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Submission + - Multivitamin researchers say "case is closed" as studies find no health benefits (cbsnews.com)

schwit1 writes: “Enough” with the multivitamins already.

That’s the message from doctors behind three new studies and an editorial that tackled an oft-debated question in medicine: Do daily multivitamins make you healthier?

After reviewing the available evidence and conducting new trials, the authors have come to a conclusion of “no.”

“We believe that the case is closed — supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful,” concluded the authors of the editorial summarizing the new research papers, published Dec. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “These vitamins should not be used for chronic disease prevention. Enough is enough.”

They went on to urge consumers to not “waste” their money on multivitamins.

Submission + - GM's CEO rejects repaying Feds for bailout losses (usatoday.com)

PolygamousRanchKid writes: The General Motors bailout may have cost the government $10 billion, but GM CEO Dan Akerson rejects any suggestion that the company should compensate for the losses. He says Treasury officials took the same risk assumed by anyone who purchases stock.

Akerson said that GM repaid all the debt issued by the government beginning in December 2008 when George W. Bush was still president and extending into the first year of Barack Obama's presidency. He added that it was the Treasury's decision — though one he clearly supported — to take an ownership stake in the form of company shares.

Asked whether GM should pay the difference between the amount the government provided the company and the return from the sale of the shares, Akerson said the "die was cast" by Treasury when it decided to take shares. For GM to make up for any shortfall could result in lawsuits from other shareholders.

Submission + - Satellite data shows Arctic sea ice coverage up 50 percent! (bbc.co.uk)

bricko writes: Satellite data shows Arctic sea ice coverage up 50 percent!

BBC News reports that data from Europe’s Cryosat spacecraft shows that Arctic sea ice coverage was nearly 9,000 cubic kilometers (2,100 cubic miles) by the end of this year’s melting season, up from about 6,000 cubic kilometers (1,400 cubic miles) during the same time last year.

This is good news for the Arctic, but presents somewhat of a tough problem for environmentalists and some climate scientists who have been pummeled with evidence this year contradicting the theory of man-made global warming.

Scientists have been struggling to explain away the 15-year pause in rising global temperatures. Some have turned to solar activity or natural climate cycles to explain the hiatus in warming.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25383373

Submission + - Want to Fight Allergies? Get a Dirty Dog (sciencemag.org)

sciencehabit writes: A dog in the house is more than just good company. There’s increasing evidence that exposure to dogs and livestock early in life can lessen the chances of infants later developing allergies and asthma. Now, researchers have traced this beneficial health effect to a microbe living in the gut. Their study, in mice, suggests that supplementing an infant’s diet with the right mix of bacteria might help prevent allergies—even without a pet pooch.

Comment Re: Pretty much. (Score 1) 385

Yes. From personal expericne, my father bought a PS3 for video streaming, but still buys DVDs even though his PS3 will play bluray. My boss went to the store to buy a DVD player, bought a bluray player because it was on sale, and still buys DVDs (although now that I think about it, he bought it to show local nature and tourist videos, which only appear to come on DVD). My mom is kind of a lost cause, she was still buying non-widescreen DVDs even after she got a widescreen TV. I had to explain to her and then show her the differences, and yet she still buys them occasionally for some reason. At least I got my stubborn, stuck-in-his-ways step dad to watch the HD channels on cable after I hooked everything up correctly for them. I don't know why people buy a 40+in HD TV, pay extra for HD from the cable company, and yet still watch programming in SD.

Anyway, yes, people still do buy DVDs. It makes me cry a little inside.

Comment Re:This could be really dangerous! (Score 1) 89

Opera Mobile (NOT Opera Mini) also allows you to do this. You can have it sync your bookmarks and saved passwords between devices that you have Opera installed on. Its helpful if you use multiple computers and/or devices. Works with Android, Linux, and Windows. Probably OSX and iOS too, but I dont use those.

Comment Re:Nothing new here (Score 2) 657

Back in 07 when i bought this computer from Dell, I really wanted to build my own. I had even priced what I wanted and it would cost me around $800. Sadly, the pc I was using at the time was having random hardware failures, and as I had already spent $200 replacing bits of a 5yr old box, I figured it was time for a whole new box.

The thing was, Dell extended me $1500 in credit. So I could have waited for months, buying a piece here and there as I could afford it, or I could buy a pre-built from Dell and get it right then.

I think that is the reason most people buy the pre-built systems, they want a whole system that works out of the box, right then. And a lot of the major manufacturers offer lines of credit.

Comment Re:I work retail (Score 3, Informative) 231

No, no we dont. As someone who spent almost every black friday since 2000 working retail, I will tell you that it really sucks. No additional pay. Its a mandatory work day. Since most places like to limit overtime, you get fewer hours for the rest of the week so you can be scheduled for 8-14hrs on black friday and not go over 40. (in most cases, there are exceptions of course).

The only good part is if you work somewhere that gives you a commission and you get stuck behind a register. My paycheck was usually doubled. The bad part is that most people are waiting for those sales, so the paycheck before and after that tend to be a little bit lower.

Although, on a masochistic side, it can be kind of a rush as long as nothing catastrophic happens.

Science

iPad App Offers Detailed Images of Einstein's Brain 66

puddingebola writes in with news of a new app that might be of interest to those studying Einstein's brain, or just looking for something neat for Halloween. "Albert Einstein's brain, that revolutionized physics, can now be downloaded as an iPad app for USD 9.99. The exclusive application, which has been just launched, promises to make detailed images of Einstein's brain more accessible to scientists than ever before. The funding to scan and digitize nearly 350 fragile and priceless slides made from slices of Einstein's brain after his death in 1955 were given to a medical museum under development in Chicago, website 'Independent.ie' reported. The application will allow researchers and novices to peer into the eccentric Nobel winner's brain as if they were looking through a microscope. 'I can't wait to find out what they'll discover,' Steve Landers, a consultant for the National Museum of Health and Medicine Chicago, who designed the app, was quoted as saying by 'Press Association.'"

Comment Re:Why the Slashdot anti-Unity hate? (Score 1) 157

I did not know you could do that with the filter applications, thanks for the tip :) Still more way more clicks than it should be, but now at least it wont take as long to find the app.

As for app indicators, I like to have the Empathy and Xchat indicators showing because the built in notification system isnt very noticeable if you arent looking at the screen when the message comes in. I like having the icon flash at me to let me know I missed something. In order to allow icons to show in the notification tray, you have to edit gconf.

Yes, I am a tweak freak. Most of the tweak apps I have can do a lot of the same things, but certain things are only available in one or are easier and simpler to use in another. Still, the ability to change the color of the launchbar and notification windows would be something that should be included in a default install.

When I am editing multiple text files, I find the universal menu to require twice as much mouse travel, granted its really not that big of an issue, but every once in a while it annoys the crap out of me.

Yes, the workspace indicator is minor, but still mildly annoying. Though I am getting used to it. Its more of an issue when I dont have anything open on a workspace, then I forget which workspace it is. (I use a main, audio, video, and file browser workspace set up)

Yes, I've seen the arguments for leaving all open apps viewable on all workspaces, I still dont like it and would like the option to change it.

Sorry, about the lack of quotes, I dont post very often and never bothered to figure out how to do anything but a full post quote.

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