Author Nick: Knight Pierce Hirst
Site:
Both Americans and Canadians have gotten fatter since the late 1980′s, but Americans have gotten even fatter. That’s according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report was based on Body Mass Index – a BMI of 30 or more qualifying as obese – and covered a 3-year period ending [...]
Double dating can improve relationships. A study done at Wayne State University involved 60 heterosexual couples who’d been dating at least a year. Each couple filled out a questionnaire about their relationship. Then each couple spent time with a couple they didn’t know. Half of the couples were given probing questions to discuss and half [...]
A full bladder helps us make better decisions. In a study published in Psychological Science, 500 college students were asked to drink 5 cups of water or take 5 sips. After 40 minutes – the time it took the water to reach the bladder – the students were asked to make a choice – a [...]
Parents worry too much about fevers. A leading group of pediatricians has counseled against treating mildly feverish children with over-the-counter medicines. There’s no evidence anti-fever medicines prevent fever-related seizures. Most fevers are caused by viruses, don’t last long and aren’t harmful. In fact, fever is one way the body fights infection. Nevertheless, 50% of parents [...]
Like everything else, kids are more expensive – $286,050 from birth through age 17. That’s according to a Fiscal Times report based on the Department of Agriculture’s 2009 data for a middle-income, husband-and-wife family with 2 children. The largest percentage of the money – 31% – is spent on housing. The next 3 most costly [...]
Americans have some unusual celebrations – such as “America Saves Week”, which in 2011 occurred February 20-27. According to the America Saves Week website, as well as the U.S. Treasury Department, in 2010 Americans unknowingly saved $15 billion in loose change. That was change left lying around the house or in cars, in purses or [...]
According to Women’s Day magazine, certain foods improve moods. For example, the combination of carbohydrates and protein – apples with peanut butter, carrots with hummus or edamame alone – reduces crankiness caused by a drop in blood sugar. Omega-3-rich fish – salmon, mackerel, sardines – reduce depression. So do walnuts. Magnesium-rich foods – oatmeal and [...]
Eat less red meat. To reduce risk of bowel cancer the British government recommends eating no more than 1 pound of red meat per week or 2.5 ounces per day. In 2005 a European study found people who ate 5.6 ounces of red meat daily increased their risk by 33%. Experts think the pigment in [...]
Before 2011′s Super Bowl XLV approximately 100,000 t-shirts declaring the Steelers as the world champions were printed and delivered to retail stores. Due to NFL rules the losing team’s shirts can’t be sold and until 1995 they were destroyed. Since 1995 those shirts have been donated to World Vision, an international, evangelical relief and development [...]
Trans fats – junk foods – heighten the risk of depression. The more you eat, the higher the risk. That’s according to Spanish researchers who analyzed the diets, lifestyles and ailments of 12,059 Spanish volunteers. At the start of the 6-year study no one suffered from depression. By the end there were 657 cases. Those [...]
Take zinc. Yes, the same group of international experts – the Cochrane Collaboration – who said in 1999 that there was little evidence zinc reduced cold symptoms, changed their collaborative mind in 2011. The Collaboration’s new review evaluated 15 randomized, placebo-controlled studies instead of just 8 studies. Yes, over-the-counter products containing zinc reduce both the [...]
Americans’ last names affect their shopping decisions. If your last name begins with a letter near the end of the alphabet, you’re likelier to shop more spontaneously. In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, e-mails were sent offering $500 for completing a survey. Those with surnames near the end of the alphabet [...]
Women prefer men who are hard to get. That was the finding of a study done at the University of Virginia. Forty-seven female undergraduates looked at 4 fake Facebook profiles of college men. The women were told which of the four had rated their Facebook profiles with high ratings, average ratings or undisclosed ratings. The [...]
We can avoid germs. An article published in Prevention Magazine warns about the 7 germiest public places. 1. Restaurant Menus – colds and flu viruses can survive 18 hours on hard surfaces. 2. Lemon Wedges On Restaurant Glasses – nearly 70% contain disease -causing microbes. 3. Condiment Containers and 4. Restroom Door Handles – both [...]
Fifty-four percent of men have experienced love at first sight versus 41% of women. That’s according to the largest, most comprehensive, American study on singles. The 2011 “Single in America” study included 5,200 singles ages 21-65. The study found that only 20% of men and 29% of women thought the same ethnicity was very important. [...]
California has 4 of the top 5 most miserable cities. That’s according to the Forbes 2011 ranking. The ranking is based on 10 factors including unemployment, crime and taxes, as well as weather, commute time and how local sports teams are doing. For the second time in 3 years Stockton, California ranked #1 due to [...]
Mary Findley – president of the cleaning-products developer, Mary Moppins – has lots of cleaning advice. For example, balled-up aluminum foil cleans off cooked on food from glass cookware and oven racks as well as steel-wool does. Newspaper cleans windows better than paper towels because it doesn’t leave streaks. Baby oil cleans chrome and ketchup [...]
Sleep is good for a new reason. It selectively heightens memories we expect to need in the future. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience tested 141 healthy adults on tasks that involved recalling words, locating two-dimensional objects and reproducing a series of finger taps. After a night’s sleep of 7-8 hours, participants who [...]
Research published in the journal Pediatrics linked starting solid foods too early to obesity. Researchers tracked 850 babies and their mothers for 3 years, calculating the children’s body mass index at age 3. Babies who were formula fed or who were breastfed less than 4 months and who started solid foods before 4 months had [...]
The opportunity to save money is literally in your hands. Washing clothes in cold water could save up to 90% of the energy needed to heat the water. At 400 loads per year, you could save $30-$40. Running the dryer 15 minutes less per load could save another $34. Then there’s electronics – like televisions, [...]
