TOKYO: Motorists tempted to get behind the wheel after one alcoholic drink too many could soon get a ticking off from an unlikely source — their car.
Nissan Motor Co on Friday announced a new concept car packed with technologies to deter driving while under the influence of alcohol. Inside the gear stick knob is a highly sensitive odor sensor.
If alcohol is detected in the perspiration on a driver's palm the vehicle is immobilised and a voice warns against drink driving along with a message on the navigation system monitor.
Odour sensors are also incorporated into the driver and passenger seats and if alcohol is detected in the air inside the cabin a warning is given. A camera also detects drowsiness and issues alerts as well as tugging the seatbelt.
Nissan is also testing a new on-board breathalyser that will prevent inebriated motorists from starting up their cars as part of industry wide research into ways to reduce drink driving.
Rivals Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co are also researching anti-drink driving systems, said Credit Suisse auto analyst Koji Endo.
Other carmakers with detection systems include Sweden's Volvo, which has developed technology in which drivers blow into a measuring unit in the seat belt before an engine can start. "Everybody's concern nowadays is with safety and environmental issues," Endo said.
But the technology still seems unlikely to become widely used as it was doubtful that the government would make it compulsory, Endo added.
Japan has been cracking down on drink driving since a high-profile incident last year in which a drunk public official smashed into another car, killing three children.
The Asian economic giant has strict anti-drink driving laws and the legal limit for drivers is 0.15 milligrammes of alcohol per litre of blood.
Nissan's technology is still in development, but general manager Kazuhiro Doi says the combination of detection systems will ultimately keep an eye on who's behind the wheel.
(http://www.timesofindia.com)
3.8.07
Indian bids possible for Land Rover, Jaguar
July 19, 2007
New Dehli, India - Indian automakers Tata and Mahindra are each reportedly considering a bid to buy Jaguar and Land Rover from struggling US auto giant Ford.
Media reports have pegged the deal as worth about $1.4-billion.
The Indian Business Standard daily quoted unnamed sources as saying Tata had appointed advisers to evaluate a bid and signed a confidentiality agreement with Ford to access financial details of the two brands, which have a combined British workforce of 19 000 people
Tata Steel bought Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus for $13.7-billion.
The move would be in keeping with Tata's growing appetite for overseas acquisitions; earlier in 2007 Tata Steel bought Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus for $13.7-billion (R94-billion), India's biggest foreign takeover yet.
The Economic Times reported that although Mahindra had formed a joint venture in 2007 with Renault and Nissan it had also signed a confidentiality agreement with Ford.
It said Mahindra's real interest was in Land Rover but, since the two brands were being offered as a package, it was looking at a combined bid. - AFP
(http://www.motoring.co.za)
New Dehli, India - Indian automakers Tata and Mahindra are each reportedly considering a bid to buy Jaguar and Land Rover from struggling US auto giant Ford.
Media reports have pegged the deal as worth about $1.4-billion.
The Indian Business Standard daily quoted unnamed sources as saying Tata had appointed advisers to evaluate a bid and signed a confidentiality agreement with Ford to access financial details of the two brands, which have a combined British workforce of 19 000 people
Tata Steel bought Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus for $13.7-billion.
The move would be in keeping with Tata's growing appetite for overseas acquisitions; earlier in 2007 Tata Steel bought Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus for $13.7-billion (R94-billion), India's biggest foreign takeover yet.
The Economic Times reported that although Mahindra had formed a joint venture in 2007 with Renault and Nissan it had also signed a confidentiality agreement with Ford.
It said Mahindra's real interest was in Land Rover but, since the two brands were being offered as a package, it was looking at a combined bid. - AFP
(http://www.motoring.co.za)
Study: Cheap Cervical Cancer Test Could Save Millions of Lives
A cheap method to detect cervical cancer using vinegar, cotton gauze and a bright light could save millions of women in the developing world, experts reported Friday.
The study, published in The Lancet medical journal, found a simple visual screening test to look for the early signs of cervical cancer reduced the numbers of cases by a quarter.
"This is a landmark study," said Dr. Harshad Sanghvi, medical director at JHPIEGO, an international health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University that has worked on preventing cervical cancer in poor countries. Sanghvi was unconnected to the Lancet study.
Previous research has shown visual screening is almost as effective in catching cancer as Pap smears, a more expensive technique used in the West, which involves scraping cells from the cervix to be examined under a microscope in a laboratory.
But other tests, like Pap smears or those to detect the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer, are too expensive for poor countries to adopt. "The visual screening approach is within our grasp," Sanghvi said. "Visual inspection won't have as dramatic an impact as the sophisticated tests, but will have 70 percent of the impact for a minuscule cost."
Officials are already working on a cheaper version of the cervical cancer vaccine, which currently costs about $360 per dose, for the developing world. Together with stepped-up screening, doctors think that cervical cancer might one day be wiped out as a major health problem.
(http://www.foxnews.com / AP)
The study, published in The Lancet medical journal, found a simple visual screening test to look for the early signs of cervical cancer reduced the numbers of cases by a quarter.
"This is a landmark study," said Dr. Harshad Sanghvi, medical director at JHPIEGO, an international health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University that has worked on preventing cervical cancer in poor countries. Sanghvi was unconnected to the Lancet study.
Previous research has shown visual screening is almost as effective in catching cancer as Pap smears, a more expensive technique used in the West, which involves scraping cells from the cervix to be examined under a microscope in a laboratory.
But other tests, like Pap smears or those to detect the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer, are too expensive for poor countries to adopt. "The visual screening approach is within our grasp," Sanghvi said. "Visual inspection won't have as dramatic an impact as the sophisticated tests, but will have 70 percent of the impact for a minuscule cost."
Officials are already working on a cheaper version of the cervical cancer vaccine, which currently costs about $360 per dose, for the developing world. Together with stepped-up screening, doctors think that cervical cancer might one day be wiped out as a major health problem.
(http://www.foxnews.com / AP)
2.8.07
Current female heads of government
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (born September 29, 1951) is a center-left politician and the current President of Chile She was inaugurated on March 11, 2006.
Helen Elizabeth Clark (born February 26, 1950) became Prime Minister of New Zealand in December 1999 and entered her third successive term in that office in 2005.
Luísa Dias Diogo (born April 11, 1958) has been prime minister of Mozambique since February 2004.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (born October 29, 1938) is the current president of Liberia and Africa's first elected female head of state.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born April 5, 1947), also known by her initials "G.M.A.", is the 14th and current president of the Philippines.
Angela Dorothea Merkel (b. Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954, in Hamburg, Germany), is the Chancellor of Germany.
Pratibha Patil (born December 19, 1934) is the 13th and current President of India.
Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945 in Wood Hall, St. Catherine Parish) is, since 30 March 2006, the Prime Minister of Jamaica.
(http://www.wikipedia.org/)
Helen Elizabeth Clark (born February 26, 1950) became Prime Minister of New Zealand in December 1999 and entered her third successive term in that office in 2005.
Luísa Dias Diogo (born April 11, 1958) has been prime minister of Mozambique since February 2004.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (born October 29, 1938) is the current president of Liberia and Africa's first elected female head of state.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born April 5, 1947), also known by her initials "G.M.A.", is the 14th and current president of the Philippines.
Angela Dorothea Merkel (b. Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954, in Hamburg, Germany), is the Chancellor of Germany.
Pratibha Patil (born December 19, 1934) is the 13th and current President of India.
Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945 in Wood Hall, St. Catherine Parish) is, since 30 March 2006, the Prime Minister of Jamaica.
(http://www.wikipedia.org/)
Australian granny, 94, becomes world's oldest master
A 94-year-old Australian great-great-grandmother who quit school at 12 is said to have become the world's oldest person to earn a university masters degree.
Medical Science Masters Degree graduate Phyllis Turner, from Australia's Adelaide University, began studying for her postgraduate degree at age 90 and received her award this week.
"I feel very very happy after five years of study, but sorry that I am just a little bit immobilized," Mrs Turner, who uses a walking stick, told Australian papers.
Degree supervisor Professor Maciej Henneberg said he had been amazed by Turner's energy and dedication to study.
"Mentally she was like any other student. You couldn't tell her thinking, her enthusiasm and her interests apart from somebody who was 25. She has a lively mind," he told Reuters.
(Reuters)
Medical Science Masters Degree graduate Phyllis Turner, from Australia's Adelaide University, began studying for her postgraduate degree at age 90 and received her award this week.
"I feel very very happy after five years of study, but sorry that I am just a little bit immobilized," Mrs Turner, who uses a walking stick, told Australian papers.
Degree supervisor Professor Maciej Henneberg said he had been amazed by Turner's energy and dedication to study.
"Mentally she was like any other student. You couldn't tell her thinking, her enthusiasm and her interests apart from somebody who was 25. She has a lively mind," he told Reuters.
(Reuters)
1.8.07
Clinton woos the outsourcers feared by U.S. workers
BUFFALO, N.Y. — To many labor unions and high-tech workers, the Indian giant Tata Consultancy Services is a serious threat — a company that has helped move U.S. jobs to India while sending thousands of foreign workers on temporary visas to the United States.
So when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) came to this struggling city to announce some good news, her choice of partners was something of a surprise.
Joining Tata Consultancy's chief executive at a downtown hotel, Clinton announced that the company would open a software development office in Buffalo and form a research partnership with a local university. Tata told a newspaper that it might hire as many as 200 people.
The 2003 announcement had clear benefits for the senator and the company: Tata received good press, and Clinton burnished her credentials as a champion for New York's depressed upstate region.
But less noticed was how the event signaled that Clinton, who portrays herself as a fighter for American workers, had aligned herself with Indian American business leaders and Indian companies feared by the labor movement.
Now, as Clinton runs for president, that signal is echoing loudly.
Clinton is successfully wooing wealthy Indian Americans, many of them business leaders with close ties to their native country and an interest in protecting outsourcing laws and expanding access to worker visas. Her campaign has held three fundraisers in the Indian American community recently, one of which raised close to $3 million, its sponsor told an Indian news organization.
(http://www.latimes.com)
So when Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) came to this struggling city to announce some good news, her choice of partners was something of a surprise.
Joining Tata Consultancy's chief executive at a downtown hotel, Clinton announced that the company would open a software development office in Buffalo and form a research partnership with a local university. Tata told a newspaper that it might hire as many as 200 people.
The 2003 announcement had clear benefits for the senator and the company: Tata received good press, and Clinton burnished her credentials as a champion for New York's depressed upstate region.
But less noticed was how the event signaled that Clinton, who portrays herself as a fighter for American workers, had aligned herself with Indian American business leaders and Indian companies feared by the labor movement.
Now, as Clinton runs for president, that signal is echoing loudly.
Clinton is successfully wooing wealthy Indian Americans, many of them business leaders with close ties to their native country and an interest in protecting outsourcing laws and expanding access to worker visas. Her campaign has held three fundraisers in the Indian American community recently, one of which raised close to $3 million, its sponsor told an Indian news organization.
(http://www.latimes.com)
537 Days Left
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton has widened her lead over fellow Sen. Barack Obama in the race for the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination, a new poll showed on Wednesday.
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll also showed that if the elections were held today, either of those Democrats would beat former New York Major Rudy Giuliani, the current Republican favorite.
Forty-three percent of Democratic respondents said they preferred the New York senator and former first lady over other Democratic candidates in the 2008 contest, up from 39 percent in June, the poll showed.
(Reuters)
Interestingly, the poll also showed that Michael Bloomberg had a 11% chance of winning. It appears to be a clear suggestion that Bloomberg — who has not thrown his hat in the presidential fray — would steal more support from the Republicans than from the Democrats.
(Times of India)
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll also showed that if the elections were held today, either of those Democrats would beat former New York Major Rudy Giuliani, the current Republican favorite.
Forty-three percent of Democratic respondents said they preferred the New York senator and former first lady over other Democratic candidates in the 2008 contest, up from 39 percent in June, the poll showed.
(Reuters)
Interestingly, the poll also showed that Michael Bloomberg had a 11% chance of winning. It appears to be a clear suggestion that Bloomberg — who has not thrown his hat in the presidential fray — would steal more support from the Republicans than from the Democrats.
(Times of India)
30.7.07
The Child Minder System
Each year, dozens of children in the US die because of a regrettable, preventable error - being left in a vehicle by a distracted parent or caretaker.
We've all heard the stories. And we've all thought, "That could never happen to me and my family." But it can and it does happen to loving, busy families just like yours - with catastrophic consequences. If you're still in doubt, take a moment to read Mackenzee's Story.
The Child Minder® system is an affordable, portable and practical monitoring device which can prevent these accidents. Installation takes less than three minutes, meaning the device can be quickly and easily moved from one car seat to another.
Don't take the chance that your busy, hectic schedule might lead to a deadly mistake. A small investment of time and money can put your mind at ease and keep your child safe.
(http://www.babyalert.info/home.php)
We've all heard the stories. And we've all thought, "That could never happen to me and my family." But it can and it does happen to loving, busy families just like yours - with catastrophic consequences. If you're still in doubt, take a moment to read Mackenzee's Story.
The Child Minder® system is an affordable, portable and practical monitoring device which can prevent these accidents. Installation takes less than three minutes, meaning the device can be quickly and easily moved from one car seat to another.
Don't take the chance that your busy, hectic schedule might lead to a deadly mistake. A small investment of time and money can put your mind at ease and keep your child safe.
(http://www.babyalert.info/home.php)
Skybus - "... everything comes with a fee"
The nation's newest carrier is trying to emulate the no-frills model of
Skybus Extras
On Skybus, “other than using the restroom, everything comes with a fee,” said Brandy King, a spokeswoman for Southwest.
The airline sells soft drinks, juice and water for $2, alcoholic beverages for $5 and, if you really want to splurge, a small bottle of champagne for $10. Candy bars and potato chips go for $2. If you are looking for a little more to eat, a sandwich will run you $10. The airline bills you for checked baggage. The first two bags are $5 each. Each additional bag is $50. The airline does offer pillows — for a whopping $8 — but you get to keep the pillow! Though seating is first-come, first-served, passengers can also pay an extra $10 each way for priority seating which will allow them to board right after passengers with disabilities.
Skybus Wages
In order to keep wages in line with their projected low fares, flight attendants are only paid $9 per flight hour, and will not be paid a per diem. While this is considerably lower than competing airlines' wages, flight attendants also receive 10% of all sales made during the flight, splitting all commissions evenly among all flight attendants on-board. Starting pilot wages are also below average, starting at $65,000 annually. The average commercial airline pilot wage is approximately $135,000.
Skybus Investors
Skybus Airlines' startup finances is currently provided by a number of large investors. These include: Fidelity Investments (12.6% ownership), Morgan Stanley (6.4%), Nationwide Mutual Capital (5%), and Tiger Management (4.1%). Smaller investors include: Huntington Capital Investment Co., Wolfe Enterprises (owner of The Columbus Dispatch), and Battelle Services Co. Inc.
(travel.nytimes.com, www.dispatch.com, www.nb12.com)
Jerusalem wary of US arms sale to Saudis
Despite the significant increase in US military aid to Israel, defense officials warned Sunday that the sale of satellite-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia had the potential to constitute a strategic threat to the state of Israel.
According to the proposed arms deal, Saudi Arabia will receive thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) - a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided "smart" weapons. The package also proposes a 25 percent increase in US military aid to Israel, from an annual $2.4 billion to $3b. a year.
(www.jpost.com)
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