Wednesday, December 18

Month: April 2015

Impending Google Algorithm Update Has Small Business Owners Scrambling for Mobile Web Help
Business

Impending Google Algorithm Update Has Small Business Owners Scrambling for Mobile Web Help

Mobile web usage has been on the rise ever since smartphones and tablets became accessible and affordable, and for years now, consumers have been using their mobile devices to make purchases, to stay connected with friends, and to find out about the latest news stories. It's no surprise that a business's mobile web design -- or lack thereof -- is becoming increasingly indicative of the business's overall success. It's surprising, therefore, that so many businesses ignore the importance of a responsive and effective mobile web design; for consumers who are trying to find information about the business or make a purchase, it can be downright aggravating. For this reason, Google announced back in February 2015 that it would be releasing another algorithm update in April, and would be focusi...
Junior Squash Tournament in Cairo Canceled Amid Terrorism Concerns, but Other Tournaments Are Coming Up
Sport

Junior Squash Tournament in Cairo Canceled Amid Terrorism Concerns, but Other Tournaments Are Coming Up

The season for tennis and squash tournaments is heating up in some places, but other groups have had to modify their plans due to unforeseen circumstances. The World Squash Federation had initially planned to hold this year's world junior squash championships in Cairo, Egypt, from July 25 to August 4. However, the organization announced that it has been canceled. The reason, the WSF said, was that many parents and others associated with the tournament expressed fears over terrorism in the region. Specifically, the WSF said that parents worried about "the extreme radicalism in the region, not specific to Egypt," including the recent deaths of tourists by militants in Tunisia. The move no doubt comes as a disappointment to the many youngsters who have participated in squash training clin...
Oregon Introduces New Online System to Let Cannabis Businesses Apply for and Renew Licenses
Business

Oregon Introduces New Online System to Let Cannabis Businesses Apply for and Renew Licenses

Opportunities for cannabis businesses in the United States are slowly but surely expanding, and this week entrepreneurs received some help in Oregon. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which is in charge of administering business licenses to recreational marijuana businesses, has signed an agreement with NIC USA, Inc., for a new online application system for business licenses. The Kansas-based company provides solutions for online applications for commercial growers, processors, wholesalers and retailers. NIC USA's software will allow the state to begin accepting applications through the system by January 2016. Prospective and current business owners can use the system to apply for a new license or renew an existing one. They can also pay their license fees by credit card, pay cannab...
New Study Suggests Plant and Fish-Based Diets Could Reduce the Risk of Colorectal Cancers
Lifestyle

New Study Suggests Plant and Fish-Based Diets Could Reduce the Risk of Colorectal Cancers

From its rich levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids to its high protein content, there are plenty of reasons to buy fresh seafood for you and your family. Now, a large American study may have found another: research suggests that a mostly plant-based diet -- one that includes seafood and fish as well -- may lower the risk of colorectal cancers. Previous research has long suggested that vegetarians have a reduced risk of certain cancers, as well as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. However, when a research team at Loma Linda University at California studied the dietary patterns, medical records and cancer registries of Seventh-Day Adventists to examine the link between eating habits and cancer prevalence, they found that there was a clear link between diet and colo...
Car Involved in Fatal Hit and Run Found by Police
Local

Car Involved in Fatal Hit and Run Found by Police

Police in Coral Gables, Florida are investigating a hit-and-run accident that has left a bicyclist dead. The yet-unidentified cyclist was found by a Coral Gables police officer less than a minute after the crash around 3:13 a.m. on March 26th. The officer stopped to administer aid, but the victim had already died. At first, it was not apparent that the death was the result of a crash, but the officer found a battered bicycle and a shoe four blocks from the cyclist's location. Marks on the ground near the bicycle indicated a vehicle's involvement. The cyclist was found with a backpack, but no identification. Police believe he was not a University of Miami student, due to his age. Kelly Denham, spokesperson for the Coral Gables Police Department, told the Miami Herald that the cyclist is n...
Intercollegiate Gymnastics Comes to the University of Delaware
Sport

Intercollegiate Gymnastics Comes to the University of Delaware

The University of Delaware has become the newest school to add gymnastics as a club sport. Like other intercollegiate gymnastics clubs, the University of Delaware team is registered with the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs (NAIGC) and will be competing against teams from colleges throughout the Northeast and the rest of the country. The University of Delaware gymnastics team attended its first meet, the Nittany Invitational at Penn State, on March 21st. The women's team did not place, while the men took third place all around and fifth place for floor exercises. "At this point, our team's strengths are on floor and vault,” club president Jenna DiStefano told the college's online newsletter, UDaily. “We have a hardworking bars lineup who are adding difficulty ...
USDA Regulations Force Llamas of Social Media Fame Into Early Retirement
Lifestyle

USDA Regulations Force Llamas of Social Media Fame Into Early Retirement

The most famous llamas in recent memory are ultimately being retired from public life -- much to their owners' disappointment. Last month, the llamas created a social media frenzy after escaping and running around an Arizona neighborhood, but USDA regulations dictate that they cannot be shown in public without the proper licensing. Before the event, the llamas were routinely used for therapy and educational purposes and were brought to schools, events, and elderly living homes. After the escape debacle, the USDA approached the llamas' owners, Bub Bullis and Karen Freund, and informed them that they would need a license to show them. The owners aren't happy about the decision. "If this opens up a can of worms where everybody across the country gets shut down doing this, that's real...
Report Reveals How Much the Sugar Industry Influenced Dental Advisory Committees in the 1970s
Business

Report Reveals How Much the Sugar Industry Influenced Dental Advisory Committees in the 1970s

Back in 1971, the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) founded the National Caries Program in an attempt to increase government regulation of the sugar industry and decrease the prevalence of dental decay caused by excessive sugar consumption. But a new PLOS Medicine report recently revealed that "Big Sugar" companies actually skewed federal research in order to keep sugary foods an important part of the American diet. TIME states that a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) began uncovering the controversial data as they examined "sugar-industry documents" dating from 1959 to 1971 that influenced the creation of the National Caries Program. The research team was shocked to discover that, despite decades of scientific studies, the NIDR neglect...
Burglars Steal $1,300 Worth of… Nail Polish?
Business

Burglars Steal $1,300 Worth of… Nail Polish?

It seems that some people are more afraid of the fashion police than of regular law enforcement. At the end of February, a thief stole 400 bottles of popular nail polish from the Nails and Spa 4U salon in Brooklyn, New York. As DNAinfo.com reports, the theft occurred sometime between February 22 and 23. The burglar broke a latch on the salon's rear window to enter, and made off with the merchandise, which was mostly a relatively new gel polish. "Tuesday we lost a lot of business," said Miriam Paredes, a salon employee. "We get a lot of people doing gels." As a result of the break-in, the salon was unable to open the next day. "I couldn't do anything. I couldn't open for the customers," another salon worker named Nirean told the New York Post. "They took the expensive polish,...