KNIGHT WATCH

IS ALL NEWS NEWS?

A study on heart-healthy foods published in “Archives of Internal Medicine” was based on 189 previous studies involving millions of people. Vegetables, nuts and the Mediterranean diet – a diet high in vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish and olive oil – qualified as good for the heart. Starchy carbohydrates like white bread, as well as the trans fats in many cookies and french fries qualified as bad. In between were foods like meat, eggs and milk for which there isn’t yet enough evidence. Unfortunately, the Western diet high in processed and red meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy may soon provide enough evidence.

Although bottled water sales have had double-digit increases for years, there’s evidence that sales have stopped rising. Industry analysts attribute this change to the poor economy, but environmentalists may be having some effect on sales. Environmentalists concerned about our dependence on the fossil fuels used for making plastic bottles have asked people to stop drinking bottled water and have asked states to increase recycling programs. Americans spent more than $11 billion on bottled water in 2008. Now sales are down 1%. While non-decomposing, plastic water bottles unnecessarily fill our land fills, they also unnecessarily unfill our wallets.

Micro cars give high fuel efficiency of 30 mpg or more at competitive prices between $12,000 and $18,000, which is good for our wallets. The bad news is that crash tests released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers of the 2009 models of the Smart “for two”, Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris could sustain significant leg and head injuries in a severe, front-end crash with mid-size vehicles – and a crash at 40 mph qualifies as a severe crash. Although there is a saying that the best things come in small packages – maybe they aren’t the safest things.

Break dancing isn’t safe. German researchers interviewed 144 professional and amateur break-dancers and found that injuries to the spine, knee, wrist, shoulder and ankle are common – especially among professionals. Not one professional interviewed had an injury-free history and only 4% of the amateurs did. Seventy percent said they also suffered from overuse injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome and tenosynovitis, an inflammation of tendon sheaths. To make matters worse, breakers gave themselves an average of only 6 days to heal after an injury. Although the researchers suggested safer training methods, their suggestion that breakers wear protective gear probably won’t get a break.

WHAT ARE THE RECESSION'S UP'S AND DOWN'S?

According to the CEO of LifeWorks Matchmaking, clients have doubled in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the previous quarter. She attributes this to “people re-evaluating their lives during periods of stress and trouble”. According to the CEO of online matchmaker eHarmony, monthly registrations have risen 20% on average from September 2008 to January 2009 compared with the same period last year. Many of the approximately 1500 independent, U.S. matchmakers - with fees ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars – are also seeing increases in business. Two can’t live as cheaply as one, but two can share expenses.

According to owners of some licensed marijuana dispensaries in the 13 states where they are legal, the number of people who want medical marijuana has spiked in 2009. Requests have jumped form 50% to 300% since President Obama said he wouldn’t use federal marijuana laws to override state laws as President Bush did. The recession is also affecting increased demand as more people without health insurance are seeking alternatives to expensive medicines. Colorado legalized medical marijuana in June 2001 and New Mexico licensed its first marijuana producer in April 2009. For many states relieving pain with marijuana is a painful decision.

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, there are more than 21,000 funeral homes in the U.S., employing approximately 105,000 people in an $11-billion-dollar-a-year industry. The Association also estimated that the average cost of an adult funeral in 2006 was $6,195. Along with everything else, people are cutting back on funereal expenses. Because cremation can save $4,000-$5,000, the Cremation Association of North America expects 40% of deceased Americans will be cremated by 2010. Everything from funeral financing to casket quality to headstone selection has been negatively affected by the recession as people make life and death decisions.

According to 2002 German legislation, prostitutes are able to advertise, enter into formal labor contracts and have had the way opened for them to get health insurance. Formerly an $18 billion industry, business is down 30%-50% and Germany’s approximately 400,000 professional prostitutes are having to try new ways to attract business. Some brothels are cutting prices, others are offering day passes or all-inclusive, flat-rate fees. Other promotions include free shuttle buses, discounts for seniors and taxi drivers, rebates for golfers and loyalty cards. Because of the financial crisis, those involved in the world’s oldest profession are having to learn new tricks.

WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED?

According to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., men don’t go to the doctor as often as women do. Women are also more likely to get annual exams and go to the doctor when they’re ill - but in most states they pay a price for this. For example, in California women pay up to 39% more than men for similar, individual policies – even excluding maternity benefits. Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington already ban the use of gender for individual policies – which should be general policy.

According to psychology professor Jeffrey Lohr of the University of Arkansas, the common belief that venting anger helps get rid of it is wrong. The sense of immediate release after venting is an illusion. Research shows that screaming, punching pillows and breaking dishes make you angrier by increasing arousal. Repression of anger is also unhealthy. When you are angry, you are meant to speak out your anger without getting emotional. This is bad news for the proprietor of Sarah’s Smash Shack in San Diego, where about 200 angry customers a week pay approximately $25 to smash dishes.

According to a study by security software maker Symantec Corp, prices for stolen credit cards, Social Security numbers and other private information have remained stable during the recession. Stolen credit card numbers go for as little as 6 cents each if 10,000 are bought or $30 each for smaller orders. Access to hijacked e-mail accounts goes for 10 cents to $100. Bank account credentials go for $10 to $1,000. Now stolen information is coming from phony “phishing” e-mails for things like low-interest loans and mortgage refinancing. With a 66% increase in this in a year, identity thieves have obviously gone phishing.

According to research published in the journal “Science”, high-speed film enabled researchers to discover one of the secrets of flight. When birds, bats, and bugs make a turn in flight, all they have to do to straighten their flight is start flapping their wings normally. This came as a surprise to the researchers because they’d thought the process required more steps. However, the process is the same for all flying animals. Supposedly this discovery will help in the development of robotic flying machines, but to a layperson the fact that researchers didn’t know about this years ago seems a bit flighty.

WHAT DEFINES A HERO?

Dr. Carnell Cooper, a Baltimore trauma surgeon, treats young black men who’ve been shot, stabbed or beaten. When a former patient was readmitted with a fatal gunshot wound, Dr. Cooper started the Violence Intervention Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center. VIP provides programs like substance abuse counseling, job skills training and peer group support to nearly 500 trauma victims. A 2006 study showed that participants in VIP were six times less likely to be readmitted with violent injuries and 3 times less likely to be arrested for violent crimes. Dr. Cooper is attempting to save the lives he’s already saved.

A Quaker Parrot in Denver, Colorado saved a little girl’s life. While Megan, the babysitter, was in the bathroom she heard her parrot Willie flapping his wings and repeatedly screeching “mama baby”. When Megan went to see what was wrong, she found 2-year-old Hannah turning blue choking on a snack, but was able to rescue her with the Heimlich maneuver. Later Willie wouldn’t talk to reporters; but Megan says his vocabulary includes “I love you”, “step up” and some words that aren’t so nice. Hero would be a nice word for Willie to learn.

Jorge Munoz is a hero. Since the summer of 2004 the 44-year-old school bus driver and his family have been feeding the needy every day from his pickup truck parked in Jackson Heights, Queens. What started as bag lunches made with leftovers from local businesses 3 nights a week turned into his nonprofit  “An Angel in Queens”, which serves as many as 140 home-cooked meals a night. Saturday Jorge brings breakfast. Sunday he brings ham-and-cheese sandwiches. The approximately $425 per week for food and gas is paid for with family savings and Jorge’s $700 paycheck, but using new math Jorge is a rich man.

Then there’s Shigeo Tokuda. Many in Japan consider this 75-year-old, former travel agent a “hero”. He’s Japan’s oldest pornographic movie star. Using a stage name, he’s been a pornographic actor since he was 59, has been in more than 200 pornographic movies and has performed with women ranging in age from their 20s to his age. Twenty percent of Japan’s citizens are over 65; and according to a social welfare professor at Den-en Chofu University, “Japanese elderly are rejecting the idea that growing old means slowing down”. No wonder Tokuda plans to keep it up until he’s at least 80.

IS ANYONE SURPRISED BY THIS?

According to an 8-year study of 218 couples done at the University of Denver, 90% experienced a decrease in marital satisfaction after their first child was born. Couples who lived together before marriage experienced even more problems after their baby’s birth than couples who had lived separately. Although childless couples also experience diminished marital quality, babies speed up the process. Yes, there were couples who said a baby made their relationship stronger; but those couples tended to have been married longer or have higher incomes. Obviously, the decision to have a baby should be made in baby steps.

According to doctors, the most common type of headache is tension headache; and they estimate that 80% of the population experiences them. They can last from 30 minutes to a week and women seem to have more of these headaches than men. In addition to tension, these headaches can be caused by stress, sleep problems and neck trauma. Some experts warn that overuse of pain medications can cause rebound headaches. Suggested alternative treatments include exercise, good nutrition, meditation, yoga, acupuncture and wearing a mouth guard during sleep. Supposedly anything that helps relax the muscles and body will help. A healthy economy would definitely help.

According to the International Air Transport Association, the airline industry could lose $5 billion in 2009. Twelve percent fewer people are flying than in 2008 and they’re spending 19% less on tickets. To save money airlines are grounding planes. Two hundred DC-9s, 737s, 747s and 757s are wrapped in mylar and plastic and parked in a facility in the Arizona desert, where dry air makes it easier to preserve planes. It costs $5-8 million a year to operate a plane and $25,000-$50,000 to store one. However, while airlines are cutting their loses, their cutting passengers’ loses too – of baggage.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, roughly 10% of 140 million mobile phones were recycled in 2007. The rest were put in drawers or in the trash.  It’s not only phones that need proper disposal, but also their batteries, headsets, cases, cables and chargers. Discarded chargers alone generate more than 51,000 tons of waste a year. The phones, as well as the metals and plastics used to make them, can be recycled; but the lead and cadmium are among the elements toxic to the environment. Nevertheless, before recycling your phone, remove all personal information you don’t want recycled too.

CAN NEW INVENTIONS BE RECESSION PROOF?

The Ariens Company in Wisconsin has been making lawnmowers for more than 50 years. Now it has made the first battery-powered, riding lawnmower for the mass market. The AMP Rider is only half as loud as gas-powered models, doesn’t pollute, requires no oil and rides more smoothly. Recharging it will cost about $40 a year - about one-fifth the cost of running and maintaining a gasoline version. Yes, the Ariens Company has made an environmentally friendly grass cutter; but at $3300 – hundreds more than comparable gas models – they may have to make a price cutter too.

Price wasn’t an object when Carbon Motors built a prototype for a high-tech police car, based on suggestions from more than 3,000 law enforcement professionals. The E7 has a 300-horsepower diesel engine that enables it to go from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph. Among its features are bullet-resistant panels in the doors and dash, push bumpers incorporated into the aluminum frame, flashing lights which are visible from all angles, an ergonomic cockpit, a computer with voice command and instant license plate recognition and integrated shotgun mounts. The only thing the E7 doesn’t have is – a price.

Hawkes Ocean Technologies didn’t think about price when it invented a submersible that can fly under water. The Deep Flight Super Falcon looks like a fighter jet - with 2 seats, 2 sets of wings and 2 tail fins. This battery-powered craft can stay under water up to 5 hours, dive to 1,500 feet and travel at speeds up to 6 knots. The base price for the Super Falcon is $1.3 million, the 3-day course to be an underwater pilot is $17,000 and a half-day ride-along is $5500. Even in a down economy there is obviously a wealthy sub-culture.

For the not-so-wealthy General Motors and Segway have partnered on a prototype electric vehicle that seats 2 people and can go 35 mph. Although the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility – PUMA – has been described as a hideous, two-wheeled egg, it is designed as an alternative for city cars and trucks. Although GM could begin producing Pumas in 2012 at about one-third the cost of owning and operating a traditional vehicle, critics claim it is unsafe for street driving. GM, however, says PUMAs will have an innovative sensor technology to help prevent collisions – but shouldn’t that technology be on all GM vehicles?

HOW DO YOU KNOW AN IDEA IS GOOD?

The Jewish community in Dothan, Alabama – population 60,000 – is getting smaller. To solve this problem a local real estate developer put up $1 million over the next 10 years to attract 20 young, Jewish families. To pay for moving costs, education loans and other expenses, each family can get up to $50,000. Qualifying for the program includes interviews, background checks and a home visit; and if families stay less than 5 years, they may have to reimburse the money. One couple has moved to Dothan, making the program a good idea. Two couples would make it a better idea.

New York City’s solutions to expensive hotel rooms seems like they’re good ideas. “The Pod” is a micro-hotel that looks like a luxurious, boutique hotel. It has a designer café, terrace, concierge and midtown location. The rooms, however, are tiny – bunk beds, a light and small TV over each bed, an iPod docking station and a bathroom down the hall. If $89 a night is still too expensive, similarly equipped, 5-by-7, single rooms are available at “The Jane”, a century old building in Greenwich Village. These micro-chic rooms are $75 a night. Less room in a budget hotel obviously leaves more room in a budget.

Although Dallas has a popular municipal dog park, Kelly and Cody Acree had room in their budget for Dallas’ first indoor dog park – “Unleashed”. Dogs (except pit bulls) can romp over 50,000 air conditioned square feet of artificial grass, while being constantly monitored by dog handlers. The facility also has a supply store, grooming services, day care and a doggie water park under construction. For the owners there’s WiFi and a soon-to-be café and restaurant overlooking the dog park. An all-day pass costs $7.50 – or the dogs can have collar tags that bill automatically. Doggone!

From doggone to horse here. Ramouni, a 28-year-old proofreader of Braille textbooks, became blind as a baby. Having been guided around the Detroit suburbs by family, she wanted more independence. A guide dog, however, wasn’t an option. Many Muslims consider dogs unclean. Instead, Ramouni has a miniature guide horse. Cali is 30 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds. There are only a handful of miniature animals trained as guides for the blind in the U.S. So far Cali has been trained to get in and out of vehicles, guide through crowds and stand still indoors – giving new meaning to horse sense.

HEALTH CARE: MORE DO's THAN DO NOT's?

Brown adipose tissue – brown fat – is good fat. It burns calories. Although it was formerly thought only small mammals and human infants had brown fat around their shoulders to generate heat, almost all adults have small amounts around their collar bones and necks. Unfortunately, it would take 3 ounces of brown fat maximally activated to burn 400-500 calories a day. Researchers know it’s activated by chilly temperatures. They speculate it could be activated by drugs or by a small amount being removed, amplified in a test tube and transplanted back into the patient. After all, millions of people are “weighting”.

Drinking massive amounts of water doesn’t help weight loss. In fact, it can be dangerous. It could cause low sodium levels in the blood, which could result in confusion, seizures and even coma. However, research at Virginia Tech found that people who drink 2 glasses of water 20-30 minutes before every meal lost significantly more weight than people who didn’t. People who drink water before meals eat an average of 75 fewer calories at those meals. Seventy-five fewer calories twice a day for a year equals a weight loss of about 14.5 pounds – giving new meaning to water power.

Multivitamins took on new meaning when  the Web site ConsumerLab, an independent evaluator of products affecting health and nutrition, reported more than 30% of multivitamins contained significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed or were contaminated with lead.. Several multivitamins – including 3 for children – exceeded tolerable upper limits set by the Institute of Medicine for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid and zinc. Too much vitamin A can cause bone softening and liver problems. Too much folic acid can cause prostate cancer. Too much zinc can cause immune deficiency and anemia. Maybe balanced nutrition develops best from a balanced diet.

Researchers at Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast have developed a spray to help treat premature ejaculation, which affects at least 40% of men. The spray contains a topical anesthetic that numbs the penis. In a controlled medical test of 300 men, 90% reported the spray helped them last about 6 times longer, allowing intercourse up to 4 minutes. Men in the test given a placebo spray reported lasting 1.7 times longer, which demonstrates there’s also a psychological component to the problem of premature ejaculation. However, the real problem is “PSD502” hasn’t been approved yet by the FDA.

HOW DO WE MAKE THE ECONOMY ECONOMICAL?

Local and state governments are busy thinking of new ways to raise money for strained budgets, such as fees. Winter Haven, Florida is one of a few dozen cities charging “accident response fees” to at-fault drivers. Washington’s mayor has proposed a “streetlight user fee” to be added to the citizens’ electric bills. Ohio’s governor has proposed more than 150 new or increased fees including ones for car registration, birth certificates and trash dumping. Wisconsin’s governor wants to triple the fee for elk hunting in spite of the fact that the elk population is too low for a hunting season. Shouldn’t fees be at least feasible?

Nevada State Senator, Bob Coffin, made a feasible proposal to raise a much needed $2 million for the state budget. In a legislative hearing a group of prostitutes requested the Senate Taxation Committee impose a $5 tax on sex acts they perform at legal brothels. Because the lawmakers took no action on SB369, the proposal goes no further in 2009s legislative session; but even if the bill had made it Governor Jim Gibbons’ desk, he said he wouldn’t touch it. It seems that women legitimately allowed to sell their bodies in Nevada couldn’t sell a legitimate idea. 

The 2010 Census will legitimately put 1.4 million people to work. People are being hired for regional and local centers, as well as field staff to check addresses with hand-held computers. Salaries and tenure vary from $34/hr for 2-year, managerial jobs to $10-$25/hr for 10-week, field staff jobs. Money is also being put into communities by renting offices and furniture, buying equipment and supplies, spending $212 million on advertising and spending $1 billion of the stimulus package money on augmenting operations. Although the Census is projected to cost $14 billion, the consensus is that’s good for the economy.

The down economy, however, is good for pawn shops. According to the National Pawnbrokers Association, the average customer is 39 and has an annual income of $29,000. As the economy has weakened, customers have gotten both older and wealthier. Gold jewelry is the most common item being pawned. Lots of flat screen televisions are being pawned too, but pawnbrokers want only digital televisions. Contractors are pawning tools and families are pawning a variety of game consoles. Considering pawn can usually be sold after 30 days if the loan plus interest hasn’t been repaid, pawn shops are turning into resale shops.

WHY DOES HEALTH NEWS SOUND SO UNHEALTHY?

When researchers at Ohio State University calculated the body mass index of 8,550 Asian, black, Hispanic, Native American and white 4-year-olds born in 2001 and 2005, 18.4% were obese. The difference in percentages between racial/ethnic groups ranged from 31.2% of American Indian/Native Alaskan 4-year-olds to 12.8% of Asian 4-year-olds. The difference in percentages was attributed to lifestyle differences both culturally and socioeconomically. Children obese at age 4 can have high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. “The heavier you are as a child, the likelier that extra weight will follow you through life” is a quote not to be taken lightly.

Also not to be taken lightly is an experimental program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, which helps pregnant women control their weight. The program is based on new research showing excessive weight gain during pregnancy hurts both mother and fetus. It increases risk of complications during pregnancy and puts children at risk for obesity and diabetes later in life. Animal studies have shown the environment in which fetuses grow influences genes and children can be imprinted with a vulnerability to be overweight. Because nearly one-quarter of the 4 million U.S. births annually involve obese women, further research can’t “weight”.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, food labels can state zero grams of trans fats if the trans fats are less than .49 grams. To avoid even trace amounts of these harmful fats, avoid foods with partially hydrogenated oils – which are trans fats. Manufacturers use these oils to add shelf life to products. Trans fats can raise triglycerides and LDL and lower HDL, increasing risk of heart disease. LDL starts going up when 3.8% of caloric intake is trans fats. In a 2000 calorie diet, that’s 8 grams. The process of maintaining good health is avoiding trans-fat-containing, processed foods.

Helping to maintain good health, a federal study of 545,000 AARP members – which took into account other risk factors like smoking and family histories of cancer and obesity – found eating large amounts of red meat increases the likelihood of dying from heart disease and cancer. People who eat the highest amounts of red and processed meats are about 20% more likely to die of cancer. Heavy consumption of red meat also increases the risk of death due to heart disease 27% for men and 50% for women. Now the FDA is getting down to the meat of the matter.