When I was at work in our huge headquarters building, the company permitted an aerobic dancing group of employees to use a big, carpeted space outside the corporate gym after hours. I often passed it on my way to and from the gym. All the young, fit, shapely women wore Spandex. The older, out-of-shape women wore sweats. The few men in the class hid in the back of the group, the better to hide their missteps.

Or the better to see the butts of the young, firm girls in front of them.

In which case, they were probably hiding more than their missteps.

Washington (CNN) – The percentage of Americans 30 and younger who harbor some doubts about God’s existence appears to be growing quickly, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. While most young Americans, 68%, told Pew they never doubt God’s existence, that’s a 15-point drop in just five years.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/12...ials/?hpt=hp_c2

By JoNel Aleccia

Federal Food and Drug Administration officials approved a new weight-loss pill Wednesday, giving the nod to Belviq used in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise to combat obesity.

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/0...n-13-years?lite

It would be nice if that pill works. Yet, I always hesitate to take any pills so new. Then again, I don't even have tylenol/aspirin in my house. I have to be in real pain to take anything.

Anyway, the obesity problem certainly should be addressed. Last week, my daughter and I went to a local amusement park with the kids. As the kids were on their rides we talked and watched people pass by. We noticed just how many people had major weight problems. I'm not talking someone who has a few pounds to lose but I'm talking very overweight to obese.

In the world of internet, I-Pods, video games, etc, many, if not most, of our children won't get the exercise they should. My daughter makes the kids turn off tv after a certain point, and either takes them somewhere (park) or has them go outside or get some kind of exercise.

Different world from when I was a kid and going outside to play was a given. I was the first one up in the neighborhood and I'd be playing outside the entire day, only going home to eat and/or check in. (Remember when we were told to come home when the street lights go on?)

The times They are a-changing.

TIS

Fatty, fatty, two by four, couldn't get through the bathroom door
... however, the kitchen door was no problem.

Science cures man's porn-induced headaches.

Generally speaking, watching porn is supposed to be, um, a pleasurable experience. But a 24-year-old software engineer in India says watching people get it on causes him unbearable headaches. The headaches begin gradually over five minutes of viewing time before building to a climax of peak intensity after about 10 minutes. The man was allegedly perfectly willing to forego watching porn as a way to battle his headaches, but doctors investigating his case advised him to take painkillers 30 minutes before viewing, which thankfully resulted in "significant pain relief." Aww. We just love a story with a happy ending.

A better life through science. Next time my grandmother complains of a headache, I'll suggest that she stop watching porn.

Breast milk has superpowers even you didn't realize.

Ladies, your boobs may be even more powerful than you thought: New research suggests that breast milk "has a strong [HIV] virus-kiling effect," according to authors of the study, conducted at the UNC Center for Infectious Diseases and the UNC Center for AIDS Research. Scientists have long wondered whether breast milk fought the virus or -- like other bodily fluids -- transmitted it. In fact, they found that breast milk has "amazing ability of breast milk to destroy HIV and prevent its transmission." It's good news, and could even lead to the development of natural products that fight HIV.

Dealing with PMS: The Benefits of Being Premenstrual

Once a month PMS makes me moody, aggressive — and clear-eyed. And I kind of like it that way.


http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/articlepage?cp-documentid=250013483

I don't know about this - seems like a stretch.

(Time.com) -- It may be the most common kind of child abuse — and the most challenging to deal with. But psychological abuse, or emotional abuse, rarely gets the kind of attention that sexual or physical abuse receives.

That's the message of a trio of pediatricians, who write this week in the journal Pediatrics with a clarion call to other family doctors and child specialists: stay alert to the signs of psychological maltreatment. Its effects can be every bit as devastating as those of other abuse.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/30/health/psychological-abuse-harmful-time/index.html?hpt=hp_bn12

Don't forget that the Rover touches down on Mars tonight.

Movie popcorn has often been criticized for its high calorie count, but now the tasty treat may harm more than just your waistline.

A recent study has found that diacetyl, an ingredient in popcorn responsible for its buttery flavor and smell, may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease, UPI.com reported.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/08...s#ixzz22yu3lpkk

Canned soup may be a cancer causer!

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/the-new-scary-threat-in-canned-soup

Gee, I've forgotten when I last ate popcorn...

Popcorn? I'm not sure what ... what is it?

My daughter's friend was recently diagnosed with a corn allergy. I have to tell you, there's not a whole lot in this country that isn't made without some corn product - be it corn oil, corn syrup, even corn starch!

I've started checking labels for corn based sweeteners. There is so much sugar in our foods.

High Fructose Corn Syrup. Check your labels. It is in most processed foods. Not good for you.

Tip of the day: Eat fresh when you can. If you can't, pick foods that have minimal amount of ingredients on the label.

That's right, that's why Americans are obese! Sugar, fat and salt! We eat WAY too many prepared foods. We try to limit them at our house. I certainly try to never use canned fruits or vegetables (although I do use canned beans and peas on occasion). If I can't get fresh, then I use frozen.

A friend of mine is a dietitian who used to work for General Foods. She told me that when vegetables are locally out of season, frozen is actually preferable. She said that by the time it gets shipped from wherever it's grown to your grocer's warehouse and then to the stores, you're better off buying frozen, which is usually picked and frozen directly.

I saw this place from train as I was passing over, could not believe name.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/salt-and-fat-sunnyside

I guess this goes here:

By Alan Boyle

U.S. Rep. Paul Broun's view that the theories of evolution and the big bang are "lies straight from the pit of Hell" is getting more exposure than he might have expected, thanks to a video that was made at a church-sponsored banquet in Georgia and distributed by a progressive political watchdog group.

The Georgia Republican is already well-known as an outspoken conservative Christian, due in part to his unsuccessful campaign to have 2010 declared "the Year of the Bible." But the latest comments have taken on an extra dab of controversy because Broun, a medical doctor, calls himself a scientist in the video and chairs the House Science Committee's panel on investigations and oversight

Ahhh Sunnyside, I know a bunch of young professionals who are scrambling to move into that neighborhood because it is up and coming ala Williamsburg/Astoria and most importantly it is relatively more affordable for the time being.

By Eli MacKinnon updated 11/30/2012 4:15:53 PM ET

Fifty-nine years after James Watson and Francis Crick deduced the double-helix structure of DNA, a scientist has captured the first direct photograph of the twisted ladder that props up life.

Enzo Di Fabrizio, a physics professor at Magna Graecia University in Catanzaro, Italy, snapped the picture using an electron microscope. Previously, scientists had only seen DNA's structure indirectly. The double-corkscrew form was first discovered using a technique called X-ray crystallography, in which a material's shape is reconstructed based on how X-rays bounce after they collide with it.

For you Gatorade drinkers:

Sarah Kavanagh and her little brother were looking forward to the bottles of Gatorade they had put in the refrigerator after playing outdoors one hot, humid afternoon last month in Hattiesburg, Miss.

But before she took a sip, Sarah, a dedicated vegetarian, did what she often does and checked the label to make sure no animal products were in the drink. One ingredient, brominated vegetable oil, caught her eye.

“I knew it probably wasn’t from an animal because it had vegetable in the name, but I still wanted to know what it was, so I Googled it,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “A page popped up with a long list of possible side effects, including neurological disorders and altered thyroid hormones. I didn’t expect that.”

She threw the product away and started a petition on Change.org, a nonprofit Web site, that has almost 200,000 signatures. Ms. Kavanagh, 15, hopes her campaign will persuade PepsiCo, Gatorade’s maker, to consider changing the drink’s formulation.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/drink-ingredient-gets-look-032224835.html

One of my favorite "ingredients" is Propylene glycol; a food preservative AND found in anti-freeze. Yummy.

Propylene glycol is considered Generally Recognized As Safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it is used as an humectant (E1520), solvent, and preservative in food and for tobacco products. It is also used in pharmaceutical and personal care products.[4] Propylene glycol is a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, including oral, injectable and topical formulations, such as for diazepam and lorazepam that are insoluble in water, use propylene glycol as a solvent in their clinical, injectable forms[6]

Like ethylene glycol, propylene glycol is able to lower the melting point of water, and so it is used as aircraft de-icing fluid.[4][7] It is similarly used as automotive antifreeze.[8]

Propylene glycol is an ingredient in the oil dispersant Corexit, used in great quantities during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill[9][10]

Now we know why they call pizzaboy the doctor...

Squeezing Breasts Could Prevent Cancer, Study Suggests
The Huffington Post/PA | Posted: 17/12/2012

A little squeeze may be all that it takes to prevent malignant breast cells triggering cancer, research has shown.
Laboratory experiments showed that applying physical pressure to the cells guided them back to a normal growth pattern.

Concerns Over E. coli in Organic Spinach Cause Recall in 39 States February 20, 2013 at 7:47AM by Zoe Bain

If you have purchased organic spinach recently, check the packaging. Taylor Farms Retail is participating in a voluntary recall across 39 states due to an E. coli scare.

According to Food Safety News, no one has been sickened thus far, but the spinach was recalled due to "the potential to be contaminated" with E. coli. The recalled spinach was sold in 5-ounce and 16-ounce trays. Brand names involved include: Central Market Organics, Full Circle Organics, Marketside Organics, Simple Truth Organics, and Taylor Farms Organics. Anyone with spinach sold under these names with a sell by date of February 24th 2013 should discard it immediately.

By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor

Women have a gift for gab, and now they can silence their critics with science.

New research indicates there’s a biological reason why women talk so much more than men: 20,000 words a day spoken by the average woman, according to one study, versus about 7,000 words a day for the average man.

Women’s brains have higher levels of a “language protein” called FOXP2, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“The major finding that we discovered was that this protein FOXP2 is involved in vocalization,” Mike Bowers, who led the study’s team of researchers, told TODAY. “We can’t say that this is the end-all-be-all reasoning. but it is one of the first avenues with which we can start to explore why women tend to be more verbal than men.”