Science Scene - Heartfelt

Working 10 hours or more a day may harm the heart, according to a study of more than 10,000 British civil servants. 

People who added three or more hours to a seven-hour day had a 60 percent greater risk of heart attack, angina and death from cardiovascular disease than those with no overtime work, researchers from Britain, Finland and France reported in the European Heart Jour­nal. The findings are from the Whitehall II study, which has tracked British civil servants since 1985.

The results bolster evidence that suggests working over­time is linked to poor health and may play a greater role in heart disease than previously thought, wrote Gordon Mc­Innes, a professor of clinical pharmacology at the University of Glasgow, in an editorial ac­companying the study.

Physicians should consider working hours when patients experience chest pain or show symptoms of heart disease, he said.

"Employees with the highest risk of coronary heart disease claimed to work 11 to 12 hours per day, a most unusual work pattern certainly in the Euro­pean context," McInnes wrote. "Overtime-induced work stress might contribute to a substan­tial proportion of cardiovascu­lar disease."

About 10 percent of the civil servants tracked worked three or four extra hours a day. Those workers tended to have an aggressive and competi­tive pattern of behavior, signs of psychological distress, and possibly a lack of sleep, said the researchers, led by Marianna Virtanen of the Finnish Insti­tute of Occupational Health in Helsinki.

Over the 11 years studied, the researchers found 369 cases of fatal coronary heart disease, heart attacks that weren't lethal and angina, a severe chest pain caused by the narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart muscle. Additional studies are needed to explain the link between overtime and heart health, they said.

Cannot say that I am overly worried, since my norm has been 9-10 hour days on average, this is not a stressor for me.  However, if you suddenly find your work hours increased, beware the unseen consequences.

Philosophical Phun - Immigration

There are a variety of important issues surrounding the morality of immigration, including difficult questions regarding the definition and moral status of refugees, the circumstances (if any) in which it is permissible to use guest workers, what obligations a rich country incurs when it actively recruits skilled workers from a poor state, and whether there are any limitations on the selection criteria a country may use in deciding among applicants for immigration.

 Arguments for Closed Borders

•  Preserving Culture: The most popular argument for the permissibility and importance of closing borders to outsiders is that this exclusion is necessary in order to preserve a state's distinctive culture.
• Sustaining the Economy: Another popular argument against open borders is that the influx of newcomers will hurt the economy. Some in the domestic economy may be harmed (typically the less skilled workers disproportionately bear the brunt of the costs, but the economy as a whole often benefits.
• Distributing State Benefits: A related but distinct argument for closed borders focuses on the distribution of state benefits like welfare payments and health insurance.
•  Establishing Security: Since 9/11, an increasingly popular justification for limiting immigration is the need to secure the safety of one's citizens.

There certainly are strong economic and security reasons for having tighter borders, but I think it is more of a national thing, not a state thing.

Arguments for Open Borders

•  Cosmopolitan Egalitarianism: The cosmopolitan egalitarian case for open borders combines the core moral insight that all human beings, whether they are compatriots or foreigners, are equally deserving of moral consideration with the central empirical observation that one's country of birth often has a profound impact upon one's life prospects.
• Libertarianism: When one thinks of the individual rights which conflict with a state's control over immigration, an outsider's right to freedom of movement is likely to come to mind. A state's exclusive immigration policy is doubly disrespectful of individual rights, because it interferes with both an outsider's freedom of movement and an insider's property right to unilaterally invite foreigners onto their land.
• Utilitarianism: Restricting freedom of movement leads to obvious inefficiencies and is therefore impermissible. There are any number of ways in which it is suboptimal to forcibly restrain people within territorial boundaries, but one of the most obvious worries is that it is economically inefficient.

Reality

•  Refugees: The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees defines a refugee as someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” [Note that economic considerations are missing from the definition]
• Guest Workers: This practice was a sensible solution for all, since it enabled one country to hire foreign workers to do various relatively onerous jobs for considerably less than it would have had to pay its domestic labor force, and the imported laborers also profited, as they were able to earn considerably more than they could have in their own countries. However, the outside workers are often not granted full rights/benefits in their host country. There are interesting and difficult questions about how long and under what conditions one can work in a foreign country without the standard rights and privileges of equal citizenship before one becomes objectionably treated as a political subordinate.
• Recruiting Immigrants: Wealthy countries currently admit skilled workers from poorer states, often actively recruiting away from their native lands. It is thought to rise to the level of injustice when the wealthiest countries actively recruit professionals from developing countries where people with their skill sets are already in terribly short supply.
• Selection Criteria: Finally, one of the most complex and controversial issues within the literature on the morality of immigration is what criteria a state may permissibly employ to distinguish among applicants for admission. Countries might use either a lottery or a first-come, first-admitted waitlist, but they might also screen the applicants and give preference to those whose language, culture and/or skill sets make them most likely to assimilate in the host state's economy and political culture. But what if a country's immigration policies differentiate among applicants on the basis of race, sex, religion or country of origin? What if a country flatly refused to even consider applications for immigration from Asians or Africans, for instance?

In all cases in which there are national or ethnic minorities—which is to say, the vast majority of actual cases—to restrict immigration for national or ethnic reasons is to make some citizens politically inferior to others…. Seeking to eliminate the presence of a given group from your society by selective immigration is insulting to that group already present.

To me, not withstanding all the above, democratic societies/states are obliged to treat all of their own constituents as free and equal. The key is to control the influx at the boarders (after all, we can not economically welcome all comers). Once in country, we have a more obligation to treat all humanely. I would rather have some illegal immigrants in our country than resort to police state tactics.

Source

Science Scene - Quiet Stadium?

South Africa's Sturdy Stadium The 4,700-ton glass roof is supported by 72 radial steel cables arranged symmetrically around the arena to steady the structure against high winds. City of Cape Town


When the World Cup kicks off in South Africa this month, the 69,070 soccer fans inside the new Cape Town Stadium will scream at the top of their lungs to urge on their favorite team. But thanks to some clever engineering, the people living nearby will hear hardly a peep.

The open-air stadium sits in Cape Town's tony Green Point neighborhood, where residents had raised concerns about crowd noise. To keep fans' cheers to a minimum outside the building, a design team from the German engineering firm Schlaich Bergermann topped the structure with the world's largest glass ceiling. The 398,265-square-foot roof consists of 9,000 half-inch-thick glass panels, arranged in a ring above the stands, and a Teflon and fiberglass mesh suspended below the glass. Together they reflect the crowd's roar back onto the field and stands (potentially handing an advantage to the team with the loudest cheering section) to prevent noise from escaping through the roof's central hole.

The roof will also protect fans from the Cape's notoriously fickle weather. Locals joke that you can experience all four seasons in a day because of wind kicked up by the nearby convergence of two major ocean currents: warm from the Indian Ocean and cold from the Atlantic. Combined with turbulent winds spilling off the city's Table Mountain, gusts can reach more than 50 miles an hour. The roof's concave shape deflects the wind and redirects it around the stadium. Let the games begin.

Source

Facebook Cult?

While Mark Zuckerberg's interview at the recent D8 Conference was less than stellar, more attention has been given to an insignia covertly hidden on the inside of his signature hoodie, than to his painstaking nervous responses.


Feeling the heat in the room, literally and figuratively, the "insignia reveal" would have never seen the light of day had not 'All Things Digital' Kara Swisher suggested Zuckerberg remove his infamous hoodie, less he sweat himself silly right before their very eyes. What was exposed was a Facebook seal that had a retro-cultish-draconian type of image - which shocked Swisher into exclaiming, "Oh my God. You're a cult."

The reason the insignia was kept within the inner circles of Facebook up till now, is probably the most disturbing part of this story. In a world that Zuckerberg professes he would like to see 'free,' 'transparent,' and 'open,' perhaps he should apply those same requisites to his own behavior, particularly when proselytizing before large audiences that he would like to convert into future Facebook evangelists.


I do not think it is a cult, but is sure is addicting :o)

Sunday Silliness - Propaganda :o)

Summer Time and Cold Beer

I want something like this here, especially when it is hot and humid :o)

How cool is the Asahi Super Dry Extra Cold Bar? See for yourself: the digital LED display shining out from the front window shows the interior temperature - prefaced by a minus sign.


Once you get inside the company brew pub located in Tokyo's ritzy Ginza district, order up a cold one or pour it yourself from the stylish frozen draft towers. The beer's served colder than room temperature; usually standard practice but even more so when the room is as cold as ice!

Source

Bucko's Bucks - 2011 Taxes?

Tax Day 2010 has come and gone, but it's never too early to start planning for the next tax year. Here is what is in store for 2011.


More Making Work Pay Credit. The credit, aimed at the middle class as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provides taxpayers with a refundable tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and up to $800 for married couples filing joint returns, so long as they otherwise qualify. As before, most taxpayers will see an adjustment in their withholding amounts in their paychecks throughout the year, resulting in a small increase in take-home pay; taxpayers will actually claim the credit on their 2010 tax returns.

No deduction for sales tax on the purchase of a new vehicle. The tax provision that allowed taxpayers to take the itemized deduction or increase in standard deduction for sales tax on the purchase of a new motor vehicle has expired.

No more state and local sales tax deduction. In 2009, taxpayers who itemized were able to deduct their state sales tax payments instead of deducting their state and local income taxes. This provision ended after December 31, 2009 -- although Congress could decide to extend it.

Roth IRA conversions. In 2010, the rules governing who can invest in a Roth are a bit different. The change, which was signed into law as part of the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (TIPRA), allows anyone with an existing traditional IRA to convert to a Roth IRA -- regardless of their income -- for one year. The tax attributable for any such conversion will be paid in 2011 and 2012. The rules that otherwise govern establishing and making contributions to new Roth IRAs will not change.

Homebuyer's Tax Credit payback begins. For 2009, the first-time home buyer's credit was a flat out credit -- no repayment required. However, the first iteration of the bill, which was part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, required the repayment of the credit over a period of 15 years. For taxpayers who claimed the credit in 2008, repayment begins with the filing of their 2010 tax return.

No change in the gift tax exclusion. Inflation didn't move much at all from 2009 to 2010, which means that the annual gift-tax exclusion of $13,000 also won't change. For 2010, a U.S. taxpayer can give away $13,000 per person (to one person or a million different people -- the exclusion is unlimited) without any tax considerations.

No federal estate tax. When the federal estate tax was repealed -- for one year -- under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, it was widely believed that Congress would tweak the law to avoid the repeal before we actually made it to 2010. However, in a stunning show of inaction (some are calling it "Congressional malpractice"), Congress has simply chosen to do nothing. The result? No federal estate tax for 2010. But don't get too comfortable: In 2011, the federal estate tax is reinstated with a lower personal exemption ($1 million) and a higher tax rate (55%) than in 2009.

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) exemption rollbacks. For 2009, the AMT exemption was $46,700 for individual taxpayers; $70,950 for married taxpayers filing jointly or for qualifying widow(er)s; and $35,475 if married filing separately. But for 2010, these exemption amounts will drop back to $33,750 for single taxpayers; $45,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly or for qualifying widower(s); and $22,500 if married filing separately in 2010. The scaled back exemption rate is expected to affect a whopping one in five taxpayers.

No change in the Medicare tax (yet). The health care reform bill pushed through a number of tax provisions affecting employers and individual taxpayers. Most of the changes, however, including an additional Medicare tax on higher-income individuals, won't kick in until 2013. There is no change for 2010.

Unemployment income tax breaks expire. For 2009, unemployed taxpayers who received related benefits could exclude up to $2,400 from their taxable income. Unless Congress votes to change the law for 2010, this tax benefit will no longer be available.

See full article from WalletPop

e-Mail Effing Tips :o)

I know that I struggle with e-mails, and everything that goes with it.  Sure, it is a great way to stay informed, to be alerted when people comment or update on [fill in the application here], or to know when you have a new bill or payment or deposit or.....  But in this new information age, it is important to practice some common courtesy when e-mailing, and to do some e-mail management.  See some e-mail efficiency tips below:




1. Keep it brief. Easier for the writer, easier for the reader.

2. Stay focused. Each e-Mail should be on a single subject, with an appropriate subject line.

3. Keep a sense of proportion! Don’t flag an email as “urgent” unless it really is urgent!

4. Unsubscribe. Sure, it may take only a second to delete it when it arrives, but seeing emails flooding into your in-box is so unpleasant; take a few extra seconds to stop those emails at the source.

5. Manage your notifications. When you set up a Twitter account, a Facebook account, a Goodreads profile, a YouTube channel, and the like, pay very careful attention to the notifications. Do you really want to be notified when X, Y, or Z happens? And if you realize later you’re getting notifications you don’t want, take a minute to change your settings.

Source: Happiness-Project

Leading With Responsibility

Leadership: The courage to take prudent risks to move yourself and other in the direction of doing the right thing that adds value for all stakeholders. Attributes - motivate and vision

Managing is doing things right: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Monitoring, Controlling. Attributes - analyzer and task master.

Leading With Responsibility (shown in order of growing self awareness):

• Manipulating, attribute is control. Blame others.
• Conforming, attribute is acceptance. Excuses. Wait for others to take action. Victim.
• Achieving, attribute is do more. I, my are heard often.
• Inspiring, attribute is love/compassion. We, our are heard often.

Courtesy of David Antonioni, PH.D., Wisconsin School of Business.

Science Scene - Not A Brush, Fuller model shows promise

Our Fuller Wind Turbine, a new type of boundary-layer, bladeless wind turbine has been granted U.S. Patent No. 7,695,242. The turbine is based on a 1913 Tesla patent, specially modified for wind generation applications. [How forward thinking some of our early scientists and engineers were!]


Solar Aero’s completely enclosed model avoids drawbacks of bladed turbines such as noise, radar interference, visual pollution and wildlife injuries — while retaining high efficiency ratings. With only one rotating component (a turbine/driveshaft/alternator assembly) and no heavily loaded bearings, the turbine is expected to deliver power at a cost comparable to coal-fired power plants.

Our turbine has lower maintenance requirements than bladed turbines. In addition, all generation equipment can be located at ground level while the turbine is supported on magnetic bearings, thus eliminating the need for up-tower routine maintenance. Yaw bearings will be permanently lubricated. Reduced life-cycle costs make the unit desirable for urban rooftops and for use where support and maintenance infrastructure is limited.

The non-interfering nature of this design makes it suitable for erection near military surveillance and radar installations.

Source