Latest Posts

  • Health 0

    US preterm births fall to 15-year low, still worst in developed world

    The rate of preterm births in the United States dropped to a 15-year low of 11.5 percent in 2012, according to a report released on Friday, but the country still came in dead last among industrialized nations on this measure of infant health. The rate reflects six straight years of declines, possibly due to factors such as a drop in smoking among women of childbearing age, said the March of Dimes, the nonprofit group that produced the report. The improvement comes during an acrimonious, partisan debate in Congress about health insurance centered on President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law. The Affordable Care Act requires all insu...
    On November 1, 2013 / By
  • Technology 0

    Apps for a Fun and Safe Halloween

    If you’re looking for some high-tech Halloween help, look no further than your smartphone or tablet. That’s right: from storybooks to games to safety tools, these apps provide all the tools you need to ensure the kids have a safe and fun Halloween night. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown If you’re a fan of this classic Charlie Brown Halloween tale, you may want to pick up this interactive storybook (rated for ages 4+) for the kids. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown features narration from Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown, as well as tons of Halloween games from pumpkin carving to v...
    On October 31, 2013 / By
  • News 0

    Abbott’s new Australia

    Tony Abbott’s election as the new Australian Prime Minister in September comes as the 13th biggest economy enters its 22nd consecutive year of growth. The defeated Labor Government, with the help of the Reserve Bank of Australia, diverted the economy from succumbing to the global financial crisis in their six years of power. This is with thanks largely due to the profitable mining industry fuelled by consumption in the emerging Chinese market. The repeated lack of leader confidence indicated volatile relations within the Labor party ranks, despite visible national economic progression during their time in power. The conservative, Liberal-Na...
    On October 31, 2013 / By
  • News 0

    Globalisation on hold

    Five years ago, George W Bush gathered the leaders of the largest rich and developing countries in Washington for the first summit of the G20. In the face of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the leaders promised not to repeat that era’s descent into economic isolationism, proclaiming their commitment to an open global economy and the rejection of protectionism. They succeeded only in part. Although they did not retreat into the extreme protectionism of the 1930s, the world economy has certainly become less open. After two decades in which people, capital and goods were moving ever more freely across borders, walls have...
    On October 30, 2013 / By
  • Finance 0

    40 Money Things You Need To Know By 40

    Many by-40 milestones have become debatable: Get married? Only if you really want to. Own a home? If it’s financially feasible. Know what you want to be when you grow up? Well, if 40 is the new 30, you’re certainly entitled to change your mind. But there’s one thing that’s nonnegotiable: By age 40, you can’t get away with being financially clueless anymore. Especially since retirement might be a lot closer than you think! We’ve put together 40 money things, big and small, you should know before you turn the big 4-0. Why? So you can help achieve your financial goals with plenty of time left over to enjoy them! 1. The three basics ...
    On October 24, 2013 / By
  • Technology 0

    10 Tech Headaches That Infuriate

    Ever feel like technology is taunting you? You’re not the only one. Technology can be your best friend, but it can also be your worst enemy. Most of the time, it works exactly as it’s supposed to. Other times, it makes you want to throw your device out the window, and you yearn for the days of yore when typewriters and rotary phones (or, if you’re really old-school, quills and carrier pigeons) got the job done. As much as technology has made our lives easier than anyone could have ever imagined, it can make our lives just as difficult when it backfires. Misery loves company, they say, so we asked other professionals what the...
    On October 22, 2013 / By
  • Finance 0

    If We Lose, They Win: Who’d Have Benefited From a Debt Default?

    Over the last few weeks, as battles over the government shutdown and the debt ceiling raged in Washington, it became increasingly hard to find anyone really benefiting from the fight. The losers were easy to find: basically, anybody who relies on government spending, anyone who relies on a stable economic system, and anyone who relies on government programs like food inspection has definitely been hurt. In context, it’s hardly surprising that even the Koch brothers, among the strongest supporters of the Tea Party’s lower taxes/lower services mantra, were pushing GOP congressmen to make a deal and avert a debt ceiling default. So ...
    On October 17, 2013 / By
  • Health 0

    Blood Sugar And Cortisol

    Cortisol, the fight-or-flight hormone, comes into play with regard to blood sugar regulation, too. When your body is stressed from constant blood sugar imbalance, you produce chronically high levels of cortisol.Your emotional stressors are probably already causing an excess of cortisol production. Like our ancestors, we are wired to handle fairly acute stressors, followed by periods of rest or recovery. Unfortunately, the lifestyles we lead today tend to put demands on our bodies to produce marathon-like levels of stress hormones, placing us at a constant systemic stress level of 4 or 5 out of 10. We can handle a level of 7, 8, 9 or even 10,...
    On October 15, 2013 / By
  • Finance 0

    Most heating bills to rise this winter

    The government forecast Tuesday that most households will pay more for heat this winter. Heating oil users will catch a slight break, but still pay near-record prices to keep warm. Prices for natural gas, electricity and propane should be higher, the primary reason that more than 90% of homes will incur higher heating expenses. Homes using natural gas for heat will pay about $679. That is about 13% higher than a year ago but still 4% below the average for the previous five winters. Homes relying on electricity for heat, about 38% of the U.S., will likely pay about 2% more for heat compared with last year. For heating oil customers, there is g...
    On October 8, 2013 / By
  • Health 0

    SimplyInsured aims to put health insurance into terms anyone can understand

    The government may be shutdown as a result of the Affordable Care Act, but that isn’t stopping health-insurance exchanges from kicking into gear, or startups from capitalizing on them. SimplyInsured has closed $750,000 to help small businesses navigate the changing landscape of costs, taxes, fines, and regulations surrounding health insurance. “There are 400,000 health insurance brokers in the US who sell insurance the same way, via paper, phone, and fax,” said cofounder and CEO Vivek Shah to VentureBeat. “This is a trillion dollar industry that sells like it’s in the 1950’s. We can’t imagine a world where in 5 years, a small b...
    On October 3, 2013 / By