| News Capsules - May-June - Page 2 |
The Bad Side of
Stronger Cars
Modern cars with reinforced steel
construction and other safety aids
are better able to protect their
occupants in crashes, but the
greater protection comes at a
cost—it’s becoming harder and
more dangerous to free injured
drivers and riders from those
vehicles. Hydraulic cutters may
not be able to shear through roof
posts, and pressurized gas
canisters used to inflate air bags
can explode if pierced by cutting
tools. This is making it take much
longer sometimes to free injured
riders and get them to a hospital.
Cities and counties are having to
spend tens of thousands of
dollars to buy more powerful
equipment.—(Racine) Journal
Times (3/20/08)
Hollywood Going 3-D
In a Big Way
Hollywood has announced deals
to convert up to 10,000 movie
theater screens with digital
technology capable of offering
films in 3-D. Deals have been
reached with Disney, 20th
Century Fox, Paramount, and
Universal Pictures to finance and
equip screens in the U.S. and
Canada during the next three
years. A Hannah Montana & Miley
Cyrus concert 3-D movie pulled in
$31.3 million in its opening
weekend despite the fact it could
only be shown on 683 screens. At
least 30 more 3-D movies are in
the works.—www.cnn.com
(3/11/08)
Stronger Cars
Modern cars with reinforced steel
construction and other safety aids
are better able to protect their
occupants in crashes, but the
greater protection comes at a
cost—it’s becoming harder and
more dangerous to free injured
drivers and riders from those
vehicles. Hydraulic cutters may
not be able to shear through roof
posts, and pressurized gas
canisters used to inflate air bags
can explode if pierced by cutting
tools. This is making it take much
longer sometimes to free injured
riders and get them to a hospital.
Cities and counties are having to
spend tens of thousands of
dollars to buy more powerful
equipment.—(Racine) Journal
Times (3/20/08)
Hollywood Going 3-D
In a Big Way
Hollywood has announced deals
to convert up to 10,000 movie
theater screens with digital
technology capable of offering
films in 3-D. Deals have been
reached with Disney, 20th
Century Fox, Paramount, and
Universal Pictures to finance and
equip screens in the U.S. and
Canada during the next three
years. A Hannah Montana & Miley
Cyrus concert 3-D movie pulled in
$31.3 million in its opening
weekend despite the fact it could
only be shown on 683 screens. At
least 30 more 3-D movies are in
the works.—www.cnn.com
(3/11/08)
Canadian Creationists
A recent poll in Canada found
26% of Canadians believe God
created humans within the last
10,000 years, 34% believe God
used evolution to create humans
over millions of years, and 29%
think evolution occurred without
help from God.—Answers
(January-March, 2008)
Profanity Hurts Profits
The Nielsen Co. says a new study
shows that PG-rated movies with
the most profanity make the least
money. An analysis of movies
released between the fall of 2005
and the fall of 2007 showed that
films averaging 0.8 on a 10 point
profanity scale averaged $69
million while those that scored 2.8
on the scale averaged only $38
million. “Parents are choosing PG
films for their kids that have very,
very low levels of profanity,” an
expert said. Sexuality and
violence seemed to have less to
do with success than the
language.—Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (3/14/08)
Tigers on the Decline
The population of India’s rare
Royal Bengal tigers has dipped to
1,411, much lower than the
estimated 3,700 believed to exist
just 5 years ago. Researchers
blamed the decrease on poaching
and the loss of quality habitat and
prey. The government has
announced it was forming a “tiger
protection force” to guard
sanctuaries.—news.yahoo.com
(2/12/08) - from AFP
A recent poll in Canada found
26% of Canadians believe God
created humans within the last
10,000 years, 34% believe God
used evolution to create humans
over millions of years, and 29%
think evolution occurred without
help from God.—Answers
(January-March, 2008)
Profanity Hurts Profits
The Nielsen Co. says a new study
shows that PG-rated movies with
the most profanity make the least
money. An analysis of movies
released between the fall of 2005
and the fall of 2007 showed that
films averaging 0.8 on a 10 point
profanity scale averaged $69
million while those that scored 2.8
on the scale averaged only $38
million. “Parents are choosing PG
films for their kids that have very,
very low levels of profanity,” an
expert said. Sexuality and
violence seemed to have less to
do with success than the
language.—Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (3/14/08)
Tigers on the Decline
The population of India’s rare
Royal Bengal tigers has dipped to
1,411, much lower than the
estimated 3,700 believed to exist
just 5 years ago. Researchers
blamed the decrease on poaching
and the loss of quality habitat and
prey. The government has
announced it was forming a “tiger
protection force” to guard
sanctuaries.—news.yahoo.com
(2/12/08) - from AFP
Dead—Now Alive
Zach Dunlap was declared dead
four months ago after an ATV
accident, and doctors were about
to remove his organs for
transplant when he moved a foot
and a hand. His movements were
in response to a pocketknife
being scraped across his foot and
pressure applied under a
fingernail. Despite some memory
problems, Dunlap says he feels
pretty good now but recalls
doctors at a Wichita Falls, Texas
hospital pronouncing him dead.—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(3/25/08)
Baby Baboons Do
Better If Dad’s Around
New research shows that baby
baboons, like human children, do
better when dad is around.
Princeton U. scientists studying
yellow baboons in Kenya found
that male behavior was
unpredictable, some wandering
regularly from group to group, but
others staying with the same
group for years. With the father
around, young baboons tended to
mature faster and were less
aggressive, the effect stronger in
juvenile males than it was in
females—www.nature.com (2/4/08)
King Penguins in Danger
King penguins in the Antarctic
could be wiped out if the continent
continues its warm-up, according
to a French study. The tiny
warming of the Southern Ocean
caused by El Nino has already
negatively affected the bird’s
ability to survive. King penguins
are second in size among
penguins only to the emperor
penguin. About 2 million breeding
pairs are thought to exist.—news.
yahoo.com (2/11/08)
Zach Dunlap was declared dead
four months ago after an ATV
accident, and doctors were about
to remove his organs for
transplant when he moved a foot
and a hand. His movements were
in response to a pocketknife
being scraped across his foot and
pressure applied under a
fingernail. Despite some memory
problems, Dunlap says he feels
pretty good now but recalls
doctors at a Wichita Falls, Texas
hospital pronouncing him dead.—
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(3/25/08)
Baby Baboons Do
Better If Dad’s Around
New research shows that baby
baboons, like human children, do
better when dad is around.
Princeton U. scientists studying
yellow baboons in Kenya found
that male behavior was
unpredictable, some wandering
regularly from group to group, but
others staying with the same
group for years. With the father
around, young baboons tended to
mature faster and were less
aggressive, the effect stronger in
juvenile males than it was in
females—www.nature.com (2/4/08)
King Penguins in Danger
King penguins in the Antarctic
could be wiped out if the continent
continues its warm-up, according
to a French study. The tiny
warming of the Southern Ocean
caused by El Nino has already
negatively affected the bird’s
ability to survive. King penguins
are second in size among
penguins only to the emperor
penguin. About 2 million breeding
pairs are thought to exist.—news.
yahoo.com (2/11/08)
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