Miscellaneous News

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Physical characteristics, performance data predict rankings for high school football players

Sprint speed, height, and weight are the best predictors of how high school football players will be ranked by college recruiting scouts, reports a study in the May issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

21 May 2011

VOA News, MSNBC look at food security

VOA News looks at the relationship between food security and trade barriers. "The Global Harvest Initiative says improving food and agricultural trade flows in the coming decades will help counter the effects of changing weather patterns, population shifts and limited natural resources," VOA News writes.

19 May 2011

U.S. envoy to visit North Korea to assess food shortages

Robert King, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights issues, will lead an official visit to North Korea next week to assess food shortages in the country, according to a Yonhap news agency article quoting a South Korean government source, Agence France-Presse reports.

18 May 2011

Japan quake, tsunami transform country into major aid recipient

"Until a few months ago Japan was the world's fifth biggest aid donor, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, lending or giving away $9.5bn a year," the Guardian reports. But the recent earthquake and tsunami have transformed the country "into a leading destination for international charity. In two months it has received what the Democratic Republic of the Congo is given in a year," according to the article.

16 May 2011

Immortality only appeals to 15% of people: Study

Results of a new ComRes opinion poll commissioned by Dying Matters, a coalition backed by several major charities which promotes discussion of end-of-life issues, shows that only 15% want to live forever.

15 May 2011

Tanning solariums exposing people to UV radiation six times the strength of midday sun: Study

According to the latest research, tanning sun beds can deliver wildly different doses of UV radiation, with some exposing users to levels up to six times the strength of the midday sun. Worst part of it that most users are unaware of this say experts. An audit of beds in Sydney and Melbourne found some deliver twice the dose of radiation as others classed in lower categories. The audits took place in Victoria and NSW.

15 May 2011

Nearly one third of the miners on a synthetic form of cannabis

New research has revealed that a synthetic form of cannabis is being consumed and has shown up in one in ten West Australian mine workers’ urine samples. The state's ChemCentre provides forensic testing for police and the State Coroner. They have been given the contract on an increasing basis by private companies in mining regions to test their workers for the substance, known as Kronic.

12 May 2011

Clinton calls for immediate action on global food shortage, food price spikes

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a meeting of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome said that without immediate action, food shortages and volatile prices could spark global destabilization, the Associated Press reports.

7 May 2011

Health officials concerned with mental health problems after QLD floods

According to health experts Ipswich residents need to look out for the mental health of friends and family with the effects of January’s floods still weighing on many people. The Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) launched the See the Signs awareness campaign this week to help people spot symptoms of mental health issues like depression.

5 May 2011

CanTeen launches groundbreaking cancer support system

For these young people, a parent’s cancer can cause great disruption to routines and relationships and can contribute to immense feelings of anxiety and isolation. CanTeen offers young people dealing with their parent's cancer a powerful dual support system in the form of an innovative Offspring Support Program (being launched in Melbourne on 11 May and Brisbane on 17 May, with plans to go national) and a practical FREE resource book Now What…? Dealing with your parent’s cancer, which may be the only help they receive during this difficult time.

5 May 2011

Group of foundations launches food, agriculture policy research initiative

A group of foundations on Tuesday in Washington launched AGree, a food and agriculture research initiative, Bloomberg reports.

5 May 2011

Marijuana licensing laws vetoed by Washington Governor

Current laws regarding marijuana have come under the scanner. US attorneys have warned states that those who are licensed to grow marijuana or even those who regulate it could be subjected to prosecution. Because of this, several states have begun to change their existing laws for medical marijuana.

4 May 2011

WFP to begin emergency food campaign in North Korea

The U.N. World Food Program on Friday said it would begin providing emergency food aid to 3.5 million people in North Korea, Reuters reports.

3 May 2011

China smoking ban in place

Starting today all bars, restaurants, hospitals and other public places in China are slated to become smoke-free, inside and out. Efforts to ban smoking in public places here have been plagued by false starts and failed campaigns.

1 May 2011

Survey reports 60% of workers feel guilty if they call in sick

Sniff, sniff. Achoo! With cold and flu season in full swing, these sounds are likely to be heard around the office. A new CareerBuilder Canada survey finds that 66 per cent of workers typically go to work when they are sick.

29 Apr 2011

Drought in the Horn of Africa threatening food security

"A drought in the Horn of Africa, triggered by the same La Nina episode that caused massive flooding in Australia last year, is plunging millions of pastoralists closer to food insecurity," Greenwire/New York Times reports in a story looking at how the drought is affecting several areas in the region.

29 Apr 2011

BAZI, SportTech sign deal to distribute fitness products across the U.S.

BAZI International, Inc. announced today that the Company has signed an agreement with a national fitness center for distribution in nearly 100 fitness centers, most of which offer access for members 24 hours a day.

29 Apr 2011

Food poisoning costs the United States billions: Report

According to a new report published Thursday, 14 different pathogens causing food poisoning cost the United States $14 billion annually in terms of human disease. The report comes from the University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute that found that out of all the pathogen-food combinations they studied, campylobacter in poultry was the single worst offender, causing more than 600,000 illnesses per year, hospitalizing more than 7,000 people and costing, annually, $1.3 billion and 9,500 quality-of-life years.

29 Apr 2011

Rising food prices could push millions in Asia into poverty, ADB report says

Rising food prices could force 64 million Asians into extreme poverty and damage the region's economic growth this year, according to a report released on Tuesday from the Asian Development Bank, Agence France-Presse reports.

28 Apr 2011

Address global hunger to strengthen security, FAO director general candidate says

The world must address hunger to strengthen security worldwide, Franz Fischler, a former EU agriculture commissioner from Austria who is a candidate to lead the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

28 Apr 2011