Aug 02 2008
RamblerHappy Saturday! Good News for Saturday, August 2
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Weekend Greetings! Hope your weekend is going well and here are a few GOOD news stories I found that may help get things going on the right foot. Enjoy!
Chinese are Treated to a Total Solar Eclipse
Crowds of Chinese observed a total solar eclipse Friday, just one week before the start of the Summer Games in Beijing.
The eclipse was a welcome sign after a year that began with heavy snowstorms at the Chinese New Year, followed by a deadly earthquake, then river flooding , then even a huge algae bloom at the Olympic sailing site.
On Friday evening the eclipse was cheered by a country eager for any positive sign before the games. State media were calling China’s first solar eclipse of the century the ”Olympics eclipse,” and TV stations broadcast it live.
Pest Exterminator Lost in the Outback Survives by Eating Bugs
A former pest exterminator was lost in the remote Australian Outback and managed to survive by eating bugs.
Theo Rosmulder, 52, survived for four days by eating termites and other insects. Local Aborigines found him Tuesday and brought him back to civilization.
Rosmulder told reporters that he was able to eat termites he found at a giant termite mound. “I just hit the top of the termite nest off and got stuck into them,” Rosmulder said. “Termites don’t taste too bad,” he said at a news conference.
Rosmulder was suffering from dehydration but was otherwise in good condition.
Astronaut Technology May Help Prevent Falls in the Elderly
Scientists that have been working to help astronauts regain their balance after extended flights in zero gravity think they may have found a way to use their research to also help elderly people avoid catastrophic falls.
An “iShoe” insole contains sensors that analyze how well a person is balancing. The purpose is to gather information and to get people to a doctor before they fall.
Erez Lieberman (a graduate student who developed the technology while working as an intern at NASA) says a damaging fall is typically preceded by numerous warnings. Poor balance is a slowly progressing condition.
The iShoe is still being tested to make sure it can hold up under constant foot pounding and the software that identifies the faulty pressure patterns is still being tweaked. Research involving elderly people is also just beginning.
Lieberman estimates $1 million is needed for a broad clinical trial, and $3 million to $4 million is needed to bring the insole to market.
The company has applied for a patent and also federal funding. Once the funding is obtained, the iShoe could be for sale in 18 months.
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4 responses so far
Yeww, I would hate to eat bugs–no matter what kind they were. For four days, I could live without food rather than eat bugs. I just read “Touching Spirit Bear” and one part was how Cole got mauled by a bear and couldn’t move, so ate bugs and a mouse! YUCK! The author really made it sound gross and made me a very graphic visual in my mind. This news article reminded me of that.
OK, the story about the pest controller is an absolute hoot. That’s one of the better things I’ve read in some time…
It’s always nice and refreshing to read some good news for a change. And I’ve often wondered whether I could ever be so hungry as to eat bugs. (Here’s hoping I never have to find out!)
Love the story about the Pest Exterminator… now he can say he earned a “living” both ways–exterminating bugs and now eating them