Saturday, June 26, 2010

Blindness Can Be Cured With Stem Cells

Transplanting a person's own stem cells appears to cure blindness caused by caustic chemicals such as heavy-duty cleaning products. Dozens of blind or partially-blind people had their site restored in a study performed in Italy.

In one case a man who suffered severe eye damage over 60 years ago had the stem cell procedure done and now enjoys near-normal vision. According to top ophthalmologist Dr. Ivan Schwab of UC Davis:
"This is a roaring success!"
We should say so. Stem cell transplant procedure now offer a great deal of hope to the thousands of people around the world who lose their sight in industrial and home accidents every year. There is also some evidence that stem cell treatments may help people with other forms of blindness so stay tuned for more encouraging research in the near future!

Learn some mo': Stem cell breakthrough for blind patients 'after treatment restores vision'

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Landon Donovan Scores Miracle Goal in World Cup

Landon Donovan has scored the biggest and most important goal in US Soccer history and one of the greatest goals in World Cup history!


Donovan, who has long been considered the best US player in the world, lived up to expectations by putting in an incredible goal in the final moments of the game. It not only gave them the win over Algeria but it also put them into the 2nd round of the tournament!

Learn some mo': Donovan rescues U.S. World Cup dream with goal in 91st minute

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Nevada Now Has Highest Unemployment Rate

The state of Nevada now boasts the highest unemployment rate in the US, finally beating out Michigan and it's dying manufacturing industries. Statistically, the official number is 14% unemployment. Unofficially, the "real" unemployment rate is probably much higher in Nevada and especially in the Las Vegas area.

There are about 190,000 Nevada residents without jobs, according to state figures. Yet the true figure is much, much larger due to the large number of Nevadans who have stopped filing for unemployment benefits.

The economy in Southern Nevada is probably the worst in the entire country and has yet to experience any of the recovery taking parts in most of the rest of the United States. It's kind of ironic since not too long ago Las Vegas boasted the fastest-growing economy, job market, and population of all major US cities.

Nevada's jobless rate has skyrocketed since the Great Recession began in 2007, jumping nearly 9 percentage points. With an economy that's nearly completely based around gaming, hospitality, and construction -- 3 of the worst-hit industries -- it's obvious the Nevada is going to have to take some big steps toward diversifying itself in order to create new jobs.

Learn some mo': Nevada leads the nation in unemployment

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Ron Artest's Psychiatrist


Ron Artest is seriously crazy. But he's a great, GREAT basketball player and teammate. He thanked his psychiatrist (as well as his "hood") at the end of game 7 of the NBA Championships.

So anyway, here he is... Ron's psychologist... Phil Jackson.

Experts: Las Vegas Economic Recovery Will Begin in 2011

Southern Nevada and especially Las Vegas will continue to struggle economically for the rest of 2010 and probably won't begin to rebound until the 1st quarter of 2011, according to a report just released by a team of economists from UNLV.

They also say that the Las Vegas economy won't fully recover for several years. The 2011 rebound will be slow at best according to the mid-year forecast. Some experts also believe that a double-dip recession will take place in Southern Nevada and possibly the entire country.

Economists feel that the continuing unemployment and retail sales problems could drag the economy back down, at least for a short period of time. Many people believe that the economic data coming out shows that the US recovery is losing steam rapidly.

At least those great Las Vegas deals should continue to stay around for the time being! :)

Learn some mo': 2011 rebound expected, but full recovery years away

Larissa Riquelme is the Sexy Paraguayan World Cup Fan

The mystery has been solved. The incredibly sexy Hispanic girl who was photographed going nuts during the Paraguay v. Italy is none other than Paraguayan model Larissa Riquelme!

Check out this latin beauty:


We love soccer!!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Xbox 360 Slim Launched by Microsoft

Microsoft has unveiled the brand-new Xbox 360 Slim. It's significantly smaller, more sleek, and -- according to some -- much more "sexy" looking than the old full-size Xbox 360 video game console.

The 360 Slim is supposedly also much quieter and less susceptible to those dreaded "Red Ring of Death" failures that plague many Xbox 360 boxes. It features a big 250 GB hard drive, built-in WiFi connectivity, and the same $299 price tag of the old Xbox console.

Here's a photo of the Slim:


Learn some mo': New Xbox 360 Slim gets official

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Concentrating Solar Power Plant Opens in California Desert

A new type of concentrating solar power plant that uses less water has opened in a small town in the Mojave desert. The High Gain Solar (HGS) 1000 system plant will provide about 85% of the electricity needs in the town of Nipton, according to plant engineers.

Many experts believe that small-scale plants like this are the future of solar energy in the southwestern United States. They use concentrating solar photovoltaic technology, or "CPV", which is ideal for places with plenty of sun but little water, such as Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona.

The huge solar arrays being built get more attention, but many people think that small-scale solar and distributed generation networks offer far more benefits in the short and long run. In the Las Vegas/Southern Nevada area especially, small-scale solar is really catching on. As energy costs rise, individual families and companies are more and more interested in generating their own electricity and even selling excess power back to the grid.

Learn some mo': Remote California town blazes trail with solar plant that saves water

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Coffee, Caffeine Lower Diabetes Risk

For the first time experiments on lab animals have confirmed that consuming coffee and caffeine can lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes significantly. This is a serious disease that affects millions of people around the world and especially in the United States, where it has become one of the biggest health threats as people's body weights increase.

According to research done on laboratory mice, coffee consumption helped to prevent high-blood sugar levels while also improving insulin sensitivity, both of which greatly reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Coffee also appeared to cause several other beneficial changes in the inflammatory adipocytokines and fatty liver of the mice, which further decreased diabetes risk.

Experts believe that the caffeine found in coffee is the main anti-diabetic chemical that's responsible for the health benefits. So, if you're worried about diabetes, you may want to increase your intake of coffee and/or caffeine!

Learn some mo': New evidence that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes

Friday, June 11, 2010

Cheap 2 Terabyte Hard Drives Are Here, 3TB Drives on the Way

Cheap 2 terabyte hard drives have arrived. In fact, they can now be had for as little as $100 dollars, down from about $250 just a year and a half ago! Online retailer NewEgg is offering the Seagate Barracuda LP ST32000542AS -- a 2TB 5900-rpm internal SATA drive -- for $99.99 to customers on its "deals" mailing list.

Even the high-performance 2 TB 7200-rpm drives with 6Gb/s transfer rates are much cheaper than before, in about the $200-$300 range. Some experts believe that the low prices are being offered in anticipation of the 3TB hard drives that are expected to arrive around the end of 2010.

This is very good news for people who need more memory storage capacity and those who put together low-cost and discount computers!

Learn some mo': Two-Terabyte Drives Are Almost Cheap

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

US Economy Finally Picking Up Everywhere

The entire United States economy appears to be picking up for the first time since the start of the Great Recession in 2008, according to the Federal Reserve. They say that modest and fragile economic growth is taking place in just about every corner of the country.

The Fed's yearly survey that measures national economic activity showed that things are improving in every part of the country for the first time since 2007. Manufacturing is up as well as retail sales, both important factors in terms of getting the US back on track financially.

Experts till warn that the pace of the growth in most of the country is still extremely slow. Worse, companies won't begin hiring because of the modest growth, meaning that the lack of jobs will continue for the foreseeable future.

Learn some mo': Fed sees economy picking up all across U.S.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Back Pain Treatments Often Not Need (and Don't Work Anyway)

Americans are estimated to spend about $86 billion per year trying to treat their back pain, including MRIs, pain-killers, spinal injections, acupuncture, natural "cures," and a variety of machines and back pain-relief gadgets. Complicated and expensive back operations are becoming more and more common, even though only a small percentage of people with back problems are good candidates for surgery.

Yet the evidence is becoming clear: most pack pain treatments are not necessary... and don't even work anyway. The vast majority of back problems heal by themselves within just a few weeks. In fact, time alone may be the best back pain treatment of all!

Certain types of exercise can also help significantly, according to some neck and back pain experts. Rehabilitation exercise programs attempt to strengthen the muscles that support the spine and often work very, very well.

Other treatments that involve stretching the spine, such as inversion therapy, may also be effective in some cases.

Learn some mo': Pain in the back widely over-treated

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Is Online Gambling Coming to New Jersey?

Here's some good news for Americans who miss legal online gambling: New Jersey may soon legalize online casinos within the state borders. A group of senators has released a bill that would allow Atlantic City casinos to build and operate online "portal" sites for poker, blackjack, craps, and several other popular casino games.

According to the bill, only players/customers within New Jersey's borders will have access to the intra-state gambling network. If the bill passes, it would establish NJ as the first US state to allow full internet gaming within its jurisdiction, something that obviously pleases Internet-gambling proponents and fans.

US federal laws make it illegal to allow gambling without a casino license. New Jersey is one of the few states that issue these licenses, all of which are given to Atlantic City casinos in the southern part of the state.

Some experts believe that the new bill could boost gross gaming revenue in the state by as much as $250 million dollars per year. More revenue and jobs could be created if NJ can attract Internet gaming companies to the state. The combination of a well-established casino industry and closeness to Wall Street give New Jersey an advantage over most other states such as California and Florida, both of which may pass similar bills in the future.

Learn some mo': Senate committee approves in-New Jersey online gambling through Atlantic City casinos