Bigger It’s not just pets that are getting fatter. Humans are, too. And though the US ranks 49th in the world in lifespan, our nation is number one in body mass index, a major index of obesity. Sixty eight percent of Americans are now classified as obese or overweight. However, beyond the headlines of Finucane […]
When chocolate brownies are sleeping pills, people can die (2/2/11)
Kids Who Can’t Wake Up Want to bite into a savory chocolate brownie laced with hormones? “Grab a box today and let your problems melt away,” promises “Lazy Cakes,” a new “relaxation brownie” containing 4 mg of melatonin plus valerian root. One writer for Phoenix News ate the chewy cake and fell asleep for twelve […]
Saving daylight savings (lighting up your life – 1/28/11)
Thieves of Time People don’t get enough light in their lives. They really really become distressed when governments take sunlight away from them – rather like officials increasing the tax on air. The politics of daylight time are heating up. Scotland The most recent example of public unhappiness is Scotland. Attempts to make daylight savings […]
Aflockalypse Now – what the birds and the bees are telling us (1/21/11)
The Birds and the Bees Love, romance, sex. That’s what the “birds and the bees” are supposed to be about. Yet recently the birds and the bees have been providing us different lessons about regeneration, the rapid process which keeps us and all the other living things alive. Many of these lessons affect our survival. […]
Your Neighbor’s Tobacco Smoke is Also Yours (and It’s Radioactive – 12/14/10)
Smoke Gets in More Than Eyes Sharing has taken on new meaning. A recent study of urban households by Harvard and University of Rochester pediatric researches shows children living in apartment buildings have far more smoke products in their blood than children in their houses. They have their neighbors to thank. The smoke comes in […]