Tennessee, made another bid to halt the death penalty in the US by ruling the method of execution inappropriate. This is a step away from recognising that the death penalty itself is inappropriate, though the time until that is recognised at a national, Federal level is uncertain. A Federal judge in Tennessee ruled that the …
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Category:7 Holonics and Life
Animals can talk
Animals other than humans, that is, of course. Alex the African Grey a parrot with a vocabulary of 150 words and communicating abstract concepts with them. And all in English, not Parrot!
US FDA takes another swipe at natural ingredients
The US FDA has caved into “pressure” from the powerful sugar and artificial sweetener lobby and issued a warning letter to Celestial Seasonings for using a popular natural sweetener in some of its teas. The letter indicates the FDA classifies the herb stevia as “unsafe”, even though it is a main staple sweetener in countries …
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Banning smoking works
Recent studies on the effect of the smoking ban brought in to Ireland in March 2004 shows a strong reduction in related disease, proving the costs of smoking. This does not mean a prohibition is appropriate, but definitely supports a public place ban and better information for consumers. Dr Edmond Cronin and colleagues at Cork …
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Parents are the problem with children’s diets.
Yes, we are. It seems only fair to note that children’s poor diet is a direct consequence of what they are fed by their parents. And if you don’t believe it’s a life or death issue, have a look at this story of the death of a 16-year-old boy who collapsed and died during a PE …
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Obesity 101
Its a nasty word, isn’t it? But most of us face it sooner or later. When its not really a problem we tend to ignore it, but once it starts to get out of control its sooo difficult to rein it in. It becomes a disease, both physiological and psychological. Whether for interest or use, …
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Stress worse for health than disease (again)
As we’ve said before “Many health and happiness problems today are related to stress“. A World Health Organisation report (published in the Lancet) on the largest population-based worldwide study that explores the effect of depression in comparison with four other chronic diseases on health state found that depression is more damaging to everyday health than …
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Pocket money reinforces culture of consumption
A recent study by Hibernian Life in Ireland shows that children are given substantial amounts of pocket money – € 10 per week on average at primary and € 20 per week on average at secondary. More than half of the children spend all of their pocket money. This indicator, coupled with the continuous stream …
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Costly payback for clerical abuse
The Catholic diocese of San Diego recently agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy, the second-largest payment by any diocese and over $ 1 million per claimant. The diocese had sought to shield its assets by declaring bankruptcy, but the judge threatened to dismiss the diocese’s case if …
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Modest eating, red wine and longevity
So long as there is adequate nutrition, cutting calories by 40pc prolongs lifespan by 50pc or more — in yeast, mice, rats and every other species so far tested. In 1999 David Sinclair, at Harvard, showed that a single gene, SIRT1, controlled the process of ageing. Subsequent work showed that resveratrol, found in red wine, …
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