Author: Nancy Goldsmith

Make the Most Out of Cyber Monday

The name “Cyber Monday” was coined five years ago by the Shop.org unit of the National Retail Federation to describe the 77% increase in sales on the second biggest online shopping day of the year. Cyber Monday has grown bigger and better since then, increasing to $608 million in 2005, $733 million in 2007 and $846 million in 2008.

Here are some tips for how to make the most of your time and money on Cyber Monday:

1. Sign up for email alerts – be informed about what sales are being offered in your favorite stores.
2. Follow your favorite retailers on Facebook or Twitter to be the first to hear about special offers
3. Check which retailers will give you free shipping.
4. Remember that sometimes, seeing the item in a real store is better than ordering it online.
5. Shop early – in case supplies are limited.
6. Enjoy your shopping!

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Recall

Johnson & Johnson has recalled nearly five million packages of the popular over-the-counter medications Benadryl and Motrin because a J&J review “revealed insufficiencies in the development of the manufacturing process,” J&J said. The recall applied to four million packages of Children’s Benadryl Allergy Fastmelt Tablets in cherry and grape flavors, distributed in the U.S. and elsewhere, as well as 800,000 bottles of the painkiller Junior Strength Motrin Caplets, which had been distributed in the U.S.

The company also recalled about 71,000 packages of Rolaid antacid from throughout the United States. The Rolaids, according to J&J, had been produced by a third party, and were recalled due to consumer complaints regarding “an uncharacteristic consistency or texture, traced to crystallized sugar in the product.”
The recall, like earlier recalls of Tylenol and other consumer items during the past year, involved products at the company’s Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, facility. That facility was shut earlier in the year to deal with quality-control issues, including unsanitary conditions.

Johnson & Johnson stated that the recall was for wholesale and retail outlets; “consumers do not have to take any action,” their spokeswoman said.

New 911 Call Center Services Suggested

Arlington locals may soon be able to text 911 in order to receive emergency help. Yesterday, public safety leaders held a press conference with FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to discuss possible changes in 911 services.

Genachowski pointed out that 70% of 911 calls now come from mobile phones, and explained that “the current 911 system is efficient and reliable…but it doesn’t support tomorrows communications tools. With today’s advances in commercial mobile broadband technologies, consumers are texting and sending pictures more through their phones. But right now, you can’t text 911. It’s time to bring 911 into the digital age.” He used the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 as an example of why this is a good idea. He explained that frantic students and witnesses has attempted to text 911 during the emergency, but their messages never went through. Genachowski added that the systems can help in other situations as well. He explained that new-generation 911 options would enable a witness to send a photo of a car leaving after an armed robbery, or allow a deaf person to communicate with an emergency call center without difficulty. Automatic equipment like highway cameras or personal medical devices would be programmed to text 911 during emergencies.

Currently, no countries are implementing these ideas. The development and utilization of the system will demand a lot of effort and cooperation. The new system will also require an increase in staff at emergency call centers.

The Sun is Our Natural Clock

The secrets of how our body’s biological clocks adjust to the shorter days of winter, can give us insight into the mechanism behind jet-lag and the effects of shift-work. Researchers are studying plants and the daily cycle of activities, called circadian rhythms. They are discovering precisely fine-tuned processes which allow the plant’s genes to change their responses as the hours of dawn and dusk change each day. The plant’s genes apparently also able to respond to the length of the daylight in each day.

This amazingly delicate system allows plants to make the needed adjustments each and every day. The plants daily reset their internal clocks in response to the seasonal variations in daylight. This is what allows the plant to control the timing of crucial activities including growth and flowering.

These findings bear relevance to the same rhythms found in humans. People’s rhythms also respond to variations in amounts of daylight, interruptions in the rhythms, etc. International travel in high speed airplanes can wreak havoc with the delicate balance of our circadian cycles.

National Opt-Out Day

TSA ScannerNew security measures are being placed at airports around the U.S. – and they are meeting with major protests by travelers. Many people are complaining about the new full-body scanners, which visualize the passenger without clothing, as well as the “pat-down” that is provided for those who refuse to pass down the scanner. Some passengers have complained that the new, more aggressive body search is a violation of their personal space.

Yet, despite the huge publicity they’ve received, most passengers will not be subjected to full-body scans or pat-downs during their travel during this Thanksgiving season, as there are now just 400 body scanners at 70 U.S. airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration spokesman. This means that fewer than one-fifth of the 2,200 security lanes in the nation’s 450 commercial airports are already equipped with the machine.

In those places where the scanners are in place, however, there may be some delays due to protests of the new equipment. An online movement is encouraging people to adopt the day before Thanksgiving as National Opt-Out Day, in which they “opt out” of the new scanners and slow down the screening process by opting for a pat-down search instead. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is among those support the opt-out initiative. But organizations such as the Air Travelers Association oppose the protest, saying it will just cause difficulties and delays for the passengers it is ostensibly meant to help.