Researchers show Red Sea could have been parted

Researchers on Tuesday released a study that shows the Red Sea could have been parted in a way that is similar to the accounts found in both the Bible and the Koran.

The study does not say whether Moses had anything to do with it but a strong eastern wind that blows all night long could have the effect of dividing the Red Sea.  A research team from the National Center for Atmospheric Research devised a computer simulation that shows the effect of wind gusts on bodies of water show that wind in this area has the capacity of pushing the water back far enough that a river and lagoon in the area could have merged.

Using principles of fluid dynamics the research team determined that the multiple simulations came very close to matching the biblical and Koran accounts.  Wind temporarily caused the water to separate to two opposite sides allowing for safe passage.  And with the abrupt ending of the wind water was observed to rapidly return to its original boundaries. 

There was nothing supernatural about the forces acting upon the water and instead everything observed was in complete harmony with the laws of physics.  The simulations were part of a larger study meant to observe storm surges in stormy weather and possible consequences of strong winds consistently blowing on large bodies of water.

NFL teams to be educated on workplace behavior

Following an evaluation of what took place September 11 in a post game interview between a female reporter from a Mexican television network and players with the New York Jets, the National Football League announced Friday it will begin a training program to educate all teams in the league how to better conduct themselves in the workplace.

The announcement follows an incident that took place after the Jets game on September 11 and a subsequent review of it by Nation Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell.  Upon further review Goodell concluded that there had been conduct had been unprofessional and would have been unprofessional from any team member in the league.

Goodell also concluded that owner of the New York Jets, Woody Johnson, and other members of his staff had take additional action to address the situation and that those efforts were a move in the right direction.

After reviewing the situation Goodell contacted Johnson in a letter and said..”The conduct of the Jets clearly should have been better last Saturday,  But your prompt action in calling Ines Sainz and Mike Tannenbaum’s subsequent discussions with Joanne Gerstner of AWSM have made clear the club’s commitment — and your personal commitment — to ensure a respectful and professional environment for all members of the media.”

Facebook rejects claims of developing their own mobile phone

Facebook today denied rumors that it was looking into developing its own phone and instead said it will continue to integrate the social networking website into existing mobile phones being sold.

Facebook already is working with developers on existing mobile phone platforms in hopes of enabling its customer base of five hundred million users around the globe a way of staying connected through mobile phone technology.  Last May the company introduced a slimmed down version of the Facebook website that was specifically designed to be used on cell phones that have limited bandwidth when it comes to Internet connectivity.

Jaime Schopflin a Facebook spokesperson said, “Our view is that almost all experiences would be better if they were social, so integrating deeply into existing platforms and operating systems is a good way to enable this.  The bottom line is that whenever we work on a deep integration, people want to call it a ‘Facebook Phone’ because that’s such an attractive sound bite, but building phones is just not what we do.”

Industry experts note that a similar denial was made by Google last year about building a phone and then latter announced the release of the Nexus One that runs on the Google Android operating system.

Americans attitudes towards mental illness unchanged

Efforts to get Americans to view mental Illness as a condition that arises from physiological issues contained in the human brain are being successful but changing attitudes and tolerance levels towards those that suffer from mental illness are not changing.

The findings were published in a new report that took surveys that were taken from across the United States in both 1996 as well as 2006 and then comparing the data.

The surveys focused on efforts by the health community as well as the government to try and decrease the way society puts social labels on the mentally ill.  These efforts included schizophrenia and depression and tried to get the general public to understand the biological nature of how the illnesses are rooted in an imbalanced physiological condition.

Bernice A. Pescosolido, a sociologist from Indiana University in Bloomington said, “Americans continue to get more sophisticated in their understandings of what causes mental illness, but that did not translate into greater tolerance.  In fact, in some cases, it looked like it backfires.”

Researchers involved in the study found that giving the general public a better understanding of what actually causes mental illness did not change the way they treat those people.  There continued to be rejection on both the employment and relationship side.  People continue to view the mentally ill as another class of people that would never change regardless of whether they have or could be successfully treated.

Americans are too stressed to take vacations

A recent survey conducted by StudyLogic has found that American workers are taking less time off and not using all of their accrued vacation days even though they are feeling increasing stressed out at their jobs.

It was also determined that nearly one third of all  workers that do take vacations or time off still find a need to check up on their jobs while away from the office.  Sam Nahmias, COO of StudyLogic, conducted a poll of fifteen hundred American Adults.  He said, “We’re workaholics.  From an overall perspective this has a lot to do with the economic situation in the U.S. More and more people are unemployed.  It is not a great picture and that affects vacations. People are not going on vacation as much and those that are going on vacation are being more selective about where they are going”.

It appears that the current economic situation is playing a role in this.  With a current unemployment rate at 9.6 percent the people that do have jobs appear hesitant to take time off that they have earned.  Twenty seven percent of the workers questioned in the poll indicated that they had taken 6 to ten days of vacation days earned and an additional twenty percent said they had taken 3 days or less.  These numbers are different than European counterparts who traditionally take 4 weeks or more of vacation time.

The bottom line is Americans are not taking vacations as much as they have in the past and when they do they appear to be taking less time off.

FAA proposes the rules to rest pilots

The Federal Aviation Association today submitted a proposal that would alter current regulations regarding the amount of time commercial pilots can fly before taking a mandatory rest and possibly making those rest periods longer.

If accepted the new regulations could force commercial airlines to bring on board additional pilots as well as change current flight schedules and force an overhaul to pilot unions work rules.  The timing of the new regulations comes when most airlines are struggling with their balance sheets and trying to turn a profit in an uncertain economy.  Any suggestions of adding to current payrolls most likely would not be viewed favorably by the airline industry.  The proposed changes do fit in with some of the pilot’s unions recommendations of additional pilot hiring as well as a more flexible work calendar.

The proposed Federal Aviation Association changes comes after requests from the family of casualties resulting from the crash of a Colgan flight in upstate New York in 2009.  The results of the probe into that flight called into question issues relating to pilot fatigue as well as adequate simulator training.  In response the FAA has proposed a 9 hour minimum rest before flying that is meant to see that pilots get enough sleep.  The nine hour rest period is one hour longer than the current mandatory eight hour rest period.   There is also a proposed change to the minimum amount of time free from flying duties.

Celebrities tuning out Twitter

Discussion has begun to heat up regarding social media outlet Twitter and the benefits or risks it presents to celebrities in the entertainment industry.

What once was considered a darling of the celebrity crowd, Twitter has lost its appeal to some of the biggest pop idols and Hollywood superstars.  Some stars now realize that not only is Twitter a great way to promote themselves and their products, it also is a way for fans to make fun of them and question very personal aspects of their lives.

Actress and teen pop star Miley Cyrus closed her Twitter account about a year ago when Liam Hemsworth, a close confident as well as her boyfriend, convinced her that it was in her own best interests to do so.

Another Hollywood celebrity, Amanda Bynes, decided to close her Twitter account recently and did so without notifying her fans or letting them know she was about to remove this social media access to her.  Her response to the closure was that it made her feel uncomfortable to allow that type of access to other people.

In the early days of Twitter it was seen by many stars, their agents, and those associated with public relations as a quick and easy way to put out a press release and instead get that information straight to the public.  Now there is a growing struggle with celebrities with their fans having too much information and familiarity with their lives and careers due to Twitter access. 

Whether Twitter will continue to be adopted by celebrities will be determined by how a star views their fan base.  If Twitter is seen as a way to thank fans and let them know how much they are appreciated Twitter will continue to be embraced.  On the other hand, if Twitter is seen as an intrusion into the personal lives of the stars then more of the Hollywood crowd will continue to deactivate their Twitter accounts.

More doctors don't mean better care

A recent report supports criticism that having more doctors to select from does not necessarily mean better healthcare.

A Dartmouth Atlas research project analyzed the recent Obama Administration’s healthcare legislation that is hoped to improve medical care across the country.  The healthcare reform legislation that was eventually passed in March was touted as a significant step forward in assisting thirty-two million Americans obtain health insurance than were previously unable to get coverage.  The legislation was also suppose to increase primary care across the country.

One of the motivations for passing this legislation was to address the fact that although the U.S. spends more per person than any other comparably developed country on healthcare, the population in general is sicker.

Said Dr. David Goodman, who helped lead the Dartmouth Atlas Project, based at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, “Our findings suggest that the nation’s primary care deficit won’t be solved by simply increasing access to primary care, either by boosting the number of primary care physicians in an area or by ensuring that most patients have better insurance coverage.  Policy should also focus on improving the actual services primary care clinicians provide and making sure their efforts are coordinated with those of other providers, including specialists, nurses and hospitals.  But simply increasing access to primary care may not be enough to realize improvements in the quality of care or in health outcomes.”

The report concluded that the recent legislation meant to overhaul the healthcare system should not only increase good primary care but should also improve the quality of healthcare and increase the quality of healthcare outcomes.

Republicans against small business bill

With midterm elections coming up this November, democrats in the United States Congress are trying to show their constituents that they have a plan in place to help the struggling economy by pushing for approval of a small-business bill that is expected to be received from the Senate this week.

Lawmakers at the capital return from their end of summer break this week and Democrat lawmakers in the Senate are expected to hand off a small-business bill that would establish a thirty billion dollar fund that government officials would steer towards smaller community banks in hopes that these banks would then lend out to small businesses seeking financial loans.  The bill would also introduce twelve billion dollars in government tax breaks specifically designed for small businesses.

The bill is being introduced as Democrats and Republicans are pointing fingers and blaming each other for rising deficits and high unemployment rates.  Both parties are also jockeying for position with the American voters as November elections are a little less than two months away. 

With current unemployment rates hovering at 9.6% Republicans are being accused of trying to sink the proposed bill in order to show how ineffective Democrats have been.  This small business legislation is viewed by many Washington insiders as perhaps the Democrats best opportunity to change potential voters’ minds.

Avoid holiday travel stress by booking your flight now

Christmas travelers planning to fly home or other destinations this holiday season should consider booking their flights now due to an expected increase in demand for flights during the holiday season.

Industry experts say that air fares are twenty to thirty percent higher than they were this time last year and many people who didn’t travel home last year due to the economy are making plans to do so this year.  Since air travelers usually book their flight during the last thirty days before the start of the holidays individuals looking to travel during this time period should consider booking their flights before then.

Adding to the reduced capacity is the reduction in seat capacity implemented by the airlines since 2008.  The airlines have reduced their load capacity by twelve to fifteen percent which equates to flights averaging 87 percent capacity this past summer.  The load capacities are expected to be even higher among the more heavily traveled flight routes.

Another factor to consider is that both Christmas and New Years day falls on a weekend.  The effect of this is to narrow the travel window for many consumers from sixteen to nineteen days down to fourteen days.

Experts highly encourage travelers to use every option to steer clear of flying on peak travel days.  If this can be avoided the chance of getting the best fare possibly increases.