Donie's Ireland news BLOB Friday

December 21^st Not the end of the world  after all

!Ancient Maya calendar prediction!

  

British authorities are seeking to quell fears of impending doom

Don’t panic, it’s only the end of the world – enjoy it with your pets.

British authorities have moved to quell fears an apocalypse could strike on December 21 following internet speculation sparked by the end of the Ancient Mayan calendar on that date.

Light-hearted responses to a hypothetical crisis also included installing a fire alarm and listening out for weather forecasts. They follow an official US government blog this week saying it was “just rumours” and insisting that “the world will not end on December 21, 2012, or any day in 2012″.

The deadpan advice comes with less than two weeks to go until the date of the apocalypse, according to some interpretations of the Ancient Mayan calendar. What form annihilation will take remains the topic of hot speculation on the internet, with possible scenarios ranging from a Noah-like great flood to a rogue planet smashing into Earth.

The UK institutions confirmed they had the necessary capacity to deal with any unusual events that might occur and, with tongues firmly in cheeks, put forward some specific suggestions for survival.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “Fit a smoke alarm on each level of your home, then at least you might stand a chance of knowing that the end of the world is nigh ahead of those who don’t. If you survive the apocalypse you’ll be alerted to a fire more quickly should one ever break out.”

The AA advised: “Local radio is a good source of traffic and weather updates and for any warnings of an impending apocalypse. Should the announcer break such solemn news, try to remain focused on the road ahead and keep your hands on the wheel.”

An RSPCA spokesman added: “Luckily for animals, they do not have the same fears of the future – or its imminent destruction – as us humans, so it is unlikely that our pets will be worrying about the end of the world. However, should the Mayans prove to be right, our message would be to spend whatever time you have left with your animals wisely. Take them for a long walk or give them a cuddle. Enjoy every second you have with them as if it was your last!”

However, one expert offered reassurance that the prediction was a misinterpretation of ancient artefacts. Professor Mark Van Stone, the author of 2012: Science And Prophecy Of The Ancient Maya, traces the start of the 2012 apocalypse prophecy back to 1904, when German scholars said a Mayan picture of a sky dragon pouring water from above proved they were predicting a great flood.

Prof Van Stone, who teaches art history at Southwestern College, California, said the speculation comes down to a few inscriptions that indicate the Ancient Mayan calendar has been counting down since 3114BC and will hit zero on December 21.

Budget 2013 Health: 20,000 Irish pensioners to lose full medical card

    

About 20,000 pensioners are to lose their full medical card and have it replaced with a GP-only card, it has emerged.

The measure is being introduced as part of €781m savings in next year’s health budget, announced yesterday by Health Minister Dr James Reilly.

Losing their medical card will be those over the age of 70 with a weekly income of €600-€700 and €1,200-€1,400 for a couple.

At a press conference in Government Buildings last night, Dr Reilly said 92% of people over the age of 70 would retain their medical card while 5% would qualify for GP visit cards.

He said the remaining 3% — the wealthiest of those over 70, whose income was higher than €700 a week, or €1,400 for a couple — did not qualify for a medical card at the moment so there would be no change for them.

The minister also confirmed that there would be a tightening of the eligibility criteria for the medical card and details would be outlined in the HSE’s service plan next year.

It was also revealed that the nursing homes support scheme — a Fair Deal that began providing financial support for people assessed as needing long-term nursing home care is also being changed.

Currently, the loan is paid after death with a levy of up to 15% on the person’s estate over three years. The levy is now being increased to 22.5% over the same period.

The change will require amending legislation expected to be introduced next year.

At a press conference in Government Buildings last night, Minister of State at the Department of Health, Kathleen Lynch, said they were also examining the Fair Deal scheme to see if it could be used by older people to access community services rather than going into long-term care.

Ms Lynch also confirmed that an additional €35m would be made available next year for the continued development of mental health services.

She said the “new” funding demonstrated the Government’s commitment to protect the most vulnerable.

Dr Reilly, who once said he wanted to scrap the prescription charge for medical card holders, defended the decision to almost treble it in the budget.

The charge is being increased from 50c to €1.50 per item, with the monthly cap for a family being increased from €10 to €19.50.

“Given the financial situation we find ourselves in and given the alternatives, we did not have much choice,” he said.

Dr Reilly said he intended introducing a number of initiatives early next year to encourage more cost-effective prescribing.

“There are some drugs that are three times the cost of their cheapest generic equivalent,” he said.

He said the new agreement with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association would provide savings in excess of €400m over the next three years.

“This will mean significant reductions for patients in the cost of drugs, as well as a reduction in the drugs bill to the State.”

Dr Reilly pledged that the maintenance of health services would be a key priority next year despite the need for significant savings but admitted that the year ahead would pose “great difficulties”.

“The primary aim is to cut the cost of services and not the services themselves,” he said.

Cognitive behavioural therapy ‘can reduce depression’

      

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can reduce symptoms of depression in people who fail to respond to drug treatment, says a study in the Lancet.

CBT, a type of psychotherapy, was found to benefit nearly half of the 234 patients who received it combined with normal care from their GP.

Up to two-thirds of people with depression do not respond to anti-depressants.

Patients should have access to a range of treatments, the charity Mind said.

CBT is a form of talking psychotherapy to help people with depression change the way they think to improve how they feel and alter their behaviour.

The study followed 469 patients with treatment-resistant depression picked from GP practices in Bristol, Exeter and Glasgow over 12 months.

One group of patients continued with their usual care from their GP, which could include anti-depressant medication, while the second group was also treated with CBT.

After six months, researchers found 46% of those who had received CBT reported at least a 50% reduction in their symptoms.

The research confirms how these approaches – the psychological and physical – can complement each other. ”

This compared with 22% experiencing the same reduction in the other group.

The study concluded CBT was effective in reducing symptoms and improving patients’ quality of life. The improvements had been maintained for a period of 12 months, it added.

Other options

Dr Nicola Wiles, from the Centre for Mental Health, Addiction and Suicide Research at the University of Bristol, said: “While the addition of CBT was effective for patients who had not responded to anti-depressants, not everyone who received CBT got better. These patients had severe and chronic depression so it is unlikely that one treatment would be effective for everyone.”

“We need to invest in other research to find alternative treatments for patients whose symptoms have not responded to treatment with anti-depressants.”

The patients who did benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy spent one hour a week with a clinical psychologist learning skills to help change the way they think.

Chris Williams, professor of psychosocial psychiatry at the University of Glasgow, and part of the research team, said: “The research used a CBT intervention alongside treatment with anti-depressants. It confirms how these approaches – the psychological and physical – can complement each other.

“It was also encouraging because we found the approach worked to good effect across a wide range of people of different ages and living in a variety of settings.”

Paul Farmer, chief executive at the mental health charity Mind, said there was no “one size fits all” treatment for people with mental health problems.

“We welcome this research because it recognises that patients should have the right to a wide range of treatment options based on individual needs,” he said.

“Initiatives such as the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme has helped to ensure that more treatment options are available for conditions such as depression, however, we know that there still is a huge difference between what treatment people want and what they actually get.”

Wise owls at Dublin Zoo make it a snowy Christmas

    

White Christmas has come early to Dublin Zoo with the arrival of two snowy owls at the Fringes of the Arctic enclosure.

But the chances of welcoming some baby owls in the spring remains a mystery as it is too early to determine whether the pair are male or female.

The birds, which were born in Linton Zoo in the UK, are less than a year old and their gender may not be known until they are two or three.

Team leader Eddie O’Brien explained that it is only possible to tell their gender from their colouring, with adult males characterised by a fully white plumage, while females and young birds are speckled.

And if they do have any young, the male opts out completely, leaving the female to care for the eggs and rear the young solo.

All snowy owls have yellow eyes and black beaks and feed on a diet of mice, frogs and other small rodents which the zoo buys in frozen form and then defrosts for their dinners.

The zoo already has a snowy owl, but the female is now past breeding age so she has been moved to a different enclosure because they are territorial birds.

Members of the public can spot the new owls around the penguin’s enclosure where they are likely to divide their time between the rocks and roosting high in the trees.

As natives of the Arctic, they have no problem with the cold weather, with thick feathers coating their feet so they don’t get frostbite even if it snows.

And the zoo plans to invite suggestions for their new names via its Facebook page in the coming weeks.

‘Every Irish GP should have a defibrillator’

    

Hundreds of lives could be saved every year if GP surgeries were fitted with defibrillators and GPs were trained in how to use them, a new study has found.

A defibrillator is a device used to administer an electric shock to a person in cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest refers to the sudden loss of function of the heart. It occurs when there is an abrupt disturbance in the heart’s rhythm. This can cause the heart to stop beating, or to stop beating enough to keep a person alive.

A person whose heart has stopped beating will fall unconscious and stop breathing normally. If the person does not get immediate medical assistance, sudden cardiac death will follow.

According to the Health Research Board (HRB), which funded the study, between three and five thousand people die every year in Ireland from sudden cardiac events that may not have been fatal if treated in time.

The five-year study saw 500 GPs being equipped with defibrillators. All were provided training on how to use the devices when dealing with sudden cardiac arrest caused by a heart complication known as ventricular fibrillation.
With ventricular fibrillation, the ventricles of the heart quiver ineffectively, producing no real heart beat and resulting in unconsciousness in the person. Brain damage and death can occur within minutes.

According to lead researcher, Prof Gerard Bury of UCD, while it is known how to fix ventricular fibrillation, this is ‘completely and utterly time dependent’.

“Nationally, survival rates for a sudden cardiac arrest if it happens out of hospital are one in 20. But this research shows that the availability and proper use of defibrillators by GPs, increases these survival rates three or four-fold,” Prof Bury explained.

He noted that many of the positive results they had seen were ‘recorded in small towns and rural Ireland, where traditionally outcomes have been worse’.

The cost of the equipment and training would amount to around 4,000 per GP, however Prof Bury said that this cost should be seen as a ‘positive investment in terms of saving lives’.

“This sort of structured intervention and support, allied with the strength of general practice, can make a huge difference at local level. Every GP in the country needs a defibrillator,” he insisted.

The Moon could become the next vacation destination?

     

Golden Spike, a company full of ex-NASA people, announces ambitious plans to launch commercial spaceflights to the moon by 2020.

I feel sorry for all those suckers who blew $20 million and only got a lousy trip to the International Space Station. If they had held out, they might have had an opportunity to invest many more millions on a trip to the moon.

Golden Spike Company announced yesterday a venture to launch commercial voyages to the moon by 2020. Of course, this sort of experience doesn’t come cheap. Golden Spike is expecting a trip to cost $1.5 billion per flight.

At that price, most private clients would be left out in the cold. As awesome as moon tourism sounds, Golden Spike is mainly focused on offering its services to governments that would like a lunar lift, much like Russia helped other countries get to the space station. Still, I’m guessing Golden Spike would think twice about turning down a multi-billionaire with the dough and desire to buy a ride.

For those of us who don’t bathe in tubs full of hundred dollar bills, Golden Spike has announced its intention to make moon visits frequent and affordable. The definition of affordable is up for debate.

If you’re going to take a chance on a private moon transportation company, you could do worse than Golden Spike. The chairman of the board is Gerry Griffin, Apollo flight director and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The president and CEO is planetary scientist Alan Stern, former head of all NASA science missions. NASA resumes are all over the Golden Spike team listings.

On the front page of its site, Golden Spike says, “Private sector human expeditions to the moon are now feasible and profitable without government funding.” That’s a bold statement. Let’s keep an eye on Golden Spike and see if it can deliver.