[LAUREN TAYLOR]

AN AMERICAN FROM OKLAHOMA – WHO WAS FACING 12 YEARS IN PRISON IN THE CARIBBEAN COUNTRY OF TURKS AND CAICOS – IS HEADING HOME AFTER SPENDING ABOUT TWO MONTHS IN JAIL. 

RYAN WATSON WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH BRINGING AMMUNITION INTO THE BRITISH TERRITORY – BACK IN APRIL.

WATSON SAID HE ACCIDENTALLY HAD FOUR ROUNDS OF HUNTING AMMUNITION IN HIS CARRY-ON BAG – WHEN HE WAS PREPARING TO LEAVE THE ISLAND BACK IN APRIL. 

HE SPOKE WITH THE TODAY SHOW ABOUT THE ORDEAL:

(RYAN WATSON)

“I never recall putting that ammunition in that bag, but somehow they ended up in there.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

HE HAD GONE ON A HUNTING TRIP PRIOR TO MEETING HIS WIFE IN THE ISLAND COUNTRY FOR A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION – NOT REALIZING THE BULLETS WERE IN HIS BAG.

HE CALLED IT AN HONEST MISTAKE AND SAID HE NEVER MEANT TO BREAK THE LAW.

AND HE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE. 

THERE’VE BEEN FOUR OTHER AMERICAN TOURISTS – WHO ALSO FACED A SIMILAR FATE.

IN TURKS AND CAICOS, IT’S AGAINST THE LAW TO OWN OR POSSESS AN UNLICENSED FIREARM OR AMMUNITION.

UNLIKE THE UNITED STATES – THERE’S NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO CARRY A GUN OR AMMO IN TURKS AND CAICOS. 

IN 2022 – THE TURKS AND CAICOS GOVERNMENT PASSED AN AMENDMENT IMPOSING A MINIMUM 12-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR ANYONE WHO BREAKS THE LAW.

HOWEVER, IN LIGHT OF THE AMERICAN TOURISTS’ CASES, THE TURKS AND CAICOS GOVERNMENT APPROVED AN AMENDMENT, CHANGING THE LAW – NOW GIVING JUDGES SENTENCING THESE TYPES OF SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES CASES, MORE DISCRETION WHEN SENTENCING THOSE CONVICTED.

WATSON HAS BEEN IN THE ISLAND COUNTRY SINCE HIS APRIL ARREST – WHILE HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN HAVE BEEN HOME IN THE US AND DID NOT FACE ANY CHARGES.

THE JUDGE FINED WATSON $500 PER BULLET – A TOTAL OF $2-THOUSAND DOLLARS.

WATSON’S LAWYER WROTE ON X THAT HE’S EXPECTED TO BE BACK WITH HIS FAMILY IN OKLAHOMA SOON.

RYAN SPOKE TO GOOD MORNING AMERICA BEFORE HIS SENTENCING AND WAS VERY EMOTIONAL WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT MISSING TIME WITH HIS SON AND DAUGHTER. HE SAID HE CAN’T WAIT TO HUG HIS KIDS AGAIN.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LT..

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[RAY BOGAN]

Illegal border crossings continued a downward trend in May. According to Customs and Border Protection, 170,000 total people were encountered by border and customs officials, including 117,000 between ports of entry. It’s the lowest month of the 2024 fiscal year.

As a comparison, encounters hit their highest mark ever in December at 301,000. May’s numbers are 9,000 lower than April and 36,000 less than May 2023. 

“Our enforcement efforts are continuing to reduce southwest border encounters. But the fact remains that our immigration system is not resourced for what we are seeing,” Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement. “The dedicated men and women of CBP will continue to prioritize national security and disrupt criminal networks, while maximizing consequences for unlawful entry, including detention, prosecution, and removal under recently announced executive actions to further secure the border.”

But unless the numbers decrease even further, encounters remain on track to surpass 2 million for the third year in a row. President Biden is the only president with more than two million crossings in a year. 

“May’s numbers show that President Biden and impeached Secretary Mayorkas’ border crisis is never going to end as long as they are in charge,” House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., said in a statement. “Border Patrol apprehensions at the Southwest border were roughly four times what Obama-era DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said ‘overwhelms the system.’” 

These numbers however do not show the impact of the President’s June 4 executive order, which shuts down asylum claims when daily crossings surpass 2,500 per day. It took effect immediately. The order is withdrawn once crossings are less than 1,500 per day for seven days in a row. CBP says since it’s been enacted, there has been a 25% decrease in daily encounters. 

CBS immigration reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez said the number of crossings on June 17 was 2,000, above the threshold to restart asylum claims. There are also thousands of known “gotaways” every week, or people who evade apprehension. Fox News reporter Bill Melugin said the average over the last week has been 515 per day.

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE FAA IS INVESTIGATING WHY A SOUTHWEST AIRLINES JET FLEW DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO AN OKLAHOMA NEIGHBORHOOD WEDNESDAY.

AS THE PLANE DIPPED TO JUST HUNDREDS OF FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER ALERTED BY AN “AUTOMATED WARNING” CONTACTED THE PILOTS. 

TAKE A LISTEN.

[WILL ROGERS TOWER COMMUNICATING WITH SWA4069]

SOUTHWEST 4069, LOW ALTITUDE ALERT. YOU GOOD OUT THERE? //YEAH, WE’RE GOING AROUND, 4069.

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE PLANE BRUSHED PAST THE OKLAHOMA CITY SUBURB JUST OVER 500 FEET FROM THE GROUND BEFORE QUICKLY REGAINING ALTITUDE AND CIRCLING AROUND FOR A SAFE LANDING.

OFFICIALS WITH THE AIRPORT SAID THE JET MISSED ITS APPROACH BUT THERE ARE NO ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES RELEASED A STATEMENT IN RESPONSE, SAYING:

“NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT TO SOUTHWEST THAN THE SAFETY OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES. SOUTHWEST IS FOLLOWING ITS ROBUST SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND IS IN CONTACT WITH THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION TO UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS ANY IRREGULARITIES WITH THE AIRCRAFT’S APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT.”

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THE STORIES, YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND SIGN UP FOR NEWS UPDATES.

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

A PROPOSED LAW IN ILLINOIS IS FLYING IN THE FACE OF ADVOCATES OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT.

A STATE REP INTRODUCED A PAIR OF BILLS GEARED AT ADDRESSING FLYING THE AMERICAN FLAG UPSIDE DOWN.

ONE WOULD MAKE IT A FELONY FOR ANY GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TO KNOWINGLY FLY AN AMERICAN FLAG UPSIDE DOWN ON GOVERNMENT PROPERTY.

AND THE OTHER – WOULD IMPOSE A FINE UP TO $25,000 ON THAT GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL.

THE PRACTICE HAS BEEN IN THE HEADLINES IN RECENT WEEKS – WITH REPORTS OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SAMUEL ALITO BEING ACCUSED OF HANGING THE FLAG UPSIDE DOWN AT HIS PERSONAL RESIDENCE IN 2021. 

BUT IT’S NOT JUST ALITO GETTING ATTENTION – THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATION COMES ON THE HEELS OF HOMER TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR STEVE BALICH FLYING THE AMERICAN FLAG UNION SIDE DOWN – OUTSIDE THE OFFICIAL ADMINISTRATION CENTER – ONE DAY AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WAS CONVICTED ON 34 COUNTS OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS IN A NEW YORK COURTROOM.

BALICH RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING IN PART: “AS AMERICANS, NO MATTER WHICH POLITICAL PARTY YOU SUPPORT, WE SHOULD BE OUTRAGED AND VERY CONCERNED. YESTERDAY, I TEMPORARILY FLEW OUR NATION’S FLAG UPSIDE DOWN. FLYING THE FLAG UPSIDE DOWN REPRESENTS DISTRESS, AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT OUR COUNTRY IS IN DISTRESS AND OUR CONSTITUTION IS UNDER ATTACK.”

THE DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE WHO INTRODUCED THE BILLS SAID IN RESPONSE: “THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES IS AN ENDURING SYMBOL OF OUR NATIONAL SPIRIT AND PRIDE, AND OF THE SACRIFICES MADE BY EVERY GENERATION OF AMERICANS. AS ELECTED LEADERS, WE SWEAR OUR OATH TO THAT FLAG AND THE NATION IT REPRESENTS, NOT TO A POLITICAL LEADER. THERE’S NO EXCUSE FOR SUCH DISRESPECT OF OUR FLAG, AND THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED TO DEFEND IT.” 

RIGHT NOW – THERE’S NO FEDERAL LAW RESTRICTING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM FLYING THE AMERICAN FLAG UPSIDE DOWN ON GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. 

THE BILL MENTIONS NOTHING ABOUT PERSONAL PROPERTY.

IF THE LEGISLATION PASSES THE ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE AND SIGNED INTO LAW – IT WOULD TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY.

IF A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL IS FOUND TO BE IN VIOLATION – THEY COULD FACE UP TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LT…

IF YOU WANT MORE UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS – DOWNLOAD THE SAN APP OR VISIT SAN DOT COM.

LAUREN TAYLOR: THE STATE OF HAWAI’I SETTLED A LANDMARK CASE WITH A GROUP OF YOUTH ALLEGING THE STATE WAS VIOLATING THEIR RIGHTS WITH POLLUTION-CAUSING INFRASTRUCTURE. THEY CALLED ON THE STATE TO COMMIT TO A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WITH ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2045.

THE CASE IS THE WORLD’S FIRST YOUTH-LED CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE TO ADDRESS TRANSPORTATION CLIMATE POLLUTION.

GOV. JOSH GREEN ANNOUNCED THE SETTLEMENT THURSDAY, PRAISING THE YOUNG PEOPLE. 

GOV. JOSH GREEN: JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO WE WERE SITTING OVER IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE WITH THE VERY GROUP THAT HAD BEEN SUING THE CRAP OUT OF ME FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE LAST COUPLE YEARS.

LAUREN TAYLOR: THIRTEEN YOUTH FROM HAWAI’I BROUGHT THE CASE FORWARD IN THE SUMMER OF 2022, AND THE HAWAI’I GOVERNMENT HAS SPENT AROUND $3 MILLION ARGUING AGAINST IT. THE SETTLEMENT CAME JUST A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE THE EXPECTED JUNE 24TH TRIAL. 

AS PART OF THE SETTLEMENT, THE HAWAI’I DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILL CREATE A PLAN TO REACH ZERO EMISSIONS FOR ALL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS IN THE ISLANDS, LAND, AIR, AND SEA, BY 2045. THE STATE ALREADY HAD A PRE-EXISTING GOAL OF BECOMING CARBON NEUTRAL BY THAT YEAR. 

“CLIMATE CHANGE IS INDISPUTABLE,” HAWAI’I’S DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION SAID, “BURYING OUR HEADS IN THE SAND AND MAKING IT THE NEXT GENERATION’S PROBLEM IS NOT PONO.” IN HAWAI’I, THE WORD PONO MEANS TO BE RIGHTEOUS AND UPSTANDING. 

THE DEPARTMENT WILL ALSO SET ASIDE AT LEAST $40 MILLION TO BUILD ADDITIONAL PUBLIC ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS BY 2030. THESE EFFORTS WILL BE ADVISED BY A VOLUNTEER YOUTH COUNCIL THAT WILL BE ESTABLISHED IN THE COMING YEARS.

GOV. JOSH GREEN: WE’RE THE MOST ISOLATED LAND MASS ON THE PLANET. WE’RE TOO DEPENDENT ON FOSSIL FUELS. WE’RE VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS LIKE SEA LEVEL RISE, COASTAL EROSION, EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AS WE SAW IN MAUI, CORAL BLEACHING – WHICH IS DEVASTATING TO THE FAUNA THAT ARE IN THE OCEAN – SO IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY STAND UP FOR THE FUTURE. 

LAUREN TAYLOR: THE NONPROFIT LAW FIRM OUR CHILDREN’S TRUST, ONE OF THE PARTIES REPRESENTING THE YOUTH, IS ALSO SUPPORTING SEVERAL OTHER GROUPS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN SUING THEIR STATE GOVERNMENTS FOR ACCELERATING CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH BOTH THEIR POLICIES AND INACTION. THIS IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND TO REACH A RESOLUTION.

RILEY BROOK, ONE OF THE PLAINTIFFS, CALLED OUT TO OTHER YOUTH TO BE ACTIVE IN THEIR CLIMATE ADVOCACY. 

RILEY BROOK: TODAY IS A TESTAMENT TO WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WHEN WE STAND TOGETHER WITH PURPOSE AND CONVICTION TO HOLD OUR GOVERNMENT TO THEIR PROMISES FOR OUR PLANET.

LAUREN TAYLOR: FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LAUREN TAYLOR. IF YOU WANT MORE UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS – DOWNLOAD THE SAN APP OR VISIT SAN.COM.

[KARAH RUCKER]

THE SIDE OF THE SCREEN WHERE AMERICA SEES BIDEN DURING THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO HIM THAN GETTING THE FINAL WORD OF THE EVENING.

THOSE WERE BIDEN’S TWO ADVANTAGES TO CHOOSE FROM WHEN HE WON CNN’S COIN FLIP.

THE WINNER GOT TO CHOOSE STAGE PLACEMENT. OR. ORDER OF CLOSING STATEMENTS.

BIDEN WILL BE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STAGE –

WHICH TRANSLATES TO THE **RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR TV SCREEN.

SO WHY IS IT THAT BIDEN CARED MORE ABOUT THAT POSITIONING THAN GETTING TO BE THE DEBATE CLOSER?

THE WHITE HOUSE HASN’T YET SAID.

BUT THERE MIGHT BE A PSYCHOLOGICAL REASONING BEHIND IT.

SOME STUDIES SUGGEST THAT A VIEWER’S EYES ARE INHERENTLY DRAWN TO THE RIGHT.

SO IN THE CASE OF A SPLIT SCREEN WITH TRUMP ON THE LEFT AND BIDEN ON THE RIGHT –

BIDEN COULD BE BANKING ON GETTING MORE ATTENTION FROM THE AUDIENCE BY CHOOSING THIS SIDE.

NOT BY HIS WORDS OR EVEN ACTIONS.

JUST BY THE NOTION THAT A PERSON’S EYES NATURALLY GRAVITATE TO THE RIGHT OF A SCREEN. 

A 2010 ARTICLE BY SLATE LOOKED INTO A SIMILAR STAGE SETTING.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS. 

AND HOW THE SHOW HOSTS ARE ALWAYS POSITIONED “STAGE LEFT” WHICH PUTS THEM ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR TELEVISION.

FROM DAVID LETTERMAN AND JOHNNY CARSON. TO JIMMY FALLON AND JIMMY KIMMEL. 

“SLATE MAGAZINE” EXPLAINS WHY HOSTS PREFER THIS PLACEMENT.

THE ARTICLE SUGGESTS “BECAUSE IT MAKES THEM SEEM POWERFUL. IN WESTERN CULTURE, WE READ FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, AND WE WATCH THEATER AND TELEVISION THAT WAY, TOO. OUR EYES END UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN.”

IT’S A PLACE OF FAMILIARITY FOR BIDEN TOO.

IN 2020’S TWO PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES – BIDEN WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN IN BOTH OF THESE DEBATE MATCH UPS.

THE STAGE IS SET.

THE RULES ARE IN PLACE.

AND APPARENTLY –

THERE’S A LOT ON THE LINE –

A GOOD CHUNK OF UNDECIDED VOTERS.

ACCORDING TO THE LATEST REUTERS POLLING –

20 PERCENT OF VOTERS SAY THEY HAVE NOT PICKED A CANDIDATE IN THIS YEAR’S PRESIDENTIAL RACE, ARE LEANING TOWARD A THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATE, OR LEANING TOWARD NOT VOTING AT ALL.

IN THE LATEST NPR/PBS POLL –

TRUMP AND BIDEN ARE DEAD EVEN – AT 49% APIECE.

IT’S A TIGHT RACE –

AND FURTHER PROOF OF IT IS IN THE POCKETBOOKS OF EACH CAMPAIGN.

AT THE START OF APRIL – TRUMP WAS BEHIND BIDEN’S FUNDRAISING EFFORTS BY MORE THAN 100 MILLION DOLLARS.

TRUMP OUTFUNDRAISED BIDEN IN APRIL AND MAY –

AS “POST-CONVICTION TRUMP” CONTINUES TO SEE DONATIONS SURGE.

WITH HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ABOUT TO POUR IN FROM BOTH CAMPS –

FOUR MONTHS TO GO BEFORE THE ELECTION AND LESS THAN A WEEK FROM THE FIRST DEBATE.

CAMPAIGN SEASON IS IN FULL SWING.

I’M KARAH RUCKER.

FOR MORE ELECTION-RELATED STORIES THAT MATTER TO YOU –

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[KARAH RUCKER]

A LONDON CINEMA HAS CANCELED THE WORLD PREMIERE OF A FILM THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEKEND THANKS TO BACKLASH IT RECEIVED OVER THE FILM’S CONTROVERSIAL SCREENWRITER – CHATGPT.

[FILM CLIP]

“How would you start a screenplay…that’s um decent.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

CALLED “THE LAST SCREENWRITER” – THE FILM TAKES A META APPROACH AT STORYTELLING – SHOWING THE SAGA OF A SCREENWRITER FACED WITH THE TASK OF WORKING WITH AN AI SYSTEM WHOSE SKILLS MATCH HIS OWN.

SWISS FILMMAKER PETER LUISI (LOUIE-SEE), THE MOVIE’S HUMAN DIRECTOR, SAYS HIS FILM IS MEANT TO START A CONVERSATION ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY.

BUT ONCE PRINCE CHARLES CINEMA POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA IT WOULD BE SCREENING THE SELF-DESCRIBED FIRST FEATURE FILM WRITTEN ENTIRELY BY AI – THE THEATER WAS HIT WITH COMMENTS DENOUNCING THE DECISION.

THE NEXT DAY — THE CINEMA POSTED AN UPDATE SAYING QUOTE: “THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS ONCE WE ADVERTISED THE FILM HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE STRONG CONCERN HELD BY MANY OF OUR AUDIENCE ON THE USE OF AI IN PLACE OF A WRITER WHICH SPEAKS TO A WIDER ISSUE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.”

LAST YEAR IN THE U.S. — HOLLYWOOD ACTORS AND SCREENWRITERS WENT ON STRIKE – WITH ONE OF THE MAIN STICKING POINTS BEING THE ROLE OF AI IN ENTERTAINMENT.

SPEAKING TO SCREEN DAILY – LUISI SAYS HE HAD HOPED THE LONDON THEATER HADN’T BEEN SCARED OFF FROM HOLDING THE SCREENING QUOTE “JUST BECAUSE A FEW PEOPLE ARE UPSET” – HE ADDED “YOU CAN NEVER DO ANYTHING THAT EVERYONE LIKES, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS SUBJECT.”

LUISI SAYS HE WILL BE RELEASING THE FULL FILM ONLINE– ALONG WITH THE SCRIPT THAT WAS FULLY GENERATED BY AI AND THE STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS OF HOW IT ALL CAME TO BE.

IN A STATEMENT POSTED TO THE FILM’S WEBSITE – THE SCREENWRITER – ONCE AGAIN THAT’S CHATGPT – SAYS, “AS A SCREENWRITER, I HAVE WORKED HARD TO CRAFT CHARACTERS THAT ARE COMPLEX AND RELATABLE, WITH DIALOGUE THAT IS BOTH SHARP AND NATURAL…ULTIMATELY, I HOPE THAT THIS FILM WILL BE A REMINDER THAT WHILE TECHNOLOGY CAN AUGMENT AND IMPROVE OUR WORK, IT CAN NEVER REPLACE THE UNIQUE AND IRREPLACEABLE QUALITIES OF HUMAN CREATIVITY.”

DESPITE THE CANCELATION — LUISI THINKS IT’S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE MOVIE – SAYING IT SHOULD HELP THE CAUSE OF SCREENWRITERS – BECAUSE AS HE NOTED – “PEOPLE MIGHT BE ASTONISHED THAT YOU CAN WRITE A MOVIE ALREADY WITHOUT A PERSON.”

[VIDEO CLIP]

“This my friend is the future. Hello, Jack, I’m your new screenwriter assistant…It’s going to change the way work.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

HEART DISEASE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AROUND THE WORLD– BUT NOW A MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH IS LENDING HOPE TO MILLIONS WITH THE CONDITION.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER– DOCTORS SUCCEEDED IN REGENERATING DAMAGED HEART TISSUE.

USING A DEVICE DUBBED THE “SPACE HAIRDRYER” DURING OPEN-HEART BYPASS SURGERY, MEDICS IN AUSTRIA SENT GENTLE SHOCKWAVES TO THE HEART– FINDING JUST 10 MINUTES OF TREATMENT– LED TO REACTIVATION OF HEART MUSCLE AND REGROWTH OF NEW VESSELS IN THE DAMAGED AREA– PREVIOUSLY BELIEVED TO BE IMPOSSIBLE.

BYPASS SURGERY ONLY MAINTAINS HEART FUNCTION. THIS NEW PROCEDURE WOULD IMPROVE IT. 

THE STUDY FOUND THOSE WHO RECEIVED THE TREATMENT COULD WALK FURTHER AND BLOOD FLOW TO THEIR HEART IMPROVED BY MORE THAN 11 PERCENT– SUGGESTING A LONGER AND BETTER-QUALITY LIFE FOR PATIENTS.

RIGHT NOW, THE STUDY SAMPLE SIZE IS SMALL, AROUND 30 PATIENTS, BUT DOCTORS WANT TO START LARGER TRIALS TO CONFIRM THE FINDINGS. THOSE WHO USED THE “SPACE HAIRDRYER” SAID IT IS “FEASIBLE AND SAFE.”

THE ‘SHOCKWAVE” METHOD IS ALREADY USED TO TREAT INJURED LIGAMENTS AND TO BREAK UP KIDNEY STONES.

FOR MORE ON BREAKTHROUGH MEDICAL TREATMENTS AND MORE– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP AND SIGN UP FOR NEWS UPDATES.

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE AND MANY AMERICANS ARE GEARING UP FOR VACATION – RIGHT? 

MAYBE NOT. 

EXPEDIA JUST RELEASED ITS ANNUAL ‘VACATION DEPRIVATION REPORT’ – A LOOK AT HOW MANY PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME OFF. 

AFTER SURVEYING MORE THAN 11-THOUSAND PEOPLE FROM 11 COUNTRIES – IT FOUND TWO OUT OF THREE AMERICANS SAY THEY DON’T TAKE ENOUGH TIME OFF. 

WHAT’S WORSE? 

AMERICANS ALREADY TAKE THE FEWEST VACATION DAYS EVERY YEAR – AVERAGING OUT AT JUST 11 DAYS… WITH AN AVERAGE ALLOTMENT OF 12. 

BUT STILL ONLY A LITTLE MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE SURVEYED PLAN TO USE ALL THEIR TIME OFF. 

AND WHEN COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD – AMERICANS ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO GO A YEAR OR MORE WITHOUT TAKING A VACATION. 

THE TOP REASON 53 PERCENT OF AMERICANS DIDN’T USE ALL THEIR VACATION TIME LAST YEAR… IS BECAUSE THEY SAY “LIFE IS TOO BUSY TO PLAN OR GO ON VACATION”. 

BUT HERE’S SOMETHING INTERESTING – WHILE AMERICANS ARE FEELING MORE VACATION DEPRIVED THAN EVER… JAPAN TOOK THE TOP SPOT AS THE LEAST VACATION DEPRIVED ACCORDING TO THIS YEAR’S REPORT. 

THAT’S DESPITE ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE SURVEYED ONLY USING 12 OF THEIR 19 DAYS OFF ON AVERAGE. 

 SO WHILE JAPAN TOPS THE LIST FOR PEOPLE FEELING LIKE THEY HAVE ENOUGH TIME OFF… IT’S *LAST* WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLE ACTUALLY TAKING ALL THEIR DAYS OFF. 

EXPEDIA SAYS THAT’S BECAUSE THEY MAXIMIZE ON FEDERAL HOLIDAYS AND SCHOOL OR OFFICE CLOSURES TO SCHEDULE MORE FREQUENT, SHORT GETAWAYS. 

THAT’S A TACTIC OF THE FRENCH TOO – WITH FRANCE ALSO TAKING THE TOP SPOT FOR MOST VACATION DAYS. 

BUT DESPITE HAVING A MONTH OFF ANNUALLY… 69 PERCENT OF THE FRENCH SURVEYED SAID THEY DON’T FEEL LIKE THEY GET ENOUGH TIME OFF – THAT’S COMPARED TO 65 PERCENT OF AMERICANS WHO SAID THAT ABOUT OUR 11-DAY AVERAGE. 

EXPEDIA SAYS THAT’S BECAUSE MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF FRENCH WORKERS BELIEVE VACATION TIME IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT AND CRITICAL TO OVERALL HEALTH – PHILOSOPHIES EXPEDIA SAYS AMERICANS COULD BENEFIT FROM TAKING ON. 

MEANWHILE – HONG KONG WAS THE ONLY ONE TO REPORT USING *MORE* VACATION DAYS THAN RESPONDENTS WERE ALLOCATED AND NOT LEAVING VACATION DAYS UNUSED. 

BUT HEY – IT COULD BE WORSE… GERMANY SAT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST – WITH MORE THAN 80 PERCENT SAYING THEY DON’T TAKE ENOUGH TIME OFF,  THOUGH THE SURVEY FOUND THEY’RE MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER TO USE ALL THEIR TIME OFF THIS YEAR.