Be glad if you’re baby gets a big head. “Head growth and therefore brain growth in infancy has been found to be tied to later intelligence.” Larger heads usually signal larger brains. Older people with larger heads also have a reduced risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
crapbag
Monday, October 30, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
“Chemical-laden goods outlawed in Europe and Japan are permitted in the American market.” As a result, the US has become a dumping ground for goods that other countries have deemed unsafe for their citizens. Wood made with glue that contains formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical, is banned in China, but the Chinese are exporting this wood to the US where it is legal.
Unfortunately in the US, industry is a much more powerful lobby compared to American consumers, so the interests of industry are given priority over the interests of consumers.
Unfortunately in the US, industry is a much more powerful lobby compared to American consumers, so the interests of industry are given priority over the interests of consumers.
The widespread use of antibiotics in poultry farming, may lead to antibiotic resistance in humans who eat chicken.
At issue is the use of virginiamycin, an antibiotic used in farm animals to boost their growth.
The drug is banned in Europe, but farmers are allowed to use it in the United States.
Some studies have suggested that virginiamycin can cause germs in poultry to become super-powered, much as overuse of antibiotics in humans has made some people immune to certain drugs.
This phenomenon, known as drug resistance, happens when an antibiotic is used so often that germs mutate around it.
It’s possible for drug resistance to be spread through food. “When we consume food with organisms that have resistance genes, these genes can be transferred to our natural organisms, causing them to become drug-resistant….”
Friday, October 27, 2006
Get ready to set your clocks back on Sunday as daylight-saving time comes to an end for the year. Next year, there will be a new schedule for daylight-saving time. It will start earlier (the second Sunday in March) and end later (the first Sunday in November).
This is the story of how two not-so-great Scrabble players got the highest Scrabble score ever, and how it wouldn't have happened had they been better players.
How did Sacha Baron Cohen of Ali G and Borat fame, get people to star in his “mockumentary”? He gets them to sign a “standard release agreement” for a ’“documentary-style film” designed “to reach a young adult audience by using entertaining content and formats.”’ The release form is actually a very comprehensive document that includes some non-standard clauses covering ‘fraud, “breach of alleged moral rights,” and copyright infringement’ in detail. Most people do not read the fine print.
Rush Limbaugh is not as stupid as he wants you to think he is, according to this Slate writer. Limbaugh and other famous people like politicians, use the veneer of extreme stupidity to get away with things and to appeal to the anti-intellectualism in people. It is an effective weapon, as anyone who dares attack any idiotic remarks they make will come under fire for being “snobbish and effete”.
Evicted slum dwellers find a new home in the city's Manila North Cemetery. Crowding in the city will only get worse with the Philippines' growing population and the continued migration of people to urban areas in search of better opportunities.
As if drinking Coke weren’t bad enough, now someone has come up with a way to fry Coke. The new concoction called “fried Coke” is a hit at fairs. The Coke is mixed into a batter that is then deep-fried.
Now you’re really limping…
The actress who plays Kerry Weaver on ER has found that real life really does imitate art, as she now suffers from spine problems from 10 years of playing a character on ER who walks with a limp.
The actress who plays Kerry Weaver on ER has found that real life really does imitate art, as she now suffers from spine problems from 10 years of playing a character on ER who walks with a limp.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
If we decided to, we could banish unhealthy trans fats in this country doing what the Danes have done—prohibiting any food from containing more than 2 percent trans fat.
According to this article, peanut butter makes a great bait for mice traps, or try a cotton ball with a few drops of vanilla.
In Hollywood, there’s a season and a time for every type of film under heaven.
Right now, it’s Oscar season, when all the best serious films come out in time to be nominated for the Academy Awards. But an LA Times writer questions how wise the conventional wisdom really is when it comes to scheduling movie releases according to these standard “Hollywood seasons” as they have evolved. He argues that the studios may be sabotaging their own movies by making them compete against similar films at the same time for the very same audience.
Right now, it’s Oscar season, when all the best serious films come out in time to be nominated for the Academy Awards. But an LA Times writer questions how wise the conventional wisdom really is when it comes to scheduling movie releases according to these standard “Hollywood seasons” as they have evolved. He argues that the studios may be sabotaging their own movies by making them compete against similar films at the same time for the very same audience.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
New research has shown how a human adenovirus works to make people fatter. The virus targets stem cells making more of them “convert to pre-fat cells and [also] causes the pre-fat cells to become bigger fat cells.” It looks like this is more evidence for the theory that viruses may play a role in the increasing prevalence of obesity today. This “obesity contagion theory” is discussed in more detail in another article from January 2006 which stated that previous research had found that chickens became fatter after being infected with a human adenovirus.
post edited on October 25, 2006 at 8:12 pm
post edited on October 25, 2006 at 8:12 pm
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Don’t expect to see more of the “Better Know a District,” segment on “The Colbert Report” where comedian Stephen Colbert interviews congressmen depicting them in a humorous and often foolish light. Now that elections are coming up, most congressmen would rather play it safe and pass up on the free TV exposure lest they expose a side of themselves that will turn voters off.
Do you wonder why you look for comfort in a bowl of ice cream? It's because emotional eating has a real biological basis.
Scientists have identified brain circuits that motivate the desire to overeat. The study says these circuits are the same that make addicted people crave drugs.
The scientists have also verified that these circuits play a critical role in eating behaviors linked to soothing negative emotions.
Being cranky when you’re young may not be so bad. A study found that people who were cranky in their youth were smarter in their senior years compared to their more easy-going counterparts. It’s not clear though whether being cranky makes one smarter or being smarter makes one cranky. In any case, the easy-going folks may actually be the smart ones if they end up enjoying their golden years more.
Global warming is already drastically changing the lives of the Inuit who live in what is normally frozen territory. They are now struggling to deal with warmer temperatures that have gotten so high in the summer that air conditioners are now being installed in buildings for the first time.
Some advice for getting a good night’s sleep.
“More than 25 percent of preschoolers suffer from tooth decay.” Many parents don’t know that as soon as a child gets a tooth, they need to start cleaning it to prevent tooth decay.
A teenage boy was able to play Space Invaders using only signals from his brain to control the game.
Turn the volume down when you listen to music.
A new study has found that “[l]istening to loud music [at 80 percent of maximum volume] with earphones on a digital music player for more than 90 minutes a day can damage your hearing….The study also found no problems for people who listened to music at 10 percent to 50 percent of maximum volume for extended periods. It found, however, that anyone who listened at 100 percent for more than five minutes faced the risk of hearing loss.”
A new study has found that “[l]istening to loud music [at 80 percent of maximum volume] with earphones on a digital music player for more than 90 minutes a day can damage your hearing….The study also found no problems for people who listened to music at 10 percent to 50 percent of maximum volume for extended periods. It found, however, that anyone who listened at 100 percent for more than five minutes faced the risk of hearing loss.”
This is story of how one man changed the way toilets are tested and the realistic testing method that he came up with challenged toilet manufacturers to come out with low-flush toilets that do their jobs right.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Young cancer patients benefited from playing a video game where they control a shapely brunette nanobot that blasts cancer cells throughout the body.
The study involved patients “aged 13 to 29, [and] showed that those who played the Re-Mission game adhered to their treatment protocol more closely and maintained higher levels of the treatment drugs in their blood…. They also showed an ability to better understand their disease and they showed more confidence that they could beat it.”
The study involved patients “aged 13 to 29, [and] showed that those who played the Re-Mission game adhered to their treatment protocol more closely and maintained higher levels of the treatment drugs in their blood…. They also showed an ability to better understand their disease and they showed more confidence that they could beat it.”
Adopting family-friendly policies, France has successfully coaxed its populace to increase the birth rate in the nation, defying trends across Europe and possibly staving off the graying of its population.
A Salon interview with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on religion.
Here’s an interesting Salon interview from 2005 with Jay McCarroll, the winner of the first season of Project Runway.
“Despite growing publicity about ‘soft’ addictions, drinking, smoking, drug abuse, overeating and gambling still are the most costly to society.” Here’s the price tag.
Using cool to target teens, Stephen Baldwin is now “one of the most popular new evangelists in the country.”
Friday, October 20, 2006
Many people are not getting enough sleep even though it is essential to good health. Read this article to find out why we need sleep and what can happen when we don’t get enough of it.
The middle class today is less prepared for an economic emergency, such as losing a job or visiting an emergency room, than at any time since the late 1970s, concludes a new study…
“Families are being forced to live beyond their means, just to pay for the basics, such as housing and health care,” said… a senior economist…. “They are not only spending their current income but all their future income.”
Movies made cheaply on cell phones with cameras are democratizing film-making.
You're entitled to a free report once a year from each credit reporting agency or other organization that keeps a file on you.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Hot dogs have been previously linked to colon cancer. Researchers have found that hot dogs, which are preserved with sodium nitrite, "may contain DNA-mutating compounds that might boost one's risk for cancer." This possible hazard might also apply to "salted dried fish and seasonings such as soy sauce [that] may contain similar levels of these chemicals." Further research is needed, but for now, it's probably a good idea to avoid eating cured and smoked meats like hot dogs, sausages, luncheon meat, cold cuts, corned beef and bacon, which are commonly preserved with nitrites.
Your genes may determine how you respond to stress. Researchers have “found a variant of the serotonin transporter gene that may predispose individuals to depression in stressful circumstances.” On the other hand, "[p]eople without the variant almost seemed to thrive on stress.”
To make sure people who survive you will be able to access your financial information and accounts, make a list of passwords and account information for people you trust to access in case something happens to you, and keep this list in multiple safe locations like your home safe and safe deposit box.
For extra security, you may want to keep the list as a password-protected file and give the password to the persons you trust.
For extra security, you may want to keep the list as a password-protected file and give the password to the persons you trust.
A loving, supportive family can be enough to override a genetic vulnerability to depression, new research suggests.
Not getting enough sleep might make children obese.
Oops, this guy just cost himself 139 million dollars. Not a good idea to collect art if you’re a klutz.
This article discusses what you can do if you’re a compulsive shopper.
Here's what it's like for someone at the top of his game in the World of Warcraft to quit and why he did it. Read about the seductiveness of online gaming and why it can be destructive.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Do people really hide their keys under the mat? Surprisingly, many do when it comes to their passwords, which they jot down "on a piece of paper or in a text file on a PC or mobile device.”
Interactive “haunted” houses in New York City target our worst fears promising a frightfully fun experience for paying visitors.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
It's not healthy for children to deprived of playtime.
This article is about a professor who studies eating habits and what influences them. His research exposes the many ways in which we engage in mindless eating, and his experiments have yielded some very interesting results. Everything from packaging size to how much the person next to us eats, affects our own eating.
Here’s a very interesting and information-packed article about omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy fat found in fish that confers numerous health benefits. Omega-3s are are increasingly being added to products such as margarine, yogurt, chocolate, bread and soon, even ice cream and cookies.
The pests have infested every type of housing, from run-down single-room-occupancy hotels to elegant condominiums….[B]edbugs can move easily from one apartment to another. Getting rid of them can be extremely difficult….[Bedbugs are] poised to join the ranks of cockroaches and rats as the pre-eminent household pests in the country. “This is one serious issue…. This will be the pest of the 21st century — no question about it.”
Monday, October 16, 2006
Another article on Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank describing how microcredit lending works and why it works. The article also talks about how Yunus came up with the idea for his bank, which gives out “loans of tiny amounts to transform destitute women into entrepreneurs."
“America’s population is on track to hit 300 million on Tuesday morning, and it’s causing a stir among environmentalists.”
Cellphones are improving the lives of India's fishermen.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
“The problem is widespread and serious enough that the American Psychiatric Association, which is updating its influential ‘bible’ of mental disorders, is weighing whether to list compulsive buying as a disorder.”
The Bangladeshi man who founded the Grameen Bank which pioneered micro-credit lending, has won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Grameen Bank makes very small loans to the poorest people, making a big difference in the lives of its borrowers. The program has been very successful worldwide, with the bank boasting a repayment rate of 98%.
If you want to keep your teeth for life, brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss properly once every day. Flossing “remove[s] plaque, the colorless film of bacteria that forms on the surface of teeth.” If you fail to remove plaque, it will build up, and you will eventually find yourself suffering from problems such as tooth decay, gum disease and tooth loss.
The article also links to pages that describe and demonstrate proper flossing technique.
The article also links to pages that describe and demonstrate proper flossing technique.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Young people are losing the ability to write in cursive as keyboards replace pens and pencils.
There may be differences in the different kinds of omega-3 fats. So eating walnuts, flaxseed or canola oil may not have the same effect as eating fish.
You can have your wedding dress and eat it too.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
An academic study “analyzed coverage of the 2004 national political conventions and the first presidential debate by the [broadcast news] networks and [John] Stewart’s program,” and found them to be equally substantive, although “neither one is particularly substantive“ reflecting the fact that ”it’s a bottom-line… and ratings-driven“ industry and that ”[w]e live in an ‘infotainment’ society.”
The “findings should allay at least some of the concerns about the growing reliance on this non-traditional source of political information.”
The “findings should allay at least some of the concerns about the growing reliance on this non-traditional source of political information.”