Health, Fitness and Style

The exclusion of natural substances from eligibility for patents was the theory on which the Court relied Thursday in its unanimous ruling that a company cannot get a patent monopoly on the use and study of human genes that it isolates in the bloodstream, and them takes them out — without changing their natural character — for research. The Court said the company actually did not create anything at all, but simply extracted the genetic material from its location in human blood, and setting it apart for study. more »

A survey of Emergency Medical Services leaders in the 200 largest cities found 44 percent had cut services last year, according to the Journal of Emergency Medical Services. It found 28 percent of big-city EMS agencies had a hiring freeze or were not filling vacancies, some for the third consecutive year. more »

I’ve done a lot of reading about Tommy’s condition and am relieved to learn he has not taken on another emotion that is sometimes linked to the illness: rage. If anything, he has become kinder (witness his charity), more sentimental (the tears), and softer. Because he can no longer speak, he doesn't send irritating comments to television commercials, obese strangers, or other innocent targets as I once complained about. more »

We're always asking, 'what do you need' for Father's Day? My husband named a few items, some whose maker you may not have heard of. Blåkläder Workwear offers a line of very durable work clothes, many with extra pockets for special purposes such as jeans with flap pockets at the knees to add knee pads. My husband bought their Roughneck Kangaroo black vest which, as the name suggests, has multiple utility pockets — or pouches — front and back providing lots of storage for tools and materials, as well as cell phone, keys and more. And don't forget the new sunscreen rules when he ventures out as well as perhaps a new hat. more »