arSnippets : Mar 02, 2017

Nerivio Migra patch - to ease migraine pain

Reuters

Nerivio Migra is a

disposable neuromodulation patch

for treating migraine headaches

It has a battery, electrodes & a chip

that communicate with a smartphone

The device is tied to the upper arm

When on, it delivers mild electric shocks

- which stimulate the nerves in the arm

- and block pain from reaching the brain

In a study of people who

- had 2 - 8 migraine attacks per month

- hadn't taken drugs to prevent migraine

The subjects wore the device for 20 min.

after the start of a migraine

About 60% of subjects reported

a reduction in pain after the treatment

Mild electric shocks on the arm

might help ease migraine pain

Samsung's J Y Lee - indicted on bribery charge

NY Times

Feb. 28, South Korea

Samsung's chief Lee Jae-yong

has been indicted on bribery

and embezzlement charges

He is accused of giving a bribe of $38 M to

President's confidante, Choi Soon-sil

- to win govt. support for

the merger of 2 Samsung affiliates

The effects of merger were :

- a $758 M increase in the value of stocks

held by the Lee family

- Helping Mr. Lee inherit

corporate control from his father

- A loss of $123 M

to the national pension fund

Samsung's Leader Is Indicted

on Bribery Charges

A Florida nurse - accused of practicing illegally

Fox News

Amy Suzanne Pohlman

was hired as a nurse administrator

by Ponte Vedra Home Care in 2015

She claimed to have a PhD and to be an

Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner

In 2016, her employer became suspicious

- when it tried to check the validity of

Pohlman's nursing license

so, it notified the Dept. of Health

An investigation found that Pohlman :

- did not have a PhD

or any nursing degree and

- yet she performed a physical exam

of her company's clients

She was arrested

and released on a $50,000 bond

Florida woman accused of

practicing medicine without license

SpaceX to start tourism - around the moon

WSJ

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will send tourists

on a trip around the moon by 2018

The tourist flight will use

- an upgraded Dragon capsule

- a heavy-lift rocket

which is already in development

It will be an autonomous, 1 week voyage :

- the spacecraft will hurtle past the Moon

but not land on it

- then return on an automated trajectory

and land using a parachute

Two private citizens have already made

significant deposits for the trip

SpaceX Proposes a Private

Manned Mission to Orbit Moon

A couple and their dog - in 'no pets' penthouse

The Telegraph

A couple moved to Gated Estate

in Limehouse, London in Nov, 2015

along with their dog, Vinnie

They said they had the permission

to bring in their dog

Property management firm "Victory Place"

took them to court, arguing :

- the lease has a "no-pets policy"

- the couple knew of the policy before

they bought the £1 M penthouse

On Feb. 26, the couple was ordered to :

- have the dog evicted from the flat

- pay Victory Place £20,000 in legal costs

The couple will now take their fight

to the Court of Appeal

Defeat for couple bidding to keep

dog at estate with no-pets policy

Types of eating disorders

Channel 3000

Eating disorders are mental disorders

characterized by abnormal eating habits

They include :

1. Binge disorder - where people eat

a large amount in a short time period

2. Anorexia nervosa - People eat little

and thus have a low body weight

3. Bulimia nervosa - People eat a lot and

then try to rid themselves of the food

4. Restrictive food intake - People have

a lack of interest in food

Treatment varies according to

type and severity of eating disorder

- It includes counselling,

a proper diet, exercise & medication

Teacher uses personal story to

educate on eating disorders

Eating disorders are real

Channel 3000

In U.S., 11% of high school students

are diagnosed with an eating disorder

Michael Dorn, a Milton, Wisconsin teacher

lost his daughter Maria

to an eating disorder

Now he is sharing his story

to educate students about :

- eating disorders and

- how to spot the signs

- how to support those suffering from it

Eating disorders aren't something that

just happen in literature or in movies

- They happen to real people

and have real consequences

- They can happen to your friends

and you can help them with recovery

Teacher uses personal story to

educate on eating disorders

A sniper shoots accidentally in France

Wash. Post

Feb. 28, Villognon, France

President Mr. Hollande was speaking

at an inauguration of a high-speed train

connecting Bordeaux & Tours

A police sniper stationed nearby

fired his weapon accidentally

while adjusting his position

- 2 people were slightly injured

The president later went over

to check on the casualties

An investigation of the incident

has been launched

2 injured as officer accidentally

fires during Hollande's speech

Plane crash in Riverside, CA kills 3

Wash. Post

Feb. 27 Riverside, California

A Cessna 310 carrying 5 passengers

plunged into a Riverside, CA neighborhood

- 3 people were killed and 2 injured

- 2 houses were also set ablaze

but no resident was injured

The plane took off from Riverside Airport

- it took a turn and soon nosedived

about half-a-mile away

The cause of the crash wasn't clear

Eyewitnesses reported :

- the crash felt like an earthquake,

then there was a “big ball of fire”

3 dead in California plane crash

Alaska Airlines - Best domestic airline in U.S.

Wash. Post

A survey of domestic U.S. airlines found :

- Alaska Airlines was tops

- United was ranked 2^nd

- Virgin America took the 3^rdposition

The ranks of United & Delta

were most surprising

1. United didn't top any of the 10 criteria

but ended up at No. 2 spot

2. Delta was excellent in on-time arrivals

and good in customer satisfaction, etc.

- But it ranked 7th due to its ticket costs

the "ticket cost" rank had 25% weightage

in computing the final rank

Survey says: Alaska Airlines is

tops, Spirit is the worst for travelers - Washington Post

U.K. deports Irene - after 27 years of marriage

Independent

The "Spousal visa minimum income" rule

in U.K requires

a Britisher to earn at least £18,600

to get their foreign spouse to the U.K.

- Irene Clennell, 53, a Singaporean

is the latest victim of this rule

Irene had been living in the U.K. for 27 yrs

with her British husband

Her husband fell ill in 2015 and

lives only on sickness benefits

His earnings aren't enough

to sponsor Irene's visa

Hence on Feb. 26,

she was deported to Singapore

- An example of how ill-defined policies

can tear families apart & ruin lives

Woman deported to Singapore

after living in UK for almost 30 yrs

Uber CEO - uncaring of drivers' welfare

Tech Times

On Feb. 28, a video on Bloomberg showed

Uber CEO Kalanick taking a ride in a

"Black" car & arguing with the driver

At the end of the ride,

the driver, Fawzi Kamel, complained :

Uber keeps raising

the standards of rating its drivers

while it keeps lowering the fares

Indeed, Uber's fare cuts have

reduced longtime drivers' earnings

In response, Kalanick bullheadedly

placed all the blame on the driver

and used expletives in his replies

It showed a CEO who could not

- hear the driver's feedback constructively

- and has little regard for drivers' welfare

Uber's CEO Caught On Video In

A Heated Exchange With Driver

Russia and China vetoed a UNSC resolution

NY Times

At UNSC, U.K. & France proposed

sanctions on 11 officials & 10 entities

involved in 3 chemical attacks in Syria

The U.S. also endorsed the proposal

But on Feb. 28,

Russia and China vetoed the proposal

It was Russia’s 7^th veto in defense of

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

Russia’s envoy defended the veto,

calling the resolution “politically biased”

The U.S. ambassador, Nikki R. Haley,

accused Russia of putting its friends

ahead of global security

Russia and US Clash Over Syria

in Security Council Vote

DBS remains underutilized for many reasons

WSJ

Deep Brain Stimulation is a useful therapy

for advanced Parkinson's

But only 10% patients opt for it

The reasons behind its low acceptability :

1. Lack of familiarity

- Many patients are treated by

primary care doctors

who lack connections with the

centers that offer DBS

2. High cost of DBS implantation

which can reach $100,000

3. Fear of surgery, particularly on the brain

- People avoid brain surgery

if the treatment is possible by drugs

4. Side effects such as mood changes,

balance problems, speech difficulties

Parkinson’s Therapy Gets Fresh

Look From Device Makers

Deep brain stimulation is a surgical procedure

WSJ

Deep Brain Stimulation is a therapy

to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s

and other movement disorders

DBS system consists of 3 components :

1. A battery-powered neurostimulator

- It is implanted under the skin

near the collarbone or in the chest

2. The lead - It is implanted in the brain

3. The extension - It is a wire that joins

neurostimulator to the lead

The system sends impulses from the

neurostimulator to the brain

- it stimulate the target areas

in the brain that control movement

- and block the faulty signals

that cause Parkinson's symptoms

Parkinson’s Therapy Gets Fresh

Look From Device Makers

HP launched a Microsoft Surface clone - Pro x2

ARS Technica

HP launched Pro x2 612 G2 tablet

at a base price of $979

( a clone of Microsoft Surface )

Pro x2 offers :

- 12-inch full-HD display

- new Kaby Lake processors

- 8 GB of RAM & up to 512 GB of storage

- Wacom-based Active Pen accessory

- a headphone jack, a microSD port,

a USB-A port, and a USB-C port

HP is also pushing a range of accessories :

- A $49 rugged kickstand case

that provides additional protection

- A $49 USB-C Travel Hub that charges it

while offering two USB 2.0 ports

and VGA & HDMI connectivity

New CPUs, accessories define

HP's updated Surface clone

G6 is LG's new flagship smartphone

WSJ

The G6 is LG’s new flagship smartphone

Its features include :

- a 5.7-inch Quad HD display with

rounded corners in a 18 : 9 ratio

( longer than standard 16 : 9 )

- a fingerprint sensor button on back

- two 13-megapixel back cameras

( one with a standard angle and

the other with a wide-angle view )

- a 5-megapixel wide-angle front camera

- water-resistant body

G6 is the first Android phone

outside of the Pixel

to feature a built-in Google Assistant

LG G6 First Look: A Taller

Take on the Touch Screen

Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded Jurgen Kantner

WSJ

Nov. 6, 2016, southern Philippines

Two Germans, Jurgen Kantner ( 70 )

and his wife Sabine Merz ( 59 )

were abducted from their yacht

- by Abu Sayyaf militants

Ms. Mertz tried to fight back

and was shot dead immediately

But Mr. Kantner was kept as hostage

Militants demanded $600,000 in ransom

from German & Philippines govt.

On Feb. 26,

the deadline for the ransom expired

and militants beheaded Mr. Kantner

- They released a video

showing the grisly incident

Philippine Militants Claim

Killing of German Hostage

Turn Off a Windows Live Tile

NY Times

Some ways to boost battery in Windows 10

Turn off Live tiles :

Tiles bring fresh news & information

to the Windows 10 Start menu

and thus use up some battery power

To turn off individual live tiles :

1. Right-click the tile

2. Choose Resize > Small from the list

It will shrink down the tile and

stop pulling live updates

Turn on "Battery Saver" setting :

It shuts down activities like calendar,

mail syncing and live tiles

- Go to Start > Settings

> System > Battery saver

How to Turn Off a Windows Live Tile

Kerrygold is one of Ireland's best known brand

WSJ

Kerrygold is Ireland's

best-known brands of butter

In America, it is :

- the third most popular brand

- number-one imported butter brand

It has been sold for years in the U. S.

without a single notable safety issue

Still, it has become illegal in Wisconsin

because of a 1970 law

- that allows only 'graded' milk products

to be sold in the state

Kerrygold company officials are working

with Wisconsin authorities

to bring it in compliance with the law

But Wisconsin needs to take

a fresh look at such obsolete laws

Wisconsin Has a Cow