Cha-Ching!

Not too much cha-ching for new recruits to the army, although I hear the bonuses are pretty sweet. I thought y'all might be interested...

When Writers Try Too Hard

From Yahoo News:

“If your grandmother claims she’s squirreled away every issue of Reader’s Digest, there will soon be an easy way to check: just go up to the attic and count to 1,000.

The 1,000th issue of the 83-year-old minimagazine comes out this week, and the occasion is likely to prompt thoughts about the Digest’s colorful history and its status as an American symbol.”

Oh, that’s considered the “easy” way? What tha…

And please tell me it promted thoughts about the magazine’s status as an American symbol. Who? What? We couldn’t find a better symbol than pithy softball summaries of other magazine’s journalism? Argh!!

p.s. I quit my job this week. Got a new one. New title: junior IA. Begone you tedious freelance assignments. Out, out, damn spot!

All That Sneezing Had to be Good for Something!

Having asthma, hay fever or another allergic condition may reduce the risk of developing one fatal form of brain cancer, a new study suggests. New evidence for this relationship is found in the normal variation of two genes, the scientists say.

Death Knell for Cell Phone Driving (sniff, sniff)

People who use a cell phone when driving are four times more likely to have a serious crash and hands-free devices are no safer, concludes new research. I keep hoping we will get better at it...

Could Makeup Shorten Your Life?

On the heels of research linking the common chemical compound phthalate to reproductive abnormalities in humans, an Indiana State University study has found a connection between the same chemical and lupus in mice.

Recent research at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry found smaller genitals in the male babies of pregnant women who used beauty products containing phthalates.

Now researchers at Indiana State who injected mice with phthalates, a compound present in a variety of plastics and beauty products, found the injections triggered lupus and caused development of glomerulonephritis. The injection also considerably shortened the lifespan of mice that have a genetic disposition to the disease.

“Our findings clearly show that lupus can be caused by an environmental factor like phthalate, which is present in toys, in many other plastic products, including PVC pipes and medical devices, and in beauty products,” said Swapan K. Ghosh, professor and interim chair of life sciences.

In lupus, the immune system attacks its own body’s tissues as though they are foreign substances. The disease can lead to problems with kidneys, the heart, lungs or blood cells.

“Lupus type auto-immunity is five times more common in women than in men,” said So-Yon Lim, who worked with Ghosh on the study. “Is that because women use a lot more cosmetics and perfumes than men?”

While studies of the lupus-associated anti-DNA antibody have been limited to mice, there are indications humans could also be susceptible, Ghosh said.

Drug-Induced Gambling Addiction

I found this fascinating so I had to share...

Habitual, compulsive gambling with losses up to $200,000 within six months by those who previously never or only occasionally gambled recreationally has been tied to Parkinson’s disease drugs called dopamine agonists.

“This is a striking effect,” says J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic neurologist who treated most of the patients in the series. “Pathological gambling induced by a drug is really quite unusual.”

The good news is that excessive gambling behavior only occurs in a small number of patients given the drugs, and it can be stopped as suddenly as it came on. “It’s a very rare side effect and reversible if you get off the drug, but you have to make the association,” says Dr. Ahlskog.

How High Can You Go?

This is reverse limbo: not how low can you go, but how high?

Highest price I have ever seen for a mixed drink: $12.

Most I have ever paid for a taxi: $40 (in Chicago).

Highest price I have ever paid for a pair of jeans: $80.

Can anyone beat these prices?

The Boob Tube Strikes Again

In a study of third graders, children with a television in their bedrooms had lower scores on standardized tests while children with access to a home computer had higher scores, researchers report.

Children who watch the most television during childhood and adolescence may be less likely to finish school or go on to earn a university degree, according to a study.

And television viewing before the age of three may have adverse effects on subsequent cognitive development, according to another study.

Bottom line: Uh, no idea. My brain shut off back on the third word. Damn 30-second attention span! (The links above lead to the original press releases. Here is some media coverage of the research, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.)

Why Can't I Be This Smart?

Once again, whoever creates the subject headings for spam reaches a level of brilliance rarely seen, perhaps only when using magnetic poetry.

Even that means nothing compared to the ironic genius in my inbox: her watch be flabby cholera.

Now you see it, too...