Miscellaneous News

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Ideal working environment can reduce psychosocial risks and health-related problems

The way people's work is organised can harm their health by causing a range of ailments, from cardiovascular disease to problems with mental health.

4 May 2010

Non-daily use of tobacco can trigger nicotine dependency among adolescents

Kids who have just started smoking, but not on a daily basis, don't seem to recognize the early symptoms of dependence, according to a new study.

4 May 2010

Early or delayed puberty can trigger antisocial behavior in adolescent boys

Puberty that arrives earlier or later in adolescent boys relative to their peers can trigger chemicals that are related to antisocial behavior, according to researchers, whose findings have key implications for parents with aggressive boys.

4 May 2010

Difference between grief and depression

"A son is a son till he takes a wife, a daughter is a daughter all her life," goes the old Irish saying. Though there is an extraordinary bond between every mother and child there is something unique about the relationship between a mother and daughter

4 May 2010

Tobacco companies increase marketing to women in developing countries

Agence France-Presse examines a trend among tobacco firms targeting ads toward women in developing countries: "Advertisements telling smokers they are smarter, more energetic and better lovers than their non-smoking counterparts are a familiar sight across Bangladesh - something unimaginable in most other countries," the news service writes.

3 May 2010

FDA sets new safety standards for transportation of food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking commercial food transporters to follow new guidance the agency is issuing today to reduce the chances of physical, chemical, biological and other risks during transportation of foods while the agency reviews current food safety transportation regulations.

3 May 2010

Differing views on organic food and its health benefit

There is a rising debate on the benefits, utility, authenticity and cost issues of organic foods over conventional produce. There are industry spokespeople who claim that organic foods can do wonders for health. They claim that the pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers used in conventional production can do more harm than we know.

3 May 2010

Exercise tips for long-term fitness

From working out to eating right, knowing how to best live a healthy lifestyle can become confusing. The long-term health landscape continues to change as research into integrative medicine and genomic function evolves.

3 May 2010

Foreign Policy examines global food security

One article, Robert Paarlberg, a professor of political science at Wellesley College, who has written a book about food security, argues that "[p]overty - caused by the low income productivity of farmers' labor - is the primary source of hunger in Africa, and the problem is only getting worse." Paarlberg writes about the need for "greater resources" to be put towards "farm technology, irrigation, and rural roads" in order to benefit small farmers in Africa.

3 May 2010

Financial Times reports on challenges NGOs, development agencies face when partnering with businesses

The Financial Times reports on some of the challenges non-governmental organizations and development agencies face as they grow more accustomed to partnerships with businesses.

30 Apr 2010

Study shows organic snackers underestimate calorie counts

Could organic labels lead you to overeat? These labels certainly appear to make people think their organic snack has a lot fewer calories than it really does.

30 Apr 2010

Hullabaloo over the tobacco tax hike and planned plain cigarette packaging law

The Australian Federal Government this week announced an increase in taxes by 25% on cigarettes to discourage smoking and generate funds for more antismoking measures. In a new development Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott announced that the Coalition will support this move.

29 Apr 2010

People consume fewer calories when foods are served from kitchen counters

Can eating less be as simple as leaving serving dishes on the stove and off the table? According to a team of researchers from Cornell University, it can.

29 Apr 2010

Former U.S. Secretaries of State urge Congress not to cut international affairs budget

"As the Senate Foreign Relations Committee begins mark up today of the first foreign affairs authorization bill in five years, all eight living former U.S. Secretaries of State have written a letter [.pdf] urging Congress not to cut the international affairs budget," Politico's Laura Rozen writes on her blog.

29 Apr 2010

Salvation Army gets a boost from Westpac

The Salvation Army’s fundraising efforts received a major shot in the arm from Westpac boss Gail Kelly. The banker told the business leaders that the bank would match the New South Wales state government’s contribution of $200,000 to the 2010 Red Shield Appeal.

29 Apr 2010

Arthro SupReviver contains vital nutrients for joint pain, aids in weight loss

A unique joint supporter, called Arthro SupReviver, can help people significantly lose weight. Antionette, a registered nurse in central Florida, lost 80 lbs in 8 months while taking Arthro SupReviver for her achy knees.

29 Apr 2010

More taxes and drab packages for cigarettes to deter the young from smoking

From 1st July 2012 companies making cigarettes will be allowed only to have a brand name and a graphic health warning on their cigarette packs. There has been a huge debate over this issue. Trade experts believe that this move could mean that the Federal Government may have to cough up more than $3 billion a year to cigarette companies. Tim Wilson from the Institute of Public Affairs also believes that this would cost taxpayers $3.4 billion a year in compensation to tobacco companies. However Australia will be the first country to introduce such a measure.

28 Apr 2010

Reluctant Australian sperm donors forces fertility clinics to import from U.S.

With the shortage of sperm donors the Queensland Fertility Group, the largest fertility facility in Townsville has resorted to importing sperm from United States. This facility, some 1,300 Kilometers from Brisbane is reportedly paying $700-800 an ampule for the imported sperm. This is a new situation. Earlier the facility had a large number of donors of which a huge number were the university students but there has been a steady decline in donors with many north Queensland men, or even Australian men who are not prepared to donate.

27 Apr 2010

World Bank-IMF report tracks impact of global economic downturn on MDGs

Though the global economic crisis has slowed the pace of efforts to reduce poverty in developing countries, the countries remain "on track" to meet the Millennium Development Goal target to halve extreme poverty by 2015, according to a report released Friday by the World Bank and IMF, Agence France-Presse reports (4/26).

27 Apr 2010

Uproar over UK Foreign Office take on Papal visit

Following the uproar after the release of the controversial Foreign Office memos that suggested that Pope Benedict XVI's visit to UK this September could be marked by the launch of "Benedict" condoms. The Foreign Office document, called "The ideal visit would see...", said the Pope could be invited to open an abortion clinic, launch a range of condoms, singing a charity duet with the Queen and bless a gay marriage. The document raised the issues of child abuse by priests and urged the “sacking” of “dodgy bishops” and opening helplines for abused children.

26 Apr 2010