Inspirational and good news.
The great news round-up for January is up on the Great News page.
As a reminder, you can always sign up to receive the great news newsletter, which is released once a month.
One last thing: our next meet up will be on Feb. 21st at the Embassy in Kensington Market. Show up any time after 8 pm to mingle with people who want to make the world a better place!
Detecting Alzheimer’s early allows for better treatment, and a new test that looks at the eye can make early detection a lot easier. Those with Alzheimer’s have cloudy-looking plaques that are present in the eye long before other signs of Alzheimer’s show.
A Harvard researcher says a laser-based diagnostic system might be used to detect the disease long before it affects the brain, allowing for early treatment that could defer its degenerative symptoms.
Thanks, Justin!
Richard wrote:
“President Bush announced something called the Advanced Energy Initiative to ween America off of its dependence on foreign oil in his state of the union address… it’s for maybe the wrong reasons, but it’s at least a small step in the right direction, from an environmental standpoint.”
Details can be found on the NASDAQ website.
Thanks, Richard!
by Leo Postovoit
On average, there are 100,000 police pursuits a year in the United
States, 600 in the city of Los Angeles alone, many of which end
violently.
Today marks a special time, for the Los Angeles Police Department
announced the use of a new tracking device to follow fleeing motorists
and get officers out of the way of danger.
“It is an air-propelled miniature dart equipped with a global
positioning device. Once fired from a patrol car, it sticks to a
fleeing motorist’s vehicle and emits a radio signal to police,” says
Chief William J. Bratton.
“Instead of us pushing them doing 70 or 80 miles an hour … this device
allows us not to have to pursue after the car,” Bratton said. “It
allows us to start vectoring where the car is. Even if they bail out
of the car, we’ll have pretty much instantaneously information where
they are.”
U.S. Department of Justice officials, Bratton said, suggested that the
StarChase system, the product of a Virginia company, be tested in Los
Angeles. A number of patrol cars will be equipped with compressed air
launchers, which fire the miniature GPS receiver in a sticky compound
resembling a golf ball, for a four to six month trial.
Implementation of such technology is aimed at the end of violent
pursuits — Last year, an LAPD officer fatally shot a 13-year-old boy,
who was driving a stolen car, at the end of a pursuit, as well as
This week, another pursuit in the Los Angeles area ended with a
sheriff’s deputy firing at the passenger of the car in a controversial
incident.
An Israeli inventor has created artificial gills. The device actually squeezes the air out of water, which means that there is no need for compressed air tanks when going underwater. A prototype has been created and tested.
This is just really neat, and means that maybe we will be more prepared for rising sea levels.