Locavores are people who believe in eating locally produced food. For a growing number of locavores across the U.S. that means raising chickens in their backyards – legally. For example, Portland allows 3 hens without a permit and Chicago allows an unlimited amount if they are used for pets or eggs. Los Angeles allows an unlimited number if they are kept 35 feet from other dwellings and Houston allows up to 30 if they are kept 100 feet from neighboring structures. Because more people are petitioning their cities to adopt urban livestock ordinances, more people are obviously in pursuit of “eggscellence”.
According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 367,000 children in the U.S. who are vegetarians. That’s approximately 1 in 200. Previous studies, however, have suggested the rate could be 4 to 6 times that number among older teens because they have more control over what they eat. These young vegetarians are usually female from higher income families, living on the East or West coasts. What motivates children to become vegetarians isn’t health. Shocked by pictures of animal slaughter on YouTube and elsewhere, animal welfare is the meat of the matter.
According to an Associated Press poll, 74% of animal owners have dogs and 46% have cats. Dogs may be more popular because 70% of their owners think their dogs understand them. Only 50% of cat owners feel that way. When it comes to understanding what their pets are saying, 25% of cat owners think they understand meows; but only 16% of dog owners think they understand barks. Although men and women are equally likely to have either dogs or cats, more women think they can communicate with their pets – which may explain why men are often in the dog house.
A study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience found that men and women who like to live on the edge have fewer dopamine-regulating receptors in their brains. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. It’s the brain’s feel-good chemical. People who do things like skydive, race cars or gamble large amounts of money have brains that are more saturated with this chemical, making them biologically predisposed to take risks. Because these thrill seekers get an unusually big hit of dopamine when they do something risky, they pursue more risks for more dopamine highs. This study seems to give new meaning to risk-takers acting dopey.
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