11 Public Places with the Most Germs

Posted by Yardie Luke on March 23, 2011 under Health | Comments are off for this article

  • by Reader’s Digest Magazine, on Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:28am PDT

Respiratory droplets—the medical community’s polite term for what comes out of a person when they sneeze or cough—are filled with the germs that made the person sick. When we cough or sneeze they disperse widely, landing here and there, where they wait patiently for someone to touch them (research shows they can remain potent for several hours). Once on someone’s hands, they stand a good chance of infecting them, since it is human nature to frequently touch our faces. This is exactly how colds and flu happen: The vast majority of cases are passed from person to person. Think of things that are touched by many people in a day, and you’ll come up with the places where germs are shared. These can include:

1. Handrails

2. Elevator buttons

3. Grocery cart handles

4. Restaurant menus

5. Money from a cash register

6. Light switches

7. Salt and pepper shakers in restaurants

8. Salad bars

9. ATM machines

10. Exercise equipment

11. Water fountain handles

Makes you nervous, doesn’t it? Relax. It takes just a little common sense and attention to protect yourself from public germs. Here are ways to keep germs at bay:

Handwashing. Always wash your hands before cooking, eating, or inserting your contact lenses. Wash your hands after cooking, using the toilet, petting an animal, handling garbage, blowing your nose, or coughing or sneezing into your hand. It doesn’t matter if you wash with regular or antibacterial soap as long as you do a thorough job.

SOURCE

 

Gibson Relays starts today on newly laid track

Posted by Yardie Luke on March 12, 2011 under Jamaica Sports | Comments are off for this article

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

Track and field excitement is expected to reach fever-pitch as leading contenders battle for honours at the 35th staging of the Gibson Relays, one of the premier athletics events at the newly laid National Stadium track, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

With the meet being held at this time of the season, some top-class performances are expected as athletes should be in the later stages of their preparation, especially those among the high schools as they would have reached near peak level for the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Boys and Girls’ Championships, which will be run in almost two weeks.

There will be competition for all levels as outside of the popular high school events, there will be action among primary, prep, clubs and institutions in both relay and individual events. All finals are expected to begin at 4 p.m., with the final event, the high school boys’ 4×400-metre final, set to close the programme at 8:48 p.m.

Besides locals, there will be overseas competition from the region and as far as Great Britain, as a contingent of over 32 students from Birmingham, England, are down to compete in both individual and relay events.

Birmingham will host the Jamaica team camp ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in London, and Gibson Relays organiser and president of the North America, Central America and Caribbean (NACAC) region, Neville ‘Teddy’ McCook, believes the involvement of the Birmingham delegation underlines the strong relations between both countries.

The meet will include eight Championship events, for which the prizes will be commemorative Gibson Relay watches to members of the winning teams.

The Championship events are the high school boys and girls 4×100 metres, 4×100 metres institution men, 4×800 metres high school open male and female, along with the 4×400 metres institution men and high school male and female.

Top high school female teams Holmwood Technical and Edwin Allen, along Vere Technical, while Kingston College (KC), Calabar High, Jamaica College (JC), Munro College, St Jago and Wolmer’s Boys are the leading boys teams.

Hotly contested

All Championship events are expected to be hotly contested, with the high school male and female 4×400 metres setting the stage in what is expected to be a thriller. Among the girls, the rejuvenated Vere Technical team will be hoping to get back to the top with their quartet of Shericka Jackson, Yanique McNeil, Olivia James and Chantal Duncan set to engage Holmwood and Edwin Allen in a fierce battle. All three have shown dominance in the event so far this season.

Among the boys, preseason favourites Munro College suffered a setback with injury to a key member of their team, now opening the way for a battle among themselves, St Jago High, St Elizabeth Technical and KC, who are the slight favourites.

St Elizabeth Technical and Munro are expected to continue their showdown in the boys’ 4×100 metres Class One Championship event, as both had a close finish at the Western Relays, where the former prevailed by a whisker, winning in a record 40.12 seconds ahead of their rivals in 40. 14. Munro could turn the table this time around as their top man, Delano Williams, is bang in form following his record runs in the 100 and 200 metres a week ago at the Western Boys Championships in Montego Bay.

It is difficult to predict the winner of the girls’ Class One 4×100 Championship event, but it will come down to Holmwood, Edwin Allen and Herbert Morrison High.

Edwin Allen look set to take the girls’ 4×800, while JC are favourites for the boys’ equivalent.

Both Racers Track Club and MVP with their array of national senior representatives are expected to fight out the finish in both the 4×100 metres institution and clubs male 4×100 and 4×400 metres events.

Both clubs are expected to field most of their top athletes, with Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt being the only absentees.

  • Events schedule

9:30 a.m: 4×400 High School Boys Open

10:06 a.m: 4×400 Institution Men

10:30 a.m: 4×400 High School Girls Open

10:58 a.m: 4×400 Institution Women

11:12 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 1V

11:18 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 111

11:30 a.m: Long Jump Men

11:30 a.m: High Jump Women

11:36 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 11

11:54 a.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 1

12:18 p.m: 4×100 institution Men

12:30 p.m: 4×100 Institution Women

12:36 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Boys

12:45 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Girls

12:55 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 19

1:00 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 17

1:12 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 15

1:20 p.m: Pole Vault

1:30 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 13

1:45 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1V

1:53 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 111

2:20 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 11

2:30 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1

2:40 p.m: High Jump Men

2:50 p.m: 4×200 High School Girls Open

3:10p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High

3:24 p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High

3:40 p.m. NATIONAL ANTHEM

INVOCATION

PRESENTATIONS

FINALS

4:00 p.m: 100M Hurdles Women Open

4:10 p.m: 110 M Hurdles Men Open

4:15 p.m: Lucozade Sports One Mile Men Open

4:23 p.m: Lucozade Sports One Mile Women Open

4:31 p.m: 4×60 Prep School Boys Shuttle Under 10

4:40 p.m: 4×60 Primary School Boys Shuttle Under 10

4:45 p.m: 4×100 Primary School Boys Under 12

4:51 p.m: 4×100 Prep School Boys Under 12

4:59 p.m: 4×100 Prep School Girls Under 12

5:03 p.m: 4×100 Primary School GirlsUnder 12

5:09 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class Championship

5:15 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 11

5:21 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 111

5:27 p.m: 4×100 High School Boys Class 1V

5:33 p.m: 4×100 Institution Men Championship

5:39 p.m: 4×100 Institution Women

5:45 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 19 Championship

5:51 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 17

5:57 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 15

6:03 p.m: 4×100 High School Girls Under 13

6:09 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Boys

6:15 p.m: 4×100 All Age & Junior High Girls

6:21 p.m: Sprint Medley Clubs & Institution Men

6:25 p.m: 4×100 Masters Men

6:31 p.m: 4×100 Special Olympics Men

6:40 p.m : 4×800 High School Boys Open Championships

6:57 p.m: 4×800 High School Girls Open Championships

7:10 p.m: 100M Women

7:15 p.m: 100M Men “A”

7:20 p.m: 100M Men “B”

7:25 p.m: 400M Women

7:30 p.m: 400M Women

7:36 p.m: 4×200 High School Girls Open

7:42 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1

7:48 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 11

7:54 p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 111

8:00p.m: 4×200 High School Boys Class 1V

8:06 p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High Boys

8:12 p.m: 4×200 All Age & Junior High Girls

8:20 p.m: 4x400M Institution Men

8:28 p.m: 4x100M Institution Men Championships

8:38 pm: 4×400 High School Girls Open Championship

8:48 p.m: 4×400 High School Boys Open Championship

SOURCE: Jamaica Gleaner

 

Jamaica sugar exports get passing grade

Posted by Yardie Luke on March 6, 2011 under Agriculture | Comments are off for this article

Mark Titus, Sunday Gleaner Writer

United States authorities have given the 7,270.42 metric tonnes of sugar sent from Jamaica in January a passing grade for its polarisation (the measurement of sucrose content), but has penalised the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) for three other quality infractions that were detected during tests on the shipment.

Results show that polarisation came out at 97.56, which earned the industry a premium of US$103,876.01 for being above the standard 96 base quality; but grain size, colour and dextran failed to meet the required standards, and although minimal, saw the industry being slapped with fines of US$14,247, US$3,344 and US$27,477, respectively. Dextran is an organism developed in stale cane or formed by the fermentation of sugar.

“It was important for us to await the final result,” said Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Christopher Tufton, who had ordered an investi-gation into the matter. “We now have a true picture of the situation and, hopefully, this will help to clarify any misunderstandings which have been out there in the media.”

The issue was first reported in The Sunday Gleaner after players in the industry expressed concerns about the quality of supply from Frome Sugar Estate in Westmoreland and the possible impact of a failed test, in a time when the industry is seeking to regain its footing.

Frome, the first to start for the 2010-2011 season, contributed 4,092 tonnes to the shipment, while Worthy Park, Appleton and Golden Grove supplied 245 tonnes, 1,807 tonnes and 1,859, tonnes respectively.

Not unusual

But head of the Jamaica Cane Product Sales, Karl James, played down the concerns that the Frome sugar could affect the entire cargo; arguing that supplies from the other firms would augment the standard of the total amount exported.

“All the sugar from Frome is not that quality,” James said on a recent radio programme. “I do accept that there are questions of some of the sugar that came for the ports, but it is not unusual.”

But concerns were also raised about the state of the equipment being used at the factory, this was however dismissed by SCJ Holdings boss, Aubyn Hill.

It would not be the first time that the industry was penalised for surpassing the acceptable level for dextran. In 2004, the then Sugar Company of Jamaica was fined US$1.5 million by its American trading partners. That shipment of 2,500 tonnes of sugar was found to have too much dextran.

Although not harmful to humans, a count of over 250 units leads to a penalty for the producer based on the Sugar Marketing Supplies Protocol, which was developed out of the mutual interests of the refiners seeking reliable and predictable supplies of sugar.

According to a release from the SIA, the industry has been having problems with undesirable levels of dextran and has received grant funding from the Eurpopean Union to effectively deal with this issue. “All the other indices tested normal, including moisture levels.”

“The buyers have already paid us for the sugar as contracted and the sugar has already been processed satisfactorily by the buyer,” the SIA added.

SOURCE: Jamaica Gleaner

home top