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.
Comments