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Mayo Clinic introduces Beanie Baby plush toy

Mayo Clinic announces the sale of a Beanie Baby® plush toy depicting Dr. Jack, canine hero of the recently published children's book, "Let's Visit Mayo Clinic with Dr. Jack the Helping Dog."

28 Dec 2010

Children's hospital thanks Montrealers for abundant toy donations

Every year at The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre, we look to members of the community to help make Christmas special for the young children who are not well enough to go home for the holidays. This year was no exception. In an effort to make sure we had enough toys and goodies for Christmas Day, we made an urgent appeal to the public last week and asked Montrealers to pick up extra dollies, stuffed animals, games and trucks so that we might be able to distribute toys to each and every child.

24 Dec 2010

New York Times reports on how foreign governments, investors are pushing some African farmers off land

"Across Africa and the developing world, a new global land rush is gobbling up large expanses of arable land. Despite their ageless traditions, stunned villagers are discovering that African governments typically own their land and have been leasing it, often at bargain prices, to private investors and foreign governments for decades to come," the New York Times writes in an article that examines the factors contributing to investors' growing interest in such land.

24 Dec 2010

U.N. food official highlights food security challenges in world's most populous nation

U.N. Special Rapporteur on the right to food Olivier De Schutter said Thursday that recent food price spikes in China, "in the world's most populous nation," underscore the country's food security challenges resulting from decreasing amounts of arable land, Agence France-Presse reports.

24 Dec 2010

Autism discrimination case at Perth Methodist college

A Perth girl’s school admitted to discriminating against an autistic pupil who was denied a trained aide. This made her lose nine months of schooling. Methodist Ladies College in Perth’s wealthy western suburbs in a first of its kind case in Australia was forced to apologise to parents Andrew and Mandy Mason after they took the school to the Federal Court and secured a settlement in their favour.

22 Dec 2010

Tap water cancer chemical detected

A new analysis has revealed a potential carcinogen in the tap water of 31 U.S. cities and experts are looking for ways to reduce exposure of the communities. The chemical called hexavalent chromium, got public attention in the 2000 film “Erin Brockovich” and has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health.

21 Dec 2010

AP examines 2010 natural disasters' death toll

"Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 - the deadliest year in more than a generation," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports. According to global reinsurer Swiss Re, these disasters "caused $222 billion in economic losses in 2010 - more than Hong Kong's economy."

21 Dec 2010

Blue Water Spa donates non-perishable food items to Interfaith Food Shuttle of NC

Raleigh Day Spa Blue Water Spa donates 100,000 pounds of food to the Interfaith Food Shuttle of NC. Kile Law, president and founder of Blue Water Spa in Raleigh, NC attributes the donations of non-perishable food items to the loyalty and generosity of the clients and staff at Blue Water Spa.

20 Dec 2010

Asbestos removal from schools poorly handled

Queensland government’s builder - QBuild’s handling of asbestos at a north Queensland school is inappropriate says a report. After a painter at the Mackay West State School identified asbestos in December 2009, the QBuild workers came in to decontaminate the area but they did not wear protective clothing and removed dust with a domestic vacuum cleaner.

16 Dec 2010

Fabric softener sheets repel fungus gnat adults under laboratory conditions

For years, gardeners have claimed that putting Bounce- fabric softener sheets in their pockets is an effective way to repel pests like mosquitoes and gnats.

16 Dec 2010

CADCA applauds Senators for introducing STOP Act

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) applauds Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), for today introducing the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act Reauthorization, legislation designed to prevent underage drinking.

15 Dec 2010

With The CarbLovers Diet, eating carbohydrates foods is the only way to lose weight

Who would have thought you could eat your favorite carbohydrate-rich foods and still lose weight? If your New Year's resolution is to lose weight in 2011, Health's bestselling book, The CarbLovers Diet by Ellen Kunes (Editor-in-Chief, Health) and Frances Largeman-Roth, RD (Senior Food & Nutrition Editor, Health), may be the solution.

14 Dec 2010

Soda taxes – would they do any good?

According to new research from Duke-National University of Singapore (NUS) Graduate Medical School imposing higher taxes on sodas and other sweetened drinks would lead to only minimal weight loss among most people and would have no effect on weight among consumers in the highest and lowest income groups.

13 Dec 2010

e-cigarettes – Debate rages around globe

Following misleading advice that ‘e-cigarettes’ are a “healthy way” to quit smoking, thousands of smokers are switching to these electronic cigarettes. According to the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and anti-smoking groups these smokeless, battery-powered e-cigarettes packed with nicotine have not been tested for safety and could pose a serious health risk. Electronic cigarettes contain an inhaler, an atomiser and nicotine suspended in propylene glycol and water. At present they are banned in NSW and Victoria but overseas suppliers sell them online.

12 Dec 2010

Mystery fire at a former medical centre in Sydney’s west

The fire at a building in Sydney’s west that used to house a medical centre is called suspicious by the Police. As the fire raged emergency services were called to Popondetta Road, Emerton, about 9pm yesterday.

12 Dec 2010

Gift cards from fast food joints cause outrage among health experts

As Australia battles with the obesity epidemic, fast food outlet KFC has raised eyebrows from health quarters by offering Christmas gift cards worth up to $500. A survey of fast-food outlets in Hobart’s CBD yesterday revealed gift vouchers were available at McDonald’s, KFC and Subway.

12 Dec 2010

Double life of police constable revealed

Senior Constable Huy Quach has been living a sordid double life that is shocking spectators as it unfolds. A 20 year old woman suffering from bipolar disorder in her victim impact statement presented to the County Court, accused the constable of exploiting her sexually and of using his public office to intimidate her.

9 Dec 2010

Bisphenol A tainted money and receipts

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been found in many household items and other common objects and is known to be an endocrine disruptor linked to infertility, genital abnormalities, cancer and more. Now it has been detected on ‘cash’. Since BPA is used to make plastic, manufacturers use about 8 billion pounds of BPA that is moulded, cooked or poured into toys, baby products and other merchandise each year. On these products BPA is chemically bonded but it is simply applied in a powdery film to paper, making it easy to rub off with a touch.

8 Dec 2010

e-cigarettes spark debate in U.S.

Electronic cigarettes have been seen as a tobacco product but not as drugs. The US Food and Drug Administration had appealed to the court to treat these cigarettes as drugs but the court says this is an oversight. The FDA cited five e-cigarette distributors for poor manufacturing practices and falsely claiming that the products help people stop smoking.

8 Dec 2010

Most of world's poorest still live in rural areas, despite progress over last decade, U.N. report says

A report from the U.N.'s International Fund for Agricultural Development found that approximately 350 million people living in rural areas have escaped extreme poverty over the past decade, but most of the world's poorest citizens continue to live in rural regions, the BBC reports (Melik, 12/6).

8 Dec 2010