Where to live for better health

DID you know you can prevent health problems by simply changing location? 
 
Some medical conditions are better suited to certain geographic regions than others. We take a look at seven health concerns and the best places to avoid them.

Migraines
Triggers: A range of things can bring on a migraine, including stress, smoke, loud noises, sunlight, toxins and extreme weather conditions (such as changes in barometric pressure from storm fronts or extreme cold or humidity). "A lot of migraine triggers are very specific to the person," says Dr Ronald McCoy, spokesperson for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Talk to your GP about what sets you off.

Move to: any location where your triggers are less common. Unsure? Try shadier, quieter, less polluted areas with more moderate weather patterns.

Appendicitis
Triggers: A Canadian study found that exposure to air pollution might increase your risk of developing appendicitis, as pollutants can cause inflammation. The condition was worse during summer (when people are more likely to be outdoors), and mostly affected men.
Move to: anywhere with lovely, fresh air. Avoid smoggy urban or industrial areas and if you do live there, stay indoors on bad days.

Mosquito-borne diseases
Triggers: Debilitating diseases like Dengue fever and Ross river fever are more prevalent in hot, tropical climates and northern parts of Australia. Mosquitoes also proliferate when wind speed is low and there are pools of water available for breeding. Heavy rainfall or flooding can also cause an outbreak in non-tropical areas.

Move to: a cooler, dryer, less humid area where mosquitoes don't thrive (generally, any state south of Queensland). Avoid mossies during wet weather by staying indoors at dawn and dusk, covering up and steering clear of swamps and ponds.

Arthritis and musculoskeletal problems
Triggers: Some research shows that rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may worsen in colder and/or more humid climates. Others show that environmental exposure to things like pollution, hairspray, cosmetics and airports may trigger autoimmune diseases.

Move to: warm, fresh, less populated areas away from airports, major roads and highways. "Often aches and pains are less of a problem in warmer climates," says Dr McCoy. "That's why when people retire they often got to a climate they find easier to deal with."

Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Triggers: A new Australian study found that greater sun exposure and higher levels of vitamin D may protect against multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease of the brain and spinal cord.
Move to: sun-drenched regions where you can't help but manufacture vitamin D. During extended wet periods, boost your D through diet and supplements.

Pneumonia
Triggers: A Canadian university researcher found that prolonged exposure to high pollutant levels from things like car exhaust fumes and industrial air pollution can lead to hospitalisation for pneumonia, especially in older people.
Move to: less polluted regions away from busy roads and industrial areas. Boost your immune system with a healthy diet and exercise.

Stroke
Triggers: We know that the most common risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure (hypertension), which can be exacerbated by obesity, diabetes and stress, but you may not know that getting treatment within 60 minutes of a stroke can prevent disability and lead to better health outcomes.
Move to: an area where you have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, opportunities for exercise (such as parks and gyms) and good hospitals and medical help.

Source : Where to live for better health

The world's happiest country - Gallup Inc Poll

THE world's happiest people aren't in Qatar, the richest country by most measures. 
 
They aren't in Japan, the nation with the highest life expectancy. Canada, with its chart-topping percentage of college graduates, doesn't make the top 10.

A Gallup Inc poll released of nearly 150,000 people around the world says seven of the world's 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes are in Latin America.

Many of the seven do poorly in traditional measures of well-being, like Guatemala, a country torn by decades of civil war followed by waves of gang-driven criminality that give it one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Guatemala sits just above Iraq on the United Nations' Human Development Index, a composite of life expectancy, education and per capita income. But it ranks seventh in positive emotions.

"In Guatemala, it's a culture of friendly people who are always smiling,'' said Luz Castillo, a 30-year-old surfing instructor. "Despite all the problems that we're facing, we're surrounded by natural beauty that lets us get away from it all.''

Source : The world's happiest country - Gallup Inc Poll

Man discovers wife's affair, moves into a tree

A MAN in India has been living in a tree for nine months since finding his wife in bed with a neighbour. 
 
The husband, known only as Sanjay, was shocked to discover the lovers together when he returned home from work in March.

After his wife, Tara, then walked out to live with her parents, Sanjay, 25, climbed a guava tree in the village where his family live.

He has stayed there since and says he will climb down when his wife says sorry and returns to him.
"Whenever we try to bring him down, he threatens to commit suicide," said his mother.
The police have not yet been informed. His sister said: "As long as he is safe there, we are happy for him."
The family have brought him food to eat since guavas went out of season.

Source : Man discovers wife's affair, moves into a tree

Top 10 Tech Innovations of 2012

1. GOOGLE GLASSES
Created under the moniker Project Glass, Google's wearable technology was finally seen in the real world in April on the face of Google co-founder Sergey Brin

2. MINIATURE TABLETS
Small tablets became big business this year, starting with a little something from Google and finishing with a handbag-friendly number from Apple

3. LYTRO CAMERA
It's the camera that lets photographers change a photo's focus after it's been captured and it arrived in Australia this year. The Lytro camera, created by Australian Ren Ng, makes sophisticated technology easy to use, as it contains a series of tiny lenses that capture light from all angles

4. PHONES GO LARGE
Big phones are now big business. The tech trend started last year but went mainstream in 2012. From the HTC One X, with its 4.7-inch display, to Motorola's new 4.7-inch RAZR HD, smartphones edged closer to tablet size. Even Apple joined the trend, upping the iPhone's screen to 4 inches, and Nokia produced its first 4.5-inch screen on the Lumia 920. Samsung retained its crown as size leader, however, with the Galaxy Note II boasting a 5.5-inch screen.

5. 4G SPREADS
Not only did many more smartphones and mobile modems start supporting 4G this year, but Telstra and Optus delivered Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks to more areas. Telstra's 4G coverage now extends more than 5km outside Australian CBDs and will reach 66 per cent of the population by mid-2013.

6. MACS SEE RETINA
Laptops chips, drives and lids get the most upgrades, but Apple this year focused on the screen. Unveiled in June, the 15-inch MacBook Pro became the first Apple Mac to receive a Retina screen, so-named because users are unable to see individual pixels up close. The screen features more than five million pixels, giving it a resolution sharper than a TV. The technology has since been passed on to the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro.

7. MUSIC-STREAMING SERVICES
Music no longer has to be stockpiled. From 2012, it can just as easily be streamed. Subscription music service Rdio kicked off the trend with a quiet launch in January, though it was joined by Rara just days later, and by big-name service Spotify in May. Telstra's MOG, Sony's Music Unlimited, Nokia Music and Microsoft's Xbox Music are also dancing to the same tune now, all for a monthly subscription fee.

8. CONNECTED CAMERAS

Cameras finally dropped their pretensions and joined the internet revolution this year. Some fully embraced the trend, including Samsung's Galaxy Camera that offers the latest Google Android software and, for the first time, a built-in 3G connection for instant sharing. Similarly, the Nikon Coolpix S800c features a wi-fi connection and Android apps. Other cameras simply offered an optional wi-fi connection, including the Canon 5D Mk III, while internet-ready memory cards upgraded the rest.

 9. INSTAGRAM BOOM

The future will be documented in vintage photographs, thanks to Instagram. This photo app, launched in 2010, boomed in more ways than one. It launched on the Google Android system, announced it had attracted 30 million users and was bought by Facebook in a $1 billion deal in April. Rather than turning users off, the announcement only boosted its popularity. More than 100 million photographs had been cut into squares, filtered and shared by July and that figure jumped to 150 million by August.

 10. OLED TELEVISION SCREENS

Unveiled in January and seen at tradeshows ever since, organic light-emitting diode televisions represent a giant leap in TV technology. The OLED screens offer significantly brighter pictures, higher contrast, smaller screen borders and significantly thinner forms. Samsung's 55-inch screen was just 4mm thin, while LG's was just 9mm. Neither TV arrived in large numbers before the end of the year, however, making this one to watch in more ways than one.

 Source : Top 10 Tech Innovations of 2012

How soon could U.S jobless rate reach 6.5%?

The Federal Reserve says it will keep interest rates near zero until unemployment reaches 6.5%, but some economists say the central bank may have to consider changing its policy sooner than it thinks.

The Fed's economic forecast suggests that the U.S. jobless rate won't hit its new target until mid-2015, which most economists think is close to the mark.

That's 30 months out. The unemployment rate now is 7.7%, so the Fed's target rate is 1.2 percentage points away. That's how much the rate has fallen in 14 months, from September 2011, when it was 9%.

If the unemployment rate takes 30 months to reach 6.5%, that would be more than twice as long as it's taken for the rate to fall by the same amount, points out Dean Maki, U.S. economist at Barclays.

If the Fed's economic forecast proves right, it will be because many of the 4 million-plus people who have left the labor force since 2007 begin looking for work again, says Maki.

Source :  How soon could jobless rate reach 6.5%?