Inspired by the hefty charitable donations of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and in an effort to encourage other Australians to be more philanthropic, billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has donated shares and options worth $80 million to The Australian Children’s Trust. (The Australian) Thanks to Andrew for the link!
MP3 Players as Stethoscopes?
Next time you visit your doctor you may want to bring along your MP3 player as that stethoscope around your doctor’s neck is, well, out of date. Invented in 1816 from a paper tube, the stethoscope might be headed for museum collections, replaced now by off-the-shelf MP3 players.
A study by Neil Skjodt from the University of Alberta, Canada, has found the digital recorders provide better sound quality than even the most advanced stethoscope on the market.
It seems that the plastic shell surrounding the microphone is perfect for capturing the low resonance sounds from the body.
The primary advantage may be digital rather than medical. The recorded sounds could be replayed, stored as part of a patients record and be further analyzed by computer or another doctor via the internet to obtain a second opinion.
Other compelling advantages of having such information stored digitally include the ease of following progress in a case of respiratory illness with access to the patient’s earlier chest sounds. Also, the players could contain archive samples of respiratory deviations to aid a doctor’s diagnosis on the fly. This point may be especially valid since recent studies have found that medical students need to listen to certain clinical sounds hundreds of times before being able to recognize them accurately.
Additionally, the players could also be used to record patient descriptions of their symptoms or memos from the doctors themselves.
Might our respiratory resonances even be purchased via online subscription services such as iTunes — Jim Carrey’s heart rate, anyone?
Maybe not, but MP3 players are now ubiquitous on the market and therefore relatively inexpensive and with further studies ongoing to assess their full merit for recording respiratory, heart and bowel sounds, it may not be long before these cost effective.
Michael Little works in analytical chemistry and has almost 20 years experience in the research based pharmaceutical industry. Michael resides in Laval, Quebec, with his wife and three children. Michael has written occasional science articles for GNN since 2007.
(Image by MIT Labs; and imelenchon, CC)
Study: Early-Childhood Program Pays for Itself
Educational attainment is higher and felony arrests are lower for the alumni of an early-intervention program for low-income children in Chicago. Twenty years afterward, these children were also less likely to describe themselves as depressed and more likely to have health insurance.
Six Steps to a Happier Workday
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There are many facets of work and life in general that we do not control. But we can increase our control over our own responses to them. Positive psychology researchers* have shown that one’s happiness level is determined partly by a genetic baseline or set point (50%), partly by circumstances (10%), and partly by intentional activity (40%). It is that opportunity we have to be intentional where we can make a real and ongoing difference in our chronic happiness levels. One way to raise our overall level of well-being even in the face of trouble and stress at work is to practice and grow stronger at being grateful.
Rapidly Dying 47-Year-Old Professor Gives Exuberant ‘Last Lecture’ (Video)
If you had one message to give the world, what would it be? A dying professor gives an inspirational farewell lecture: “The ‘brick walls’ are there to let us show how badly we want something.”
Thoughts Can Move This Wheelchair
Technology now exists, thanks to engineers at Ambient Corporation and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, that allows paraplegics to motor their chairs with their thoughts. (LiveScience) Thanks to Andrew!
Dog Saves House from Fire
An Oregon resident credits his labradoodle, Henry, with saving his neighbor’s house from a fire. (Video)
Lawyer Wins Top UN Award for Aiding Boat People
A Maltese lawyer who has fought for the rights of boat people fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea, including victims of trauma or torture and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, sometimes in the face of great danger to herself, today won the most prestigious United Nations refugee award.
NYC School System Honored as ‘Model of Reform’
New York City public schools have won the 2007 Broad Prize for Urban Education, a $1 million award honoring the most improved school systems, with the smallest achievement gaps for poor and minority students. The money will go directly to college scholarships for graduating high school seniors.
“If it can be done in New York City, it can be done anywhere,” said Eli Broad (rhymes with road), founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. “The strong leadership by the mayor, the chancellor and a progressive teachers union has allowed a school system the size of New York City to dramatically improve student achievement in a relatively short period of time. Other cities can look to New York as a model of successful urban school district reform.”
Free Session with Harvard Happiness Mentor Will Make You ‘Happier’
My new Great Mentors Audio Series is in full swing after Sunday’s tele-seminar with Happiness mentor and Harvard professor, Tal Ben-Shahar. (right, with me at the Positive Psychology Summit in 2006) Tal is author of the new best-selling book, Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment.
Playback of the recorded seminar is now available for FREE — great mentoring at your leisure. One listener called the 60-minute seminar, "Wonderful!" (All your questions that were e-mailed beforehand were answered on the call.)
Listening to the Seminar, You will learn:
… What to do if it feels like your co-workers are preventing your happiness
…The most important aspect of goals is not their achievement
…The Lasagna principle: Too much of a good thing is, well, not a good thing
…A reason that busy moms in one scientific study did not enjoy time with their kids, and how you can avoid the trap that led to such feelings
Indian Paraplegic Becomes Stock Market Winner
"Twenty-eight-year-old Indian paraplegic Burla Sujata is totally dependent on her two helpers — except when she sits behind her computer screen and plays the stock market." Starting with no knowledge of business in 2004 she has succeeded in the male-dominated Indian markets and may set up her own investment house.
Interfaith Leaders Meet in Greenland to See Climate Change Firsthand
Leaders of the world’s major religions visited Greenland together to observe climate change firsthand and to pray for a change in human behavior. They believe the issue to be a matter of life and death, and therefore, a religious one. (BBC Video)
191 Countries Work Together to Heal the Ozone Layer
"The Earth’s ozone layer is on track to heal, thanks to the work of 191 countries that signed the landmark Montreal Protocol agreement 20 years ago yesterday — a shining example of how human ingenuity, leadership and determination can create a healthier, better world." (SustainableBusiness)
$3 Million Fund to Aid Renewables in Canada
A new $3M fund being touted as the first of its kind in Canada will be launched tomorrow to support the development of small community-based renewable energy projects. It will begin accepting applications from farmers, community co-operatives and native groups looking to deploy wind, solar, small-scale hydroelectric, biogas and geothermal technologies locally.
(TheStar.com) Thanks, to Francisco S. for the link!
Proving it’s Never Too Late to Learn, Retiree Finds 88 Keys at 94
“At 94, a piano novice is playing out a dream, proving it’s never too late to learn.” (See video at Charlotte Observer or read text below)
Computer Dance Game Gets Students Active
Dance, Dance Revolution (DDR), a video game of footwork and music, has "succeeded in getting even young people who hate sports to take exercise" in the UK. (BBC) In the U.S., 157 middle schools in West Virginia have installed the game in response to the obesity epidemic and will be used in 753 schools within two years. (GNN-i report, May 2006)
Bottle Makes Dirty Water Drinkable
"The way fresh water is supplied to disaster-hit regions could be revolutionized with a bottle that makes foul-smelling water drinkable in seconds — possibly a life-saver for refugees in camps where access to clean drinking water is vital." (Daily Telegraph) Thanks, Andrew!
New On-Screen Signing Technology for Deaf
IBM is developing technology invented by UK students that will translate spoken or written words into British Sign Language (BSL) by the animation of an on-screen digital character. "It could also be used to provide automatic signing for television, radio and telephone calls." (BBC) Thanks, Andrew.
Tribute to Businesswoman Anita Roddick, Dead at 64
"Founder of ethical cosmetics firm Body Shop, Dame Anita Roddick, has died at the age of 64. She pioneered cruelty-free beauty products turning them into a highly profitable business, and campaigned for green issues long before it was fashionable to do so, inspiring millions while bringing sustainable products to a mass market." (BBC)
Maine Letter Carrier Named ‘Hero of the Year’ for Rescuing Elderly Apartment Fire Victim
A Maine letter carrier who pulled an elderly woman in flames from her burning apartment building along his postal route, then alerted other residents to flee, was named this week as National Hero of the Year by the 300,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers.
Wayne Viger, 55, a letter carrier in Lewiston, Maine, smelled smoke at an apartment building as he was on his route on April 3, 2006. Checking more closely, the 30-year veteran carrier heard a smoke alarm sounding inside, and then noticed smoke pouring through cracks in the windows and door of a ground floor apartment.
NALC President William H. Young will present the National Hero of the Year award to Viger of Turner, Maine, and five other awards at a special ceremony on Thursday, September 20, at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.
The letter carrier pushed open the door to find an elderly woman with her clothes aflame and her hair singed by the fire. He pulled the woman outside and extinguished her burning clothing. Then he reentered the building to check on other residents as he climbed to the second and third floors, knocking loudly on apartment doors and shouting to alert residents to the danger. When the fire department arrived, the sooty and smoke-saturated mail carrier returned to his post office.
The postal union’s annual National Humanitarian of the Year award will be presented to Gary Fitch of Maplewood, Minnesota, a member of NALC Branch 28 of St. Paul, Minnesota, who rode 2,800 miles across the nation on his bike this year to NALC Headquarters in Washington to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, NALC’s national charity, and collect Letters of Hope from supporters.
The Letters of Hope will be scanned on compact discs and launched into space on a future shuttle mission for upcoming generations to read. Fitch, 55, was joined on his daily journey by local NALC branches and letter carriers who came out in droves to show Gary their support and to honor his commitment to MDA.
In announcing the awards, Young praised the 2007 winners as worthy additions to the long list of letter carriers who have performed heroic and humanitarian acts throughout the union’s history.
“As they walk and ride through every neighborhood in America every day, letter carriers are often the first on the scene when tragedy strikes,” Young said. “These men and women follow in the tradition of coming to the aid of those in need often at risk of personal danger.”
A special Carrier Alert Rescue Award will be presented to Melvin (Gene) Kahl of Pensacola, Florida, whose suspecting mind about mail piling up saved an elderly man whose wife had passed away in the home.
Kahl, 65, marked the family’s car tire with chalk so that he could judge whether it had moved when he returned. Finding the mark undisturbed two days later, the 21-year veteran carrier knocked on the door. Although he could hear someone inside, he received no response. When police arrived, they discovered the husband dehydrated and too weak to move, holding the hand of his deceased wife, singing hymns to her. Three regional heroes will also be honored at the September 20 event:
Nathaniel Roberson of McDonough, Georgia, was named Eastern Region Hero. On his way to work on June 1, 2006, Roberson, 55, realized that a Henry County police officer was having trouble subduing a man who had become unruly during a traffic stop. Roberson, who delivers mail in East Point, Georgia, stopped to see if he could help. As he drew closer, he saw blood was dripping from bite marks on the officer’s arms and the driver was trying to grab the policeman’s pistol. Roberson helped wrestle the man to the ground, and kept the suspect’s arms pinned behind him until backup arrived.
Debra Hamilton of Chicago, a member of NALC Chicago Branch 11, was named Central Region Hero for administering CPR to an unconscious traffic victim in January 2006 as she was on her way to work delivering mail in Chicago’s Hyde Park section. When no pulse was detected, Hamilton, 37, ran to the trunk of her car and retrieved a pair of sweat pants and her bagged lunch. The carrier tucked the pants under the woman’s neck in order to clear the airway and used a sandwich bag from her lunch to create a protective barrier. As she administered CPR, the woman regained consciousness. Hamilton stayed with the victim until an emergency team arrived.
Pattie Arismendez of Bakersfield, California, a member of NALC Branch 782 in Bakersfield, was named Western Region Hero. Arismendez, 43, was driving on her route when she noticed a toddler wandering onto a roadway ahead while cars continued to whiz by. The carrier stopped her vehicle, jumped out, and ran to the baby standing in the street. Arismendez swept the child up in her arms and carried the little girl back to the security of her LLV. After the child was reunited with her mother who lived nearby, Arismendez returned to delivering mail on her route.
