Mainstream News

Florida bar forced to stop flying Irish flag after bureaucrats decide only American flag is allowed

"A popular Irish bar in Florida has been banned from flying the Irish flag just days before St Patrick's Day. The owners of Culhane's Irish Pub in Atlantic Beach, northeast Florida, have been told they are no longer allowed to fly the flag because of a local rule banning the commercial display of non-U.S. flags despite displaying it for eight years. The four sisters who own the bar said they would apply for a temporary permit to at least fly the green, white and orange flag on St. Patrick's Day but are shocked by the ruling." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida bar forced to stop flying Irish flag after bureaucrats decide only American flag is allowed

Wisconsin Education Officials Want Students to Wear ‘White Privilege’ Wristbands

"The program’s approach becomes a bit suspect when one reads the Gloria Steinem quote on the top of its webpage: 'The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.' The webpage also offers a series of suggestions for high schools students to become more racially sensitive. They include: Wear a white wristband as a reminder about your privilege, and as a personal commitment to explain why you wear the wristband. Set aside sections of the day to critically examine how privilege is working. Put a note on your mirror or computer screen as a reminder to think about privilege." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWisconsin Education Officials Want Students to Wear ‘White Privilege’ Wristbands

First Lady Michelle Obama launches new campaign against childhood obesity

"First Lady Michelle Obama took her campaign against childhood obesity to a new level Thursday with a $150 million program to encourage more physical activity in American schools. Let’s Move! Active Schools builds upon the Let’s Move! initiative that the mother-of-two and wife of Barack Obama unveiled three years ago during the president’s first term in the White House. Funded by a public-private partnership, Let’s Move! Active Schools aims within five years to get 50,000 schools across the United States to provide at least one hour of physical activity per day to their youngsters." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFirst Lady Michelle Obama launches new campaign against childhood obesity

Robot suit designed to aid the physically challenged and elderly gets global safety certificate

"A robot suit that can help the elderly or disabled get around was given its global safety certificate in Japan, paving the way for its worldwide rollout. The Hybrid Assistive Limb, or HAL, is a power-assisted pair of legs developed by Japanese robot maker Cyberdyne, which has also developed similar robot arms. A quality assurance body issued the certificate based on a draft version of an international safety standard for personal robots that is expected to be approved later this year, the ministry for the economy, trade and industry said. The metal-and-plastic exoskeleton has become the first nursing-care robot certified under the draft standard, a ministry official said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRobot suit designed to aid the physically challenged and elderly gets global safety certificate

Patient has 75 per cent of his skull replaced by 3D-printed implant

"A man has had 75 per cent of his skull replaced with a custom-made 3D-printed implant. The un-named patient in the United States had his head imaged by a 3D scanner before the plastic prosthetic was crafted to suit his features. Oxford Performance Materials in Connecticut then gained approval from US regulators before the printed bone replacement was inserted in his skull during a surgical procedure earlier this week. The ground-breaking operation has only now been revealed. The company says it can now provide the 3D printouts to replace bone damaged by disease or trauma after the US Food and Drug Administration granted approval on February 18." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPatient has 75 per cent of his skull replaced by 3D-printed implant

PETA angry over plan to control Guam’s snake population with toxic dead mice

"Animal activists have dismissed as 'absurd' and 'cruel' the American government’s plans to bombard Guam from the air with poisoned dead mice in a bid to curtail the spread of invasive snakes. The US air drop over the the Pacific island is due to commence in the spring, and is aimed at addressing the problems caused by non-native brown tree snakes. Having hitched a ride to the island some 60 years ago on military ships, the colony of reptiles have been deemed responsible for killing off native bird species, biting human inhabitants and knocking out electricity by slithering onto power lines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPETA angry over plan to control Guam’s snake population with toxic dead mice

Sugar industry would wither without big government

"Without the Army Corps of Engineers' dredging and building, the cane growers wouldn't have the soil or the irrigation they need. Without Washington's decades of rigging the labor market, the companies wouldn't have had the workers they needed before mechanization. Now the industry says it deserves to be protected from foreign competition. And the growers are putting their profits behind the fight." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSugar industry would wither without big government

Diet soda tied to heart attack, stroke risks

"Diet soda may benefit the waistline, but a new study suggests that people who drink it every day have a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke. The study, which followed almost 2,600 older adults for a decade, found that those who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely than non-drinkers to suffer a heart attack or stroke. The findings, reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, don’t prove that the sugar-free drinks are actually to blame. The findings do build on a few recent studies that also found diet-soda drinkers are more likely to have certain cardiovascular risk factors, like high blood pressure or high blood sugar." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDiet soda tied to heart attack, stroke risks

Diet sodas linked to higher risk of Type-2 diabetes in women

"Artificially-sweetened sodas have been linked to a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes for women than sodas sweetened with ordinary sugar, according to French research unveiled on Thursday. 'Contrary to conventional thinking, the risk of diabetes is higher with ‘light’ beverages compared with ‘regular’ sweetened drinks,' the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) said. The evidence comes from a wide-scale, long-term study, it said in a press release. Sugar-sweetened sodas have previously been linked with an increased risk of diabetes, but less is known about their artificially-sweetened counterparts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDiet sodas linked to higher risk of Type-2 diabetes in women

1 in 5 American teenage boys diagnosed with ADHD

"Nearly one in five American teenage boys is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, marking a dramatic rise in the past decade. The condition, for which potent stimulant drugs like Adderal or Ritalin are often prescribed, has been previously estimated to affect three to seven percent of children. The newspaper compiled the data from raw figures provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which took a phone survey of 76,000 parents from 2011 to 2012. The report said that 15 percent of school-age boys in the United States have received an ADHD diagnosis, compared to seven percent among girls." Continue reading →

Continue Reading1 in 5 American teenage boys diagnosed with ADHD