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Evidence of Medical Marijuana’s Ability to Combat Diabetes Mounting

2Sep

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

Evidence of Medical Marijuana’s Ability to Combat Diabetes Mounting

Considering the fact that someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes every 17 seconds, it's fair to say that it's a pretty big issue. Luckily, there's now more evidence that medical marijuana can help fight the disease. A study published in the journal Obesity found that regular cannabis users had lower body mass indexes, lower fat percentages, and lower fasting insulin. Its findings mirror those of a several other investigations, including a French study from 2011 and a U.S. study from 2012 that concluded "marijuana use was independently associated with a lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus." "Subjects with a history of cannabis use were about 30 percent less likely to have diabetes compared to non-using subjects," researchers noted in the latest study. In this latest study...

Could This Little Plastic Cap Save Children From Drug Overdoses?

1Sep

By rocitoutNo Comments

World

Could This Little Plastic Cap Save Children From Drug Overdoses?

In 2013, investigative journalism outfit ProPublica reported on the crusade of Dr. Daniel Budnitz, who wanted to save children from fatal medication poisoning. Dr. Budnitz is a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and he believed a new plastic closure called a flow restrictor could stop kids from accidentally swallowing toxic amounts of medications like acetaminophen. Budnitz isn't just a professional epidemiologist; he's also a father. When he discovered that 74,000 kids like his end up in the emergency room each year from such poisonings, he made it his personal mission to reduce such drug overdoses. Because even more troubling, ProPublica revealed internal documents from Food and Drug Administration scientists who had been advocating behind-the-scenes for the ...

Fox News Botches Internet Live Stream of First GOP Debate

31Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

Fox News Botches Internet Live Stream of First GOP Debate

If you're one of the tech-savvy "cord cutters" who has ditched your cable subscription in favor of live streams on your phone or computer, you may have been muttering a few unmentionables under your breath during the recent GOP debate. According to Mashable, users of the Fox News app were disappointed when they settled in to watch the much-anticipated first Republican Debate of the year, only to find an error message glaring back at them. As is usually the case on the internet, multiple other "unofficial" streams were available, though some more reliable than others. Most were taken down immediately by Fox News because of copyright issues. The problem is particularly troubling considering the robust infrastructure available to Fox when it comes to funding proper web development for thei...

Why the Starter Home Might Finally Be Dead

29Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

Why the Starter Home Might Finally Be Dead

Traditionally, when couples get married, they purchase their very first home together at the same time. These so-called "starter homes" have historically been inexpensive, allowing young couples to become accustomed to home ownership before moving on to a larger residence once they get better jobs or have children. However, with the U.S. housing market heating up fast -- and home prices steadily on the rise everywhere from San Jose, CA to Wellesley, MA -- it appears that the starter home might finally be a long-gone relic of the past. According to an August 17 WCPO article, today's home builders are constructing two types of homes: deluxe, luxury dwellings with mansion-like proportions and granite counter tops, or homes meant for families on government subsidies. As a result, there are ...

Lincoln Electric Announces Group Annuity Contract for Pensioners

29Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

Lincoln Electric Announces Group Annuity Contract for Pensioners

Lincoln Electric Co., manufacturer of welding products and a subsidiary of Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc., announced on August 19 that it would be purchasing a group annuity contract in order to reduce the company's pension obligations for outstanding payments. The announcement stated that Lincoln Electric is purchasing the group annuity contract from Principal Financial Group in order to settle $425 million worth of outstanding U.S. pension payments to former employees. According to Crain's Cleveland Business and Pensions and Investments, Lincoln Electric currently owes about $900 million to 1,900 U.S. retirees and beneficiaries who retired on or before June 1, 2015. The company has already paid $375 million toward pension payments in the past 10 years, Lincoln Electric stated in a pres...

How the Farm-to-Fork Movement Is Helping Farmers Thrive

29Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

How the Farm-to-Fork Movement Is Helping Farmers Thrive

The average size of a farm in the U.S. is about 450 acres -- plenty of space to grow bountiful amounts of crops that can support the business. However, farms have been struggling for ages with low prices and rising costs. Luckily, a new way of doing business may just be the solution they're looking for. Over the past couple years, the farm-to-fork -- or locavore -- movement sweeping the nation is giving farms the boost they need. "You're just seeing that farms are having difficulty covering their costs of production," Sarah Lloyd of the Wisconsin Farmers' Union told NPR. "The prices that are being paid to them in the market is not enough to cover their costs. One bright spot is you see people venturing into direct markets, and that's a way where they can have more control over their pric...

Americans Saving Less Money For Retirement

27Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Lifestyle

Americans Saving Less Money For Retirement

According to a recent report from CNBC, the average American is saving less money for retirement than they did a year ago, with fewer than one in five American workers saving more. In a recent Bankrate.com survey, it was reported that 10% of people haven't put any money into their retirement accounts in the past two years. This is the highest percentage of non-contributing participants since Bankrate began its surveys in 2011. That being said, the percentage of workers who are saving less for retirement is down from 18% to 14%, while people who are saving more saw a bump from 18% to 19%, from 2012 until now. In addition, CNBC reports that larger companies are encouraging their employees to save for retirement. They have started to enroll employees in company-sponsored 401(k) plans, while...

CDC Says Waterborne Diseases are on the Rise

27Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Lifestyle

CDC Says Waterborne Diseases are on the Rise

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) outlines the link between drinking water and infection. The report focuses on drinking water in the United States between 2011 and 2012, detailing 32 outbreaks with 431 infections. Hospitalization was needed for 102 of those infections, and there were 14 deaths. Additionally, the CDC found that 21 of the outbreaks -- 111 cases -- were caused by legionella. Only two outbreaks were linked to norovirus; however, those two outbreaks caused 138 infections. Other outbreaks over these two years were linked to Escherichia coli (56), Shigella sonnei and Pantoea agglomerans. Perhaps what is more worrying than the outbreaks themselves is the fact that half of the outbreaks occurred in hospitals or other healthcare centers. Next, 13% of infecti...

Stars Clean Up House At Teen Choice Awards’ Sweet Sixteen

27Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Lifestyle

Stars Clean Up House At Teen Choice Awards’ Sweet Sixteen

While carpet covers nearly 70% of all American floors, all-American teens were busy watching their favorite stars take over the red carpet on Sunday's Teen Choice Awards. According to a recent report from CNN, the Teen Choice Awards brought on a new tradition this year by letting the kids pick the award categories, as well as its winners. As a result, several famous Vine makers and Instagram influencers made history by taking home awards without ever making their big-screen or top-of-the-chart debuts. The show was riddled with topical stars and subjects, like the cast of the upcoming film Straight Outta Compton or Australian boy band superstars 5 Seconds of Summer. Wiz Khalifa, rap star, teleprompter ignoring specialist, and performer of the smash summer hit "See You Again," also made a...

Apple’s Rumored Driverless Car is For Real

26Aug

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

Apple’s Rumored Driverless Car is For Real

Driverless cars have been a trending topic as of late. Many companies have been extremely transparent about their plans to launch driverless cars, and have even publicized testing initiatives. While Apple has confirmed their plans in the past, those plans have been shrouded in secrecy and rumor. Take, for example, Apple's "Project Titan," -- an ultra-secret driverless car plan that has been the subject of much speculation. The Guardian, however, recently obtained public records that revealed Apple's driverless car plans are indeed underway, as the company has set its sights on various testing locations across the country. According to The Verge, the report states that Apple engineers convened with GoMentum, the former San Francisco naval base, to discuss plans with representatives. Th...