Tortilla Makers Try Not to Get Flattened

Tortilla Makers Try Not to Get Flattened: "The Gruma case underscores the transformation of the humble tortilla into a big-bucks enterprise worth fighting over. Thanks to a growing Latino population and America's passion for Mexican cuisine, U.S. tortilla sales have been rising by 9% annually in recent years--warp speed for the pokey bread industry. With $5.2 billion in sales last year, tortillas now account for nearly a third of the U.S. bread market and will overtake white bread at American tables within the next few years, according to the Texas-based Tortilla Industry Assn."

Mercury News | 10/26/2003 | Scrapbook fever Quaint hobby has become a $2.5 billion industry

Mercury News | 10/26/2003 | Scrapbook fever Quaint hobby has become a $2.5 billion industry: "Even in the Internet Age, Silicon Valley stores are shining spotlights on a quaint little hobby that's morphed into a fast-growing, $2.5 billion industry: scrapbooking."

A tough lesson on medical privacy / Pakistani transcriber threatens UCSF over back pay

A tough lesson on medical privacy / Pakistani transcriber threatens UCSF over back pay: "A woman in Pakistan doing cut-rate clerical work for UCSF Medical Center threatened to post patients' confidential files on the Internet unless she was paid more money. To show she was serious, the woman sent UCSF an e-mail earlier this month with actual patients' records attached. "

Romania Emerges As Nexus of Cybercrime

Romania Emerges As Nexus of Cybercrime:" "We want a good name for our country," he said. "I'm very angry that Romania is so well-known for ugly things—for street dogs, street children and hackers." Pambuccian said there was a noticeable decline in criminal activity in the first three months since the law took effect."

Yahoo! News - No Cure for Songs Stuck in Your Head

Yahoo! News - No Cure for Songs Stuck in Your Head:
" - Unexpected and insidious, the earworm slinks its way into the brain and refuses to leave. Symptoms vary, although high levels of annoyance and frustration are common. There are numerous potential treatments, but no cure.



'Earworm' is the term coined by University of Cincinnati marketing professor James Kellaris for the usually unwelcome songs that get stuck in people's heads. Since beginning his research in 2000, Kellaris has heard from people all over the world requesting help, sharing anecdotes and offering solutions.

Arthroscopic Surgery is No Better than Placebo (Sham Surgery) in Treating the Pain and Dysfunction of Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Arthroscopic Surgery is No Better than Placebo (Sham Surgery) in Treating the Pain and Dysfunction of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: "Approximately 650,000 arthroscopic procedures for knee OA are performed yearly in the U.S. at a total cost of approximately $3.25 billion. This important study clearly calls into question the legitimacy of this expensive invasive procedure since no benefit can be demonstrated above and beyond that of sham surgery."

Putting the Moves on Movers

I recently picked up a change of address packet from the Post Office. Inside was an ad for OneSwitch, a service that claims it will "processes a change of address for all subscriptions with a single call so that they will continue without interruption after a move." This service is free to the caller, so I wondered how it paid for itself.



I found the answer here. " OneSwitch provides businesses with the opportunity to capitalize on the New Mover market - the most prolific buying audience in the country - when callers are on the line to complete their change of address." SDP, who runs service, tries to sell you stuff while you are on the calling them to switch your subscription addresses. Plus they can build a database of movers which they can sell to other companies.

Drought Vortex: Where is Australia's Rain Going?

Drought Vortex: "Climatologists are desperately trying to explain the mystery of where southern Australia's winter rainfall is going." ...
Scientists at the US Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research believe [the drought is because of] the combined effect of global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer over Antarctica."

National Punctuality Drive is Launched

Yahoo! News "Ecuador has opened a national punctuality campaign to wipe out the socially acceptable but costly practice of running late."

Slime and Defend: White House Looks to Manage Fallout Over C.I.A. Leak Inquiry

White House Looks to Manage Fallout Over C.I.A. Leak Inquiry "It's slime and defend," said one Republican aide on Capitol Hill, describing the White House's effort to raise questions about Mr. Wilson's motivations and its simultaneous effort to shore up support in the Republican ranks."