KNIGHT WATCH

WHAT'S IT MEAN TO BE AMERICAN?

Americans don’t exercise enough. Researchers analyzed data collected from 2003 to 2008 for approximately 80,000 adults who had participated in the American Time Use Survey – a national, telephone-based survey asking people what they’d done during the previous 24 hours. Among sedentary activities 95.6% ate and drank and 80.1% watched television or movies. Among light activities 78.9% washed, dressed and groomed, while 71.4% drove a vehicle. As for moderate activities, 25.7% prepared food and drinks and 10.6% cared for lawns, gardens or houseplants. Only 5% of those surveyed participated in vigorous, physical exercise. If exercise came in small, medium and large, it would be spelled “exersize”.

Nine percent of American adults have symptoms of depression – feeling hopeless, little interest or pleasure in daily activities, difficulty concentrating, etc. In 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi had the highest depression rate – 14.8% of residents reporting 2 or more symptoms. West Virginia was second with 14.3% and Alabama was third with 13%. Because depression can precipitate and exacerbate symptoms of chronic diseases, many high-depression states also have above-average rates of obesity and heart disease. North Dakota was the state with the lowest depression rate – 4.8% - deserving its name as the “Peace Garden” state.

Approximately 17.2% of Americans work in noisy workplaces – workplaces where people have to raise their voices to have a conversation. A study of 6,307 adults published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that working in noisy places for at least 18 months can triple the risk of heart problems – and that was after statistical adjustments for participants being overweight and/or smoking. It seems constant noise can increase the levels of stress hormones that, in turn, can cause a plaque rupture, resulting in a heart attack. Maybe it’s not just coincidence that “noisome” means injurious to health.

Approximately 22% of American adults – 50 million - are diagnosed with arthritis in 2010. That statistic also came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about the same percentage as in the 2003-2005 study. What’s changed is the number of people who are hobbled by arthritis – from 8.3% to 9.4%. The increase in the number of people having trouble dressing, climbing stairs, gardening, etc. has been attributed to baby boomers who are becoming the age when osteoarthritis starts breaking down cartilage. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and it seems to be “boomeranging”.

 

HOW DIFFERENT ARE MEN AND WOMEN?

Women apologize more than men. According to a study published in the journal Psychological Science, women don’t do more wrong things, they just think they do because they have a lower threshold for bad behavior than men do. Thirty-three men and thirty-three women kept diaries for 12 days describing incidents in which they apologized or did something that might have warranted an apology. Although the women apologized more readily, the men didn’t avoid apologizing or refuse to admit wrongdoing – if they believed they were wrong. Men and women see “wrong” differently – it’s not that men are “wrongheaded”.

However, when it comes to handling conflict, husbands do it better than wives. After interviewing 373 couples 4 times over a 16-year period, researchers at the University of Michigan concluded husbands are likelier to use constructive strategies to confront conflicts and resolve them by working through the disagreements. Wives are likelier to use more emotional, destructive strategies – such as yelling and withdrawing – which allow conflicts to continue. Although husbands are likely to remain unchanged in how they deal with conflict, over time wives are likely to become more constructive – supposedly increasing the chances of marriages succeeding because 2 constructive heads are better than one.

Women represent 49% of America’s workforce, but they don’t represent 49% of the managers. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office that analyzed 13 industries, the number of women managers increased only 1% - from 39% in 2000 to 40% in 2007. Although the pay gap between female and male managers decreased 2 cents, than still means females earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. As for working mother managers, they earned 79 cents for every dollar earned by working father managers. There’s obviously a need for equality between managers and “womanagers”.

There’s a need for equality in corporate America where thinner women and fatter men tend to make more money. That’s according to research done by the University of Florida. Researchers found that women weighing 25 pounds less than the group norm for their female coworkers earned about $16,000 more a year. A woman weighing 25 pounds more than the group norm earned about $14,000 less. For men it was different. Thinner men made almost $9,000 less than their average, male coworkers. This is another research project that points out we’re judged by our appearance in the workplace – and we’re still “weighting” for change.

 

CAN WE KEEP HEALTH SIMPLE?

Flu shots may reduce the risk of heart attack. In a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers compared medical records of approximately 16,000 first-time heart attack victims age 40 and older with medical records of about 62,700 people who hadn’t had heart attacks. After factoring out such major risk factors as smoking and family history, flu shots were linked to a 19% reduction in first heart attacks occurring the following year. Those who got their flu shot early in the flu season had a 21% reduction – and for them the following year “flu” by.

Something else that may lower the risk of heart attack, as well as stroke, are red onions. Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong fed crushed red onions to hamsters that had been on a high-cholesterol diet. After 8 weeks their LDL (bad) cholesterol had dropped 20%, but there was no change in their HDL (good) cholesterol. According to the lead researcher, these findings support the claim eating red onions regularly reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. Red onions are a staple of the Mediterranean Diet recommended by the Mayo Clinic and others; so when using onions, think red to “red-uce” LDL cholesterol.

Think aspirin for reducing the risk of colon cancer. According to a Scottish study published in the journal Gut, patients taking 75 mg of aspirin daily for a year (a lower dose than standard baby aspirin) reduced the risk of colon cancer 13% compared with nonusers. After 5 years the relative risk reduction was 37%. From previous studies it’s known aspirin reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Also, aspirin – used as paste – reduces the size and redness of pimples and reduces dandruff when added to shampoo. It seems aspirin is a part of “aspirin-g” to better health.

When taken intravenously, aspirin reduces the pain of migraines. In a study published in the American Academy of Neurology, researchers reviewed records of 168 patients hospitalized in London for chronic, daily headaches. After being given an average of 5 doses of intravenous aspirin, two-thirds of the patients experienced reduced pain. There are 29 million migraine sufferers; and they take an average of 4 medications, including some that are highly addictive or sedative. Intravenous aspirin is a treatment widely used in Europe, but as of 2010 it hasn’t been approved by the FDA. I’m not sure what reduces that headache.

 

DO KIDS PUT THE "NO" IN KNOWLEDGE?

Birth order affects children’s personalities. According to a report published in Parents magazine, firstborns are used to being the center of attention and tend to become overachievers. Because they are given more responsibility, they’re quick to take charge. Middleborns have to learn to fit in and often become go-with-the-flow types. Because they receive less attention, they have stronger bonds with their friends. Lastborns generally aren’t the strongest or the smartest. They get attention by being outgoing and adventurous. Lastborns also receive the least discipline. Being aware of the effects of birth order can help parents keep order.

Couples whose firstborn is a girl are 5% likelier to divorce than parents whose firstborn is a boy – 10% likelier if there are 3 girls in the family. That’s according to census data on more than 3 million adults. The data also showed that unmarried couples are more likely to marry before the birth of their child if they know it’s a boy. Fathers are 3% less likely to be living with their children if they have daughters. Divorced mothers of boys are more likely to remarry and stay married. Supposedly numbers don’t lie – but they don’t tell the whole truth either.

Parents want to both tell about and show off their new babies. A study commissioned by the security company AVG and conducted by Research Now found that 92% of U.S. children have some kind of online presence by age 2. The study also found that 33% of U.S. mothers posted pictures of newborns, while 34% posted their sonograms. Although most “digital births” worldwide are posted at approximately 6 months, 33% of them were posted within 2 weeks of the babies’ births. This seems to be the 21^st century way of keeping family and friends “in the picture”.

Supposedly dogs are men’s best friends, but they may be children’s best friends too. According to The Journal of Pediatrics, dogs may help children from developing eczema. Children who have lived with a dog before age 1 and test positive for dog allergy with a skin prick test (SPT) have a significantly lower risk of developing eczema than children who didn’t live with a dog. However, children who have lived with a cat before age 1 and test positive for cat allergy have a higher risk of eczema than children who didn’t live with a cat. It seems that parents have to be “peticular”.

 

IS HAPPINESS MORE THAN A FAT CHANCE?

Happiness comes from the priorities we set – not from genetics or upbringing – not from major life events. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzed data from 60,000 Germans over a 25-year period. According to the findings, the more people prioritized such goals as relationships and health, the happier they were. Those who prioritized being rich or successful were less happy. Women whose partner had a lower priority for family goals were less satisfied with life than single women. We can’t buy happiness, but we can reprioritize goals – and be good “goalkeepers”.

Getting enough sleep is a healthy goal, especially as lack of sleep can interfere with weight loss. In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 10 overweight or obese participants were divided into 2 groups for 28 days. One group got 8.5 hours sleep a night and the other group got 5.5. All got the same caloric intake and activity regimen. Although they lost the same amount of weight, the participants who had gotten less sleep lost less fat and more muscle. Sleep deprivation causes metabolism to break down carbohydrates and protein instead of fat. Nevertheless, dieters should try not to lose sleep over this.

Where you gain fat makes a difference. In a study done at the Mayo Clinic, 28 participants ate whatever they wanted for 2 months. On average they gained 5.5 pounds of fat on their upper body (abdomen) and 3.3 pounds of fat on their lower body (thigh). Abdominal fat increases by fat cells expanding. Thigh fat increases by the number of fat cells increasing. However, the 2 fatty areas had opposite effects on the risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Abdominal fat increased the risk and thigh fat decreased it. This information could cause some “thighs” of relief.

Of course, “where you gain weight” may be at work. Researchers at the University of Montreal looked at health information from hundreds of thousands of Canadians and found obesity increased 10% between 1978 and 2004. Since people are eating better and exercising more than in the 1970’s, the researchers concluded the weight gain is due to people being more sedentary at the office. The researchers suggested exercising in small doses throughout the day, walking during break times and taking stairs instead of elevators. It seems spending too much time sitting at the office is an unhealthy “sit-uation”.

 

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT?

Americans could stop being wasteful. Over 206 million computer products and 140 million phones are discarded a year. Seventy percent of heavy metals in landfills come from outdated electronics and contain toxins such as lead and mercury. In 2010 twenty-three states have electronic recycling laws, but regulations are inconsistent. As a result, only 15%-20% of electronics are recycled. Electronic Recyclers International, in Fresco CA, is the largest electronics recycler in the U.S. It recycles 100% of all material into 3 main commodities: metal, plastic and glass. ERI is a $50-million-in-revenue company that expects to double by 2012 – obviously “wasting” no time.

Americans also waste food and that’s wasted energy. Calories in the food meant to provide us energy are wasted. So is the energy it takes to grow, process, package and transport the food. According to research by the University of Texas, American food waste equals 350 million barrels of oil a year – enough to power the country for a week. Then there’s climate change. In 2008 agriculture caused 7% of the greenhouse gas emissions – and that was without processing and transporting the food. Americans waste 27% of their food – and they “waist” much of the rest.

To fight climate change we could paint roofs white. According to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, “cool roofs” are one of the quickest, low-cost ways to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change. White roofs keep homes cooler in summer by reflecting – not absorbing – heat, thus saving energy. However, white roofs have little impact in winter because the sun isn’t as strong. Supposedly, a 1,000-square-foot roof painted reflective white can save 10 tons of carbon dioxide – that’s equal to emissions from 1 car for 2 years. Painting roofs white is something Americans can do to help “white-out” climate change.

General Mills, maker of Cheerios, Betty Crocker and Hamburger Helper, made a decision that will help. In September 2010 General Mills decided to try to get all its palm oil from “responsible and sustainable sources” by 2015. Palm oil is used to fry food; make cosmetics and candy; and when mixed with diesel, it’s used for fuel. Palm oil is primarily produced in Indonesia and Malaysia and the production is destroying valuable rain forests and threatening habitats of endangered species. Unilever, Nestle, Kraft and Burger King previously made similar decisions. If we are what we eat, food manufacturers are what they put in our food.

 

WHAT DO STATISTICS SAY ABOUT THE USA?

Washington, D.C. is the smartest city in the U.S. According to 2010 Census Bureau data, Washington – with all its government-related jobs – had the highest percentage of residents age 25 and older with college degrees or higher - 47.3%. Cosmopolitan San Francisco ranked second with 43.5% and San Jose, the center of Silicon Valley, ranked third with 43.2%. The three cities with the lowest number of degrees were Riverside, CA with 19.2%, Las Vegas with 21.5% and Memphis with 24.2%. However, the national average for degrees was 25% - meaning we’re not too smart for our own good.

Washington, D.C. also had the highest salaries of any major U.S. city with a median household income of $85,198. Again, this was due to the government and it being a stable employer. However, D.C.’s income was basically flat. San Antonio was the only major city with an increase in median income – 0.5% to $47,698. This was primarily due to the city not being part of the housing bubble. Detroit, with the cutbacks in car manufacturing, had the biggest drop in median income – 10% to $48,535. Nationally income dropped 2.1% to $50,221- leaving many without enough income for outgo.

The highest property taxes in the U.S. were in New Jersey with a median of $6,579. According to the Tax Foundation’s analysis of Census Bureau data, Connecticut was second with $4,738 and New Hampshire was third with $4,636. The lowest property taxes were in Louisiana with a median of $243, followed by Alabama with $398 and West Virginia with $464. Property taxes are determined by demands for government services and revenues available to pay for them. Louisiana’s oil and gas revenues help keep its property taxes low. The state taxes oil extractors, which raises the price of gasoline. Thus Americans are “driving” down Louisiana’s property taxes.

Finally, fewer young people are getting married nationwide. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 45% of 25-to-34 year olds were in married relationships in 2010. In 2000 it was 55% and in the 1960’s it was more than 80%. Marriage has become an economic decision. Couples may live together, but they aren’t getting married until they can see a strong economic future. The number of couples living together is steadily increasing, but they are counted as single people. However, those single people are having babies. In 2008 41% of U.S. births were out of wedlock – and in “cohabit-in-g”.

 

IS FACTOID A EUPHEMISM FOR TRIVIA?

The 1994 Honda Accord was the most frequently stolen car in 2009. That’s according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Mid-1990 Hondas and Toyotas frequently dominate the annual top-10 list of stolen cars. Because they are popular, there’s always a market for their parts. The good news is car thefts dropped in every state in 2009. The drop nationally was 17% - the biggest drop in 6 years of dropping numbers. Although there are lots of new, anti-theft technologies, there’s a cheap way to protect your car – paint it yellow. Thieves want cars that blend in and there’s a yell in yellow.

Who knew September 24 is “National Punctuation Day”. The holiday was created by Jeff Rubin, a newsletter publisher frustrated by punctuation mistakes in newspapers. In 2004 the holiday was listed in “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and for the first 2 years it was celebrated on August 22 – Rubin’s birthday. In 2006 he changed the date to September 24 – September to coincide with the school year and 24 to honor the number of his favorite baseball player, Willie Mays. Rubin wants Punctuation Day to remind students that punctuation is still important – especially as September 24 is also “Love Note Day”.

Who would have guessed Colorado is the thinnest state. According to the Washington Post, Colorado’s 2009 obesity rate of 19.1% was the lowest of all the states. This could be due to Colorado’s outdoor culture. Colorado tied with Oregon for 49^th in physical inactivity among adults. Also, both poverty and lack of education have been linked to obesity. Colorado’s 2008 poverty rate was 18^th lowest in the country and only Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire had more residents with undergraduate and graduate degrees. Nevertheless, Colorado’s obesity rate has nearly doubled in the past 15 years – maybe putting “fat” in fated.

Hard to believe but atheists and agnostics know more about the major religions. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life surveyed 3,412 people in 2010, asking 32 such questions as could they name the Islamic holy book, what’s the first book of the Bible and in what century was the Mormon religion founded. Atheists and agnostics scored highest with an average of 21 correct answers, Jews and Mormons averaged 20, Protestants averaged 16 and Catholics averaged 15. Although those who attended worship weekly tested better, the best predictor of religious knowledge was education. Obviously, knowing doesn’t mean believing.

 

HOW UNITED ARE THE UNITED STATES?

In 2008/2009 New Hampshire was the state with the highest median income. According to the Census Bureau, the median household income averaged $65,028. Mississippi had the lowest median household income - $35,693. The Northeast had 4 of the wealthiest states and the South had 9 of the poorest ones. Utah had the biggest gain in average income compared with 2006/2007 - $3,651 and Hawaii had the biggest loss - $6,811. However, when differences in local cost of living were factored in, a Mississippian earning $38,000 could live as well as a New Yorker in Manhattan earning $93,000 – and without 8,008,278 neighbors.

New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas were the cities where drivers were likeliest to want rear-seat DVD systems. That’s according to a 2010 Ford Motor Company survey that keeps track of different trends in different cities. Drivers in San Francisco, Atlanta and Charlotte were most likely to want heated seats. Air-conditioned seats and moon roofs were most wanted by drivers in Seattle. As for car colors, blue was most popular in Washington, D.C., gold was most popular in Miami and orange was most popular in Phoenix. Car manufacturers have to stay up-to-date with regional trends because there’s an “end” in every trend.

In cities where women are scarce, women marry earlier. This was the rather obvious finding of a 2010 study published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology. To find these cities researchers analyzed census data on marriage age and gender imbalances in the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. The 5 places where women were scarcest were Las Vegas, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Austin and Phoenix. The 5 places where men were scarcest were Birmingham, Memphis, New Orleans, Richmond, and a 3-way tie for New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Basically, this was a study on “scar-cities”.

Finally, two-thirds of U.S. cities and counties consider environment and energy conservation to be priorities, but much fewer of them are taking action. According to a survey of 2,176 local governments by the International City/County Management Association, 63% had conducted energy audits of government buildings, but only 10% required new construction to meet federal standards. Forty-five percent of localities had plans for tree preservation, but only 14% had greenhouse gas limits. Fifty-six percent had retrofitted office lighting, 44% had increased fuel-efficient government vehicles and 34% were conserving the quantity of water from aquifers. To go green, “greenbacks” must go forward.

 

ARE THE SEXES STILL BATTLING?

Men and women cohabitating is at an all-time high in 2010 – 7.5 million couples. A U.S. census study attributed this to employment status. Among couples who moved in together in 2010, only 39% were both employed – versus 50% in 2009. Twenty-four percent of men who began cohabitating in 2010 didn’t work in 2009 – versus 14% who started cohabitating in 2009.  Thirty-seven percent of the men and 45% of the women were under 30 – 23% and 32% respectively in 2009. Also, the percentage of people who’ve ever cohabitated increased for every age group – emphasizing the “habit” in cohabitation.

Men and women who share chores evenly are happier. The 2010 CLR Chore Wars Report, a national survey about how opposite sexes clean, found women juggled fast-acting cleaning with other things on their to-do list. Men preferred one cleaning project at a time. Sixty-nine percent of the women thought they did most of the housecleaning; 53% of the men thought they did as much. Twenty percent of Americans fought about housecleaning monthly and those who felt they did more built up more resentment toward their partner. Sharing cleaning evenly seems the best way to have a “clean slate”.

Men and women both deal with obesity; but when researchers at George Washington University put a 2010 price on obesity, the price was higher for women. After factoring in things like employee sick days, lost productivity and even the need for extra gasoline, the annual cost of obesity for men was $2,646. For women it was $4,879. The difference was attributed to studies showing larger women earn less than skinnier women, but weight doesn’t affect men’s earnings. Considering 66% of Americans are overweight or obese – that includes the 18% of adolescents who are obese – it’s time to take the “fat” out of fate.

Finally, men and women vary in how much they’re influenced by brand names. In one experiment 85 women were given one of two bags to carry for an hour. Victoria’s Secret bags made some women feel sexier. In another experiment, using M.I.T. pens for 6 months made some M.B.A. students feel smarter. People are “entity theorists” – believing they can’t change themselves or “incremental theorists” – believing they can. Entity theorists were more influenced by brand names because they respond to being helped to change. So, if women want men to take out the trash, maybe they should put it in Home Depot bags.