Posted in Health, Medicine, Physics, Research, Science, tagged Genetics, Medicine, Photography, Photos, Physics, Research, science, Space on June 17, 2013 | 4 Comments »
Please bear in mind that these are all simply headlines. Please READ the articles linked above before commenting on any of these stories, as a one sentence summary does not present all the facts.
Gene therapy: http://bit.ly/ZSA7mF
Multiple Sclerosis: http://bit.ly/106VoLK
New layer of the cornea: http://bit.ly/16wlVl5
Bioengineered vein: http://bit.ly/16YgOO9
Dark matter: http://bit.ly/1a1S9Hh
Gene patents: http://bit.ly/196Q6QJ
Posted in Bacon, Cooking, Food, Health, Photography, Photos, tagged Bacon, cooking, Food, Fun, Health, Humor, Photography, Photos, The South on June 3, 2013 | 7 Comments »
Henry V couldn’t have paraphrased it better.
(Baco-bacon-taco)
In my constant battle to understand the nation’s bacon obsession,…
(Bacon-wrapped olives)
I’ve come across the following suicide-inducing culinary combatants…
(One of the most versatile of all ‘wrapping’ foods)
And then there’s this…
And this…
Bacon is ubiquitous
(Now that’s a slab of bacon!)
Why the obsession?
(Why the bizarre merchandizing?)
Why the unbridled passion?
Well, at least this makes sense from a marketing point of view!
(Mancakes!)
Until next time, folks, let’s keep bacon in its proper place…
In a frying pan, waiting to kill you.
Posted in Fashion, Health, My Life, People, Photography, Photos, Research, Science, Style, tagged Beards, Fashion, Hair, Health, Men's Fashion, Photography, Photos, Research, science, Style on May 31, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Beards…
(May the Face be with you… always)
They’re not just for hipsters and the homeless any more. While both dead sexy and totally awesome, beards are also a boon to your overall health. Researchers discovered that men with beards and moustaches actually enjoy numerous benefits including, but not limited to, instant handsomeness.
(Happy Happy Happy)
A study from the University of Southern Queensland, published in the Radiation Protection Dosimetry journal, found that beards block 90 to 95 percent of UV rays, thereby slowing the aging process and reducing the risk of skin cancer. Got asthma? Pollens and dust simply get stuck in that lustrous facial hair. Additionally, all that hair retains moisture and protects against the wind, keeping you looking young and fresh-faced. What’s more, shaving is usually the cause of ingrown hairs and bacterial infections that lead to acne.
(Jase Robertson – a man and his beard)
To conduct the study, researchers left bearded mannequins, along with less attractive, follically-challenged ones, in the blistering sun of the Australian outback and then compared the amount of radiation absorbed by each.
Beards are not a get out of sunscreen free card however. Dr. Lowe still recommends men with facial hair use a thin, non-greasy sun lotion or spray.
(Yours truly – The Kosher Samurai)
And don’t forget to take care of those blessed follicles; beards can also spread infection if not properly cared for and make consumption of certain foods (e.g. cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, falafel sandwiches—anything with hummus actually, bagel ‘n’ schmear, syrupy pancakes) rather laborious. Fuzzy-faced men would be wise to take advantage of beard wash and beard oil, essential tools for looking and feeling your beardy best.
Posted in Food, Health, Research, Science, tagged Coffee, Fashion, Fitness, Food, Health, Japan, Medicine, Research, science, Style, Tea on March 18, 2013 | 1 Comment »
This is a story that’s been bouncing around the past few days…
The geeks and nerdlings over at ScienceDaily.com put us in the picture.
Green tea and coffee may help lower your risk of having a stroke, especially when both are a regular part of your diet, according to research published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
“This is the first large-scale study to examine the combined effects of both green tea and coffee on stroke risks,” said Yoshihiro Kokubo, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.H.A., F.A.C.C., F.E.S.C., lead author of the study at Japan’s National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center. “You may make a small but positive lifestyle change to help lower the risk of stroke by adding daily green tea to your diet.”
Researchers asked 83,269 Japanese adults about their green tea and coffee drinking habits, following them for an average 13 years. They found that the more green tea or coffee people drink, the lower their stroke risks.
Participants in the study were 45 to 74 years old, almost evenly divided in gender, and were free from cancer and cardiovascular disease.
During the 13-years of follow-up, researchers reviewed participants’ hospital medical records and death certificates, collecting data about heart disease, strokes and causes of death. They adjusted their findings to account for age, sex and lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol, weight, diet and exercise.
Green tea drinkers in the study were more likely to exercise compared to non-drinkers.
Previous limited research has shown green tea’s link to lower death risks from heart disease, but has only touched on its association with lower stroke risks. Other studies have shown inconsistent connections between coffee and stroke risks.
Initial study results showed that drinking more than two cups of coffee daily was linked to increasing coronary heart disease rates in age- and sex-adjusted analysis. But researchers didn’t find the association after factoring in the effects of cigarette smoking — underscoring smoking’s negative health impact on heart and stroke health.
A typical cup of coffee or tea in Japan was approximately six ounces. “However, our self-reported data may be reasonably accurate, because nationwide annual health screenings produced similar results, and our validation study showed relatively high validity.” Kokubo said. “The regular action of drinking tea, coffee, largely benefits cardiovascular health because it partly keeps blood clots from forming.”
Tea and coffee are the most popular drinks in the world after water, suggesting that these results may apply in America and other countries.
It’s unclear how green tea affects stroke risks. A compound group known as catechins may provide some protection. Catechins have an antioxidant anti-inflammatory effect, increasing plasma antioxidant capacity and anti-thrombogenic effects.
Some chemicals in coffee include chlorogenic acid, thus cutting stroke risks by lowering the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Further research could clarify how the interaction between coffee and green tea might help further lower stroke risks, Kokubo said.
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Co-authors are: Isao Saito, M.D., Ph.D.; Kazumasa Yamagishi, M.D., Ph.D.; Hiroshi Yatsuya, M.D., Ph.D.; Junko Ishihara, Ph.D.; Manami Inoue, M.D., Ph.D.; and Shoichiro Tsugane, M.D., Ph.D.
The study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Cancer Research and the Third-Term Comprehensive Ten-Year Strategy for Cancer Control from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan.
Posted in Biology, Health, Musings, Relationships, Research, Science, Sex, Society, Thoughts, tagged Biology, Health, Musings, Relationships, Research, science, Sex, Thoughts on August 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Thanks to the geeks and nerdlings over at United Academics Magazine for this one!
It seems that sex isn’t that fun for all of us. Some men, for example, suffer terrible headaches during and after orgasm that may last for several hours or even a few days. In addition, there are women who are persistently in a state of sexual arousal and as a consequence may have hundreds of orgasms a day, making a normal life impossible.
Maybe less severe but definitely embarrassing is the condition in which sex triggers uncontrollable fits of sneezing. And this may happen not only when experiencing an orgasm, but also whenever someone just thinks about sex.
Researchers who investigated the link are not yet sure why sex and sneezing are linked in some people, but they suspect it is due to a faulty connection in the autonomic nervous system that controls both the sneeze reflex and sexual responses. This mechanism may also account for other reported unusual causes of sneezing, such as exposure to bright light (aka photogenic sneezing).
Although there are few reported cases of the sneeze reflex in response to sexual thoughts and orgasm, the researchers believe the bizarre phenomenon may be more common than expected. Possibly people are embarrassed and don’t want to talk about it, they argue.
“Further investigation in this field may help us to understand the sneeze reflex in more depth, and also allow us to give explanation and reassurance to the possibly significant number of people affected by this curious phenomenon,” the researchers wrote in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Posted in Cooking, Fashion, Food, Health, Holidays, Italian, Kosher, My Life, Photography, Recipes, Style, tagged cooking, Fashion, Food, Health, Holidays, Italian, kosher, Photography, Recipes, Style on July 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Saw this over at Jamie Oliver’s website. Sounds wonderful, especially on hot days when you don’t feel like doing a lot of cooking.
A really simple, quick and amazingly tasty pasta dish which always hits the spot and will impress your mates. Try baking some fish filets over the herby tomatoes… it’s fantastic.
(© David Loftus)
• 500g mixed red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
• 150g good black olives, stoned
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• a bunch of fresh lemon basil, leaves picked
• a bunch of fresh marjoram, leaves picked
• 10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 400g spaghetti or linguine
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large bowl, scrunch the tomatoes with your hands to slightly mush them. Mix in the olives, garlic and vinegar. Tear in the basil and marjoram leaves and pour in the olive oil. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Cook your pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain and quickly toss in with the tomatoes. Call your guests around the table, then taste the juice at the bottom of the bowl and adjust the seasoning if you feel it needs it. Serve right away.
Stay cool!
Posted in Animals, Children, Family, Health, Kids, Life, Lifestyle, Musings, Nature, Parenting, People, Research, Science, Thoughts, tagged Animals, Children, Family, Health, Kids, Life, Lifestyle, Musings, Nature, parenting, People, Pets, Research, science on July 16, 2012 | 1 Comment »
I love this article which I read at United-Academics.org.
Babies are healthier when there is a dog at home.
Why? Simple!
Germs!!
New research published in Pediatrics suggests that children living with a dog are significantly healthier than those living without it. The researchers followed up 397 Finnish children, asking their parents to fill in weekly questionnaires about their health until they were 1 year old. Scientists believe that this is so because dog contact helps the babies build up their immune system.
The results showed that children with a dog at home were healthy for about 73% of the time, while the percentage on children without a dog was of 65%. According to the study, the former ‘had fewer respiratory tract symptoms or infections’, as well as ‘less frequent otitis and tended to need fewer courses of antibiotics’ than those without dog contacts, according to Eija Bergroth, the study’s lead author and a pediatrician affiliated with Kuopio University Hospital in Kuopio, Finland.
Moreover, when dogs spent most of their time outside the home, the babies were healthier.
Why? Simple!
Dogs that spend a lot of time outside are likely to bring more dirt and bacteria inside the home compared with dogs that spend more time indoors. Researchers believe that exposure to dirt and bacteria builds up babies’ immune systems.
The study emphasizes the benefits of exposure to animals, at least when it comes to the so-called ‘man’s best friend’. The researchers also analyzed cat contacts, but it seems that the influence of cats on the baby’s health was weaker.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal, Medical Xpress
Posted in Cooking, Fashion, Food, Health, Humour, Lifestyle, Modern Culture, Musings, Photography, Recipes, Society, The South, tagged cooking, Fashion, Food, Health, Lifestyle, Modern Culture, Musings, Photography, Style, The South on July 13, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Whether it’s Deep-Fried Twinkies…
Bacon Cheeseburgers with Krispy Kreme Donut Buns…
Or Turtle Burgers…
One of the things I miss most about The South is the penchant for extreme food.
This is not to say that all or even most people in The South partake in such culinary excesses. But there is a weird ‘Hey, y’all! Watch this!’ kind of dread fascination with extreme food – a sort of ‘Yew cain’t make this shit up!’ world view that lets you watch it out of a bizarre curiosity.
(The Schnitzel Tower Sandwich!)
How about this… a quadruple-cutlet hash brown sandwich with bacon and cheese: 1 veal, 1 pork and 2 chicken schnitzels (fried breaded cutlets), layered with 4 hash browns, 10 rashers of bacon and mozzarella. I can almost feel my heart valves slamming shut now!
(They call it… The Double-Wide!)
Or this… Chicken fried steak, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sandwiched between two bacon waffles. Affectionately known as The Double-Wide, the name (like the sandwich) operates on many levels. Is it merely descriptive of the sandwich? Or is it a reference to the famous double-wide trailers popular in The South?
Or is it taking a poke at the kind of person who might order something like this Fourth of July Fireworks Burger?
(Hopefully, this isn’t the result of someone who exploded after eating one of the above dishes)
No matter how you slice it… it’s The South!
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Special thanks to CaveManCircus.com for some of the food ideas and photos.
Posted in Children, Design, Family, Fashion, Health, Kids, Lifestyle, Modern Culture, Parenting, Photography, Psychology, Research, Science, Society, Style, tagged Children, Family, Fashion, Health, Kids, Lifestyle, Modern Culture, parenting, Photography, Research, science, Style on July 6, 2012 | 1 Comment »
As set out in a recent article in MedicalDaily.com website, girls who spend more time updating pictures, chatting and surfing the internet are more likely to suffer from negative body image and low self-esteem, says a new study.
Researchers surveyed more than 1,000 girls between the ages of 12 and 16 as part of the The NetGirls Project. They found that 40 percent of girls thought their bodies weren’t good enough and that they were scared about gaining weight.
The study also showed that 96 percent of girls said that they had access to some form of internet connection at home and of these girls, 72 percent said that they uploaded pictures of themselves on the internet.
On an average, girls spend about 3.5 hours on the internet and particularly on sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
Just about 30 percent of the girls said that their parents set rules about internet use at home.
“We set out to investigate the role of media in adolescent girls’ self-image. We were interested to find out how adolescent girls were spending their free time and how different activities related to how they felt about themselves and their bodies. Our findings demonstrate a worrying correlation between excessive media use, particularly social media and the internet, and lower self-esteem, body-esteem and sense of identity and higher depression,” said Dr Amy Slater from the School of Psychology at Flinders University, Australia.
Television and magazines are often regarded as factors that influence girls to be thinner .There are hundreds of studies that draw conclusions between media like television and magazines with poor self-esteem or body image.
Researchers of the present study will also be presenting analysis of 600 advertisements in social media directed at young girls, according to a news release.
“A content analysis of adverts found on sites that appeal to adolescent girls showed likely exposure to those reinforcing the importance of beauty and thinness,” Dr Slater explains
____________________________________________________________
The study was presented at the Appearance Matters 5 conference and should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
(Photo: REUTERS/Michael Dalder)
Posted in Health, Life, Modern Culture, Musings, My Life, Nature, Opinion, People, Personal Observations, Psychology, Research, Science, Society, Thoughts, tagged Health, Life, Musings, My Life, Opinion, People, Personal Observations, Psychology, Research, science, Thoughts on June 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I have memory problems. Specifically, I have a problem remembering people’s names.
Which is why this article at ScienceDaily.com caught my eye.
The article begins, “Most of us have experienced it. You are introduced to someone, only to forget his or her name within seconds. You rack your brain trying to remember, but can’t seem to even come up with the first letter. Then you get frustrated and think, “Why is it so hard for me to remember names?”
All these years, I presumed I had a faulty or weak memory. I was relieved to find that this may not be the case at all.
It appears that lack of interest, not the brain’s ability (or lack thereof) may be why we forget!
According to Kansas State University’s Richard Harris, professor of psychology, it’s not necessarily your brain’s ability that determines how well you can remember names, but rather your level of interest.
“Some people, perhaps those who are more socially aware, are just more interested in people, more interested in relationships,” Harris said. “They would be more motivated to remember somebody’s name.”
This goes for people in professions like politics or teaching where knowing names is beneficial. But just because someone can’t remember names doesn’t mean they have a bad memory.
“Almost everybody has a very good memory for something,” Harris said.
The key to a good memory is your level of interest, he said. The more interest you show in a topic, the more likely it will imprint itself on your brain. If it is a topic you enjoy, then it will not seem like you are using your memory.
This explains a lot, really, since I generally find most people singularly uninteresting.
It’s not that other people are somehow unimportant or that their lives and problems are invalid. It’s just that they don’t interest me, usually. There are exceptions, of course. Rare ones.
The general rule, however, is that most people I meet are a dusk-to-dawn snooze-a-thon.
