Free bus passes have health benefit, say researchers

Friday, September 21, 2012

Free bus passes for over-60s may be encouraging older people to be more physically active, say the authors of a study published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers from Imperial College London reached their conclusion by analysing four years of data from the UK National Travel Survey. They found that people with a bus pass are more likely to walk frequently and take more journeys by "active travel" - defined as walking, cycling or using public transport. These associations cut across socio-economic groups, suggesting that wealthier and poorer people are benefitting from the scheme equally.

Keeping physically active helps to maintain mental wellbeing, mobility and muscle strength in older people and reduces their risk of cardiovascular disease, falls and fractures. Previous research has shown that 15 minutes of moderate daily exercise is associated with a 12 per cent lower risk of death is people over 60.

Another study found that 19 per cent of adults in Britain get their recommended amount of physical activity through active travel alone. Public health organisations increasingly believe that "incidental" exercise, such as walking to and from bus stops, may have a key role to play in helping people keep fit.

Free bus passes for people aged 60 and over were introduced in England in 2006, entitling holders to free local bus travel after 9:30am on weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays. Pressure on public spending has led to proposals for the scheme, which costs ?1.1 billion a year, to be scrapped, or for bus passes to be means-tested.

The scheme's proponents claim that it reduces social exclusion among older people and ensures access to travel for those on limited incomes. The authors of the new study believe that possible benefits for public health should also be taken into consideration.

"Given the need to encourage older people to be physically active, it's good news that the provision of free bus passes seems to be having a positive impact," said Sophie Coronini-Cronberg, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, who led the study.

"Before the government looks at reforming the scheme, they should make sure we understand its value to society. We would welcome more research in this area, such as a detailed cost analysis to establish whether the scheme represents good value for money."

The researchers examined data from the National Travel Survey from 2005, the year before free bus basses were implemented, until 2008. They included results from respondents aged 60 or over in England, giving a total of 16,911 people. The percentage of respondents with a free pass rose from 56.8 per cent in 2005 to 74.7 per cent in 2008.

The findings show that the biggest factor associated with not using active travel or walking is having access to a car. People in large urban areas are more likely to use active transport, and people in rural areas or small towns are more likely to report walking frequently.

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Imperial College London: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/press

Thanks to Imperial College London for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/123728/Free_bus_passes_have_health_benefit__say_researchers

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Grumbling over maps fails to dampen Apple iPhone 5 fever

LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple fans queued around city blocks worldwide on Friday to get their hands on the new iPhone 5 - but grumbling about inaccurate maps tempered the excitement.

The new smartphone went on sale across the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, with mobile carriers reporting record demand that looked likely to stretch Apple's supply capacity.

"It looks like another strong opening day for Apple. They should sell more iPhone 5s than any prior model," said BTIG analyst Walt Piecyk. Apple shares gained 0.8 percent reaching, a high of $704.67 in morning trading in New York.

Apple booked more than 2 million orders for the device in the first 24 hours, double the first-day sales of the previous iPhone, the 4S.

Some analysts expect Apple to sell up to 10 million iPhone 5 models in the remaining days of September. JP Morgan estimates the phone could provide a $3.2 billion boost to the U.S. economy in the fourth quarter - a boost almost equal to the whole economy of Fiji.

Apple's rival and component supplier, Samsung Electronics Co, moved to spoil the party, saying it plans to add the iPhone 5 to its existing patent lawsuits against Apple.

As Apple began delivering its coveted new phone, struggling competitor Research in Motion, which makes the BlackBerry, had to admit that it was once again having service problems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The iPhone 5 has a larger, 4-inch screen and is slimmer and lighter than the previous model. It supports faster 4G mobile networks and also comes with a number of software updates, including Apple's new in-house maps feature, which is based on Dutch navigation equipment and digital map maker TomTom's map data.

But not everyone was impressed. Some users criticized the maps feature for a number of geographical errors, missing information, and a lack of features.

And not everyone benefits from Apple's success.

Hundreds of French iPhone fans lining up at Apple's main store in Paris got an earful from disgruntled employees and former retailers protesting against Apple policies.

Marching in front of the Paris store were about 20 former staffers of independent Apple distributors that closed after struggling to compete with Apple's own stores. Joining them were three employees of the Apple store striking to protest Apple's refusal to offer staffers meal vouchers and a yearly bonus of an extra month's pay - perks that are standard for many French workers.

A FLINTSTONE PHONE

Still, Apple stores worldwide drew crowds of customers.

Hundreds of people lined up around the block at Apple's store on New York City's swanky Fifth Avenue.

Kadijah Perez, 26, a Bronx resident, had not heard about the map issues. She said she wanted to use the phone for navigation, adding, "Hopefully, they'll just fix it."

Further south in Annapolis, Maryland, customers settled in lawn chairs waiting for the Apple store in Westfield Annapolis Mall to open. A man walking by quipped: "I'm beginning to believe (Mitt) Romney. The economy is bad. People are starving."

Waiting in line for anything was a first for Annapolis local Robert Delarosa, 37, who skipped buying the iPhone 4 due to bad reviews but is now tired of his iPhone 3GS.

"I'm stuck with this old 3GS, a Flintstone phone," he said.

In London's central Regent Street, about 1,300 people lined up to buy the iPhone 5, nearly twice as many as showed up for the previous iPhone.

A spokesman for Vodafone UK said the iPhone 5 "is both the fastest and biggest selling iPhone to date on our network. Pre-order sales are up more than 50 percent compared to the iPhone 4S."

In Germany, 19-year-old musician Okan Yasin had waited since lunchtime on Thursday to be at the front of the queue at the Frankfurt Apple shop. Proudly holding a sign saying "Ich bin Nummer 1" (I am Number 1), he said:

"I just need to have it. I know that the new iPhone from a new features perspective hardly has anything extra to offer. But I just needed to be here. It's the hype, man!"

In Australia, about 600 people queued around the block at the Apple store in Sydney, the first in the world to hand over an iPhone 5 to a buyer. Customers were limited to buying a maximum of two phones.

In Tokyo, the lines stretched back several blocks.

"It's thin and light. I've used Samsung before, but the operation, the feeling, of the iPhone is better," said Wataru Saito, a semiconductor engineer who had been queuing in Tokyo since mid-afternoon on Thursday - with his suitcase, as he had a flight to catch on Friday.

In Hong Kong, people carrying rucksacks filled with cash waited outside the city's main Apple store, hoping to snap up phones for resale. Staff there chanted "iPhone 5, iPhone 5."

Most of those waiting were fans already hooked on Apple's earlier iPhones and best-selling iPad tablet computers.

"I feel like if I leave it at home, I go a bit crazy," said James Vohradsky, a 20-year-old student who queued for 17 hours with his sister. "I can't do my normal day without it."

Vohradsky said the iPhone 5's lack of a mobile payment chip was "a bit of a letdown". Apple did not embed Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, used to turn cellphones into mobile wallets, into the new smartphone.

Vohradsky was less bothered by Apple's decision to drop the wide dock connector used in the company's gadgets for the best part of a decade in favor of a smaller one, a move that some critics say adds to costs for users, who will have to buy an adaptor for speakers and other accessories.

RUNNING OUT

There was also concern that not enough new phones were available to meet demand.

Softbank and Singtel, Singapore's biggest mobile phone operator, said demand for the iPhone 5 had exceeded previous offerings from Apple and there was worry Apple would not be able to keep up.

Japanese carrier KDDI Corp said it had already run out of the new phone, and Australia's Telstra Corp Ltd reported online orders sold out in a record 18 hours. Telstra said it was discussing bi-weekly restocking with Apple.

Apple plans to sell the new phone in 100 countries by the end of the year, ramping up competition in a smartphone market that has already reached fever pitch.

Samsung and Apple are locked in a patent battle in 10 countries and the stakes are high as the two vie for the top spot in the booming smartphone market.

Apple is up against phones that run on Google Inc's Android software, which has become the most-used mobile operating system in the world, while Samsung has taken the lead in smartphone sales.

The iPhone is Apple's highest-margin product and accounts for half of its annual revenue.

(Additional reporting by Thuy Ong in Sydney, Venus Wu and Stefanie McIntyre in Hong Kong, Kevin Lim in Singapore and Poornima Gupta in San Francisco, Harro Ten Wolde in Frankfurt, Gwenaelle Barzic in Paris and Kate Holton in London, Sinead Carew in New York and Medina Roshan in Annapolis.; Editing by Angus MacSwan and John Wallace)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/long-queues-greet-apples-iphone-5-sydney-tokyo-014520076--sector.html

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PFT: Smith told Newton to stop sulking

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Now that free-agent receiver Chad Johnson has pleaded no contest to charges of domestic violence, Johnson is subject to discipline under the personal-conduct policy.

But a source with knowledge of the procedure explains to PFT that Johnson likely won?t be disciplined until he returns to the NFL.

That said, if a team is interested in signing him and wants to know if he is facing a suspension, a decision could be made prior to Johnson signing a contract.

If Johnson had been issued a suspension before he was cut by the Dolphins, he could have served the suspension while unemployed.? Not that he?s unemployed but has yet to be officially suspended, the league apparently isn?t inclined to suspend him until he has a team.

Regardless of how it all plays out, the current posture could make it harder for Johnson to get a job with another NFL team.? Since he?s still a member of the union, he should push the league to issue a punishment regardless of whether he?s on a team, so that if he?s suspended he can serve it before, not after, he signs a contract.

That said, it?s not clear Johnson would even be suspended.? The policy primarily is aimed at addressing repeat offenders.? Johnson is a first-time offender.? Given the nature of the offense, however, the NFL could decide to take action.

Either way, it would be fair to Johnson to make the decision as soon as possible, so that he and any interested teams will know his status.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/21/steve-smith-told-cam-newton-to-stop-sulking-on-sideline/related/

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Building relationships: You can't high five in the cloud. | Social 4 Social

Last week I was over in San Francisco for work. My brother commented that it was interesting that a company which is all about enabling online connections and collaboration still flies us across the world for real in-person trainings with our US based colleagues.

He thought that we should be able to gain the same experience using online tools as we would receive face-to-face. In a way, I guess he was right. We should be able to. But even with all the awesome tools now available we can?t.

There is an honest freedom in the connection associated with invaluable face-to-face communication.

The subtleties of body language and the recognition and understanding that can not occur through Skype, Go To Meeting, or email are imperative to building a relationship. Sure there are lots of ways that technology has enabled these new communication mediums to replace excess meetings and create efficiencies of collaboratively working across time zones.

But to build actual relationships we still need some real-life human connections which can only occur the old fashioned way.

And we need these both at work and in our personal life.

A good friend of mine recently moved across the world. We try to Skype regularly, comment on Facebook photos and follow each other on twitter. But it aint the same.

She wrote a great blog post recently about relationships and how they are an essential part of staying healthy ? for both our mental and our physical well-being. That these real life interactions have a direct effect on our overall health. Something that does not occur via the typed or projected kind of communication.

Healthy people make better friends and better employees.

To be healthy in both your professional and your personal life you need strong, honest, and real relationships. These can then be reinforced and developed through online communication, but without the real-life interactions they become stale and hollow.

As an organisation that lives in the cloud I think it is fantastic that my work still values the true importance of building these real relationships. Because of this I can communicate online with ease and familiarity building on the foundations established face-to-face.

Technology and the cloud is changing the way we interact and communicate. But you can?t shake hands, drink a beer or high five up there. That?s what keeps you healthy and is how all the best relationships are solidified right??

Source: http://social4social.com/2012/09/21/building-relationships-you-cant-high-five-in-the-cloud/

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Affordable Webhosting For Minimal Venture On Line | Business ...

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Source: http://www.gotarticles.com/affordable-webhosting-for-minimal-venture-on-line/

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Justin Bieber, One Direction Top Billboard 21 Under 21 List

Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Nick Jonas also make list of Music's Hottest Minors.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber and One Direction
Photo: UMG / Columbia / MTV News / Jessica Hyndman

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694066/justin-bieber-one-direction-billboard-21-under-21.jhtml

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