EXTRA...

MP3 headphones and pacemakers; Ptown may benefit from California's gay-marriage ban

TODAY's quote:
                          The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave.
                                                                                                                              - Thomas Jefferson

Effects of MP3 headphones on pacemakers probed
Researchers in Hyannis find wireless earphones don't pose problem

Headphones for MP3 players placed within an inch of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) may interfere with these devices, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

Researchers investigated the effects of MP3 player headphones, most of which contain the magnetic substance neodymium, on the operation of implanted cardiac devices (abstract P662).

An MP3 player is a popular digital music player. Earlier this year an FDA report concluded that interactions between MP3 players, such as the popular iPod®, and implanted cardiac devices are unlikely to occur...

Researchers in Hyannis, Mass., found that cell phones equipped with wireless technology known as Bluetooth® and pills swallowed to view internal organs are unlikely to interfere with pacemakers or ICDs... Science Daily.

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With gay marriage, California's loss is Provincetown's gain
Cape-tip town may well benefit from that state's new gay-marriage ban

As a Times article on California's new gay-marriage ban points out, gay marriage has been a boon to many California businesses. This raises an interesting question: The social issues surrounding gay marriage aside, what are its implications for local, state and national economies?

Generally speaking, same-sex weddings can present opportunities for local economic growth. Today's story invokes the additional sales these events have brought to existing florists and bridal consultants. They have also created a niche business for some enterprising professionals and even spawned some new product lines. With a new, major life event to spend on, gay couples will spend more, creating demand for more and new bridal products and services....

Gay-friendly towns and states are surely aware of the economic boon of gay marriage; as The Washington Post wrote back in September, businesses in Provincetown, Mass., have benefited from a surge in weddings thanks to tourists who cannot get (legally) hitched back home. The mayor of San Francisco seemed to lament the destination wedding business his state has now lost: "It's a great day for Massachusetts," he said in today's Times article... New York Times.