Tuesday, March 19

Month: June 2014

Selfie Culture Making Kids More Aware About Their Options for Orthodontia
Lifestyle

Selfie Culture Making Kids More Aware About Their Options for Orthodontia

According to several dentists, "selfie" culture could be bringing increased popularity to orthodontia. As kids are becoming more aware of the way their teeth look through self-shot camera photos, many are choosing to opt in for teeth-straightening orthodontia earlier in life, rather than waiting until later."I think that soon I'll be able to take a selfie and show off my teeth, so its okay," said Jessica Corona, a rising sophomore in college, in an interview with PIX11. Many teenagers say they look forward to taking better photos in the future that they can share with their friends. Of course, selfies aren't the only reason children, teenagers, and young adults decide to get orthodontic treatment. The health benefits of having teeth that are properly aligned are explained to children...
Thief Breaks In, Uses Victim’s Computer, and Forgets to Log Off Facebook
Local

Thief Breaks In, Uses Victim’s Computer, and Forgets to Log Off Facebook

Facebook led police to a burglary suspect in Dakota County, Minnesota. Authorities arrested Nicholas Wig, 26, for breaking into a man's home and stealing a credit card, cash, watch, checkbook, and keys. "His undoing, they said, was that he logged into his Facebook account on homeowner James Wood's computer and forgot to log out," ABC News reports. Wood discovered a strange Facebook account, "Nick Dub," still logged onto his computer, along with other signs of a recent break-in -- including an unlocked door and a missing window screen. Later that same day, Wood identified the man walking along the street. He recognized him from his Facebook photos. Police arrested Wig and matched the watch the suspect he was wearing to the one stolen from Wood's home. Authorities charged Wig "with burgl...
Omaha Man Says the City and the EPA are to Blame for His Flooded Basement
Lifestyle

Omaha Man Says the City and the EPA are to Blame for His Flooded Basement

When a basement floods, who's at fault? According to one man in Omaha, Nebraska, it's the city's responsibility in his case. Charles (whose last name has not been reported for confidentiality reasons), says that, in the 60 years he had lived in the area of 24th and Maple, he had never experienced flooding. "There’s never been a flood in this area since I've been living," he said in an interview with KETV. Earlier this year, Omaha started water main work and sewer separation in the neighborhood. The Environmental Protection Agency's federal guidelines required that the crews working on the pipes have a stormwater pollution prevention plan in place. Why does the EPA regulate stormwater in the first place? Throughout the nation, stormwater is actually one of the main sources of water po...
Supermodels Use Open Flames to Singe Off Dead Ends
Fashion

Supermodels Use Open Flames to Singe Off Dead Ends

Brazilian supermodel Barbara Fialho's secret to great hair? Velaterapia--a procedure that burns off split ends with an open flame. "If I did [straightening treatments] I would lose all my hair!" Flalho explained. "They’re very strong." She's not the only one in on the secret, either. Flalho's fellow supermodels Isabeli Fontana and Alessandra Ambrosio are big fans, too. Internationally, cities like Dubai and countries like Brazil are no stranger to the weird hair technique, either. According to Sao Paolo's Laces and Hair Salon, which offers velaterapia, the three hour procedure not only gets rid of split ends, but also creates a passageway for nutrients to enter the hair. It can also eliminate the impermeability caused by brushing and other chemical treatments, which makes it easie...
More Men in the U.S. Asking for Botox Injections Than Ever Before
Fashion

More Men in the U.S. Asking for Botox Injections Than Ever Before

When most people hear the word "Botox," they immediately think of women receiving injections in order to smooth out wrinkles. While this is certainly one use of Botox, it isn't the only one. According to Four States Home Page, Botox is increasingly popular among men as well, comprising approximately 10% of patients. "Men in their 30's to 40's are most likely to indulge in the anti-aging fad," the article explains. They also cite several well known celebrity Botoxers, such as Simon Cowell, who have helped to de-stigmatize the idea of Botox for men. About 360,000 men in the U.S. get Botox injections to minimize wrinkles each year, and this number is consistently growing. Since 2011, the number of men opting for Botox has tripled, even with the average treatment costing around $400. Some p...
HP Boosts Ink Cartridge Recyclability
Business

HP Boosts Ink Cartridge Recyclability

Many businesses are jumping on the "Go Green" band wagon these days -- and for good reason. Having products made out of more recyclable materials doesn't just safe the company time, energy, and money, but it also saves the customer some serious cash as well. Hewlett Packard (HP) recently announced late last month that now more than 75% of its ink cartridges and 24% of HP LaserJet toner cartridges are made with recycled plastic. Since 1991, HP has recycled more than 250 million of their print cartridges since the implementation of the HP Planet Partners program. This increased recyclable percentage marks a 50% increase in the use of recyclable plastic for the products, ultimately cutting down on manufacturing waste. There are already a number of different printing technologies out the...
U.S. Manufacturing Growth Slows for May, But Industry is Still Expanding
Business

U.S. Manufacturing Growth Slows for May, But Industry is Still Expanding

Despite the continuous expansion of the manufacturing industry in the United States, the pace for that growth slowed during the month of May, according to measures of order and production. The Institute for Supply Management, which assesses the expansion of manufacturing, says that the industry is increasing but only at a modest pace. The ISM said on June 2 that its manufacturing index fell from 54.9 in April to 53.2 in May for the United States. While any reading above 50 indicates expansion, the index has not been that low since February of this year. Manufacturers are paying higher prices for raw materials right now, as well, which could affect inflation if companies pass on these costs. ISM also said that factories added fewer jobs during the month of May. However, despite the...
Gov. Jindal Signs Law Allowing Louisiana Optometrists to Perform Some Eye Surgeries
Business

Gov. Jindal Signs Law Allowing Louisiana Optometrists to Perform Some Eye Surgeries

On June 5, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law that would change the state's definition of an optometrist by allowing these types of eye doctors to perform certain types of eye-related surgery. The bill passed the Louisiana State Senate on May 21 in a 25-12 vote, and the Louisiana House on May 5 in a 66-30 vote. The passing of Louisiana's House Bill 1065, sponsored by Rep. Rogers Pope (R-Denham Springs), makes Louisiana the third state in the country after Oklahoma and Kentucky to allow optometrists to perform these procedures. The bill stipulates that the types of surgery allowed cannot involve needles, and they also cannot be the kinds of surgery that would require incisions or stitches. The new law allows the state's optometrists who want the authorization for s...
Youngstown State Constructions to Include Terrazzo
Local

Youngstown State Constructions to Include Terrazzo

School is out for the summer at Ohio's Youngstown State University. Now that students have gone home, it's time for the construction workers to move in for a planned series of renovations and new constructions that will cost around $10 million. “This is one of the most-aggressive construction seasons we’ve had in a long time,” Richard White, associate director of planning and construction at Youngstown State, told trustees at a committee meeting earlier this month. According to a June 16 article in The Vindicator, the construction will include completion of the Veterans Resource Center on Wick Avenue, which will cost $1.25 million on its own; several roof renovations across campus; elevator upgrades and more. “They aren’t big-dollar jobs, but they’re spread out,” John Hyden, execu...
Pizza Chain Sbarro Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Business

Pizza Chain Sbarro Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

On Monday, June 2, Sbarro, the pizza chain known as a mall food court staple, exited bankruptcy with new owners, less debt and a plan to rebrand its business, according to a forbes.com article. The news comes less than three months after Sbarro filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than three years, according to Forbes. In February of this year, Sbarro announced it would close 155 of the 400 restaurants it owns across North America. It still owns more than 800 locations around the world and about 600 more locations owned by franchisees, which have been unaffected by the bankruptcies. To help rebrand its image of selling reheated pizza, Sbarro intends to shift its offerings toward its fast-casual Pizza Cucinova restaurant,which cooks personal, made-to-order pi...