Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

03 Jan 2012 10:41

tags

Culture: Researchers: Eating too much fat can injure parts of your brain

  • C is for Uh-Oh: Medical researchers have found that within 24 hours of a high-fat diet, there is measurable damage in the brains of rodents and humans. “Obese individuals are biologically defending their elevated body weight,” said Dr. Michael Schwartz, a professor at the University of Washington. The study indicates that eating fat leads to changes in the brain, and in the body, because it affects the hypothalamus, which regulates weight. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jan 2012 10:30

tags

U.S.: 2012 in gay rights: Hawaii, Delaware legalize civil unions, couples cheer

  • aloha “We really don’t want to wait any longer because we have been together for 33 years waiting for the opportunity and our rights and everything that goes with it,” said Donna Gedge. She and her wife Monica were one of four couples to receive civil unions in Hawaii as the new year rang in Sunday.
  • not alone Now 11 states (plus D.C.) recognize same-sex civil unions or gay marriage. Hawaii and Delaware just joined the ranks of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa (as a good friend of ours reminded everyone last night), Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jan 2012 00:18

tags

U.S.: L.A. Arsonist: Suspect arrested, identified, motive explained

  • $2million in damages from 50+ fires set by the alleged arsonist source
  • » The suspect? A 24-year-old German immigrant: The L.A. arson spree, in which cars were used to ignite flames, is still under investigation, but no new fires have been started since their lead suspect has been taken into custody today. “I feel very good that we’ve got the right guy,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. “[The suspect] had the right stuff in his van, and we are confident in the arrest.” The man, Harry Burkhart, is a German immigrant who was reportedly upset about the immigration status of his mother. According to L.A. Weekly, when Burkhart was arrested, he uttered the words “I hate America.” No civilians were hurt during the costly spree.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Dec 2011 13:53

tags

U.S.: Don’t look a gift bear in the eye; it could be dangerous.

  • what Toy company Build-A-Bear has recalled over 300,000 bears that were sold between April and December. So, if you gave or received a “Colorful Hearts Teddy Bear” this year, you should consider returning it.
  • why The eyes of the bear were poorly secured, creating a choking hazard for children; the bears went through a security and safety screening which deemed the fabric around the eyes as “substandard.” Beware of bear, folks. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Dec 2011 11:48

tags

Tech: Amazon sold a bunch of Kindles, but don’t expect a specific count

  • 4 million Kindles sold in December … well, at least we think so source
  • » It’s an estimate based off of Amazon’s evasiveness. They said that customers “purchased well over 1 million Kindle devices per week” in the month of December. Sales of Kindle e-books were up 175% from last year’s period between Black Friday and Christmas; so while Amazon may not give us clear numbers, the company seems to be doing well in the fields it created.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Dec 2011 00:36

tags

Culture: Ben Breedlove’s death touches many — including his favorite rapper.

  • A tough teen with a gripping story: Ben Breedlove, a high schooler with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (and a YouTube personality known for offering dating advice to others), passed away from a heart attack on Christmas Day. It was only afterward that his parents discovered these two videos from Ben in which he told stories of coping with his disease, including three near-death experiences. In his third one, above, he describes an experience, while being revived by EMS paramedics, where he was with his favorite rapper, Kid Cudi. After watching Ben’s videos and hearing about his death, the artist wrote a message about Ben on his blog. Ben’s mother said that the videos were a “gift to us, and for him to be so confident and unafraid of death and to share it with other people was so touching.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Dec 2011 21:36

tags

World: Prince Philip leaves hospital, immediately heads to gun-shooting party

  • Some people had expected him to grab his gun and race off to start shooting again as soon as he got back to Sandringham – but he is being sensible.
  • A Norfolk, England villager • Discussing the recent release of Prince Philip from the hospital. The Duke of Edinburgh, who is married to Queen Elizabeth, began his hospital stay Friday night after complaining of chest pains. He had to miss out on the family’s Christmas and Boxing Day traditions — but left the hospital in good spirits. The 90-year-old royal figure received a minimally-invasive coronary stenting procedure, and was released Tuesday; he’s been ordered to rest, however. Over the past year he has attended over 300 public and formal engagements, so resting might be harder than it sounds for him. In fact, as soon as he left, he went to a shooting party at the Sandringham Estate, where he was said to be in a “cheerful” mood. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

27 Dec 2011 21:23

tags

U.S.: Deadly helicopter crash kills surgeon, others picking up heart transplant

  • heroics On Monday morning, a Mayo Clinic surgeon and two others traveled by helicopter from Jacksonville to Gainesville, Fla. to pick up a heart transplant needed for surgery.
  • tragedy The helicopter crashed before reaching its destination; the aircraft’s three passengers — a surgeon, a procurement technician, and the pilot — all died. source
  • » View this as a call to action. No one is entirely sure why the helicopter went down, though it was overcast as the helicopter left Jacksonville. The crash itself is still being investigated for any outlying conditions, but the engine of the helicopter might have been the cause. “We’ve seen a number of instances where that engine simply failed,” said Kansas City aviation attorney Gary Robb. The heart readied for transplant is now no longer viable. In a country where 100,000 people are on transplant lists and only 35% of the population counts themselves as potential donors, one has to wonder if more potential donors could prevent traveling such long distances in the future.
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Dec 2011 15:30

tags

U.S.: This year, Santa taught one Arizona family to never give up hope.

  • an honest-to-goodness christmas miracle. Nobody thought Sam Schmid, a business major at Arizona State University, was going to recover from a traumatic car crash in October; his family was ready to take him off life support. His doctor ran just one more brain scan and advised them to wait a week before making any decisions. That same day, Schmid became responsive and even opened his eyes. He was allowed one day to be at home with his family for Christmas. With intense therapy, he hopes to be back at school next year. “There is no better gift,” his mother said. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Dec 2011 09:04

tags

Culture: Alec Baldwin’s not “horny” enough to be New York City’s mayor

  • They’re like a guy on a date that you can tell he just can’t wait to get his hand up your blouse before even the lights go out in the theater. They’re all just so horny for it.
  • Alec Baldwin • Describing the people running for New York City mayor in 2013. The unabashedly liberal Baldwin was thinking about leaving his role at “30 Rock” to do the same. But recently, for whatever reason, he decided to stay on as ultra-conservative Jack Donaghy. “I’ve got a good job,” the actor rambled. “Am I doing ‘To Kill a Mockingbird?’ No. I’m doing a sitcom. But we have fun, and it’s a family.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>