Health & Science
Wall Street Banks Getting H1N1 Vaccines Before Some High Risk Groups
There are privileges that come along with working on Wall Street, and one of those is apparently getting your swine flu vaccine before other high-risk groups that actually need it. Thousands of at-risk Americans sit patiently waiting for their turn to get the hard-to-find shot, while some Wall Street banks have already secured supplies of the vaccine.
The New York Stock Exchange, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and the Federal Reserve have all received H1N1 vaccine doses to administer to their employees. Like other companies, Wall Street banks put in a request to receive doses, but it appears they have a leg-up on other applicants. Case in point: Goldman Sachs received 200 doses, the same amount as Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. There's something seriously wrong with this picture.
NBC's chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Schnyderman commented:
"I think they probably played by the rules, there are corporations all over the country who put in there dibs...But, what a sore eye for Wall Street. Wouldn't have been lovely if they had said, look we put it in our dibs, we played by the rules, but we're going to donate our 200 doses."
H1N1 Jumps Species; Iowa Cat Diagnosed with Swine Flu
If you come down with the swine flu, it's best you not snuggle up with your feline friend. Why? Because now it appears that the virus is jumping species. Health officials in Iowa say that a 13-year-old cat tested positive for swine flu, and is now the first feline to come down with the virus.
Officials say that two of the three people living with the cat had the flu before the cat got sick, and are now cautioning people to protect family pets as they would protect anyone else.
Iowa vet David Schmitt says:
"Indoor pets that live in close proximity to someone who has been sick are at risk. It is wise to monitor their health to ensure they aren't showing signs of illness."
If your cat shows signs of flu-like illness - including runny nose, sluggishness, and troubled breathing - vets advise you to call your pet's doctor.
World's Fastest Man Adopts World's Fastest Cat
Usain Bolt, a World and Olympic sprint champion, adopted a cheetah in Kenya on Monday for about $13,700. He was at first reluctant to hold the orphaned cheetah, which he has named Lightning Bolt, but eventually he got over his fear and even fed the 3-month old some milk.
Bolt said that he has no plans to race the cheetah, but will be paying about $3,000 for its annual upkeep. He said:
“This is my first time in Africa, and of course in Kenya. I’ve had a lot of experiences, and a lot of animals have scared the crap out of me, but I am ok now.”
On Monday Bolt had some other close encounters with the animals of Africa. While riding in a car with CEO his sponsor, Puma AG, Jochen Zeitz in Naivasha, their vehicle came too close to a baby elephant and was shooed away by an adult. Bolt also got a bit of a scare when Kenyan Prime Minster Raila Odinga cuddled two lion cubs he had just adopted. He also nearly ran away when he was asked to pet a fully grown cheetah for a photo shoot with the PM. He had Zeitz stand in for him until he saw that the animal seemed harmless.
Raising Children Makes Married People Happier

A new statistical analysis of 10,000 households, whose members were asked questions about their happiness over a 15 year period, reveals that for married parents, each child makes them progressively happier. In contrast, those who are single, separated or living together are more likely to have negative feelings about parenthood.
Writing in the Journal of Happiness Studies, Dr. Luis Angeles, an economist at Glasgow University, said "raising kids makes married people happier" and that "the more they have, the happier they are."
Study: Men Should Marry Younger, Smarter Women
Researchers tracked 1,000 couples who were either married or in serious relationships over the course of five years, and then looked at patterns amongst those who were still together after five years. What they found is that the man should be at least five years older than the woman and the woman should have more education than the man for the best chances of the marriage standing the test of time.
This of course did not prove true in the case when either one or both partners had been divorced previously, and the scientists added that using "objective factors" such as age, education, and cultural origin "may help reduce divorce". If one partner had been divorced in the past, it lessens the chances of the relationship surviving. Interestingly though, if both partners had been divorced previously, while their chances of surviving are still not as good as those who had never divorced, the chances of survival are slightly better than those in a relationship where just one partner had been divorced.
One example of a celebrity relationship that according to this study is likely to last is that between Beyonce Knowles, 28, and her husband, Jay-Z, 39. She's younger, and also more educated. Jay-Z did not even receive a high school diploma.
Amid Swine Flu Concerns, Hand Sanitizer is in Short Supply

Ever since the first cases of swine flu broke out earlier this year, demand for hand sanitizer has skyrocketed. Some makers of the gels are now scrambling to keep up with the demand.
The marketing research firm Panjiva recently estimated that 3 million kilograms of hand sanitizer were shipped in the 3rd quarter, compared to 1 million kilograms during the same quarter last year. Panjiva CEO Josh Green says that concerns over the H1N1 virus is the "most likely explanation" for the surge. Given the outlook for a particularly bad flu season, demand is only expected to rise further.
In response, companies like Purell are ramping up production and are urging customers not to hoard the product. Purell manufacturer Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) says that demand for Purell has been "heavy" since the first swine flu cases were reported.
J&J spokesman Marc Boston said in a statement:
"Due to the influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak this past spring and resurgence this fall, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc. has experienced heavy demand on supplies of Purell.
Boston said that the company is working to increase production for the remainder of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, but acknowledges that supplies could be limited in some areas:
Justice Department Issues New Medical Marijuana Policy; Advises Not to Prosecute in States Where Medical Marijuana is Legal
In a big departure from the policies of the George W. Bush era, the Justice Department issued a new policy memo to prosecutors on Monday telling them that pot-smoking patients and their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that permit medical marijuana. In the 3-page legal memo, federal prosecutors are told it is not a good use of their time to arrest those who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.
The guidelines issued by the Justice Department, however, make it quite clear that federal agents can and will go after those who's marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law, and those who use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes.
Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.
"It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal."
Follow for the Cure: The Cleveland Leader Speaks with Drew Carey About His Donation to LiveStrong

Drew Carey may have left his hometown of Cleveland for fame and fortune in Hollywood, but he hasn't forgotten the little people. When a man by the name of Drew Olanoff, a cancer-fighting blogger, decided to auction off his enviable Twitter.com username - @drew - and donate the proceeds to LiveStrong, he anticipated he could raise $10,000. He never expected that his auction would capture the attention of Price Is Right host Drew Carey, and he especially did not anticipate the hefty $1 million offer that Carey would eventually make. And while some may think that Carey is simply trying to get publicity, he insists that that's not the case and that he didn't even think about his bids when he made them.
An active Twitter user ( @DrewFromTV), Carey surpassed Olanoff's $10,000 expectation by tweeting an initial bid of $25,000. He then decided to quadruple his offer, moving it up to $100,000 if he could get 100,000 Twitter followers. This generous offer was topped when Carey - without really thinking - decided to increase it even more: he would donate $1 million if he can get one million followers by midnight on December 31, and if he doesn't reach a million followers he will give a prorated donation of $1 for every follower.
In an email exchange with The Cleveland Leader, Drew Carey says:
Baby Denied Health Insurance for Being Too Fat
Health insurance coverage denials know no age limit. Alex Lange, a four month old baby from Colorado, was recently denied insurance after he was deemed to be too fat for his age.
At 25-inches long and 17lbs., Alex is above average. Alex's father Bernie Lange and his wife Kelli say that their insurance went up 40% when he was born. So when they went to shop for better premiums, they were shocked to learn that the size of their baby matter.
An insurance underwriter for Rocky Mountain Health Plans simply wrote, "Your baby is too fat."
Alex born at a healthy 8 1/4 pounds. He boasts quite a healthy appetite, which is why he has been packing on the pounds. For a baby of his age at his weight and height, he ranks in the 99th percentile.
Bernie, a part-time news anchor for KKCO-TV in Grand Junction, CO said:
"We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill."
Kelli added: "He's healthy in our eyes. It's like we're being punished."
Dr. Douglas Speedie, director of Rocky Mountain Health Plans, explained:
"We do it because everybody else in the industry does it."
Hormones in Oral Contraceptives Turn Women Off Masculine Men
The advent of oral contraceptives, aka the "Pill", ushered in the sexual revolution of the 1960's and gave women control over their own fertility. However, according to a new study, the Pill may have also changed women's taste in men. Researchers say that the hormones in the Pill suppress a woman's interest in masculine men, and make boyish men more attractive.
Dr. Alexandra Alvergne of the University of Sheffield in the UK says that the Pill may also alter the way women pick mates, which could have long term implications for society:
'There are many obvious benefits of the Pill for women, but there is also the possibility that the Pill has psychological side effects that we are only just discovering. We need further studies to find out what these are,' she said.










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