Study Finds Anti-Drinking Propaganda Doesn’t Work.
Love Stripped of All Mystery
An Australian mathematician discovered what he calls the ‘fiancee formula‘ to determine the ideal age a person should fall in love. Unfortunately, no one can figure it out.
Are Tiger’s ‘Transgressions’ Such a Surprise?
As the media frenzy continues over the Tiger Woods scandal, one can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about. It doesn’t speak well of his character that after only 5 years of marriage and with two young children he can’t stay faithful to his beautiful wife. But in all practicality is it such a shock that a multi-millionaire superstar athlete who is handsome, travels a lot and most definitely has gorgeous women throwing themselves at him hasn’t been faithful?
More Cancer Screening Guidelines Changed for Women
Right on the heels of new recommendations for breast cancer screening, the College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has pushed back the age it recommends women get their first Pap Smears, according to the New York Times.
The new guidelines for cervical cancer recommend that a woman should wait until 21 years old to get her first pap smear, and should get screened less often. Previously the recommendation was that a woman should have her first pap smear within 3 years of her first sexual experience but no older than 21, and she should be screened every year.
The reason, Dr. Cheryl B. Iglesias, chairwoman of a panel in the obstetricians’ group told the NY Times, is that younger women are more likely to develop abnormalities, which indicate pre-cancerous cells, but often clear up on their own. If women are over-screened, there is an increased risk they’ll undergo treatments that could have later implications in childbirth such as premature delivery or an increased chance of C-section.
The recommendations seem reasonable, and according to Iglesias the evidence is compelling for the change. But what is more interesting is the timing. In the midst of Obama’s health care reform, and in the same week as the breast scanner recommendations, it almost seems like a conspiracy against the fight on cancer in women.
Iglesias tells the New York Times, however, that the timing is just coincidental. Probably, the best guideline is somewhere in between. If you’re abstinent or in a long-term monogamous relationship, then less frequency is probably safe. If you’re more sexually active with more partners, it’s probably wise to keep a closer eye on it.
Cool-As-Hell Virtual Musical Telegram
You have to check out the site Let Them Sing for You. It’s pretty cool. What you do is type in a message to someone and then it puts your message to music from pop songs and sends it to whomever your heart desires. You could play with this for hours and never get bored. Trust.
Movie Theatre Treat Worse Than You Thought
The Center for Science in the Public Interest did a lab test of movie theater popcorn at Regal, the country’s largest movie theatre chain and found that they were way off in their nutritional information estimates.
While Regal says a medium popcorn has 720 calories and a large has 960, lab results found it to be more like 1,200 calories and 60, yes folks 60 grams of saturated fat due to the coconut oil it’s popped in. A medium popcorn and a soda combo runs 1,610 calories. That’s the equivalent of 3 McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter, according to the CSPI.
That’s an entire day’s worth of calories while you sit on your A** and watch a movie. And then, of course, you can always add more butter if you want to ensure a coronary by the time the credits roll.
The study went on to look at the rest of the snacks. A small (non-diet) soda ranges from 150 calories at Cinemark to 300 calories at Regal, whose large size packs a whopping 500 calories.
But don’t forget the king size bags of candy. The 5-ounce box of Twizzlers has 460 calories, a 7-ounce box of Nerds has 790 calories, and the various chocolate candies (Butterfinger, Raisenets, Sno-Caps, M&Ms) have between 400 and 500 calories. An 8-ounce bag of Reese’s Pieces has 1,160 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat, which is “like eating a 16-ounce T-Bone steak and a buttered baked potato,” the study says.
It’s probably wise to eat before you go.
The Woman Myth a Reality?
I realized something recently, and it was a major shock. Women actually do have it rougher than men. Growing up ‘post-feminism’ I was told I could do anything the boys could do. And I can. But what I wasn’t told is that I have half the time and twice the work.
All of a sudden I only have 5, maybe 7 years to have kids and before having kids I have to pull off such an amazing career trajectory that when I do have kids I will have the freedom to make my own schedule. But before kids I have to find ‘Mr. Right.’ I have to stop ‘wasting my time’ with a man just because I like him or he’s funny or he makes me flush every time I see him and I have to start caring whether he’ll be a good husband and father. Is he dependable? Does he have a good job? In 20 years if I get cancer, will he be there for me? And if I die? Can he handle the kids we don’t even have yet?
The reality is women have a certain window within which they can do it. Society is still behind in helping so we don’t have to do it all, but even in the best of circumstances, biological realities still exist.
Vintage Lady Gaga
From this pre-fame Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta) performance, you definitely can’t say she’s not talented as hell. I totally called the Madonna comparisons. She certainly does know how to spin a publicity stunt like the Material Girl, but she’s a double threat. She can actually sing. If the first song makes you snooze a little, go to 3:40, her second song is pretty bad ass.
Age for First Cancer Screening Changed
The United States Preventative Task Force, an ‘influential group that provides guidance to doctors, insurance companies and policy makers,’ recommended that women begin getting mammograms at age 50, not age 40 as was previously suggested, reports The New York Times.
The report says the new recommendation does not apply to women with increased breast cancer risks and is intended to curb over-treatment of the disease. In the past, the same panel has also changed the recommendation of frequency of getting a mammogram from every one year to every two years.
The task force is an independent panel of experts, appointed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
Bride Sues Wedding Photog for Nudie Pics
The NY Daily News reports that a Long Island bride was none-too-pleased when her husband went on the wedding photographer’s site to look at pictures only to find shots of her in various stages of undress. Sara Bostwick is suing Christian Oth Studio photorapher Carolyn Monastra, who she says was explicitly asked not to take pictures of the bride putting on her wedding gown, but allegedly did so anyway, the article reports.
Bostwick claims the offending pics have caused her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (yup, same ailment as returning Iraq war vets) and that even after the studio said they would remove the photos, they allegedly remained online.
