Ten Top Design Skills For Tough Times

Ten Top Design Skills For Tough Times

Flu shot may be good for your heart

Curtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Update :
It's not clear how flu shots might protect the heart. One leading theory is that flu inflections launch an inflammatory response throughout the body.
That inflammation may dislodge plaque that has built up in the walls of arteries as a normal function of aging - plaque deposits that have otherwise been stable for decades but that suddenly burst, squeezing off blood supply to the heart.
Recent studies have shown that people have a higher risk of heart attack, congestive heart failure or stroke in the first days or week after coming down with flu.

As always each story has two sides. Pro and anti vaccination. Soon we will publish an article outlining the other point of view. Meanwhile feel free to tell us your comments on the flu shots 

This time of year, people are rolling up their sleeves to get flu shots and avoid seasonal sniffles. And new research suggests the flu vaccine may also help prevent strokes and heart attacks.
The research was presented  at the 2012 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Toronto.
Dr. Jacob Udell, a cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital, and the researchers pored over published clinical trials on the flu dating back to the 1960s. But only four studies, done between 1994 and 2008, met their scientific criteria.
Those four studies included 3,227 participants, half of whom suffered from heart disease. Half of all the participants received a flu shot and the remainder were given a placebo vaccine.
A year later, the group who had received the vaccine experienced 50% fewer major cardiac events — heart attack, stroke or cardiac death — compared with those who’d received a placebo. There was also a 40 per cent reduction in death from any cause among those who had received the flu vaccine.
The statistics are “pretty profound,” said Udell, also a scientist at the University of Toronto.

Unlocking the Mysteries of Hair Growth

Have you ever wondered why hair grows on some parts of your body, but not others?
New research offers a possible explanation. Scientists found that hairless skin secretes a protein that blocks a signaling pathway (WNT) that controls hair growth.
Called Dickkopf 2 (DKK2), the protein is found in specific embryonic and adult tissues and has a variety of functions, the University of Pennsylvania researchers explained.
They found that plantar skin from mice — similar to the underside of the human wrist — had high levels of DKK2. When they genetically removed DKK2 from the mice, hair began to grow in this normally hairless skin region.
“This is significant because it tells us WNT is still present in hairless regions, it’s just being blocked,” said study co-senior author Sarah Millar, director of the Penn Skin Biology and Diseases Resource-Based Center.
“We know that WNT signaling is critical for the development of hair follicles; blocking it causes hairless skin, and switching it on causes formation of more hair,” Millar said in a Penn news release.
“In this study, we’ve shown the skin in hairless regions naturally produces an inhibitor that stops WNT from doing its job,” she added.
Hair follicles develop before birth. This means that hair follicles don’t regrow after severe burns or deep wounds. The researchers are currently investigating whether secreted WNT inhibitors suppress hair follicle development in such cases.
More than 80 million people in the United States have male- or female-pattern baldness, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Previous research suggests that DKK2 may be associated with this condition, meaning it could be a potential target for treatment.
“We hope that these lines of investigation will reveal new ways to improve wound healing and hair growth, and we plan to continue to pursue these goals moving forward,” Millar said.
The study was published Nov. 28 in the journal Cell Reports.

The golden combination of self or shared indulgence

#1 Use lube!
It is true that wetter is better, so grab some lube to increase slide and reduce friction. Just check the ingredients to make sure there are no nasty sugars in there that may cause a yeast infection. According to sexperts, using lube can make your hand job 100% better.
#2 Use a clitoral vibrator
Once you’re wet, an external vibrator will help to awaken all the external hotspots like your clitoris. This will encourage circulation, making you extra-sensitive, and will get the erectile tissue in your clitoris working, making it bigger and easier to find. Using lube and a clitoral vibrator will make your hand jobs 200% better. A vibrator, like the Magic Bullet, is perfect, as the tapered tip allows for pinpoint accuracy.
#3 Use a dildo
Dildos are amazing for reaching internal hotspots that are much harder to get to with your hands, such as the G-spot, A-spot and C-Spot. Just make sure you warm up first using your fingers and use plenty of lube for the comfiest and most pleasurable experience. The combo of a dildo, a clit vibrator and lube can make your hand jobs 300% better. Give it a go with the G-spot dildo that’s angled to hit your G-spot, and has a suction base so you can go hands-free.
#4 Use a butt plug
Using a butt plug during masturbation can enhance sensations in a number of ways. Not only does it offer a secondary point of stimulation, which can enhance pleasure and speed up orgasms, but it’s a hands-free way to help angle your dildo towards your G-spot. If you can believe it, using a butt plug with a dildo, clit vibrator and lube can make your clitoris hand jobs 400% better! Start with a beginner’s butt plug that’s small and comfy to insert, but still packs a punch when it comes to anal stimulation.
#5 Use nipple clamps
A lot of people neglect their nipple during masturbation, which is a shame because playing with nipples can produce oxytocin (a hormone that plays a big part in achieving orgasm). Simply, if you aren’t producing it, you aren’t going to orgasm. Not only do nipple clamps add sensation while you wear them, but when you take them off, you will get a rush of blood to the area that will make your nipples even more responsive to touch.
This golden combination of lube, a clit vibrator, a dildo, with a butt plug and nipple clamps can make your hand jobs lot better - or at the very least, can help to make your next solo or shared masturbation session the best yet.

It is flu season once again ...

A shortage in Tamiflu

The high volume of Tamiflu prescriptions at this point in the season has resulted in a shortage of the medication. While the FDA has not yet confirmed this shortage, doctors and pharmacists in both urban and rural areas are reporting difficulty in accessing Tamiflu for their patients.

Those unable to access Tamiflu this year do have other options. Besides Tamiflu, there are two other influenza medications: Relenza and Rapivab. Both are considered just as effective as Tamiflu and may be easier to access this year. For more information on these medications, see our post here. 

Over the counter medications can also help ease symptoms. Read here for more details on over the counter flu medications.

Is it effective?

Tamiflu is sometimes treated as a cure for all cases of the flu, but recent studies call this reputation into question. According to a study-of-studies, or meta-analysis, performed by CochraneResearch of 46 studies involving more than 24,000 people, Tamiflu may provide a much smaller benefit than expected. At best, the analysis found that Tamiflu may only help patients recover one day faster, and may not reduce the number of flu-related complications, like pneumonia. Additionally, it may only reduce the risk of getting sick by 55%. At over $50 per prescription for generic oseltamivir, for some, the benefits may not outweigh the cost.

While these findings don’t negate the use of Tamiflu, they may indicate that it is less protective than we had previously thought.

KodakCoin another crypto added top the list

Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy back in 2012, and recently turned a profit because Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot on film, has announced several related blockchain plans. First is KodakOne digital rights management, which will be backed by blockchain technologies and the new KodakCoin. The latter will start with an ICO (Initial Coin Offering), a popular way to try to jumpstart new cryptocurrencies. The idea is that KodakOne will track usage of registered images, and when it comes across an unlicensed use of an image, it will help the photographer to get paid. This will dovetail into the KodakCoin, which will be the medium of exchange for licensing payments.

KodakCoin will go on sale on January 31, but the actual KodakOne infrastructure isn't planned for deployment until much later. A beta will release in Q4 2018, with the official launch slated for Q2 2019, if Kodak doesn't quietly abandoned this entire tenuous plan between now and then. It's not clear if KodakCoin will be a mineable cryptocurrency, but the third prong of Kodak's blockchain attack suggests it might be.

Kodak is planning to install a large number of dedicated ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) in its headquarters, and it will then offer two year contracts for sale to investors. The cost will be $3,400, after which Kodak will take half of the Bitcoin mined and the purchaser of the contract will get the other half. The suggestion is that at current price and difficulty levels, the hardware will earn $25 per day, meaning in two years the hardware will generate $18,000—and you'd get half of that.

All of this sounds not to attractive , at least to us. There are many immediate mining options 

out there. Our choice goes to Genesis Mining. If you are ready to start why don't you start with savings upfront. The following link will give you instant savings. Enter following code at the Genesis checkout for additional 3% saving. - " vxuKgC "

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