wanna fly using airlines with 'cuddle class'

 | News.com.au

 

"CUDDLE class'' is tipped to become the next big thing in air travel when it launches next month as the class divide on planes continues to narrow.

Some airlines are starting to introduce rows of three economy class seats together that can be converted into a large, flat space suitable for families or couples who want to stretch out next to each other.

Two passengers travelling together will be able to book the third seat in the row for half price.

The seats, known as Skycouches and light-heartedly referred to as "cuddle class'', have been earmarked for launch on some Air New Zealand services from Auckland to LA in November.

Boutique travel agency Travel Associates general manager David Lovelock said the class divide in the sky was narrowing as airlines moved away from the traditional economy-business-first class cabin configuration.

 

AU Dollar higher as US fears grow |

 News.com.au

"That would mark an historic 27-year high with the unit, which hasn't passed one US dollar since it was floated on December 8, 1983."

THE dollar was higher at noon and well on its way to parity with the US dollar, as fears grow the US will renew its quantitative easing program in the coming weeks.

At noon (AEDT), the dollar was trading at US98.73c, up from Friday's close of US98.19c.

Since 5pm on Friday, the "Aussie" has traded between US99.07c and US98.09c.

Commonwealth Bank currency strategist Joseph Capurso said he expected the Aussie to break parity with the US dollar by week's end.

That would mark an historic 27-year high with the unit, which hasn't passed one US dollar since it was floated on December 8, 1983.

"I think we will get to parity this week," Mr Capurso said.

"We have eight US Federal Reserve speakers in the US this week.

"We think they are going to talk about quantitative easing, and that will put downside pressure on the US dollar this week ... so you will probably see the Aussie push up."

Quantitative easing is where the Fed buys up US treasuries so as to increase the supply of money in the economy.

It was used by the Fed in 2008 as a response to the global financial crisis.

Among those speaking this week are Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, who is to give a speech called `Monetary Policy Objectives and Tools in a Low-Inflation Environment' on Friday.

He will be speaking in Boston, Massachusetts, at a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Conference on Revisiting Monetary Policy in a Low-Inflation Environment.

With no significant domestic data due and the international data-scene quiet for the week, Mr Capurso said he expected the unit to grind higher.

"The only thing that might spoil the parity march is if the Bank of Japan come in and start buying US dollars," he said.

Meanwhile, the bond market was weaker at noon.

At midday today on the Sydney Futures Exchange, the December 10-year bond futures contract was at 94.975 (implying a yield of 5.055 per cent), down from 94.980 (5.020 per cent).

The December three-year bond futures contract was at 95.090 (4.910 per cent), down from 95.080 (4.920 per cent).

Anything you must know about cancer

 | Mail Online

Does cancer hurt, and which types might I survive: The 20 things you always needed to know about the disease but were too embarrassed to ask

When you or someone close is diagnosed with cancer, you may want to know everything about the disease. But perhaps you do not know what questions to ask – or feel that you should know the answers already.

Alison Boyd, the Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse Specialist at the London Clinic Cancer Centre, who provides information and support to patients diagnosed with cancer and their families, answers some commonly asked questions.
His toughest role: Michael Douglas, pictured with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones is being given chemotherapy and radiation treatment for Stage Four throat cancer

His toughest role: Michael Douglas, pictured with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones is being given chemotherapy and radiation treatment for Stage Four throat cancer

How many different types of cancer are there?

About 200, but some are rarer than others. Does cancer hurt? This depends on where you have it. With the majority of cancers, people do not experience pain as a first symptom.

The cancer cells themselves are not painful, but when they make a tumour that presses somewhere, for example on the spine, or blocks an airway or passage, this can be painful.

If the disease is advanced and has spread to the bones, then pain may be a symptom.

How does it kill you?

Cancer at an early stage does not kill you: it is only when advanced that it can become fatal. Not all cancers kill and some have survival rates of more than 90 per cent.

The way cancer causes death varies according to what type it is. Some cancers kill you by interfering with your body’s vital functions.

Cancer can take over an organ, such as the lung, causing it to collapse and preventing you from breathing properly. Or it may cause a blockage in the digestive system that stops your body from absorbing vital nutrients.

If it reaches the liver or bones, it upsets the body’s delicate chemical balance, leading to unconsciousness and eventually death. Cancer may also make you immobile.

This causes you to develop infections such as pneumonia, which the body is too weak to fight.

However, the pain-control options available mean that those with cancer should not die in pain.
How many stages of cancer are there?

Most types have four stages. Generally speaking your prognosis is better the earlier the cancer is diagnosed.

* Stage One – localised cancer, it is contained where it started. .
* Stage Two – usually means that the tumour is larger than in Stage One, but can also mean that there is evidence of cancer in nearby lymph nodes. This would indicate that cancer cells have spread and therefore already entered the bloodstream, increasing the risk of cancer developing elsewhere in the body. .
* Stage Three – the cancer is larger than in Stages One or Two. There are cancer cells in the lymph nodes in the surrounding area. It may have started to invade surrounding tissues or organs. .
* Stage Four – also called secondary or metastatic cancer. It has spread and there is evidence of it in other organs in the body. You can live with Stage Four cancer but it is often a case of managing rather than curing the disease.

Is it possible to tell how long someone has had cancer?

Patients often want to know the answer to this. With skin cancer, once the lesion has been removed you can measure its depth to get an idea how long it has been growing.

With other cancers it can be hard to tell. Cancer takes many years to develop before symptoms appear.

If I have had one cancer, am I at greater risk of getting another type?

Your risk increases slightly, because of the treatment for the initial cancer. If you have received radiotherapy, especially for breast, testicular and skin cancer, it damages the healthy cells as well as killing the cancer cells, and these damaged cells may then mutate to become cancerous. But this is only a slight risk.

Do age and fitness affect your chances of surviving?

It is generally seen as positive to be young and fit as you will probably have a better immune system and be strong enough to withstand the treatment.

The fitter you are, the better equipped you will be to cope. Cancer is not more aggressive in young people and there is no pattern for who gets which grade and at what age.

Do race and skin colour have any effect on your risk?

Generally not, though some cancers are more common in people of colour. For example, prostate cancer-has a higher incidence in Afro-Caribbean men (it is not known why) and myeloma (blood cancer) is more common in the black population.

Which cancers are hereditary?

Ovarian, bowel, breast and uterine cancer have identified susceptibility genes: scientists have discovered the gene responsible for each of those cancers.

It does not mean you are going to get that cancer if you have the gene, but it does put you at an increased risk.

You can, if you choose, be tested to see if the gene has been passed on.

Testicular, pancreatic and prostate may also run in families but have no identified gene, so cannot be tested for.

What is the difference between primary and secondary cancer?

Primary cancer is where the cancer started to grow. Secondary cancer is when some cancer cells have broken away from the primary tumour, travelled in the bloodstream (or lymph system) to another site in the body and started to grow.

Secondary cancer is considered to be advanced disease and becomes more difficult to treat. You cannot usually eradicate the disease once it is in the bloodstream because it will just grow somewhere else.

But doctors can manage the disease with treatment that may slow its growth or alleviate its symptoms.

Why can’t cancer be cured by organ transplants?

Transplanted organs are not used to treat cancer in organs because if the cells have already travelled to other parts of body, even if you remove the organ with the primary cancer, the cancer cells will continue to grow on the new organ, or somewhere else.

Also, you would need anti-rejection medication for the transplant to work. This would dampen the immune system that may be fighting the cancer naturally.

Can you catch cancer from someone else?

No. Cancer is caused by cell changes in a person’s body – it is an internal process; you cannot catch cells so you cannot catch cancer.

What happens if a GP suspects you have cancer?

They will refer you to a specialist for further tests according to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines.

Most cancers are treated by surgery first, so you would initially see a surgeon, then a medical oncologist to decide if further follow-up therapy is required after surgery, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy and biological therapy.

If necessary, you may also be referred to a clinical oncologist for radiotherapy.

Can diet and exercise help beat cancer?

A good, balanced diet means that you will be healthier before you start cancer treatment. Your immune system will be in better shape to fight infection and you may heal faster.

Exercise helps you feel better, gives you energy and also boosts morale. But patients should not push themselves. Keep doing what is normal for you, within the limits advised by your doctor.

I have been diagnosed with cancer. How do I tell my children?

There is no right or wrong way. Generally, the best policy is to be honest, but not harsh. It is OK to say: ‘We don’t know what’s going to happen.’

For younger children who do not understand what cancer is, we tend to talk in terms of bad cells and good cells.

Can I get a second opinion?

Yes, and most specialists are happy to do a second referral. Speak to your current specialist or GP and ask for a referral to another specialist.

If they are not happy, you can see someone privately or speak to a clinical nurse specialist or local cancer information support centre, such as a Macmillan Centre.

Will cancer affect my chances of conceiving?

It depends on what type of treatment is required. Some types of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can affect fertility. It is easy for men to bank sperm, but a much more complicated and longer process for women to freeze eggs or ovarian tissue.Discuss it with your specialist.

Why are some cancers inoperable?

If tumours are in an awkward position, too close to major blood vessels or organs, or if they are growing round the spine it can be too difficult to operate, or it might not be appropriate if the cancer is at an advanced stage, when the primary site is elsewhere.

Blood cancers or bone marrow cancers cannot be operated on. But other treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone or biological therapies may be used.

Which types have the best survival rate?

Testicular and prostate in men and breast and uterine in women, because they can be removed early.

I'm not sure whether these worth buying

I went to a store at Ciwalk and bumped into this. Well, I'm not sure whether these worth buying
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Mobile phone health risk: Phone giants accused of burying warnings on handsets in small print

 | Mail Online

Mobile phone firms have been accused of concealing warnings about the health risks of using their handsets.

A warning that Apple’s popular iPhone should be kept at least 15mm away from the body is buried deep inside the manual.

BlackBerry goes even further, saying customers should use their devices hands-free or keep them an inch from the body ‘including the abdomen of pregnant women and the lower abdomen of teenagers’. Again, this advice is hidden in the instruction booklet.

All other manufacturers, including Nokia and HTC, carry similar small-print warnings despite insisting that holding mobiles against the ear and head is harmless.

Health campaigners and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are calling for clear warnings to be put on handset boxes.

They are also demanding a public education campaign, starting in schools, to advise on the safe use of the devices.

Alasdair Philips, of Powerwatch, an independent group which investigates the safety of mobile phones, said: ‘Most people have no idea about these warnings.

‘The safety advice should be included on the boxes and far more prominently in the “getting started” section of user guides and not just in the detail at the back that hardly anyone reads.

‘This should be only part of a much wider public education campaign that begins in the schools.’

The safety advice in manuals is designed to limit so-called Radio Frequency exposure. This is said to heat body tissue and some – inconclusive – research suggests it is linked to tumours in the brain.
THE SMALL PRINT

Blackberry torch: Use hands-free operation if it is available and keep at least 0.98in (25mm) from your body when turned on and connected to the wireless network. Reduce call time.

Apple iPhone: When using near your body for voice calls or for wireless network data, keep iPhone at least 15mm (5/8in) away from the body and only use accessories that do not have metal parts. Again maintain at least 15mm separation from the body.

Nokia C6: Maintain a normal use position at the ear at least 15mm (5/8in) away from the body. Any accessory should not contain metal and should position the device the above-stated distance from the body.

Most RF exposure comes from the antenna and it can increase when a phone is kept in a pocket because phones increase their power output when a network signal weakens.

Men who carry handsets on their belt or in their pockets with the keypad facing outward will suffer higher exposure because the antenna, which is always at the back, is close to the body.

SAR – Specific Absorption Rate – is the standard industry measurement for the amount of RF energy the body absorbs.

Mr Philips said: ‘When a phone has to power up, it sends high SAR power into the trunk and towards the kidneys and liver. It can be the testicles if in a trouser pocket.

‘Some girls carry them in chest bags which hang just below their breasts. Breasts, eyes and testicles absorb external RF energy the most. Blood-rich organs, such as the liver, kidneys and heart are among the top energy absorbers.
Advice: Campaigners say pregnant women should keep their handset away from the growing foetus in the first six months

Advice: Campaigners say pregnant women should keep their handset away from the foetus in the first six months

‘The ovaries and foetus are relatively well protected by the trunk, but it obviously makes sense to keep the handset away from those areas, especially the foetus in the first six months. Many later-life causes of ill health are increasingly being recognised as having their roots in foetal exposure to chemicals, hormones, radiation of various sorts.’

He said most handsets also put out pulsed ELF magnetic fields which travel further into the body than RF signals. These are associated with childhood leukaemia and some adult cancers.

Caroline Lucas, Green Party leader and MP, said: ‘Greens have never said don’t use mobile phones, but we have always said that as with any other technology, we need to make people aware of any potential risks and give clear guidance regarding the safest possible use, so we can get the maximum benefit from the technology with the least possible risk.’

Mobile phone firms are legally required to advise customers on how to minimise RF exposure and use their manuals to do so.

Michael Milligan of the Mobile Manufacturers Forum said: ‘A mobile phone can always be used up against the head without the need for this separation, because phones are designed to have the antenna far enough away from the head when making a call.

‘Every mobile phone model is tested to make sure they meet national and international exposure limits for exposure to Radio Frequency emissions, before they can be sold in the UK or elsewhere.’

However, many new phones are so slim, antennas will be closer to the head than distances recommended by many manufacturers.