KNIGHT WATCH

IS THIS TRIVIA OR STUFF I SHOULD KNOW?

Bison are raised in all 50 states. According to the Department of Agriculture, there were 4,500 bison farms or ranches in the U.S. in 2007 with nearly 200,000 bison. Nevertheless, there’s a shortage of bison meat. Bison grow more slowly than cattle. Heifers can’t calve until they’re 3. Beef cows can calve at 2. In 2009 about 92,000 bison were processed – less than one day’s beef production. At that time this low-fat, low-cholesterol meat averaged $5/lb. In 2010 it averaged $7/lb. Producers expect it will take 5 years to catch up to bison demand – giving consumers something to “beef” about.

Our brains are shrinking. Cro-Magnon man, who lived in Europe 20,000-30,000 years ago, had the biggest brain of any human species. Since then brains have been getting smaller. Today’s brain is 10% smaller. Some experts attribute the decrease in brain size to a dumbing-down process. Because society has become more complex, humans don’t have to be as intelligent to survive and reproduce. Other experts say humans have become less aggressive and more domesticated. Domesticated animals such as apes, dogs and turkeys have lighter skeletons, flattened foreheads and decreased brain size. Obviously, the brain is still big enough for scientists to “brainstorm”.

Adding carbohydrates to salt improves its deicing ability. The U.S. uses 20 million tons of salt yearly for road maintenance. The good news is salt costs about $60 a ton. The bad news is snow washes the salt from roads and it ends up in streams and rivers, causing potentially toxic chloride levels. However, adding carbohydrates – such as sugar beet derivatives from farms or whey from cheese-making facilities – reduces the corrosion from salt, enables salt to work at lower temperatures and makes salt coatings last longer – from 24 hours to 5-10 days. This is information to be “salted away” for winter.

Flea markets can be dangerous to your safety, the economy and homeland security. Many flea markets sell counterfeit products – cosmetics, electronics, fashion accessories – that are smuggled into the U.S. and are thus unregulated. Safety risks include batteries containing mercury; perfumes containing urine, as well as a high alcohol content; and clothing made with toxic dyes and flammable materials. Because of the sale of counterfeit products, the economy loses at least $200 billion dollars and 750,000 jobs yearly. Finally, counterfeit products are a funding mechanism for gang activity, organized crime and terrorist organizations. Basically, counterfeit products are “unfeit” products.

 

WHY AREN'T THESE PLACES HEALTHY?

Hospitals aren’t always places to get healthy. A 2002-2007 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine was based on 2,341 patients in 10 North Carolina hospitals. The study found 18% of patients were injured by medical care and 63.1% of those injuries were preventable. Most of the injuries were temporary and treatable; but 42.7% required extra hospitalization, 2.9% resulted in permanent injury, 8% were life-threatening and 2.4% caused or contributed to death. This study focused on North Carolina hospitals because they have been more involved in patient safety, but their statistics are nothing “to die for”.

Beds can be dangerous too – if you snore. Although snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, snoring itself is unhealthy. Studies published in the journal Sleep found that loud, habitual snorers are 3 times more likely to have “metabolic syndrome” – a group of abnormalities including high blood pressure, decreased HDL, increased triglycerides and increased abdominal obesity – all of which increase risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Also, loud snorers are 10 times more likely to have plaque buildup in carotid arteries causing stroke. Considering 45% of men and 30% of women are habitual snorers, this information shouldn’t be “slept off”.

Tanning beds are definitely dangerous. In 2007 the International Cancer Research Agency declared that radiation from artificial light is cancer-causing. Nevertheless, almost one-third of women ages 18-24 went to tanning booths in the last 12 months. That’s according to data from 2,800 Caucasian people ages 18-64 that was analyzed by researchers at the University of Minnesota. However, usage went down as the women’s ages went up. In spite of the fact 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer, the tanning industry is a $2.6 billion business and growing. Obviously, they have made their “bed”, but we don’t have to lie in it.

And then there are bed bugs. In 2010 the top 5 cities to avoid because of bed bugs were Cincinnati, Columbus, Chicago, Denver and Detroit. That was according to Orkin LLC, one of the biggest pest exterminators in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attribute the increased outbreaks to increased resistance to available pesticides, increased travel and lack of knowledge. Because getting rid of them is difficult, an exterminator should be called as soon as the bugs are seen or their bites felt. Bed bugs are everywhere. Even President Clinton’s Manhattan office was “bugged”.

 

DOESN'T TIME JUDGE IF AN IDEA IS GOOD?

Engagementcations became a travel trend in 2010. Engagementcations are vacations planned especially for proposing marriage. According to American Express, a major booker of vacation travel, Champagne is no longer the most requested amenity for romance travel. Now customers want location recommendations for proposals. The top 6 U.S. engagementcation locations booked through AmEx for 2011 are Vail ski resorts, New York City, Miami, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Kahului on Maui. Internationally the top 6 are New Zealand, Mexico, Netherlands, Aruba, Australia and Los Cabos. Perhaps the men who started the engagementcation trend should be referred to as “ringleaders”.

Inmates at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center are breaking wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for about 40,000 wild horses and burros that roam 26 million acres. Because the land supposedly can’t support that many, the 2011 goal is to remove 12,000. As many horses as possible will be adopted out and the remainder will be put in long-term holding facilities. Eighty horses will be trained by inmates and the 4-month training period teaches them a work ethic. When sold at auction, an unbroken mustang sells for about $125 and a broken one for about $1,500. Obviously, the inmates aren’t “horsing around”.

Nutrition labels will be required on meats starting January 1, 2012. According to the Department of Agriculture, the labels will be on the 40 most commonly purchased cuts of beef, poultry, pork and lamb. Listed on the labels will be calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, protein and vitamins. The labels will be attached either to the meat packaging or available to customers at the point of purchase. Getting meat labeled was a work in progress for 10 years, but finally nutrition-conscious consumers will be able to see “the meat of the matter”.

The top 3 jobs of the future – 2008 to 2018 – will be biochemical engineer, network systems and data communications analyst and home health aid. That’s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the Council of Graduate Schools, 51% of 2009’s master’s degrees were in business or education; and that’s not necessarily where the jobs are. Only 4% of the master’s degrees were in math or computer science, but many of the fastest growing professions are in those disciplines, as well as in health science and engineering. It seems that deciding one’s future can be an “educated” guess.

 

WHO CAME UP WITH THESE IDEAS?

Big box stores are fitting into smaller spaces. Wal-Mart and Target built their discount businesses where space was plentiful and land was cheap. However, in 2010 these chains are starting to move into big cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The stores will be smaller – probably 2-story – with parking underneath, easy access to public transportation and merchandise tailored to the particular city. City dwellers who are already buying from these discount giants online or from their suburban stores are likely to have a new retail experience “in store” for them.

Fire poles are being removed from fire stations. It seems they have always been a major cause of firefighter injury. In 2009 Seattle settled a $13 million lawsuit after a firefighter fell down the open area around the pole and sustained brain injuries. Seattle has now banned fire poles and the National Fire Protection Association wants a national ban. New designs for fire stations are either single-story or have several staircases. North Carolina has replaced fire poles with slides. Considering the goal is to get firefighters to their equipment as quickly as possible, replacing poles hasn’t been a “polemic” decision.

Atlantic City is the newest gambling Mecca to install slot machines that take drink orders. In 2011 slot players at 4 casinos owned by Caesar’s Entertainment Corp. can insert casino club cards to activate a beverage menu on the video display. Later they will have the option to select from a customized “My Drinks” menu based on their previous orders. Supposedly there will be safeguards to cut off customers who are drunk and to prevent minors from getting alcoholic drinks. These special slot machines are referred to as “customer enhancement”, but you can “bet” the casinos’ revenues will be enhanced too.

Finally, an idea that is definitely win/win. “Pets Forever” is a class taught to pre-veterinary students at Colorado State University. The class pairs students with elderly and disabled pet owners who need help with their animals. In addition to treating ill pets, the students walk dogs, clean litter boxes and drive sick pets to the vet if necessary. The class gives vets-in-training an opportunity to care for animals in a home setting and gives pet owners an opportunity to keep their companion animals. Various studies have shown companion animals help prevent depression and lower hospital admission rates. After all, pets are family we choose.

 

WHAT AGE CHILD IS HARDEST TO PARENT?

Save the Children, an international charity helping needy children, rated 160 countries to find the best place to be a mother. The countries were ranked by 4 major factors: health, economic status, political power and well-being of children. Included in the above were rankings for risk of maternal death, contraception use, life expectancy, education, income, participation in national government and mortality rate for children under age 5. Norway, Australia, Iceland and Sweden were the top 4 countries. Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Niger and Afghanistan were the bottom 4. The U.S. ranked 28^th – not a “mom-entous” ranking! 

“Mommy’s thumb” is the new name for a condition also known as De Quervain’s tendinitis. It seems lifting can cause a shooting pain from thumb through forearm. There are several theories for why cases of this condition are increasing: heavier children, older new mothers and lower-to-the-floor cribs. Frequent scrolling on smart phones can also put the thumb out of alignment. The inflammation of the tissue around the tendon in the thumb can be treated with ice and anti-inflammatory pills. However, since 25%-50% of new mothers experience symptoms of Mommy’s thumb, maybe new daddies should get a “thumbs up” for lifting toddlers.

For older children parents are starting to see the Internet as part of a punishment strategy. Research from the University of Southern California in 2010 found 66% of parents restricted access to television as a punishment. Fifty-seven percent restricted access to the Internet – that’s up 25% since 2000. Parents are also discovering Internet access is reducing their children’s face-to-face time with friends. Eleven percent of parents felt this way compared to 7% in 2000. Nevertheless, 71% of parents thought their children spent “just about the right” time on the Internet. Only 51% felt that way about TV. However, with the Internet there’s parental hope the children are “Internetworking”.

When children become 18, they’re young adults, able to make adult decisions – like enlisting. However, a study by the Education Trust found nearly 25% of students wanting to join the Army failed the entrance exam. This was true for men and women of all races and ethnicities. These high school graduates didn’t have the needed reading, mathematics, science and problem-solving skills. The results of a 2010 global education survey showed U.S. high school students were 26^th out of 65 in combined scores in math, science and reading tests. It’s parents who need to “soldier” improvement in education.

 

ARE THESE IDEAS WHOSE TIME HAS COME?

Goodwill Industries is trying something new. The store in Washington, D.C. has trunk shows several times a year. A selection of the store’s higher-end donations is sold at a one-night sale held in a retail store. Selling a velvet-trimmed black coat for $9.98 isn’t going to increase revenue dramatically, but it’s hoped such bargains will attract new and younger customers, who will think of the store as a realistic fashion option. Considering the money raised by the nonprofit is used to provide job training for the disabled and disadvantaged, peace on earth, good will to men – and women.

RentTheRunway is an online business renting dresses for special occasions at approximately 80% off retail. A Proenza Schouler accordion dress selling for $1,165 rents for $200. A Badgley Mischka rents for $50. New styles are added regularly and older styles are sold for up to 65% off. The dresses are delivered the same day in New York City and overnight elsewhere in the U.S. Also, 2 sizes are sent to assure proper fit and the company provides the dry cleaning when the dresses are returned. For 600,000 members it’s the 21^st century version of Cinderella.

If today’s Cinderella needed gold for her carriage, she could get it from a vending machine. A German company has installed these vending machines in Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and Boca Raton, Florida; and there are plans to install hundreds more worldwide in 2011. Shoppers insert cash or credit cards and use a computer touch-screen to select the weight and style of gold. Each machine holds about 320 pieces of different-size coins and bars and is connected to the Internet to automatically refigure prices every 10 minutes reflecting market fluctuations. The 40 machines planned for upscale U.S. hotels and malls may provide “golden opportunities”.

A group of Montana ranchers believe they had a golden opportunity – shipping an instant ranch to Russia. Cowboys, quarter horses and 1,434 purebred beef cattle, as well as a veterinarian and training in animal care, represented the Russian-subsidized deal to help make that country’s industry self-sufficient -until 2010 Russia had only a half-million beef cattle. Although the landscape of the Voronezh region in southwestern Russia is similar to the grassy high plains of eastern Montana, Russians handle cattle differently. There are no fences, fewer cattle per cowboy – and much more direct government involvement. Well, that last part wasn’t so surprising. 

 

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR YOURSELF LATELY?

You could drink red wine. According to MyHealthNewsDaily, it’s good for your teeth. The grape stems, seeds and skins used to make red wine contain polyphenols, which block molecules made by streptococcus bacteria in our mouths. Polyphenols prevent the bacteria from breaking down sugar and making molecules called glucans, which let bacteria stick to our teeth and cause cavities. Unfortunately, drinking enough red wine to protect our teeth could stain them. That’s why scientists want to find a way to add polyphenols to mouthwash, toothpaste and chewing gum. And no, you wouldn’t have to be 21 to use these products.

You could get more sleep. According to a Swedish study, sleep improves our looks. Researchers photographed 23 students ages 18-31 after 8 hours sleep and after they’d been up 31 hours with only 5 hours sleep the previous night. Sixty-five people then rated the photographs. The sleep-deprived students looked 19% more tired, 6% less healthy and 4% less attractive. When we sleep perspiration moisturizes our skin, more blood flows to our face and more human growth hormone is produced. It seems the 20% of Americans who regularly get less than 6 hours sleep should take a “good look” at this information.

You could adopt a positive mood. A study published in the journal Psychological Science found a positive mood increases task performance and creativity. Volunteers were exposed to stimuli to put them in specific mood states. A video of a laughing baby created a positive mood, the “Antiques Roadshow” television program created a neutral mood and a news report about a Chinese earthquake created a negative mood. When volunteers had to learn a rule to categorize a particular pattern after watching 1 of the 3 clips, the positive volunteers did it best. Thinking positive positively has positive effects.

Finally, you could move. Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines annually rank 100 U.S. cities to find the best and worst places to live. The health and wellness rankings include such categories as fruit and vegetable consumption, obesity, smoking and mortality rate. In 2010 Plano, Texas ranked #1 for women, partly because of its having 139 single men for every 100 single women. For men Madison, Wisconsin ranked #1, partly because of its high proportion of doctors. For women Philadelphia was #100. St. Louis was #100 for men and Philadelphia was #99. Maybe the city of “Brotherly Love” is better for families.

 

WHAT STUDIES SHOULD PARENTS STUDY?

 

Breastfeeding is good for both babies and their mothers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breast milk contains nutrients that help babies grow and antibodies that prevent infection. Breastfeeding is also thought to protect against diseases such as diabetes type 1 and 2, asthma and leukemia, as well as protect against obesity. As for mothers, breastfeeding helps them recover faster from delivery, shed pregnancy weight sooner and have less risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Considering the World Health Organization recommends mothers breastfeed their children for 2 years, mothers should be able to “milk” some benefits from it too.

More teenagers smoked marijuana in 2010 – that’s according to 46,482 anonymous questionnaires given to teenagers by the Monitoring the Future survey. According to the survey, 1.2% of eighth graders smoked pot on a “near daily” basis. For tenth graders it was 3.3% and for twelfth graders, 6.1%. Because of recent discussions to legalize marijuana, it seems teens don’t think it is a dangerous drug. However, pot affects both learning and memory; and using it before age 17 can result in dependency on other drugs. In protecting teenagers from drugs, parents shouldn’t let any “grass” grow under their feet.

High school nerds are healthier as adults. That was the finding of a study that followed 10,000 Wisconsin high school graduates from the class of 1957. When these former students were questioned about their health, the researchers found that the better grades students got in high school, the less likely they were to have poor health when they reached retirement age. This wasn’t because better students were more conscientious about their health. Instead, it was because what students learned in school could be used to maintain their health. Maybe 3 little words should be written on every biology blackboard – live and learn.

Finally, video games are good for children. According to more than 20 studies done at the University of Rochester, playing action video games improves skills in vision, attention and certain aspects of cognition – which are real-world skills. For example, gamers see subtle shades of gray better and are better able to drive in fog. Female gamers are almost as proficient as men at manipulating 3-D figures, an essential mental skill for math and engineering. Gamers can read smaller print – which would make them better able to read contracts. Maybe parents should think of video games as preparation for “gameful” employment.

 

DOES THIS SURPRISE YOU TOO?

Conservatives and liberals are biologically different. That’s according to a study done at the University of Nebraska/Lincoln, which found they responded differently to “gaze cues” – looking to see where someone else is looking. Seventy-two students were told to focus on a face on a computer screen and find a black ball as soon as it appeared. Although they were told to ignore where the face looked, liberals were much likelier to follow the gaze cues. This was attributed to liberals being more concerned about the welfare of others and thus being more susceptible to social cues. Hmmm, is this “political science”?

According to a study published in the journal Psychological Science, upper-class people aren’t as good at reading other people’s emotions. When 300 upper- and lower-class people were asked to interpret the emotions of people in photographs and of strangers in mock job interviews, those with more education, money and self-defined social status weren’t nearly as good at knowing if people were angry, happy, anxious or upset. This was attributed to people from higher-economic backgrounds not having to rely as much on others for help – leaving them somewhat “helpless” when it came to being aware of other people’s emotions.

Who knew the majority of parents think that their children are angels? That was the finding when health officials interviewed parents of almost 84,000 children between 2001 and 2007. When parents of children ages 4-17 were asked if their children did what they were told during the previous 6 months, a surprising 95.8% of parents of boys said yes. Ninety-seven percent of parents of girls said yes. However, the perception varied slightly depending on family structure. In 2-parent families 97.9% said yes. In single-parent families 95% said yes. Nevertheless, it seems that raising children makes memories shorter or noses longer.

There was even a SharpSmart magazine survey that found ugly underwear can ruin a woman’s day. Twenty-seven percent of the 1,008 women 18 and older who were interviewed said that ill-fitting or unattractive undies affected their mood. They’re probably part of the 47% who said they felt sexier and more confident wearing nice or special underwear. The most popular color was white; the most popular style was briefs. Ten percent of women own 35 or more pairs, but the average is 21. Finally, there’s the 10% of women none of this applies to because they don’t wear underwear – unless they’re “underlying”. 

 

WOULD IT BE HEALTHIER TO EAT OUR WORDS?

Based on a computer modeling analysis, researchers projected that if teenagers reduced their salt intake by 3,000 milligrams daily, they would reduce high blood pressure 30%-43% when they were age 50. Other adult benefits of this salt reduction would include a 7%-12% reduction in coronary heart disease, an 8%-14% reduction in heart attacks and a 5%-8% reduction in stroke. The American Heart Association recommends limiting salt intake to 1,500 milligrams. However, nacho-snacking, pizza-eating teenagers consume more than 3,800 milligrams – more than any other age group. Obviously, adulthood would be better for teens if they took life “with a grain of salt”.

Yale University has good news for parents who don’t want to serve their children high-sugar cereals. In a study involving 91 school-aged children, about half of the children were given sugary cereals and the others were given low-sugar cereals. Both groups were allowed to add sugar and fruit. Although the children in the low-sugar group added more sugar, as well as fruit, to their cereal, the children in the sugary group ate almost twice as much refined sugar. According to Mary Poppins, a spoonful of sugar helps medicine go down. It helps healthier cereals go down too.

Unfortunately, there’s more bad news about sugary drinks. Participants in the 22-year Nurses’ Health Study who drank 1 fructose-sweetened soda daily were 74% more likely to develop gout than those who drank less than one monthly. Gout is an inflammatory condition caused by elevated uric acid levels in the blood that are deposited in the joints. Orange juice also seemed to be a risk factor for this disease. Although gout is primarily a male disease, women over age 70 are especially susceptible to it. For those who like sugary drinks, this new information about fructose-sweetened drinks isn’t “sweet talk”.

However, there is good news about cranberries. In addition to being high in vitamin C, cranberries are high in polyphenols, which have antioxidant effects. Antioxidants are compounds that prevent or slow oxidation in the body. That’s why they are called “anti-aging” compounds. Anthocyanins, which give cranberries their color, have both antioxidant power and reduce inflammation. Inflammation is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and cancer. Cranberries help prevent infection too. They contain compounds that help prevent bacteria like E-coli and staph from sticking to cells. They also fight urinary infections. Considering all this, it seems cranberries are very appropriate for “ thanks giving”.