casino Player Network
Robot twitcher to scan skies for rare bird
The world's first robot twitcher has joined the hunt for the ivory-billed woodpecker. The device's inventors hope it will come up with the first hard evidence for the elusive bird's existence, and say it could monitor other rare species.
Human Rights, and Environmentalism NEWS
Ten Most Devastating Armies According to the CIA and other Intelligence Services (European, Asian, African) this is the tally - based on a Combination of Manpower, Technology, Firepower, Training, Resources, Available Reserves, and Nuclear Potential (Current or Likely): 1. USA 2. China 3. Germany 4. India 5. France 6. Russia 7. UK 8. Italy 9. Israel 10. Pakistan
Russia's faithful ice dippers fret at warm winter
Russia's faithful indulged on Friday in the annual Orthodox tradition of plunging through ice holes into freezing water, but a key ingredient was missing: it is not cold. But the warmest winter in a generation has melted the ice and snow, leaving Russia's faithful fretting about their traditional winter swim.
China's ecological protection level has failed. The country ranked 100th out of 118 developing and developed countries in China's Modernization Report 2007, the same ranking as the last report in 2004. The ranking of "ecological modernization" were based on 30 indicators, including carbon dioxide discharges, daily sewage disposal rates, forest coverage and drinking water safety. The central government announced eight economic priorities for 2007, with environmental protection listed third after macro-economic controls and agricultural development.
Bingo on the Brain
Bingo players have many rituals and routines. Some sit in the same chair every week, some bring stuffed animals or good luck charms. Many players have custom boards that hold their cards at a dauber-friendly angle; others clip, tape or paste their cards to the long tables.
Like most classic games, bingo appears simple but allows players to increase the complexity depending on skill level. Twenty-five squares on a 5-by-5 card are numbered and the middle square is a freebie.
There are more than 552 septillion possible number arrangements — that's 552 followed by 24 zeroes.
Calculating odds in bingo is difficult because the number of cards being played, the number of called numbers and the pattern that determines the bingo have to be considered. Some games require a standard horizontal, vertical or diagonal bingo, others a special design such as a "postage stamp" block of four or "Texas Black Out," in which the entire card is filled.
Like other table games and some video games, bingo is good for the brain, said Teenie Matlock, professor of cognitive science at University of California at Merced. "Reading, games like bingo or Scrabble, anything where you're mentally manipulating numbers or letters is like exercises for your brain."
