NewsTidBits.com

November 19, 2008

Garlic chemical tablet treats diabetes I and II orally

A drug based on a chemical found in garlic can treat diabetes types I and II when taken as a tablet, a study in the new Royal Society of Chemistry journal Metallomics says. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Older people should have the flu jab this winter, warn experts

Despite recent doubts about its effectiveness, the influenza vaccine does give valuable protection against illness, hospital admission and death caused by influenza, and people over 65 should have the flu jab this winter, say experts on bmj.com today. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Lost tool bag forces changes to planned spacewalks

Flight controllers were revamping plans Wednesday for the remaining spacewalks planned during space shuttle Endeavour's visit to the international space station, after a crucial tool bag floated out to space during a repair trip. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Spider Missing Aboard International Space Station

One of two spider that wove messy, tangled web in science experiment in orbit suddenly can't be found. [Source: FOX News - Sci/Tech / 11-19]

Which Part Of SEO Is Most Important?

Which part of search engine optimization (SEO) is most important? Well, it likely depends on who you ask, but just to be clear, all aspects are important. But which aspect of SEO you emphasize at any given time might be different based on what your website needs to succeed. [Source: SEO Journal / 11-19]

Online networking tools help procurement execs recruit new talent

LinkedIn, Spoke and others help procurement execs recruit new talent and benchmark best practices [Source: Purchasing / 11-19]

Google gives online life to Life mag's photos

Google Inc. has opened an online photo gallery that will feature millions of images from Life magazine's archives that have never been seen by the public before.... [Source: AP / 11-19]

Microsoft chopping Zune prices

With storm clouds hanging over the U.S. economy and the holidays just weeks away, the software maker is cutting the price of all its flash-based devices. [Source: CNET News.com / 11-19]

Online retail spending slows to a crawl in October

Consumer spending on e-commerce sites grows 1 percent, the slowest month since Comscore began keeping track. [Source: CNET News.com / 11-19]

Defensive Dividend Stocks Offering Value Now, and Comparative ETFs

[Source: Seeking Alpha / 11-19]

NYTimes.com Introduces New Features in Time for the Holidays: The Pogue-o-matic; Gadgetwise Blog; and a Personal Tech Gift Guide

NYTimes.com announced today its new Holiday Technology section with three exciting features in time for the upcoming holiday season that are designed to provide consumers with expert guidance [Source: Business Wire / 11-19]

Children's Miracle Network Creates Online Shopping Initiative to Raise Money for Children's Hospitals

Children's Miracle Network, an international non-profit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals, has launched an initiative called ShoppingForMiracles.org. [Source: Business Wire / 11-19]

Microsoft Announces Plans for No-Cost Consumer Security Offering (Microsoft)

New anti-malware solution will broaden PC protection and help improve Windows experience. [Source: TechNewsSource.com / 11-19]

eminence grise: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

eminence grise: powerful person [Source: Dictionary.com Word of the Day / 11-19]

Healthcare 2009: Issues and Challenges

What to know about healthcare with new political leadership on the horizon and no end in sight to rising costs. [Source: HRE Online / 11-19]

HR Outsourcing: India Rising

India-headquartered providers are energizing the human resource outsourcing industry. [Source: HRE Online / 11-19]

Relocation: A Balancing Act

In 2009, companies will be forced to juggle expatriates and their families worldwide, while balancing the decisions involved in finding and retaining globally competent employees. [Source: HRE Online / 11-19]

Retirement: Help Them Reinvent, Not Retire

Companies need to use exploration, education and experimentation in order to help employees plan ahead for their retirement years. [Source: HRE Online / 11-19]

Team identifies 13 new tumor-suppressor genes in liver cancer

Over the years, hunting for cancer-related genes and understanding how they work has been an important, although time-consuming, exercise. At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

New procedure helps with common ailment: bulging discs

Bradley Scott woke up pain-free a couple weeks ago for the first time in two years. The stabbing pain in his leg is gone. He now walks more than a mile a day. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Astronaut loses tool bag in space

A spacewalking astronaut has had a grease gun erupt in her bag, and the tote has drifted off into space. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Broccoli may lower lung cancer risk in smokers

The cancer preventive properties of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables appear to work specifically in smokers, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Favorite Thanksgiving dish gets 'upscale' breeding

Families gathering around the Thanksgiving table this year will enjoy a traditional side dish that's been given some upscale breeding - cranberries. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

New approach to screen individuals for early Alzheimer's disease

With millions of baby boomers entering late adulthood, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is expected to drastically rise over the next several decades. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Two cancer drugs prevent, reverse type 1 diabetes, study shows

Two common cancer drugs have been shown to both prevent and reverse type 1 diabetes in a mouse model of the disease, according to research conducted at the University of California, San Francisco. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

The smart way to study

Combine the aphorisms that practice makes perfect and timing is everything into one and you might get something resembling findings published in this month's issue of Psychological Science. Proper spacing of lessons, the researchers report, can dramatically enhance learning. And larger gaps between study sessions result in better recall of facts. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Crohn's disease surgeries make steady advances

Thousands of Americans suffering from the chronic inflammatory bowel condition known as Crohn's disease are leading longer, healthier lives due to innovative new surgeries, according to experts at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

New Virtual Tool Can Train Athlete Brains to React 53 Percent Faster, Improve Their Game

All great athletes know that in order to perform well, they can't just depend on their physical capabilities. Speed and efficiency in decision-making are just as essential. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

26 percent of sleepless children become overweight

Between the ages of six months and six years old, close to 90 percent of children have at least one sleep-related problem. Among the most common issues are night terrors, teeth-grinding and bed-wetting. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Study examines working couple's retirement patterns

When retiring, men are more likely than women to move directly from work to retirement, but overall the retirement patterns for dual-income married couples are complex and call for additional considerations in planning for the future, according to a new study from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

Study shows how social support may protect brain during stroke

New research in mice suggests that high levels of social support may provide some protection against strokes by reducing the amount of damaging inflammation in the brain. [Source: physorg.com / 11-19]

November 18, 2008

Lithium-Ion Batteries Used with Bicycle Lights Recalled By DiNotte Lighting Due to Burn Hazard

A loose wiring connection and improper venting can cause the battery to overheat, posing a burn hazard to consumers. [Source: cpsc.gov - Recalls and product safety / 11-18]

U.S. Won't Kill Wild Horses -- For Now

Thousands of wild horses in U.S. care will not be put down to give the government another year to explore possible solutions and let cooler heads prevail, U.S. officials said Monday. [Source: National Geographic News / 11-18]

VIDEO: Huge Whaling Ship Leaves Port

A whaling ship is seen departing Japan Monday in video provided by Greenpeace, which claims the ship is on its way to Antarctic waters to hunt whales. Warning: Video contains graphic imagery. [Source: National Geographic News / 11-18]

How to Make a Powerful First Impression

Learn the art of presence and small talk from communications experts who swear you can do it even if you don't think you can. [Source: Entrepreneur.com / 11-18]

Color Perception Shifts From Right Brain to Left

Learning the name of a color changes the part of the brain that's at work. [Source: Discovery Channel / 11-18]

Hong Kong's unemployment rate jumps to 3.5 per cent

Hong Kong's unemployment for the third quarter jumped to 3.5 per cent, figures showed Tuesday, as the government warned the job market may suffer further from the global economic crisis. [Source: Channel NewsAsia Business News / 11-18]

Many doctors plan to quit or cut back: survey

Primary care doctors in the United States feel overworked and nearly half plan to either cut back on how many patients they see or quit medicine entirely, according to a survey released on Tuesday. [Source: Reuters - Technology / 11-18]

The Wrong Way to Think About Your Retirement Portfolio

[Source: Seeking Alpha / 11-18]

UPS Ready to Make Holiday Shipping Easy and Fast

While you make your holiday list - and check it twice - UPS (NYSE:UPS) is revving up its fleet of Brown sleighs for its 101st holiday Peak Season. [Source: UPS / 11-18]

What cures you may also ail you: Antibiotics, your gut and you

We are always being told by marketers of healthy yogurts that the human gut contains a bustling community of different bacteria, both good and bad, and that this balance is vital to keeping you healthy. But if you target the disease-causing bacteria with medicine, what might be the collateral damage to their health-associated cousins that call the human body home? [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Another View

The International Space Station's Expedition 18 crew provided a close-up view of Endeavour's tail section. The image provides partial views of the shuttle's... [Source: NASA Image of the Day / 11-18]

As Sirius, XM signals merge, customers are confused

The XM-Sirius satellite radio merger is shifting the lineups and in some cases the sentiments of subscribers. [Source: USATODAY.com Tech / 11-18]

Laid-off workers learn new trades

In the worst labor market in 14 years, Americans from auto workers to financial analysts are considering a career change in hopes of landing a job. Many job seekers are getting specialized training as a way to break into a new industry. [Source: CNN - Top Stories / 11-18]

More holiday time off at HP, Micron

What with a lousy economy and grim tidings ahead, more tech companies are telling employees to take more vacation as part of a cost-cutting move [Source: CNET News.com / 11-18]

Apple issues fix for MacBook trackpad woes

Firmware update now available for those who purchased Apple's redesigned MacBook or MacBook Pro and have been having problems with the glass trackpad on those systems. [Source: CNET News.com / 11-18]

OfficeMax Partners with JibJab to Bring Internet Sensation 'ElfYourself' Back for 2008 Holiday Season

[Source: PRNewswire - Technology / 11-18]

The Spirit of the Season: HP Bridges the Miles with Gifts That Bring People Together

HP (NYSE:HPQ) today kicked off its holiday campaign, "Practical Magic" which is designed to capture the spirit and magic of the holiday season while bringing people [Source: Business Wire / 11-18]

Business Wire Hosts Expert Panel For Discussion on XBRL

Business Wire this week will present a distinguished panel of XBRL experts discussing eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) and the proposed mandate by the Securities and Exchange [Source: Business Wire / 11-18]

Intel Kicks Off Mass Animation Project (Intel)

And the award for Best Animated Short Film goes to … an Internet community? [Source: ElectronicsBuzz.com / 11-18]

IBM Study Shows Consumers Will Accept New Forms of Advertising If Companies Follow Their Rules (IBM)

[Source: TechNewsSource.com / 11-18]

Top 15 Brain Teasers and Games for Mental Exercise

Over the last 2 years we have posted close to 100 puzzles, teasers, riddles, and every kind of form of mental exercise (including lengthy interviews with top neuroscientists!).Which ones have proven most stimulating (of the puzzles and teasers, not the interviews)? Well, we could answer that question in a variety of ways, but I'd suggest [Source: SharpBrains / 11-18]

Flight Day 1

Not long after the opening of the payload bay doors on space shuttle Endeavour, the crew was able to get a first look at cargo and hardware located in... [Source: NASA Image of the Day / 11-18]

Retirement Planning Turmoil

Employers face a double whammy on the retirement front. The volatile stock market may prompt some workers to cut back on 401(k) contributions -- leading to problems with federal nondiscrimination tests -- while, at the same time, the impact on pension plans may force employers to drastically hike reserves -- or freeze benefits. [Source: HRE Online / 11-18]

Scroll the Google News Headlines in Your Firefox Sidebar

You can load up Google News in your Firefox sidebar.  This quick tip and tweak will give you the ability to check out the iPhone optimized Google News in your Firefox sidebar.  This makes scrolling through the day's news an even quicker and easier experience. [Source: Firefox Facts / 11-18]

affectation: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

affectation: exaggerated display; pretense [Source: Dictionary.com Word of the Day / 11-18]

Crowds, delays await Thanksgiving travelers

Despite higher air fares and an economic crisis that is forcing many Americans to stay home for the holidays, air travel is expected to be more crowded and hectic than usual this Thanksgiving, experts say. [Source: CNN - Personal Finance / 11-18]

NASA Satellites Capture Images of Southern California Wildfires

Images from NASA satellites give a wider perspective of the full extent and devastation of the wildfires raging in Southern California. [Source: NASA News / 11-18]

The Top Five Reasons Leaders Lack Influence

Do you wear the shoes of change? Turns out only 20 percent of leaders are true influencers. Here are the top five reasons most leaders lack influence. [Source: ManageSmarter.com / 11-18]

Children's Place on the Balance Sheet of Life

Birth rates are falling pretty much around the world. [Source: HarvardBusiness.org / 11-18]

Bail Out GM (And Forget Survival of the Fittest)

Some people say that bailing out GM is wrong. That GM is weak after years of incompetent managing in a global marketplace, and that they deserve to go under. [Source: HarvardBusiness.org / 11-18]

Confessions of an Unrepentant BlackBerry Addict

I have a confession: I like my BlackBerry. I like checking my work email at home at all hours. I like reading about what's happening at work when I'm supposed to be decompressing on vacation . [Source: HarvardBusiness.org / 11-18]

Leading Change? These 5 Obama-Approved Tactics Get Buy-In

One of the many reasons why President-Elect Barack Obama inspires hope around the world is because of what he's shown us so far of his abilities to be an effective leader of change. [Source: HarvardBusiness.org / 11-18]

Cancer drug cures Type 1 diabetes in mice

A new study shows that the cancer drugs imatinib (also known as Gleevac by Novartis) and sunitinib (Sutent, made by Pfizer) halt diabetes in mice. [Source: Scientific American / 11-18]

Computer mouse closes in on the big 4-0

It was 38 years ago today that the U.S. Patent Office officially recognized an invention that would help make computers more accessible to the masses. We are, of course, talking about Douglas Engelbart's "X-Y position indicator for a display system," more commonly known today as the computer mouse. [Source: Scientific American / 11-18]

Major earthquake rocks Indonesia, minor tremblor shakes San Diego

At least four people died and 30 were injured after a major, 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia early today, prompting authorities to activate the country's new tsunami warning system. [Source: Scientific American / 11-18]

Scientists scratch heads over why we itch

Scientists are baffled by one of humankind's most annoying problems - itching - an almost universal misery for which there is, as yet, no adequate explanation or treatment. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Survey says over-50 set likelier to buy Earth-friendly

Older is greener. That was the finding of a recent report that says businesses should rethink how they pitch environmentally friendly products, because the over-50 generation may be their best customers. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Forests may play overlooked role in regulating climate

In a study to be published next week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists led by a team at the University of New Hampshire show that forests may influence the Earth's climate in important ways that have not previously been recognized. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

How is our left brain is different from our right?

Since the historical discovery of the speech center in the left cortex in 150 years ago, functional differences between left and right hemisphere have been well known; language is mainly handled by left hemisphere, while spatial recognition is more specialized to the right hemisphere. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Study helps identify beachgoers at increased risk of skin cancer

Identifying the sun-protection practices and risk profiles of beachgoers may help determine those who would benefit from targeted interventions intended to reduce the risk of skin cancer, according to a study in the November issue of Archives of Dermatology. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Doctors hoping for new era of artificial ankles

What was left of Dan Sivia's ankle simply didn't work. He limped through his 30s by sheer force of will, one foot almost completely immobile from repeated broken bones and surgeries. Then a doctor offered his last hope: An ankle replacement. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Pinning down the fleeting Internet: Web crawler archives historical data for easy searching

The Internet contains vast amounts of information, much of it unorganized. But what you see online at any given moment is just a snapshot of the Web as a whole -- many pages change rapidly or disappear completely, and the old data gets lost forever. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Researchers find clue to stopping breast-cancer metastasis

If scientists knew exactly what a breast cancer cell needs to spread, then they could stop the most deadly part of the disease: metastasis. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine takes a step in that direction. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Water vapor confirmed as major player in climate change

Water vapor is known to be Earth's most abundant greenhouse gas, but the extent of its contribution to global warming has been debated. Using recent NASA satellite data, researchers have estimated more precisely than ever the heat-trapping effect of water in the air, validating the role of the gas as a critical component of climate change. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Does growth hormone drug slow Alzheimer's disease?

A new study shows that a drug that increases the release of growth hormone failed to slow the rate of progression of Alzheimer's disease in humans. The new research is published in the November 18, 2008, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

New deep-sea observatory goes live

Off the coast of Central California, in the inky darkness of the deep sea, a bright orange metal pyramid about the size of two compact cars sits quietly on the seafloor. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Nissan Cuts In Half Amount of Precious Metals Required in Catalysts

Nissan Motor Company Inc. has announced a new ultra-low precious metal catalyst that will cut in half the amount of precious metals used by car manufacturers. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Alzheimer's disease breakthrough

CSIRO scientists have developed a new system to screen for compounds that can inhibit one of the processes that takes place during the progression of Alzheimer`s disease. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Physical activity after bariatric surgery improves weight loss, quality of life

A new study by researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine suggests increased physical activity after bariatric surgery can yield better postoperative outcomes. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Quicker, easier way to make coal cleaner found

Construction of new coal-fired power plants in the United States is in danger of coming to a standstill, partly due to the high cost of the requirement ‚— whether existing or anticipated ‚— to capture all emissions of carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Democratic Party control could ban mandatory arbitration, UI expert says

Democratic Party control in Washington could restore lawsuits as an option for workers and consumers now forced to settle disputes through mandatory arbitration that gives employers and businesses an unfair edge, a University of Illinois labor law expert says. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Safe storage of greenhouse-gas carbon dioxide

To prevent global warming, researchers and policymakers are exploring a variety of options to significantly cut the amount of carbon dioxide that reaches the atmosphere. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

How often will you use that treadmill?

Why not buy that treadmill? You'll be exercising every day, right? A new studyin the Journal of Consumer Research examines why our expectations of ourbehavior so often don't match reality. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Genetic risk factors may tailor prostate cancer screening approaches

Men with a family history of prostate cancer and African-American men are particularly susceptible to the disease, with a twofold to sevenfold increased risk. Assessing risk in these populations has been difficult. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Breast cancer common among women with family history but without BRCA1 or BRCA2

New data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting outlines new data, which assesses breast cancer risk among women with a strong family history of breast cancer, but without a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

I'm sticking with my brand: Loyal customers perceive competitor ads differently

What does it take for marketers to reach customers who are already loyal to a particular brand? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines brand loyalty and the way it affects perceptions of advertising. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Hybrid cars too quiet for pedestrian safety? Add engine noise, say human factors researchers

Important pedestrian safety issues have emerged with the advent of hybrid and electric vehicles. These vehicles are relatively quiet‚—they do not emit the sounds pedestrians and bicyclists are accustomed to hearing as a vehicle approaches them on the street or at an intersection. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Put on a happy face: It helps you see the big picture

That photo of your smiling kids on the refrigerator door might do more than justmake you feel good; you might make healthier food choices after looking at it. Anew study in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that positive moods canincrease our ability to understand the big picture. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

'Let the sunshine in' to protect your heart this winter

The temperature might not be the only thing plummeting this winter. Many people also will experience a decrease in their vitamin D levels, which can play a role in heart disease, according to a new review article in Circulation. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Necessary lattes? People short on self-control categorize more items as necessities

Why do so many of us give up on those New Year's resolutions to lose weight orcurb luxury spending? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says ithas to do with the way our goals intersect with our natures. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Effective global regulation

Government ownership of banks - something unthinkable until very recently for the 'Anglo-Saxon' model of capitalism -- became a reality early in 2008. This was a policy response to an unprecedented global financial crisis, aimed at preventing financial meltdown. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Sleep helps people learn complicated tasks

Sleep helps the mind learn complicated tasks and helps people recover learning they otherwise thought they had forgotten over the course of a day, research at the University of Chicago shows. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Toward a new generation of paper-thin loudspeakers

In research that may redefine ear buds, earphones, stereo loudspeakers, and other devices for producing sound, researchers in China are reporting development of flexible loudspeakers thinner than paper that might be inserted into the ears with an index finger or attached to clothing, walls, or windows. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

Evolution of the visual system is key to abstract art

Famous works of abstract art achieve popularity by using shapes that resonate with the neural mechanisms in the brain linked to visual information, a psychologist at the University of Liverpool has discovered. [Source: physorg.com / 11-18]

November 17, 2008

TiVo, Domino's team up to make us all fat

A product placement deal means that whenever TiVo users see a Domino's Pizza ad, they can go ahead and order some pizza. Mmm, pizza. There's also an on-demand ordering screen. [Source: CNET News.com / 11-17]

Citigroup to cut another 53,000 jobs

The company said total headcount is being reduced by 20 percent from its peak of 375,000 at the end of 2007; the company had already announced in October that it was eliminating about 22,000 jobs from those levels. [Source: TheStreet.com / 11-17]

Study helps clarify role of vitamin D in cancer therapy

A colon cancer cell isn't a lost cause. Vitamin D can tame the rogue cell by adjusting everything from its gene expression to its cytoskeleton. [Source: physorg.com / 11-17]

Great Pyramid Mystery to Be Solved by Hidden Room?

A sealed space in Egypt's Great Pyramid may help solve a centuries-old mystery: How did the ancient Egyptians move two million 2.5-ton blocks to build the ancient wonder? [Source: National Geographic News / 11-17]

Chip Shot: National schoolchildren competition of Intel and Leibniz University starts again (Intel)

Schoolchildren from Germany are able to register for the Intel®-Leibniz-Challenge , Germany's second largest national schoolchildren competition through March 2009. [Source: ElectronicsBuzz.com / 11-17]