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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Millions of tourists are expected to boost economies in Texas and New York during the eclipse.</li><li>Hotels, an eyeglasses manufacturer, and even skydiving companies are preparing for increased business.</li></ul>As millions of Americans get ready to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday — an event NASA has described as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-2024-total-solar-eclipse-cool-best-special-nasa-2024-1">rare and "spectacular"</a> — the phenomenon stands to lift local economies.Various industries are poised to benefit from the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.perrymangroup.com/media/uploads/brief/perryman-the-economic-impact-of-the-solar-eclipse-on-the-us-and-affected-states-03-28-24.pdf">millions of tourists </a>flocking to cities in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-american-total-solar-eclipse-where-view-see-cities-visible-2024-2">Texas, Ohio, and New York</a>, which are on the eclipse's "path of totality" and offer the best views of the ring around the sun.According to NASA, this year's eclipse is set to last three to four minutes, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-2024-total-solar-eclipse-cool-best-special-nasa-2024-1">longer than the last solar eclipse</a>, in 2017. People who miss this one will not be able to see another in the contiguous US until 2044 or 2045, the agency said.Up to 3.7 million people are set to travel to the path of the eclipse, joining the 31 million people already living along the stretch, according to predictions by the eclipse-tracking website <a target="_blank" href="https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/visitation">Great American Eclipse</a>.Visitors are expected to spend big: They'll shell out up to $1.6 billion on lodging, activities, food, and gas, the Texas economic consultancy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.perrymangroup.com/media/uploads/brief/perryman-the-economic-impact-of-the-solar-eclipse-on-the-us-and-affected-states-03-28-24.pdf">Perryman Group estimated</a>.Here are some of the industries seeing big boosts from Monday's eclipse.<h2>Hotels and Airbnbs book out</h2>The budget hotel chain Super 8 has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/upshot/eclipse-hotel-prices.html">over 300 locations</a> within the path of totality, per The New York Times. About 100 of these hotels are sold out for Sunday or Monday, according to the chain's website.One two-star Super 8 branch in Grayville, Illinois, is advertising rooms for between $765 and $950 from Sunday through Tuesday. On most days, the rooms typically cost $80, the Super 8 website shows.Higher-end hotels are seeing similar spikes. A JW Marriott in Dallas listed a standard room for $1,039 for Sunday night. It typically costs between $355 and $482, the website said.Visitors are flocking to Airbnbs, too. As of March 25, occupancy rates for April 7 soared to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.airdna.co/blog/2024-solar-eclipse-str-trends">88% across 110,000 active listings</a> on the path of totality, according to the vacation-rental-data company AirDNA.<h2>The biggest glasses manufacturer has sold out</h2>People can permanently damage their eyesight by looking straight into the sun during an eclipse, so NASA recommends <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safety-tips-watching-partial-solar-eclipse-2017-8">specific solar-filtering glasses</a>.<div type="image" title="Former President Donald Trump looks up at the Solar Eclipse without glasses, with first lady Melania Trump, from a balcony at the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, Aug 21, 2017." height="396" width="594" msid="109129678" hostid="261"></div>The eye-protection guidelines translated into huge sales for some glasses manufacturers.Tennessee's American Paper Optics, the country's largest producer of protective eclipse eyeglasses, has seen a big jump in sales compared with the total eclipse in 2017.The company started taking eclipse orders two years in advance, John Jerit, the company's founder, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/05/1242977798/the-country-s-largest-producer-of-eclipse-glasses-is-located-outside-memphis">told NPR</a> on Friday. The glasses sold for $1.50 to $2 apiece."We've shipped already about 70 million glasses, and I suspect I'm going to approach right at 75 million by the time next week comes," Jerit said.American Paper Optics sold out of glasses this year after producing about 30 million more glasses than it did for the total solar eclipse in 2017, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.3dglassesonline.com/products/eclipsers/">sales figure on the company's site</a>.<h2>Eclipse skydiving attracts thrill seekers</h2>Some adrenaline junkies seeking a novel vantage point are planning to jump during totality to enjoy the darkness from the sky.A group of 30 skydivers plans to jump in northern New York on Monday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/skydivers-enjoy-april-8-solar-eclipse-taking-plunge-totality-event">Fox News reported</a>. Tickets for the dive, hosted by the local company Skydive the Falls, sold out in seven minutes after they went live in January."We're going to jump one minute prior to totality, so we can enjoy totality in full under our parachutes," Jason Berger, a co-owner of Skydive the Falls, told Fox News.A similar event in <a target="_blank" href="https://dallas.skydivespaceland.com/shop/experienced/eclipse-skydive-2024/">Dallas</a> sold out of its $250 eclipse skydive tickets, too.For sun observers on the ground, restaurants are making the most of the celestial phenomenon with eclipse menus and specials. Establishments like Smoothie King, Applebee's, and Sonic are offering special eclipse-themed smoothies and margaritas, as well as "blackout" drinks to mark the occasion.

Millions of people are traveling to see the total eclipse. Hotels, motels, and skydiving operators are making bank on it.

<ul><li>This year's total <keyword id="6699518" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-eclipse">solar eclipse</keyword> is scheduled to take place on 10 June 2121.</li><li>Unlike a lunar eclipse, people should exercise caution while viewing a solar eclipse in order to protect their eyes.</li><li>Here are a few do’s and don’ts for solar eclipse you need to bear in mind as the eclipse happens.</li></ul>The first solar eclipse or surya grahan this year will happen on June 10. Across the world, there are many myths and superstitions associated with eclipses — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/no-the-solar-eclipse-wont-harm-your-baby-or-your-achaar/articleshow/72974566.cms">like keeping children and pregnant women away or avoiding travel</a> — and not all of it holds true. However — unlike lunar eclipses — there is a certain level of precaution that everyone must exercise when viewing any solar eclipse in order to protect their eyes. It also holds true for looking at the Sun directly on normal days. Looking directly at Earth's star can damage the eyes because of how bright the light is. During the eclipse, it's especially important to be cautious since you'll be looking at the Sun for an extended period of time in order to catch its various features like the 'diamond ring' effect and 'Bailey's Beads'. <div type="image" title="VS" msid="79698415" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Bailey&amp;#39;s Beads (L) and the &amp;#39;diamong ring&amp;#39; effect (R) during the 2017 total solar eclipse&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Do’s during a solar eclipse Even during a normal day, people are advised not to stare directly at the Sun. So when it comes to the solar eclipse, one should use special-purpose solar filters or ‘eclipse glasses’ in order to protect their eyes, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (<a href="https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/static/img/eclipse-kit/NASA_Eclipse_Activity_Guide.pdf">NASA</a>), It also advises against using homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses. Even the darkest pair of sunglasses would still transmit far too much sunlight that could damage the eyes. That being said, even while using eclipse glasses, NASA recommends shielding one’s eyes before looking up at the sky during a solar eclipse. Only remove the glasses if you’ve completely looked away or once the solar eclipse is over — not before. While it’s tempting to use a camera to capture the event or use a telescope or binoculars to catch a closer view, scientists advise against it — even if a person is using eclipse glasses at the time. In doing so, one runs the risk of the concentrated solar rays could causing injury. For near or farsighted, they don’t need to take off their glasses in order to view the eclipse. The eclipse glasses can just go over them. In case that feels uncomfortable, they have the option to opt for a hand-held viewer instead. Don’ts during the solar eclipse Driving during a solar eclipse isn’t recommended. According to the American Automobile Association (<a href="https://exchange.aaa.com/safety/driving-advice/aaa-tips-drivers-solar-eclipse/">AAA</a>), people should drive with their headlights on and safely park their car before observing the event — with adequate protection with the proper gear. But life isn’t perfect, and circumstances may dictate that one may have to be on the road. In such cases, watch out for other distracted drivers. AAA advises drivers should keep some additional space between cars and account for the fact they’ll be driving slower on the day. In case you’re going to be watching the solar eclipse with children, make sure to supervise. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/no-the-solar-eclipse-wont-harm-your-baby-or-your-achaar/articleshow/72974566.cms">No, the solar eclipse won’t harm your baby — or your achaar</a>

The dos and don’ts of a Solar Eclipse — what you need to know to protect yourself

New Delhi, As India gets readied for a <keyword id="10424473" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="massive-covid-vaccination-programme">massive Covid vaccination programme</keyword>, heath experts on Sunday said that 21 days is an ideal gap between the first and the <keyword id="10424474" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="second-booster-dose">second booster dose</keyword>, and those who get vaccinated have to maintain the same health hygiene as they are supposed to do sans vaccine for a certain time period. Union Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said that 30 crore people have been listed in prioritised population groups, which involves one crore healthcare workers, two crore personnel from the police department, armed forces, home guard, civil defence organisation and 27 crore people above the age of 50 and below 50 with co-morbidities. The government is expected to roll out its <keyword id="9849917" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="first-vaccines">first vaccines</keyword> in the next few weeks with at least three candidates under the <keyword id="6681091" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="active-consideration">active consideration</keyword> of India's drug regulator. According to Dr Manoj Goel, Director, Pulmonology at Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, after taking the first dose, the second dose has to be ideally taken on the 21st day. "After the vaccination, one can resume their normal day to day activities. In between also, there are no guidelines to sit at home and people can carry on their usual activities by taking the basic precautions like social distancing, wearing a mask and frequent sanitising of hands," Goel told IANS. The Union Health Ministry had said that 1.54 lakh vaccinators or auxiliary nurse midwives will administer the <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">Covid-19</keyword> vaccine to people under the universal immunisation programme when the vaccination process begins. According to Dr Jyoti Mutta, Senior Consultant, Microbiology at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute in New Delhi, there are a number of vaccines which have different schedules and these vaccine schedules are determined by clinical trials. "Talking about Pfizer vaccine in this regard, two doses are suggested 21 days apart and two doses 28 days apart for AstraZeneca vaccine. Also, the proper rest and precautions are suggested during this period in order to avoid infection and proper care," she told IANS. Dr Mutta also stressed that staying at home is not particularly defined as a precautionary measure but complete care is recommended. "Taking precautions like wearing a mask, social distancing and hand hygiene is important to avoid infection," she noted. Dr Neha Gupta, Infectious Diseases Physician at Medanta Hosptial in Gurugram told IANS: "Vaccine requires two doses 21 days apart and usually the protective efficacy is seven days after the second dose. So, patients need to continue precautions after the first dose of vaccine." There are as many as eight <keyword id="8983421" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Covid-vaccine">Covid vaccine</keyword> candidates under different stages of clinical trials which could be ready for authorisation in near future. The vaccines include Covaxin, Astrazeneca and Oxford university developed and Serum Institute of India manufactured <keyword id="9617748" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="covishield">Covishield</keyword>, ZyCoV-D by Zydus Cadila, Russian vaccine candidate Sputnik-V, NVX-CoV2373 by SII, HGCO19 by Geneva, and two unlabelled vaccines - Recombinant Protein antigen-based vaccine by Biological E Limited and Inactivated rabies vector platform by <keyword id="7330627" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Biotech-Limited">Bharat Biotech Limited</keyword>. Pune-based Serum Institute of India and Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech have already applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking emergency use authorisation for their potential Covid-19 vaccines. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/dos-and-donts-during-solar-eclipse-surya-grahan/articleshow/76436997.cms">The do’s and don’ts of a Solar Eclipse — here what you need to know to protect yourself</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/solar-eclipse-december-2020-time-date-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/79697355.cms">The total solar eclipse and its 'diamond rings' won't be visible in India on December 14</a>

Experts believe COVID-19 vaccine doses need a at least a 21-day gap between them

Hyderabad, Despite the economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, <keyword id="68884" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana">Telangana</keyword> is focusing on the expansion of the <keyword id="617811" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="information-technology-sector">information technology sector</keyword> to further strengthen its standing as a leading global technology destination. It is not only setting up <keyword id="763883" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="IT-parks">IT parks</keyword> in tier-II cities but within Hyderabad, it is taking up initiatives to ensure the expansion of the sector in all corners of the city. For over two decades, the IT presence in Hyderabad was confined to Madhapur and Gachibowli clusters in the western part of the city and it is only in recent years that few companies started their operations in the east. The state government has now drawn up ambitious plans to take the IT growth to all corners of the city. Under the GRID (Growth in Dispersion) policy of the state government, as many as 11 industrial parks within Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits will soon be converted into IT parks. This week, the authorities issued detailed guidelines pertaining to the zones, incentives, and <keyword id="1088961" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-support">government support</keyword> for the conversion. The IT towers will come up in industrial parks at Balanagar, Kukatpally, Moula Ali, Mallapur, Patancheru, Katedan, and Sanatnagar, covering all corners of the city excluding the west. This followed the government's order to all polluting industries within the ORR to shift outside it. Non-polluting industries were also given the option to shift. Officials say the conversion of industrial parks into IT Parks will improve the elevation and the quality of living in the city. Home to 1,500 IT/ITES companies including global majors Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Apple, <keyword id="18635" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, and nearly six lakh employees, Hyderabad is recognized as one of the leading Information Technology hubs globally. The new initiatives including GRID are expected to help achieve the state government's vision to increase the IT exports to $25 billion (₹1,87,000 crore) by 2025. The officials said the government embarked on dispersion as there is a resurgence of interest among the global investor's community, due to the state's investor-friendly and proactive policy measures. It is estimated that about 30% of the IT talent pool resides in the eastern part of the city and commutes to western IT Corridor on a daily basis. Similarly, a large part of the IT workforce resides in the northern parts of the city including Kompally, Bahadurpally, Bachupally, and Dundigal. This has led to overall city congestion and an increase in commuting time for IT employees. Dispersing the IT sector will not only decongest the western corridor and reduce the infrastructural burden but also makes it convenient for the IT workforce to commute to work and reduce the transportation burden on the IT companies. This is part of the objective to make Hyderabad the most preferred technology investment destination in the country and to attract niche segments that are fast emerging and evolving new verticals in technology sectors. The IT, Electronics and Communications Department has announced various incentives for units, anchors, developers, infrastructure development and institutional measures, and branding and promotional activities. The IT and ITeS units coming up in the industrial parks would be eligible for GRID benefits like an additional power subsidy of ₹2 per unit on the industrial power tariff on a reimbursement basis for a period of five years, with the total incentive for the unit not exceeding ₹5 lakh per year. According to the Government Order, the units will also get a lease rental subsidy of 30% for a period of five years with the total subsidy for the unit not exceeding Rs 10 lakh per year. The department announced concessions on land conversion for industrial lands under the Telangana State <keyword id="418609" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Industrial-Infrastructure">Industrial Infrastructure</keyword> Corporation (TSIIC) or industrial area local authorities that are converted to IT or ITES use. The developer has to utilize a minimum of 50 of the total built-up area for IT purposes. The remaining 50% can be utilized for non-IT use including commercial and residential use. In addition to converting industrial parks into IT parks, the government will also build an IT park at Kompally in the northern part of the city and another facility at Kollur or Osmannagar in the north-western part of the city. The government chose the areas for creating IT parks based on representations from various players. The eastern part of the city already has NSL IT Park, Genpact, Infosys, and others. Minister for Information Technology and Industry K. T. Rama Rao in July announced that the government permitted the conversion of five industrial parks into IT parks in east Hyderabad. In these five parks, IT firms will be set in about 25 lakh square feet which will create employment opportunities to 30,000 employees. He handed over conversion letters to the five companies. Hyderabad Distilleries and Wineries Limited's IT park will come up at IDA-Uppal over 12.40 acres. Minacto Chem will set up another park in the same area over 2.66 acres. Swamy Soaps and Oils Pvt Limited's park will also come up in IDA-Uppal over 2 acres. Gokuldas Exports Ltd's Mini Textile Park will set up an IT park in Nacharam over 8.93 acres while Bakelite Hylam Limited's facility will come up at IDA, Nacharam over 8 acres. The minister says that Hyderabad has no geographical hurdles and has the scope to develop in all the corners. Telangana clocked over Rs 1.28 lakh crore of IT exports during 2019-20, a growth of nearly 18% over the previous year. The growth rate was more than double the national average of 8.09% and more than two-and-a-half times the rest of the nation's average of 6.92%. The share of Telangana in overall IT exports from India went up from 10.61% to 11.58%. The number of jobs in the IT sector in the state went up from 5,43,033 to 5,82,126, a growth of 7.20% compared to the national average of 4.93%. This growth was registered despite the onset of the Covid-19 during the last quarter of 2019-2020. The Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for IT exports for the last six years is 14.46%. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/dos-and-donts-during-solar-eclipse-surya-grahan/articleshow/76436997.cms">The do’s and don’ts of a Solar Eclipse — here what you need to know to protect yourself</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/solar-eclipse-december-2020-time-date-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/79697355.cms">The total solar eclipse and its 'diamond rings' won't be visible in India on December 14</a>

Industrial parks conversion into IT parks to further boost Hyderabad

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Female_flight_attendants#/media/File:Norwegian_flight_attendant.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a> Flight attendants get pummeled by space radiation while keeping you safe (and serving you food and drinks). </div></div></div>Traveling the skies by jet lifts us far from the hustle and bustle of the world below.But many flyers don't know that soaring miles above Earth also takes us out of a vital protective cocoon - and a little closer to a place where our cells can be pummeled by radiation from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/neutron-stars-crash-ligo-gravitational-waves-periodic-elements-2017-10">colliding stars</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/milky-way-s-black-hole-may-be-spewing-out-cosmic-rays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">black holes</a>, and more.You can't see these high-energy charged particles, but at any given moment, tens of thousands of them are soaring through space and slamming into Earth's atmosphere from all directions.Also called <a href="http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/dick/cos_encyc.html">cosmic rays</a> or <a href="http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch23/radiation.php">cosmic ionizing radiation</a>, the particles are the cores of atoms, such as iron and nickel, moving at nearly light-speed. They can travel for millions of years through space before randomly hitting Earth.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">NASAAn illustration of cosmic rays hitting Earth's atmosphere, leading to ionizing radiation.</div></div></div>These rays don't pose much of a risk to humans on Earth's surface, since the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field shield us from most of the threat."Cosmic rays are not a significant exposure risk on the ground," Eddie Semones, a radiation health officer at NASA, previously told Business Insider. "You actually get more exposure from the Earth's natural radioactive material than from galactic cosmic rays."But far above the ground, the particles are more likely to leak through.When cosmic rays strike the air, they create showers of ionizing radiation - particles that can knock electrons free of atoms and molecules - that can penetrate deep inside our bodies. This potential damage to tissues and DNA poses <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aircrew/cosmicionizingradiation.html">risks to our health</a> and has been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, and cognition problems in animals.That's why it can be risky to fly for a living. But cosmic rays aren't the only form of radiation that pilots and flight attendants face.<h2>Dangers from deep space</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giant_prominence_on_the_sun_erupted.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>A photo of a solar outburst.</div></div></div>Because those who fly on jet airplanes frequently face higher exposure to cosmic radiation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aircrew/cosmicionizingradiation.html">classifies</a> airline crew members as radiation workers.In fact, the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements reported in 2009 that air crews have, on average, the <a href="http://www.ncrponline.org/PDFs/2012/DAS_DDM2_Athens_4-2012.pdf">highest yearly dose</a> of radiation out of all radiation-exposed workers in the US. This means they receive more radiation exposure than people who work alongside <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thorium-molten-salt-reactors-sorensen-lftr-2017-2">nuclear reactors</a>."Working at power plants nowadays, it's very, very strict in how they would do a job that'd incur radiation exposure to an individual," Semones said. The use of robots and detailed planning has become routine since the Cold War, so "the industry has evolved," he added.Another radiation risk when flying is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/solar-storm-risk-map-united-states-2016-9">energetic outbursts from the sun,</a> which Earth normally shields people from. This includes gamma rays and X-rays from solar flares, and storms of high-energy protons. When the sun is very active, there can be several solar particle events <a href="http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/sftheory/questions.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per day</a>.The annual exposure for air crews is an estimated 3 millisieverts (mSv) - a <a href="https://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Radiation_definitions.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complex measure</a> of the amount of background radiation a person receives in one year in the US. Only astronauts are more exposed: Ten days in space delivers about <a href="http://srag-nt.jsc.nasa.gov/spaceradiation/faq/faq.cfm">4.3 mSv</a> to the skin alone, which is <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/284275main_Radiation_HS_Mod3.pdf">4.3 years' worth of cosmic radiation</a> on the surface of Earth.This is why NASA does not permit astronauts to spend more than a year or so in orbit. The space agency doesn't want their exposure to boost their lifetime risk for cancer more than an additional 3%.<h2>No limits for airline crews</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/solar-eclipse-flying-against-plane-262366559">Shutterstock</a>An airplane flies in front of the crescent of a solar eclipse.</div></div></div>While NASA is extra-cautious due to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/martian-radiation-levels-crewed-mission-2017-7">intense exposure</a> astronauts face during short missions, US airline workers don't get the same scrutiny."There are no official dose limits for aircrew in the United States," the US Centers for Disease control writes in its <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aircrew/cosmicionizingradiation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aircrew safety guidelines</a> on cosmic radiation. The reason: "We don't know what levels of cosmic radiation are safe for every person."This is because there are very few human studies on the topic. Most have examined nuclear bomb survivors and people undergoing radiation therapy. The animal studies that have been done don't always map well to people.There are some worldwide guidelines, however.The International Commission on Radiological Protection <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aircrew/cosmicionizingradiation.html">recommends</a> crew members not be exposed to more than 20 mSv per year. The ICRP says that the general public, on the other hand, should receive less than 1 mSv per year. To minimize their exposure, airline personnel should try to limit working on flights that are very long, at high altitudes, or that fly over the poles, which are all associated with heightened exposures, according to the CDC.Pregnant crew members are particularly at risk and should try not to fly during their first trimester. They're also advised to avoid flying when the sun is having a solar particle event, which can deliver a higher dose of radiation in one flight than is recommended for the entirety of a pregnancy.To calculate your exposure on a typical flight, check out this handy <a href="http://jag.cami.jccbi.gov/cariprofile.asp">online tool</a> from the Federal Aviation Administration.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/calderonejulia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julia Calderone</a> wrote a previous version of this post. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/radiation-levels-exposure-nuclear-plants-xray-smoking-2015-11">Here's how much radiation you're exposed to in everyday life</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Flying in airplanes exposes people to more radiation than standing next to a nuclear reactor - here's why

<ul class="summary-list"><li>My kid's school is going to close for no science-based reason, and we've already given up Thanksgiving. But I can't help but feel discouraged that my family's sacrifice is in vain.</li><li>A winter hellscape awaits, even with encouraging vaccine news, because America's response to the coronavirus pandemic has been an endless loop of stupidity.</li><li>A lot of Republican politicians deny science, while some prominent Democratic lawmakers cynically flout their own COVID-19 guidelines.</li><li>Ours isn't a cohesive society banding together to fight a common enemy, one that has wreaked havoc on each of us in some way.</li><li>America's COVID-19 response has devolved into a politically driven, toxically narcissistic, tribalistic mess.</li><li>This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.</li></ul>Thanksgiving is an unalloyed joy of my life, and I'm not particularly given to public displays of effervescence.Unlike religious holidays, this one requires the least formality. It's all just goofing off, catching up, and pretending to care about the Detroit Lions game. It's a low-pressure, high-carb event that briefly makes the awful-weather months bearable.But as we have with so many other staples of "normal" life this year, my family and I are willfully opting out of an extended family Thanksgiving. We're taking one for the team, again, so that family members in high-risk age and health demographics aren't put at unnecessary risk.We're doing it because it's the right thing to do, and it's a very modest sacrifice in the interests of social responsibility, especially with words like "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/14/world/covid19-coronavirus-updates">out of control</a>" being used to describe the state of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US.We're doing our part, but I can't help but feel discouraged that my family's sacrifice is in vain. A winter hellscape awaits, even with encouraging vaccine news, because America's response to the coronavirus pandemic has been an endless loop of stupidity.<h2>'Nightmare spring' gives way to 'horror winter'</h2>It's been over eight months since COVID-19 crushed life as we knew it.Seared into my memories of March through July are the refrigerated tractor-trailers filled with bodies, the constant wail of sirens, and mandatory shutdowns of everyday life.And then there was that time I got a mass text from the city of New York telling me (and everyone) not to call 911 or go to the emergency room unless a life was in immediate danger. Whenever my kids roughhoused on our couch, which they needed to do to maintain sanity, I watched with dread at the prospect of a broken finger and the lack of available medical attention.During this nightmare existence last spring, confined to an apartment in the epicenter of the pandemic with three kids aged toddler to tween, all I hoped for was a near future where my kids were in school and not climbing the walls while I desperately tried to earn a living.My utopian vision included fantasies of Americans generally agreeing that the coronavirus is real and that we should all be disciplined enough not to recklessly spread it. I also spun imaginary tales of lawmakers making consistent, science-based policies and then proving to the public that they too would live under the same draconian restrictions.Like my once held hope for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/business/why-a-back-to-the-future-hoverboard-never-took-off.html">hoverboards</a>, my idealism for the future under COVID-19 is gone.Instead of an effective, science-based approach, America's COVID-19 response has devolved into a politically driven, toxically narcissistic, tribalistic mess. And it's only getting worse as we're heading into what could be the most brutal stretch of infections and hospitalizations to date.<h2>The rot at the top</h2>No assessment of American disharmony is complete without a full accounting of the political class' myriad failures.It's not just that President Donald Trump helped to convince millions of Americans that wearing a mask is an affront to liberty and that a good number of Republicans echoed his idiocy.Republican <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-sioux-falls-iowa-south-dakota-coronavirus-pandemic-80becf9ed6126f847b56e9aeb5e8c9d8">Gov. Kristi Noem</a> of South Dakota presides over the state with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths per capita over the past month, but she continues to raise doubts about the value of wearing a mask and to allow large gatherings in the name of "freedom."As COVID-19 cases surged in the Buckeye State, where <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nearly-half-83-people-who-attend-ohio-wedding-test-positive-n1248055">weddings are proving to be superspreader events</a>, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio <a href="https://twitter.com/jim_jordan/status/1328355003350851592">tweeted</a>: "Don't cancel Thanksgiving. Don't cancel Christmas. Cancel lockdowns."Republican Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont broke with the COVID-19-denying orthodoxy of many in his party by <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPhilScott/status/1328735569489309696">tweeting a thread</a> in which he acknowledged that "it's hard to keep sacrificing" and said, "I hear the anger, frustration, anxiety, sadness."Scott conceded that "there's not much we can do to stop" citizens from denying science and putting other people at risk. But <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPhilScott/status/1328736524763099149">he added</a>: "Please don't call it patriotic or pretend it's about freedom ... Real patriots serve and sacrifice for all, whether they agree with them or not."But it's not just GOP politicians who have undermined the COVID-19 response and made any response into a political fight. There is plenty of blame to go around.Democrats' tone-deaf elitism and selective outrage over mass gatherings have also done plenty of damage to the social cohesion required to beat back a pandemic.House Speaker <a href="https://twitter.com/LACaldwellDC/status/1327340810262765568">Nancy Pelosi</a> had to be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pelosi-dinner-reversal-coronavirus/2020/11/16/34f2305a-2825-11eb-9b14-ad872157ebc9_story.html">shamed into canceling an indoor dinner</a> with about 50 new and returning members of the Democratic caucus.Massive protests, as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/SegravesNBC4/status/1325899794146058242">celebrations</a>, have been cheered in liberal circles — but <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1327707927914885133">only when the politics are correct</a>. Meanwhile, conservatives and religious devotees seethe that their houses of worship remain closed by government order.California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants citizens of his state to limit their Thanksgivings to 10 people or fewer, but earlier this month he <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Newsom-attended-French-Laundry-party-with-more-15725393.php">attended a private dinner for a well-connected lobbyist</a> at Napa Valley's <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1328699662749077505">exclusive French Laundry restaurant</a> that had more members of different households than the state's guidelines advise.It hardly gets more Marie Antoinette than that. Or maybe it does!After Newsom apologized for attending what he said was an outdoor dinner with mostly masked guests, <a href="https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1328932610169561090">photos surfaced of Newsom sitting indoors</a> close to other unmasked diners.And in my Democrat-dominated city and state, I'm sweating bullets over whether my middle-schooler will be barred from going back into a classroom, even though she's attended in person an average of less than one day a week this year.At the start of the school year in late August, it <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/07/31/nyc-public-schools-mayor-de-blasio">wasn't clear</a> from <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/09/01/nyc-delays-reopening-of-public-schools">one day</a> to the next whether schools would be <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/19/union-says-no-nyc-schools-should-open-under-current-plan-threatens-legal-action.html">opening at all</a>. Eight months later, the mixed messages are still flying between New York City and Albany.<a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/cuomo-covid-curfew-takes-effect-friday-night-across-ny-as-city-prepares-to-close-schools/2722051/">Gov. Andrew Cuomo's policy</a> is to close schools if the daily positive COVID-19 test rate hits 9%.But in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio could get the teachers union to agree to come back to work only if he agreed to a clampdown <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/cuomo-covid-curfew-takes-effect-friday-night-across-ny-as-city-prepares-to-close-schools/2722051/">should the daily positive rate hit 3%</a>. The city's rate has been hovering just under that threshold all week, and closures <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/de-blasio-says-closing-schools-still-on-table-as-city-nears-threshold">feel inevitable</a>. (UPDATE: New York City has "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/nyregion/nyc-schools-covid.html">temporarily</a>" closed all school buildings.)This is despite the fact that New York City schools have over the past three months had positive test rates of about 0.18%. According to the city's top health experts, schools are just about the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/nyregion/nyc-schools-coronavirus.html">safest public place</a> you could be.There's nothing science-related about these school policies, and they're certainly not in the public interest. And it is lower-income families — who are the <a href="https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/11/03/nyc-should-subsidize-internet-for-low-income-remote-learners-stringer-says/">most likely to lack the reliable high-speed internet</a> that remote learning requires — who will suffer the most.It's all indicative of the mismanagement by a city government that <a href="https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/11/16/21570676/nyc-remote-learning-strategy">hasn't done much of anything to help teachers</a> navigate the uncharted waters of remote learning, leaving kids barely educated and parents like me struggling to teach Common Core math to a bored 8-year-old in the middle of a workday.Throw in a lame-duck president more concerned with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-republicans-using-fake-voter-fraud-claims-allegations-fundraise-2020-11">undermining democracy</a> than the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-doesnt-respect-science-american-people-covid-coronavirus-climate-change-2020-10">lives of his constituents</a>, and it kind of feels like nobody's at the wheel, like we're never going to figure this out.<h2>Americans making it worse for America</h2>A lot of people think advisories against large Thanksgiving gatherings from lawmakers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are going to result in <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonSCampbell/status/1328802995123990528">raids led by Dr. Anthony Fauci</a> where <a href="https://twitter.com/ellie_bufkin/status/1326599250545926150">Stormtroopers</a> flip the dinner table and <a href="https://twitter.com/IngrahamAngle/status/1329092182955835393">haul the entire family into COVID-19 jail</a>.That's absurd. They're advisories, like <a href="https://www.space.com/37897-president-trump-shows-how-not-to-watch-eclipse-stares-directly-at-sun.html">to not stare directly at the sun during a solar eclipse</a>.And just because politicians are typically <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/10/25/why-politicians-lie/">self-interested hacks</a> with <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/civil-religion/politicians-the-people-and-the-messiah-complex--whos-to-blame/article_94404d43-775c-5bce-9162-a704c8d2a795.html">messiah complexes</a> doesn't mean the counterargument — that we should do the exact opposite of what the scientists advise — is any better advice.It's been eight months of ruptured education. Eight months of massive unemployment, unpaid rent, and businesses dying through no fault of their own. Eight months of lockdowns, rebellions against lockdowns, and now more lockdowns.We might have a vaccine next year, and we might have everyone vaccinated a year after that. But we're going to suffer — a lot more than we need to — because our elected officials are flailing and kicking and undermining science, and too many citizens are passing the bug rather than being inconvenienced.Ours isn't a cohesive society banding together to fight a common enemy, one that has wreaked havoc on each of us in some way.I'm bracing for more darkness.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lame-duck-trump-dangerous-days-presidency-joe-biden-wont-concede-inauguration-2020-11">Brace yourself for the most dangerous 65 days of Trump's presidency</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-republicans-using-fake-voter-fraud-claims-allegations-fundraise-2020-11">Trumpworld's faux-intellectual grifters are helping him debase democracy with bogus 'voter fraud' claims. And Republicans rake in the cash.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/police-unions-enable-abuse-spread-destructive-propaganda-philadelphia-walter-wallace-2020-11">Police unions are enemies of reform. It's time we take them head on.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-declared-drug-war-over-election-prohibition-lawmakers-marijuana-oregon-2020-11">Americans have declared the Drug War is over</a></li></ul>

America's COVID-19 response grows more nonsensical, even as the pandemic gets worse

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Courtesy Jon Hillenbrand, NorthShore University HealthSystemUntil now, DNA tests have tended to live either in the consumer realm (with tests like 23andMe focusing on ancestry) or through referrals to specialists when a patient brings it up.</div></div></div>A Chicagoland hospital system has added something new to its patients' annual checkups: the option to get a genetic test.Until now, DNA tests have tended to live either in the consumer realm or through referrals to specialists when a patient brings it up.NorthShore University HealthSystem wants to bring that conversation about genetics into every doctor's office during annual checkups.The plan is to be "more proactive" in how the health system deals with health, rather than reactive, Dr. Peter Hulick, head of medical genetics at NorthShore, told Business Insider.That's going to be increasingly important as hospitals start to take on more responsibility, by getting paid to make sure patients are healthy rather than looking solely at the number of people they treat, Hulick said.<h2>How it works</h2><ul><li>A few days before you're scheduled to go in for your annual physical, NorthShore will send out a questionnaire that asks about your family history and if you're interested in getting a genetic test.</li><li>Your answers get put into the hospital's electronic health records, and an algorithm helps determine what tests a person might be a good candidate to take, if any. They could be tests that screen for a hereditary-cancer risk (like the BRCA1 and 2 genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer), cardiovascular risk, or tests that show how you might respond to certain medication.</li><li>Patients are responsible for paying for the test, which can be covered by insurance. </li><li>Whether a person gets a test - say, a hereditary-cancer screening - is based on national guidelines, Hulick said, and people will get only the tests they might need. Dr. Robert Nussbaum, the chief medical officer at Invitae, a company that provides genetics tests to NorthShore, said doing a hereditary-cancer test if someone doesn't have a family history of the disease is "inappropriate for a general screening" and could cause unnecessary anxiety.</li></ul><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Courtesy Jon Hillenbrand, NorthShore University HealthSystemA lab at NorthShore tests samples of DNA.</div></div></div>Dr. John Mark Revis, a primary-care physician at NorthShore, told Business Insider that ahead of the program starting, primary-care doctors were briefed about the tests they'd be prescribing and what the tests might tell them about their patients' health.Because patients won't be getting tested for everything they could possibly have, Revis said he anticipated this becoming something NorthShore does every year, rather than once in a patient's life. That's because family histories might change or the <keyword id="41551" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">science</keyword> might make a test more relevant.<h2>Genetic testing goes mainstream</h2>Erica Ramos, a genetic counselor at Illumina and incoming president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, told Business Insider that doing genetic testing at the primary-care level was a newer approach that reflected "where we're headed."Other companies have taken on ambitious genetic-sequencing projects. Geisinger Health System, which operates out of Pennsylvania, has sequenced the DNA of <a href="https://www.geisinger.org/-/media/OneGeisinger/pdfs/ghs/research/mycode/84015-1-ScorecardInfographic-August2017.ashx">92,815 patients</a>, with 3.5% of them getting a result that showed they had a disease-causing genetic variant.For now, one of the concerns is there isn't much information about whether taking these genetics tests improves people's health. Would they be just as healthy and live just as long if they never had these tests?One study, recently published <a href="http://annals.org/aim/article/2633848/impact-whole-genome-sequencing-primary-care-outcomes-healthy-adult-patients">in the Annals of Internal Medicine</a>, concluded that when primary-care practices used whole-genome sequencing (that is, reading the entire genetic code of a person), they were able to come up with some findings for their patients, but it was still unclear how helpful those findings were.Getting to the bottom of whether these tests could add value is something NorthShore and Invitae said they were interested in.In the meantime, Hulick said he's gotten positive feedback from the program. Even patients who didn't need a genetics test said they felt satisfied in having the option. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stunning-footage-highlights-2017-total-solar-eclipse-2017-8">Stunning footage from NASA shows the best shots of the historic total solar eclipse</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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