Here’s a little tidbit you may have missed: Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according … Continue reading →
Recently I was talking to a friend who’d had shoulder surgery six months ago. When I asked her how she was doing she replied, “Oh, generally okay, I guess,” without a whole lot of her usual enthusiasm. Turned out she … Continue reading →
A study of identical twins and their wrinkles can tell us something about the aging process. Differences between such twins as they get older must be due to environmental causes. The article linked above says researchers found a “surprising” relationship … Continue reading →
A showboating Bill Gates caused a momentary flurry of fear when he released a bunch of mosquitoes at the high-powered TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conference, indicating to the prestigious movers and shakers he was addressing there that they should … Continue reading →
The California woman who gave birth to octuplets last Monday is now revealed to be the mother of six other children. What’s more, they are alleged to be living with her and her parents, and not a father in sight—except … Continue reading →
Depressed about the recession? If you are, research indicates that, unless you are directly affected by losing your job or some other dramatic loss, the downturn in your mood won’t last long. And even if you have been directly affected … Continue reading →
After the Panetta debacle, it’s a tremendous relief to hear of a possible Obama appointee I can support with enthusiasm: CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General. First of all, there’s the lovely euphony and alliteration of it all: SanjayGupta/SurgeonGeneral. … Continue reading →
Just as in Lake Woebegone, where all the children are above average, it seems that most “older” people (defined as over seventy) are convinced they look younger than they actually are. About ten years younger on average, in fact. They … Continue reading →
It’s come to this, I’m afraid. Social engineering against obesity in England has reached new heights (depths?): In Manchester, Britain’s third largest city with half a million people, residents will begin carrying electronic tracking tags that log how far they … Continue reading →
It turns out that having a Walmart in the neighborhood is associated with a slight weight loss in the surrounding population. Researchers are at a loss (pun intended) to determine the reason this might be. But their guess is that … Continue reading →
I grew up in an era in which abortion was both difficult to obtain and physically dangerous. Today’s commonplace alternative of raising the child as an unwed single mother was socially unacceptable in the extreme. Effective birth control was nowhere … Continue reading →
It’s an odd fact that in recent decades a startling proportion of Presidents have been left-handed, and no one really has a clue why, although guesses abound. The list includes Truman, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II—as well … Continue reading →