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The Consumer: Is It Disease or Delusion? U.S. Takes on a Dilemma
By MICHAEL MASON, The New York Times, October 24, 2006
After an avalanche of panicked inquiries from patients across the country who claim to have been stricken with a mysterious skin disease, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to begin a full investigation.
( Read More )
Worrisome New Link: AIDS Drugs and Leprosy
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., The New York Times, October 24, 2006
With affordable AIDS drugs arriving in many poor countries, experts say a startling and worrisome side effect has emerged: in some patients, the treatment uncovers a hidden leprosy infection.
( Read More )
Vital Signs: Hazards: A Study Gauges the Risks for Ears With iPods
By ERIC NAGOURNEY, The New York Times, October 24, 2006
Avid iPod users who wonder if they are putting their hearing at risk may find some relief in a new study that tries to arrive at guidelines for safe listening levels.
The key to avoiding hearing damage, the researchers say, appears to be limiting not so much how long one listens to music but how loud it is played. The study was presented at a recent conference on noise-induced hearing loss in children.
( Read More )
Sunny Side Up
By CLAUDIA H. DEUTSCH, The New York Times, October 21, 2006
General Motors liked the idea of using the sun to power its buildings. But until recently, one immutable economic fact held G.M. back: The upfront costs were simply too high to justify the ultimate payoff.
G.M. is not alone. Even solar energy’s biggest fans concede that the high investment costs have kept companies from pursuing what is arguably the cleanest, most renewable and least politically sensitive energy source around.
But now, G.M. and a small but growing number of other companies and municipalities are getting solar energy from systems installed by others. Even though the installations are right on their own roofs, they buy the electricity much as they would from a utility’s grid. And because the companies that paid for the systems will get a steady income, they can provide power from the sun at competitive electricity rates.
( Read More )
U.S. Firing Plans for Great Lakes Raise Concerns
By MONICA DAVEY, The New York Times, October 16, 2006
GRAND HAVEN, Mich., Oct. 10 — Even in autumn, the cold, silent expanse of Lake Michigan defines this town, where pleasure boats glide into harbor, fishermen wait patiently for salmon and tourists peer up at the lighthouse.
But the United States Coast Guard has a new mission for the waters off of these quiet shores. For the first time, Coast Guard officials want to mount machine guns routinely on their cutters and small boats here and around all five of the Great Lakes as part of a program addressing the threats of terrorism after Sept. 11.
And, for the first time in memory, Coast Guard members plan to use a stretch of water at least five miles off this Michigan shore — and 33 other offshore spots near cities like Cleveland; Rochester; Milwaukee; Duluth, Minn.; and Gary, Ind. — as permanent, live fire shooting zones for training on their new 7.62 mm weapons, which can blast as many as 650 rounds a minute and send fire more than 4,000 yards.
( Read More )
By MICHAEL MASON, The New York Times, October 24, 2006
After an avalanche of panicked inquiries from patients across the country who claim to have been stricken with a mysterious skin disease, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to begin a full investigation.
( Read More )
Worrisome New Link: AIDS Drugs and Leprosy
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr., The New York Times, October 24, 2006
With affordable AIDS drugs arriving in many poor countries, experts say a startling and worrisome side effect has emerged: in some patients, the treatment uncovers a hidden leprosy infection.
( Read More )
Vital Signs: Hazards: A Study Gauges the Risks for Ears With iPods
By ERIC NAGOURNEY, The New York Times, October 24, 2006
Avid iPod users who wonder if they are putting their hearing at risk may find some relief in a new study that tries to arrive at guidelines for safe listening levels.
The key to avoiding hearing damage, the researchers say, appears to be limiting not so much how long one listens to music but how loud it is played. The study was presented at a recent conference on noise-induced hearing loss in children.
( Read More )
Sunny Side Up
By CLAUDIA H. DEUTSCH, The New York Times, October 21, 2006
General Motors liked the idea of using the sun to power its buildings. But until recently, one immutable economic fact held G.M. back: The upfront costs were simply too high to justify the ultimate payoff.
G.M. is not alone. Even solar energy’s biggest fans concede that the high investment costs have kept companies from pursuing what is arguably the cleanest, most renewable and least politically sensitive energy source around.
But now, G.M. and a small but growing number of other companies and municipalities are getting solar energy from systems installed by others. Even though the installations are right on their own roofs, they buy the electricity much as they would from a utility’s grid. And because the companies that paid for the systems will get a steady income, they can provide power from the sun at competitive electricity rates.
( Read More )
U.S. Firing Plans for Great Lakes Raise Concerns
By MONICA DAVEY, The New York Times, October 16, 2006
GRAND HAVEN, Mich., Oct. 10 — Even in autumn, the cold, silent expanse of Lake Michigan defines this town, where pleasure boats glide into harbor, fishermen wait patiently for salmon and tourists peer up at the lighthouse.
But the United States Coast Guard has a new mission for the waters off of these quiet shores. For the first time, Coast Guard officials want to mount machine guns routinely on their cutters and small boats here and around all five of the Great Lakes as part of a program addressing the threats of terrorism after Sept. 11.
And, for the first time in memory, Coast Guard members plan to use a stretch of water at least five miles off this Michigan shore — and 33 other offshore spots near cities like Cleveland; Rochester; Milwaukee; Duluth, Minn.; and Gary, Ind. — as permanent, live fire shooting zones for training on their new 7.62 mm weapons, which can blast as many as 650 rounds a minute and send fire more than 4,000 yards.
( Read More )
