THANKS to MLL for pointing this out (though why she thought of me when she read this is beyond me)
Okay – that’s it. I’m moving to the UK. I’m sure if you bothered you could do web searches to find out all sorts of research that the U.S. poured money into. Correction, all kinds of USELESS research. Things that we don’t really need to spend money to find out. Like the research findings that discovered that siblings fight. DUH I coulda told you that. And I’m sure even with the economy in the mess that it’s in now there are still research dollars being wasted.
Not so in Mother England. Ah yes, there they are using research dollars for the good. They are trying to determine useful information for the health and well being of all. So today I pack my bags and go away and see if I can sign up for this study. I could do it. I mean I know I have trouble being organized and there are many things I can not do every day. Things like clean my kitchen sink and write in my journal and meditate for 20 minutes and exercise and all that. But THIS - this is one thing I would have no trouble doing EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!
So researchers, if you’re looking. Call me. I am ready and willing, yes willing to serve.
That number again — 1-800-needchocolate
Wanted: Women to eat chocolate for a year
Story Highlights
Scientists seeks 150 women to eat chocolate for a year
Research will test whether compound in cocoa reduces heart disease risk
Belgian chocolatier has created a special bar for the experiment
Postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes considered a high risk group
LONDON, England (CNN) — Scientists in the UK are seeking 150 women to eat chocolate every day for a year in the cause of medical research.
The trial, at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, eastern England, will test whether a natural compound found in cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate, could cut the risk of heart disease among women with diabetes.
A Belgian confectionist has created the special chocolate bar containing high levels of flavonoids — a plant compound that has been shown to reduce heart risk factors — to be used in the experiment. Soy, another natural source of flavonoids, has also been added to the bar.
Participants, who must be postmenopausal women under the age of 70, will have their risk of heart disease tested on five occasions during the year to see whether change occurs.
“The hypothesis of this exciting study is that flavonoids may improve the level of protection against heart disease over and above that provided by conventional drugs,” said Dr. Ketan Dhatariya, a consultant in diabetes at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
“If the trial confirms this, it could have a far-reaching impact on the advice we give to postmenopausal women who have type 2 diabetes.”
Deaths due to heart disease among women increase rapidly after the menopause. For women who suffer from type 2 diabetes, the risk of heart disease is up to three and a half times higher. Type 2 diabetes is caused when the body fails to produce enough insulin or produces insulin that doesn’t work properly and is frequently linked with obesity.
“Despite postmenopausal women being at a similar risk to men for developing cardiovascular disease, to date they are under-represented in clinical trials,” said Professor Aedin Cassidy, Professor of Diet and Health at UEA, who is heading the research.
“We hope to show that adding flavonoids to their diets will provide additional protection from heart disease and give women the opportunity to take more control over reducing their risk of heart disease in the future.”
Today’s public service announcement is brought to you by Smokey the Bear.
REMEMBER KITCHEN SAFETY
And what, you may ask, brings this on. Well, the other day a neighbor, momof5 was cooking, watching all 5 kids, and doing laundry. She happened to leave the oven mitt very close to the stove while she walked away.
EVERYONE IS OKAY!!!!
But — the house had an estimated $50,000 worth of damages, and it’s considered “uninhabitable” for a few months.
I learned a few things the other day
Remember fire safety (and I will no longer feel bad if I yell at Spouse for keeping things too close to the stove)
I live on a wicked good street. We have a number of very generous, helpful neighbors and they really showed their stuff when it hit. Mrs. Greenthumb is a preschool teacher and managed to keep the kids calm and cool through all the hubbub.
My town has FAST fire response — they sent out like 6 trucks and one ambulance, they had the adjoining Blvd down to one lane in each direction.
An interesting opinion piece from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution can be found here. It’s about a recently approved bill in the Georgia legislature that approves permit holders to carry concealed firearms in public places such as restaurants that serve liquor, state parks and transit systems such as MARTA.
Cause, I’m sure Georgia state parks are dangerous places????
I found one statistic in this article to be fascinating.
In 2006, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Statistics, guns were used in a total of 10,177 homicides. Of that enormous total, just 195 homicides were categorized as justifiable, defined by the bureau as “the killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony, by a private citizen.”
In percentage terms, 98.1 percent of the time a private citizen kills someone with a firearm, the killing is not justified. Yet because of the power of the Rambo fantasy, we write laws as if that remaining 1.9 percent of gun killings were the majority.
That’s right — 1.9 percent.
I’ve had people argue with me that I should have a gun. Now I can see the point, I run a business that has been known to have cash on hand at times (albeit very small amounts of cash) and this past tax season we’ve been in the back of a building – pretty much hidden from street traffic. On particular employee I’ve had this season (a former Marine). See, if someone were to come try to rob me I would ten pull the gun out and kill whoever was coming after me.
Now, I realize that a gun, as a threat, is really pretty useless – I mean it really doesn’t count unless you’re willing to use it. I think that bad guys – like dogs – can smell the fear on you. I just don’t think I could.
And that brings up the scary thought, and that would be ME with a gun. If Crem happens to read this please comment — I mean – you’ve seen me with a computer – you’ve seen me with a cell phone – and you’ve seen me with an automobile. Ah – shouldn’t matter — what could possibly go wrong.
I’ll carry your books, I’ll carry a torch, I’ll carry a tune, I’ll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant, cash and carry, carry me back to Old Virginie, I’ll even ‘hari-kari’ if you show me how, but I will not carry a gun!”
I was thinking of having some type of weekly theme thing going here, and I like the sound of Music Monday — we’ll see whether this keeps up more than one week or so.
Last week I discussed water and posted this You Tube video. Looking at some of the videos on the Tom Lehrer wisdom channel was entertaining (and educational — it is the Tom Lehrer wisdom channel after all) and I go to thinking (often dangerous).
I am neither a geek or a physicist (this is good, as I’m a much better “taker aparter” than a “putter togetherer” which is one of the reasons Crem is my best friend), but I’ve heard tell of the Large Hadron Collider over there in Europe. It’s supposed to be perfectly safe (just check out what they say on the website) but there are those that have expressed doubts
OKAY — perhaps a UserFriendly cartoon isn’t much to get worked up over. But really, there’s not a heck of a lot I can do about it either way except say C’est la vie (see how I worked that French term in there). It does give me an excuse to post this YouTube video for my first music Monday.
Just as a friendly reminder that if the earth does get eaten up by a ginormous (and ginormous is an actual word as of 2007) black hole, well then at least my shoulder will stop hurting. Or, in the immortal words of Governor Arnie
Spouse is a news junkie. Worse, far worse, than being a news junkie, he’s a Fox Faux News junkie. Many times I’ve been tempted to “cut the cord” so to speak (that would be the cable line).
Last night, he was (as always) watching O’Reilly (between the radio show and the TV show and the constant replays during the day, is there any time of the day or night that you can’t find O’Reilly somewhere on the airwaves???).
Anyway, last night Bill was on his high horse about Rev. Wright’s (Obama’s former Pastor) new house
Price tag being close to $1.6M.
Bill was talking to one of the Faux correspondents in Chicago and was wondering whether the Chicago media was all over this load of dribbleimportant news story, and the Chicago Faux correspondent said that, in fact, the Chicago media was not all over this news item.
Something that has been covered (albeit not as much as it should be) by the Chicago media is the situation in the Chicago Public schools. During this school year, 24 Chicago Public School students have been killed, 21 of those were killed by gunfire. Click here to find some of the articles reported in the Chicago Tribune.
Am I nuts to think that it’s somehow more important to find out how the candidates feel about inner city violence than it is to worry about how former associates are currently living???
1. The last time I lost my temper I got real close to my daughter, looked her straight in the eyes, and quietly told her to “go upstairs now”!
2. My sore shoulder is what I’m fed up with!
3. The next book I’d like to read is Dyer consequences by Maggie Sefton.
4. Getting my house cleaned up is what I’m looking forward to.
5. If you can’t get rid of the skeleton[s] in your closet, close the damn door!
6. The best thing I got in the mail recently was an Invitation to Aunt and Uncle in-laws 50th wedding anniversary party.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to don’t know — if Crem is busy I might try to catch a chick flick or watch a library video, tomorrow my plans include end of season party at the tax office and Sunday, I want to remember that I’m supposed to bring a snack for Sunday School!
