KNIGHT WATCH

DO WE FORGET WE'RE ANIMALS TOO?

A study done by Texas Christian University found that lizards and other cold blooded animals sun to keep themselves warm and to get vitamin D. Chameleons – like humans – get vitamin D two ways – from food or from producing it in their skin with UV radiation. One group of chameleons was fed crickets dusted with vitamin D. The other group was fed regular crickets. The two groups were then put in enclosures offering sun and shade. The chameleons fed the regular crickets compensated by increasing their UV exposure with mathematical accuracy – while humans get burned by UV math. 

A survey published in “Applied Animal Behavior Science” found that virtually all animals with conscious awareness – which eliminates such animals as jellyfish and sponges – are pleasure seekers when it comes to play, food, touch and sex. For example, herring gulls play drop-catch tossing clams and other small, heavy objects to each other. Green iguanas will look for fresh, leafy lettuce when more nutritious reptile food has been provided. When wallowing hippopotamuses relax in watering holes, they’ll occasionally fall asleep. Electric fish seem to enjoy giving each other stimulating charges. Sometimes we forget the “i” in animal.

A study done by Swiss researchers gave six related species – red pandas, ferrets, genets, meerkats, mongooses and lions – water and solutions sweetened with natural or artificial sugars. If the animal drank more of the sweetened solutions in 24 hours, it was determined to be the animal’s preference. The lion drank only water, other species drank some of the naturally sweetened solutions, but the red pandas drank large amounts of the artificially sweetened solutions. Before this study only primates were known to have a taste for artificial sugars. Now when sugar substitutes are being tested, red pandas are likely to become guinea pigs.

A report done by the National Pest Management Association found that bedbugs have increased 71% in 5 years. They move in on suitcases or on used furniture. Although bedbugs can’t fly and emerge only at night, they can hide anywhere. Unfortunately, females produce about 500 offspring; and all bedbugs can live a year without feeding on the blood of warm bodies. Thankfully, they don’t transmit disease; but they are an allergy-causing problem. If you see clusters of tiny black fecal dots or one-quarter inch reddish brown discs of shed skin on a bed, it is time to hire licensed pest control. You have been bugged.

WHO KNEW IT COULD BE DONE?

Scientists have made spider silk, which is lighter and tougher than steel, 3 times tougher by adding small amounts of aluminum, titanium or zinc  The new material could be used to make super-strong textiles and high-tech medical materials like artificial bones and tendons, as well as stronger thread for surgical operations. Now researchers are looking for alternative ways to make the silk without spiders, such as duplicating their spinning technique using silk from silkworms. It seems that producing spider silk commercially can be difficult. When kept in captivity, spiders tend to eat each other.

Scientists have created a Formula 3 racing car that is powered by a biofuel of vegetable oils combined with waste from chocolate factories. The car itself is also eco-friendly. Its body is made of plant fibers, the steering wheel is made of plant-based fibers from carrots and other root vegetables and the seat is made of flax fiber and soybean oil foam. The car was built according to Formula 3 specifications for size, weight and performance; and hopefully it will reach speeds over 145 mph when it is tested on a race track. For now, however, the race car sounds good enough to eat.

Researchers working in Vietnam found a way to fight water pollution that could save millions of lives in the coastal cities of the developing world. They cleaned factory wastewater tainted with toxic metals like cadmium, iron, lead and zinc using crushed seashells. Shells are made of aragonite, a form of calcium carbonate that swaps its calcium atoms for heavy metals, locking them into solid form. Local companies in developing countries pollute drinking water because they can’t afford expensive wastewater filtration systems, but mussel and clam shells are abundant and cheap. Companies in third world countries can afford to shell out for them.

Officials had to evacuate Australia’s Adelaide Zoo after Karta, a 27-year-old female orangutan, attempted to escape. She short-circuited an electric fence by jamming a stick into the wires connected to it. Then she piled up debris she found within her enclosure in order to climb up a concrete and glass wall. Veterinarians armed with tranquilizer guns stood by; but after sitting on top of the wall for about 30 minutes, Karta climbed back down. Now zoo officials have removed all vegetation from her enclosure that could be used for future escapes because Karta is one orangutan that doesn’t monkey around.

WHO'S MAKING THE BEST OF A BAD ECONOMY?

President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan is to improve the economy mainly by creating jobs. Forty billion is for creating “green jobs” and most of those will be traditional jobs gone greener. Geothermal, solar and wind energy production will be increased. There will be an increase in the production of biofuels – fuels made from non-food crops like cornstalks that emit 60% less greenhouse gases. The majority of U.S. buildings need retrofitting to save energy and U.S. products need redesigning to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances. Maybe even Kermit the frog will find it easier being green.

It’s not easier for Americans seeking cheap vacations at state parks and campgrounds. They’re likely to find higher fees and reduced hours because of economy-necessitated, budget cuts. Eleven state-run, historic sites in Illinois were closed for 5 months. Utah’s 43 state parks and museums hired fewer workers and eliminated jobs. Georgia’s state park budget was cut by about 40%. New York’s campgrounds opened later and are closing earlier than last year. Nevertheless, the number of state park visits is expected to stay about the same as 2008 – 748 million. State parks are still cheaper than hotels and motels to park vacationing families.

For families taking “staycations” the need for inexpensive, local entertainment during the recession has increased visits to unusual, local sites. In San Francisco the tour of the wastewater- treatment plant is overbooked. The Texas Prison Museum is having more visitors wanting to see things like the state’s first electric chair and toilet-paper roses made by inmates. The Rig Museum, an oil rig in Louisiana’s bayou, is having more visitors in spite of its highway billboard blowing down in 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Of course, for those of us who can’t afford local attractions, there are always guilt trips.

People in Eppelheim, Germany – home of Mercedes Benz – might not go anywhere. The town has been especially hard hit economically. Unemployment is up 70% since 2008 and many employees are working fewer hours. However, the German government provides generous unemployment checks, universal health care and inexpensive university education for all citizens. For employees working fewer hours, their employers pay for actual hours worked and the government pays the difference between those hours and usual hours. Then there’s parental leave. Couples can divide 14 months of paid parental leave and a mother’s job is secure for 3 years per child. In Germany hard times seem softer.

HOW DOES CHANGE CHANGE US?

San-Francisco-based Twitter was created in 2006 as an Internet-based service that allows users to exchange 140-character messages – tweets – with friends and celebrities by texting on computers and mobile devices. According to data from Nielson Online, a company measuring Internet traffic, more than 60% of Twitter users stopped using the free, social networking site a month after they joined; and with a customer retention rate of about 40%, it is likely there aren’t enough new users to compensate for the ones that are leaving. Compared with Facebook and MySpace, with about 70% retention rates, Twitter may be twittering out.

According to the Social Security Administration – which lists the baby names for whom Social Security numbers have been requested – Emma was the most popular name for baby girls in 2008. Although Emma was third in 2007, it replaced the name Emily, which had been #1 for 12 years. For the 10th year in a row Jacob is the most popular name for baby boys. However, both genders got a new addition to their Top 10 lists. Alexander is #6 for boys and Chloe is #10 for girls. Because only 1,000 names are listed, #1001 goes nameless.

On May 4, 2009 the Supreme Court ordered the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to consider reinstating the $550,000 fine the Federal Communications Commission had levied against CBS for Janet Jackson’s breast-baring “wardrobe malfunction”, which occurred during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. In 2008 the appeals court had thrown out the fine because the incident had lasted nine-sixteenths of a second. For nearly a 30-year period previously, the FCC’s practice had been to fine indecent broadcast programming when it was “pervasive as to amount to ‘shock treatment’ for the audience”. Obviously, the Supreme Court justices don’t watch much television.

Beginning June 2009 Doug Tims, a ranch owner in a remote part of Idaho, faced hiking for 3 days over 7000-foot-high mountains in order to get to the post office or he could hike for 4 miles and then drive for 256 miles. Saving $46,000 by canceling the last, backcountry, bush-plane service in the lower 48 states was part of Post Master General Potter’s plan to cut his $6 billion deficit. However, an embarrassed Potter said the weekly service (twice monthly during the winter) will continue to the 20 area dwellings. Hopefully, Potter’s previous testimony before a Senate subcommittee “to serve every customer” will fly.

Whose Health Are We Talking About?

Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio analyzed federal data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. They looked for emergency room patients under age 17 who had been injured by falling furniture or televisions during the years 1990 to 2007. The researchers estimated 264,200 children were treated for that type of injury during the 18-year period. That’s about 14,700 such injuries a year. Most of the children were under age 6, but 2-year-olds were injured most. The consumer group Safe Kids USA recommends heavy furniture – especially televisions – be anchored to walls. This requires a different kind of television watching.

“Benign paroxysmal positioned vertigo” is more common in older people. It’s caused by head injury or virus. Doctors estimate 20% of all vertigo is caused by ear rocks – loose crystals in the inner ear. The treatment is a series of simple head movements to return the rocks to the utricle, a pouch in the inner ear containing about 1,000 rocks of calcium carbonate. They help send messages to the brain that guide the sense of up and down. When rocks fall into the ear canals, the brain gets confused, causing vertigo – a legitimate case of “rocks in the head”.

Residents live unusually long on the tiny, Greek island Icaria. A team of demographers working with census data determined Icaria is a “blue zone” because it has the highest percentage of 90-year-olds anywhere. Nearly one-third of the residents make it to their 90’s. They also have 20% less cancer, 50% less heart disease and practically no dementia. Genes determine about 20% of life spans – the rest is lifestyle. Icarians live in mountain villages, necessitating daily exercise; and their diet is high in fruits, vegetables, wild greens, olive oil and herbal teas – slow food instead of fast food.

According to a study done at the University of Michigan, being a caregiver is another way to live longer. In the study 1,688 couples at least 70 years old were tracked for 7 years. The researchers found that people who spent at least 14 hours a week caring for a sick spouse were almost 30% less likely to die during the study. This research is supported by studies showing that parenting animals release more oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress-linked substances and also by studies showing that people who volunteer tend to live longer. Maybe the word careful should be changed to “carefull”.

WHAT'S UP IN A DOWN ECONOMY?

Opening day for the Reno Aces was April 17, 2009. The Aces are a Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks and 1 of 16 teams in the Pacific Coast League. Franchise owner, SK Baseball, has built a $40 million, 10,000-fan capacity stadium in downtown Reno. Not only does the stadium provide several hundred jobs for a city with 11.2% unemployment; but there are plans for a Stadium Entertainment District to include retail, dining and nightclubs. The Aces lost their first home game, but for a $7 ticket fans can pass some bad economic times watching America’s pastime.

Facing bad economic times Starbucks ran the first ad of its new campaign May 3, 2009 – a full page in the Sunday New York Times. The ad described Starbucks drinks as higher quality than the competitions’ and less expensive than customers might expect. May 5 McDonald’s began its $100 million plus campaign – television, radio, print, online and outdoor ads – for its McCafe espresso drinks, which will be available at all 14,000 U.S. locations. The ads describe McDonald’s drinks as affordable, quality alternatives to gourmet competition like Starbucks. While Starbucks stock is down, things are looking up for McDonald’s and for coffee drinkers.

Things are also looking up for workers in northern Ohio. An unemployment office comes to them, many of whom no longer have cars or can’t afford to drive to the main office in Norwalk. The Huron County Job and Family Service mobile job unit is an RV containing 3 tiny, computerized offices and a bench for gratefully waiting job-seekers – especially as Huron County has the state’s highest unemployment rate – 17.5%. Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina also have mobile job units. The U.S. Department of Labor has 40 units to help people find jobs after natural disasters. Unfortunately, the economy is an unnatural disaster.

Motivated by the down economy PPL, an electric company in Pennsylvania, is putting “smart meters” on customers’ houses. These meters track energy use monthly, daily, hourly and instantaneously. A Web site helps customers use this money-saving information and also gives them energy-saving tips – like flat-screen plasma televisions use electricity even when they’re turned off. Using smart meter information, PPL can offer cheaper rates during off-peak hours.  The bad news is these meters put meter readers out of work; and the Web site, which compares energy use with similar houses in the area, seems to have energized “neighborly” competition.

WHO PUTS THE "I" IN IDEA?

Qin Jie, a former Chinese bank employee, now has his own business – sound. He’s set up an online, audio archive that includes such sounds as hiccups, a giant salamander that cries like a baby and a myna bird that gives Chinese New Year greetings. An about-to-be-built, luxury hotel in Hefei will have Jie’s voice-activated sound systems, allowing guests to have such sounds as bird songs or waves breaking at any time. Jie believes there’s also a big market for sound effects for television, film, software and telephone ringtones. Qin Jie is making the sound of success.

Greensburg, Kansas – population 1,400 - turned the tornado that flattened the rural town on May 4, 2007 into a success. Two years later Greensburg is rebuilding a green community of the future. They’re using solar and wind technologies to harness both power and geothermal heat and planning a community-owned wind farm that will fill the town’s general power needs. They’re conserving energy by building with solid concrete, using more natural light, better insulation and state-of-the-art windows. One of the residents founded “Greensburg Green Town”, a nonprofit that’s building 12 Eco-Homes to teach visitors about energy efficient construction. Maybe the town’s name should be changed to Greenestburg.

The name of Cincinnati’s most unusual crime fighter is “Shadowhare”. All that’s known about this masked, caped crusader is he’s 21, from Milford, a former foster child and heads a group called “Allegiance of Heroes”. Armed with handcuffs and pepper spray, he had his shoulder dislocated 2 years ago while helping a woman who was being attacked. Nevertheless, Shadowhare continues his mission to intervene in crimes, enforce the law and make citizen arrests – legal in Ohio. However, he could face civil litigation if the arrestee is innocent – obviously making it more difficult to be a 21st century superhero.

The 21st century “shoe-missal-of-discontent” was inspired by the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush in 2008. When the gesture moved to India, it became known as “shoe bite” and was first used by a New Delhi journalist against the home minister during a news conference. The journalist instantly became a national celebrity, inspiring 4 shoe throwings during the elections. This powerful insult has the support of many of India’s poor and often illiterate voters, who say they don’t have opportunities to question leaders. The American translation of this gesture might be “walk a mile in my shoes”.

WHAT'S RCEDING IN THE RECESSION?

Nationwide almost 804,000 homes received foreclosure-related notices from January to March 2009. That’s up from about 650,000 for the same period last year. According to a report by Realty Trac Inc covering the first quarter of 2009, the 26 cities with the highest foreclosure rates are in 4 states – California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada. Although Las Vegas, Nevada; Merced, California; and the Cape Coral-Fort Meyers area in Florida topped the foreclosure list, Boise City, Idaho was 27th and Greeley, Colorado was 29th. Nevertheless, it seems the warm-weather, vacation states aren’t taking a vacation from foreclosures.

The Detroit News reported an unprecedented number of cats and dogs being left in foreclosed homes, dumpsters and parking lots. The American Humane Association estimates with 8,000 houses going into foreclosure daily, 15,000-26,000 animals are in danger of losing their homes daily. People are taking pets to shelters because they can’t afford to care for them or they’re moving into apartments that don’t allow pets. According to the Web site Petfinder, 84% of shelters and rescue groups are caring for more pets because of the economy; and 37% report decreases in pet adoptions. This isn’t a petty problem.

A new rule approved by the Florida High School Athletic Association is causing a problem. It was designed to save  money for high school athletic departments facing tough budget constraints. The group’s board of directors voted 9-6 to cut the number of varsity games played by 20% and all other play by 40% for both 2010 and 2011. The rule – without explanation – doesn’t include football. Critics say this rule will reduce opportunities for students and cost some schools much needed money made by hosting games. Supporters say the rule will give schools facing elimination of some sports a sporting chance.

Due to the recession, many television commercials have been eliminated. The 3 biggest buyers of commercial time used to be fast food, pharmaceuticals and cars. Now car makers are drastically cutting advertising budgets and the television industry is no longer getting $3 billion in advertising. Dealerships have been an important source of income to local television and radio stations, newspapers, magazines and billboards. Now more advertising money is being spent on radio and the Internet because they’re cheaper. Hyundai is the only car company spending more on advertising, telling potential customers they can return their cars if they lose their jobs. Hyundai ads are driving up business.

IS THE IDEA OF GLOBAL WARMING WARMING UP?

According to a survey based on opinions of 3,146 earth scientists, human-induced global warming is real. Two key survey questions were “Have mean global temperatures risen compared to pre-1800s levels?” and “Has human activity been a significant factor in changing mean global temperatures?” About 90% of the scientists agreed with the first question and 82% agreed with the second. Among climatologists, however, the consensus on human involvement was 97%; among meteorologists it was 64% and among geologists it was 47%. It seems the more you know about climate science, the more likely you are to warm up to the idea of global warming.

The 340 residents of Alaska’s coastal village Newtok were ordered to move to new homes 9 miles away because of flooding that has been caused by climate change. Warming temperatures are melting coastal ice shelves and frozen sub-soil that act as barriers against ocean storm surges. Indigenous people in Asia, Central America and Africa are also threatened by shifting environments attributed to climate change. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this is part of a growing crisis that will displace 150 million people by the year 2050. Obviously, it’s time for the United Nations to unite against global warming.

A new study predicts warming oceans fed by greenhouse-gas emissions will affect the distribution of more than 1,000 species of commercial fish and shellfish. Using data from fisheries and computer models, researchers predict these species will migrate from tropical seas to cooler waters – specifically the Arctic and Southern Oceans – resulting in the global distribution shifting 60% by the year 2050. This migration could cause food shortages for people in developing countries near the equator and migration across countries’ fishing boundaries could have economic and political implications. Unfortunately, the effect of global warming on fish isn’t a fish story.

A study done by the University of Arizona uprooted 20 mature pinyon pine trees from New Mexico and moved them to climate-zoned Biosphere 2 in Arizona. Some of the trees were put in an area that simulated the trees’ native temperature and the others were put in an area that was 8 degrees warmer. Half the trees in both areas weren’t watered. The trees in the warmer area died on average 30% faster, predicting massive die-offs of trees in global warming. Warmer temperatures make trees more susceptible to drought – a fact that can’t be watered down.

WHAT'S NEW IN HEALTH NEWS?

According to New York City health officials, three-quarters of salt Americans eat comes from prepared and processed food, raising the risk of heart disease. Having led the ban on trans fats, New York City officials met with food makers and restaurants to discuss reducing salt in common foods like soup, pasta sauce, salad dressing and bread. New York has recruited health agencies and medical groups across the country with the goal of reducing salt consumption 20% by 2014. Although the food industry hopes salt reduction will remain voluntary, they have a healthy concern about government regulation.

According to neuroscientists, some people have a harder time resisting fattening foods because of “conditioned hypereating”, a drive to eat high-fat, high-sugar foods. Fat-sugar combinations light up the brain’s dopamine pathway – its pleasure sensing spot – the same pathway that conditions people to alcohol and drugs. For approximately 70 million people with some degree of conditioned hypereating, the reward-anticipating area of the brain stays switched on even after the food is eaten. Thus the brain has to be retrained with rules, substitutions or temptation avoidance. Because there are thin hypereaters, there’s a fat chance affected brains can be retrained.

According to a study done by researchers at the University of Nottingham in Britain, the researchers involved support the “hygiene hypothesis” – that the rise in asthma and allergies is linked to hyper-clean living; and if the immune system isn’t properly primed in childhood, it can improperly react to harmless triggers like pollen and dander. When the researchers trapped wild mice, those not infested with parasites had more sensitive immune systems than parasite-infested mice. Those that believe in the hygiene hypothesis believe that when the immune system evolved, people were constantly infected by a variety of parasites. Today’s immune systems may be calibrated for yesterday’s parasites – a hypothesis that might bug many people.

According to allergy specialists, red eyelids can be caused by an allergic reaction to toluene sulphonamide formaldehyde resin in nail polish. People allergic to mugwort pollen, onion and chive are often allergic to celery. Sunlight can cause some people to break out in a red, itchy rash. People allergic to nickel can be allergic to their jeans because of the nickel-containing buttons, rivets and studs. They can also get rashes on their cheeks, ears and fingertips from the nickel in iPods and cell phones. Lately there seems to be a rash of new rashes.