Fruits and Veggies Intake Can Help Reduce Smoking | Greenpacks.org

August 7, 2014August 6, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Looking for a way to quit smoking? Eating fruits and vegetables may help you quit smoking. A new study published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research observed that smokers who ate the most fruit and vegetables were three times more likely to be tobacco-free as compared to those people who ate fewer amounts of fruits and veggies.

Also, people who consumed more fruits and vegetables smoked fewer cigarettes per day. Another observation is that they also waited longer to smoke their first cigarette of the day. These people scored lower on a commonly-used test of nicotine dependence.

Well, what could be the reason for this? Even the researchers have not zeroed into on any particular reason regarding this. They have in fact come up with several explanations.

5 Percent of “Gluten-Free” Foods Aren’t. New FDA Rules Start Aug. 5 | Businessweek

August 6, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

At last count, 28 percent of adults said they were gluten-free, or something close to it; the U.S. market for gluten-free foods has grown to more than $4 billion. And yet, as anyone who’s ever wondered whether there’s really gluten in oats can tell you, there hasn’t been an official definition of what, exactly, qualifies a food as gluten-free. Now there is one, courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration.

Starting on Aug. 5, packaged foods will be officially considered gluten-free if they contain fewer than 20 parts of the protein per million per kilogram, an amount that even people with celiac disease can tolerate—and the smallest quantity that can be reliably measured. With all the hype and its inevitable debunking, naturally I was suspicious of some gluten-free claims. But the FDA says 95 percent of food labeled gluten-free meets the criteria.

FAA Announces Restrictions on Iraqi Airspace | Mashable.com

August 1, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Federal Aviation Administration announced mandatory restrictions on U.S. airlines flying over Iraq late on Thursday, citing “the potentially hazardous situation created by armed conflict.” Carriers are restricted from flying at or below 30,000 feet in the country, an increase from a previous restriction from flying at or below 20,000 feet.

International airlines had already begun rerouting flights to avoid Iraqi airspace, and many U.S. carriers have also developed alternate routes to avoid the country altogether. Iraqi officials have said it is safe to fly over.

The FAA’s order shows an increasing awareness of the dangers of flying over conflict zones following the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine.Although the new restrictions are meant to safeguard commercial flights, the new 30,000-foot restriction would not be sufficient to deter the kind of missile that likely hit MH17, which had been flying at 33,000 feet.

Why the Security of USB Is Fundamentally Broken | WIRED

July 31, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Computer users pass around USB sticks like silicon business cards. Although we know they often carry malware infections, we depend on antivirus scans and the occasional reformatting to keep our thumb drives from becoming the carrier for the next digital epidemic. But the security problems with USB devices run deeper than you think: Their risk isn’t just in what they carry, it’s built into the core of how they work.

That’s the takeaway from findings security researchers Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell plan to present next week, demonstrating a collection of proof-of-concept malicious software that highlights how the security of USB devices has long been fundamentally broken. The malware they created, called Bad USB, can be installed on a USB device to completely take over a PC, invisibly alter files installed from the memory stick, or even redirect the user’s internet traffic. Because Bad USB resides not in the flash memory storage of USB devices, but in the firmware that controls their basic functions, the attack code can remain hidden long after the contents of the device’s memory would appear to the average user to be deleted. And the two researchers say there’s no easy fix: The kind of compromise they’re demonstrating is nearly impossible to counter without banning the sharing of USB devices or filling your port with superglue.

Is the iPad doomed? | CnnMoney.com

July 31, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Tablet sales are “crashing,” says Best Buy’s CEO! IPad sales are sinking fast! Is this the beginning of the end for the tablet?

Easy, there, tiger. Tablets are still popular and sales are growing — 11% last quarter, to be precise, according to tech consultancy IDC. Still, that’s a far cry from two years ago, when tablets were growing at a 60% clip. Meanwhile, the iPad has been in the doldrums, posting a 9% sales decline last quarter, which was preceded by a 16% slump the quarter before that.

So what’s going wrong? There are three big obstacles facing the market that are impacting demand for tablets: Smartphones are getting bigger, tablets last a while and businesses aren’t buying them.

Smartphones are getting bigger. Like, seriously huge. Samsung’s popular Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch screen. Its Galaxy Note smartphone has a 5.5-inch screen, and Apple is expected to release an iPhone 6 of the same size this fall. Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet is just 1.5 inches bigger.

NLRB Federal Ruling on McDonald’s Just Turned Franchising Upside Down | Inc.com

July 30, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In a move that could ultimately have a huge impact on all franchising, the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board has said that McDonald’s is the joint employer of workers at its franchise locations. If ultimately upheld, that could put McDonald’s at the epicenter of class action suits over fast food worker wages and working conditions.

Traditionally, franchise owners themselves were considered sole employers of their workers. Because they operated as separate legal entities, franchisors were isolated from any labor disputes. By declaring that McDonald’s is a joint employer, the NLRB has shaken that structure.

“Corporations that exercise sufficient control over their franchisees cannot claim ignorance,” said Catherine Ruckelshaus, general counsel and program director for the National Employment Law Project, in a Tuesday conference call held by the organizations supporting the lawsuits. “This accountability means ensuring that the franchises comply with the basics of the law.”

9 Meals ‘Win’ Awards for Unhealthy Nutrition | Livescience.com

July 30, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

French toast served with butter syrup and bacon, a platter of fried seafood and hush puppies, and a cheesecake made with Reese’s peanut butter cups and fudge are among the meals singled out this year for their shockingly unhealthy nutrition content in a new report from a nonprofit watchdog group.

Nine meals from American chain restaurants were selected for the 2014 Xtreme Eating Awards, a list released yearly by the Center for Science in the Public Interest as a way to highlight meals that are very high in calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugar.

Nearly all the meals on this year’s list have at least 2,000 calories, and a few top 3,000 calories. “You could take half home and still overeat,” the CSPI says.

Female Entrepreneurs Are Happier Than Male Entrepreneurs | Forbes.com

July 30, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Statistics for women in business are mostly bleak. For example, women still earn 77 cents to every dollar men make and just 7% of female-backed teams get venture funding. A recently released study however, offers a glimmer of positivity. When women have established businesses, they are actually happier than their entrepreneurial male counterparts, as well as rating their well-being more than twice as high as non-entrepreneurs and non-business owners, according to the 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor GEM U.S. Report.

There was one caveat – female entrepreneurs who are just starting out are less happy than male entrepreneurs in the start-up phase, says Edward Rogoff, one of the reports authors. One out of 10 women in the U.S. is starting or running a new business, the report also found. This rate is higher than any of the other 24 developed economies measured.