I stand a full 5'6" in height. I'm actually tall for my height. (Get it? Heh, heh). Those of taller stature might refer to those of us below the average male height of 5'8" as vertically challenged. It looks like we short shits may have the last laugh. And I do mean the last laugh.
Researchers in Hawaii just concluded a 50 year study of 8,000 men. Their findings? Shorter men live longer, especially those really short dudes between 4'10" and 5'2". It seems that we little folk have a reserve of cells in our bodies that help in maintaining our internal organs. Added to that, the study found that short men possess an enhanced longevity gene, which, among other things, reduces our risk of cancer. So I have one thing to say to you tall dudes that women go gaga over. We short guys promise to attend your funeral.
Guys, remember how you were always told to have a firm handshake? Well, scientists at the McGill Nutrition and Performance Laboratory tested 203 cancer patients. They had those patients squeeze a device called a dynamometer to measure their grip strength. Doctors then used the results of the tests to determine the strength and endurance of each individual. This aided in determining which patients required the most medical intervention in their cancer treatment and overal care. Just remember to wash your hands after shaking.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
WEIRD NUMBERS GAME#2
The average dollar bill contains 3000 bacteria.
68% of Americans own pets.
1 out of every 5 workers is over the age of 55
48% of all millionaires in this country are over the age of 55
People who drink 3-5 cups of coffee daily have a 65% lower risk of dementia
The top 50% of taxpayers pay 95% of the tax revenues
1 billion people on earth still defecate out in the open
25 million Americans have diabetes
2/3rds of the earth lies beneath 1000 feet of water
The average heart beats approximately 3 billion times in a lifetime
68% of Americans own pets.
1 out of every 5 workers is over the age of 55
48% of all millionaires in this country are over the age of 55
People who drink 3-5 cups of coffee daily have a 65% lower risk of dementia
The top 50% of taxpayers pay 95% of the tax revenues
1 billion people on earth still defecate out in the open
25 million Americans have diabetes
2/3rds of the earth lies beneath 1000 feet of water
The average heart beats approximately 3 billion times in a lifetime
Thursday, May 15, 2014
GLUTEN MANIA
You've probably been hearing and reading a lot about gluten recently. Gluten-free this and gluten-free that. So what the hell is gluten and why should we, according to so many in the healthfood field, avoid it like the proverbial plague?
Gluten is a protein composed of 2 proteins: gliaden and glutelin. It is found in grains such as wheat,rye and barley. One of its primary functions is to nourish plant embryos during germination.
The downside is that some people cannot tolerate gluten, particularly those afflicted with celiac disease. When these people consume products containing gluten, it triggers an immune response that can damage the intestines. However, and this is a big however, only about 1% of the population is gluten intolerant. Therefore, to call it harmful is certainly a gross exaggeration. If you do not suffer from a form of gluten intolerance, this protein is not harmful to you in any way, despite what the healthfood industry would have us believe. Gluten is the current nutritional bogeyman, and anti-gluten the current fad. Tomorrow it could be milk and dairy products because a small percentage of the population is lactose intolerant.
Consuming whole grains is an integral part of a healthy diet, providing much needed vitamins, minerals, starches and fiber, so think twice when you see all the anti-gluten propaganda, and all the food products labelled gluten-free. It is just one more marketing ploy. Unfortunately, it seems that common sense is not the current fad.
Gluten is a protein composed of 2 proteins: gliaden and glutelin. It is found in grains such as wheat,rye and barley. One of its primary functions is to nourish plant embryos during germination.
The downside is that some people cannot tolerate gluten, particularly those afflicted with celiac disease. When these people consume products containing gluten, it triggers an immune response that can damage the intestines. However, and this is a big however, only about 1% of the population is gluten intolerant. Therefore, to call it harmful is certainly a gross exaggeration. If you do not suffer from a form of gluten intolerance, this protein is not harmful to you in any way, despite what the healthfood industry would have us believe. Gluten is the current nutritional bogeyman, and anti-gluten the current fad. Tomorrow it could be milk and dairy products because a small percentage of the population is lactose intolerant.
Consuming whole grains is an integral part of a healthy diet, providing much needed vitamins, minerals, starches and fiber, so think twice when you see all the anti-gluten propaganda, and all the food products labelled gluten-free. It is just one more marketing ploy. Unfortunately, it seems that common sense is not the current fad.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
VENTING-PART 2
I'm venting again. This time it isn't about words--it's about phrases and sayings that we have come to regard as truisms. First one is "You can be anything you want to be." Nice sentiment and certainly a way to encourage youngsters, but the reality is, you cannot be whatever you want to be. I wanted to be middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears, but at 5'6" and 130 lbs., that was never going to happen. Every year thousands of people migrate to Hollywood to become big stars, yet only a minute fraction of them will make it. The cold hard fact is if you don't have the innate talent, neccessary aptitude or physical attributes for a particular endeavor, you will never achieve your goal.
The next two sayings are really different sides of the same coin: "Everything happens for a reason", and "We're all put here for a purpose." Here is where my religious skepticism comes into play. Both saying suggest there's somebody up there who oversees all the moves and is manipulating our actions like pieces on a chessboard. Truth is, things happen because they happen. Not because there is some kind of mysterious motive behind it. Flip a coin. It will come up either heads or tails. There is no special reason why heads or tails came up. Just blind chance. To say each of us is put on this earth for a specific purpose suggests we are programmed like robots and have no free will.
The last phrase is one we have all heard. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." That saying may have worked when we were kids trying to deflect the taunts and teasing of schoolyard bullies, but I think most of us realize it just ain't so. Probably the overwhelming majority of people, at some point in their lives, have been deeply hurt and wounded by someone elses words. Broken bones will eventually heal and be as good as new, but malicious words cut and wound, and if the wounds are deep enough, they will cause us pain the rest of our lives. So we must think before we speak, because words can be the most crippling of weapons.
The next two sayings are really different sides of the same coin: "Everything happens for a reason", and "We're all put here for a purpose." Here is where my religious skepticism comes into play. Both saying suggest there's somebody up there who oversees all the moves and is manipulating our actions like pieces on a chessboard. Truth is, things happen because they happen. Not because there is some kind of mysterious motive behind it. Flip a coin. It will come up either heads or tails. There is no special reason why heads or tails came up. Just blind chance. To say each of us is put on this earth for a specific purpose suggests we are programmed like robots and have no free will.
The last phrase is one we have all heard. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." That saying may have worked when we were kids trying to deflect the taunts and teasing of schoolyard bullies, but I think most of us realize it just ain't so. Probably the overwhelming majority of people, at some point in their lives, have been deeply hurt and wounded by someone elses words. Broken bones will eventually heal and be as good as new, but malicious words cut and wound, and if the wounds are deep enough, they will cause us pain the rest of our lives. So we must think before we speak, because words can be the most crippling of weapons.
Monday, May 12, 2014
VENTING-NOT BITCHING
Okay, I'm going to vent. Not the bitchy kind of venting. This is "constructive criticism" kind of venting.
As a writer, there are a few quirks in our language that drive me up the wall. The first one is when people say "I could care less," when what they mean to say is "I couldn't care less." When you say you could care less, that means you really do care, and are actually capable of caring less than you really do.
Next is "irregardless". There is no effing word like irregardless. Question: What is the difference between regardless and irregardless? There is none, so why do we want to tag on an extra syllable to the word?
And what has common usage done to the word "fun"? The way it's used today breaks every rule in the grammar book. For example, people will say "Going to the beach is the funnest thing to do." Really? Word up, yo. There's no effing word like "funnest". It should read "Going to the beach is the most fun." Or people will say "That is so fun." Sorry. That is so illiterate. It should be, "That is so much fun." So much for the value of public education.
My last bitch--err--I mean vent. "Conversate". Again, there is no effing word like conversate, but it is gradually sneaking into everyday usage. Instead of saying "We had a conversation," people will say "We conversated." Or "We should conversate," instead of saying "We should converse." Why the hell would we want to add on another syllable to a word? Next thing you know, instead of people saying "I had to crap," they will say "I had to crapolate."
Holy crap on a cracker!
As a writer, there are a few quirks in our language that drive me up the wall. The first one is when people say "I could care less," when what they mean to say is "I couldn't care less." When you say you could care less, that means you really do care, and are actually capable of caring less than you really do.
Next is "irregardless". There is no effing word like irregardless. Question: What is the difference between regardless and irregardless? There is none, so why do we want to tag on an extra syllable to the word?
And what has common usage done to the word "fun"? The way it's used today breaks every rule in the grammar book. For example, people will say "Going to the beach is the funnest thing to do." Really? Word up, yo. There's no effing word like "funnest". It should read "Going to the beach is the most fun." Or people will say "That is so fun." Sorry. That is so illiterate. It should be, "That is so much fun." So much for the value of public education.
My last bitch--err--I mean vent. "Conversate". Again, there is no effing word like conversate, but it is gradually sneaking into everyday usage. Instead of saying "We had a conversation," people will say "We conversated." Or "We should conversate," instead of saying "We should converse." Why the hell would we want to add on another syllable to a word? Next thing you know, instead of people saying "I had to crap," they will say "I had to crapolate."
Holy crap on a cracker!
Friday, May 9, 2014
SKIN DEEP
Canadian researchers who studied a group of subjects age 65 and older found that exercising just twice a week for 30 minutes resulted in younger looking skin. After only 3 months, the researchers took skin samples, analyzed them under a microscope and discovered that the skin layers resembled that of a person 30 years younger.
In ordinary aging, the outer layer of skin thickens and becomes dry and dense, while the collagen in the inner layers grows thinner, causing wrinkling and sagging.
When skin samples from the subjects were studied, it was found that exercise reversed the process. The outer layer grew thinner, and the collagen in the inner layers grew thicker, giving the skin a more youthful appearance.
So put away those expensive creams, and bring out the weights and running shoes
In ordinary aging, the outer layer of skin thickens and becomes dry and dense, while the collagen in the inner layers grows thinner, causing wrinkling and sagging.
When skin samples from the subjects were studied, it was found that exercise reversed the process. The outer layer grew thinner, and the collagen in the inner layers grew thicker, giving the skin a more youthful appearance.
So put away those expensive creams, and bring out the weights and running shoes
Thursday, May 8, 2014
THOSE WONDERFUL STEM CELLS AND THE TOOTH FAIRY
Researchers in Australia have discovered that stem cells taken from teeth can be altered and grown to resemble brain cells. The hope is that one day these cells can be used to restore brain tissue damaged by strokes. Beyond that, they may possess the potential to combat brain cancer and Alzheimers disease. The moral of this story is don't give your teeth to the tooth fairy.
Danish scientists found that injecting stem cells directly into the heart can help patients suffering from heart failure. The stem cells promote the development of new blood vessels as well as heart muscle tissue.
Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a way to take mammary stem cells and keep them alive in the lab. These stem cells are responsible for forming breast tissue. Scientists hope that by keeping these cells functioning, they can determine if they also play a role in breast cancer.
And to think some religions and politicians wanted to halt stem cell research. I suppose they prefer to deal with the tooth fairy.
Danish scientists found that injecting stem cells directly into the heart can help patients suffering from heart failure. The stem cells promote the development of new blood vessels as well as heart muscle tissue.
Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a way to take mammary stem cells and keep them alive in the lab. These stem cells are responsible for forming breast tissue. Scientists hope that by keeping these cells functioning, they can determine if they also play a role in breast cancer.
And to think some religions and politicians wanted to halt stem cell research. I suppose they prefer to deal with the tooth fairy.
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