Los Angeles opens a new 2.2 mile path for bicycles

Los Angeles bike lane

Recently, the city of Los Angeles opened a new 2.2-mile bicycle path along 7th Street from Catalina Avenue in Koreatown to Figueroa Street downtown.

An entire lane for cars was eliminated to make lane for cyclists even though there is a lot of traffic in the city. By doing so, the city officials confirmed that, they, as a city, look at bicycles, as not only a recreational vehicle but as a legitimate form of public transportation. Cycling enthusiasts also cheered city’s action as a step toward intended goal of introducing more paths and making the city bike friendly.

It is estimated that some 27,000 residents of Los Angeles ride a bicycle daily. This number pales in comparison to places like Copenhagen, Denmark, in Europe where about 35% of the residents use bicycles as a mean of transportation.

Los Angles Department of Transportation's (LADOT) Bikeway Engineering Group is responsible for the design and oversight of new bike path and bike lane projects throughout the City of Los Angeles. Their bike plan calls for more than 200 miles of new routes every five years. According to LADOT officials the state vehicle code makes it illegal for drivers to use lanes designated for cyclists.

The LADOT Bike Program needs your bike photos for their website, blog and bicycle related reports. Public is invited to submit photos of people using L.A’s bicycling facilities. Facilities include bike lanes, bike paths, sharrows, and bike racks (in-use). Your photos will go a long way towards enriching the content provided by social media and other outreach tools. Make sure that your photos are licensed for public use and that in the description section you provide the location and facility of your photo

Sources

http://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/

http://www.bicyclela.org/Engineering.htm

http://www.bicyclela.org/maps_main.htm#lamaps

safety, etiquette & the law

The LADOT Bike Program needs your bike photos 

Diabetes and Hispanic Heritage Month

Diabetes, a serious problem

Everybody is prone to suffer from diabetes. Diabetes affects the Hispanic/Latino community especially hard. According to American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes affects nearly 1 in 2 Hispanics/Latinos. More than 11% of Hispanics in the U.S. have been diagnosed with diabetes—and many more don't know they have it. This is an urgent health problem in the community.

Today begins Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) and the ADA is working to increase diabetes awareness among Hispanics.

The American Diabetes Association is teaming up with Nordstrom this month to Stop Diabetes® in its tracks. From now through October 15, Nordstrom will donate $5, up to $75,000, for every Diabetes Risk Test taken. These funds will support Ferias de Salud Por Tu Familia, part of the Association’s diabetes prevention and education programs. 

 --

Sources

www.diabetes.org

Stop Diabetes

Detener la Diabetes

The History of Diabetes awareness and the World Diabetes Day

Denmark’s healthy problem - many bicycle riders

Copenhagen, Denmark is experiencing a healthy problem. It has too many people riding bicycles.

Copenhagen is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. About 36% of the population commutes by cycling. The city offers a variety of conditions to facilitate this habit and aims to increase cycling population to 50% by 2015. This all sounds like a healthy and environment friendly trend. 

Bicycle parking

However, according to an article in Guardian, Copenhagen is running into a problem of its own and they even have cycling rush hour because of too many bike riders. Apparently, cycling in Copenhagen in the rush hour is not for sissies because it requires concentration  In rush hour, there are enormous numbers of cyclists fighting for space on Copenhagen's bike paths, which become cramped and packed.

The city is struggling to deal with its growing number of cyclists. It is already near-impossible to find cycling parking places near main stations and the cycling lanes, three to four meters wide, are buried beneath the scrum of cyclists going around the city.

Cycling advocates are working with the government to make cycling better and safer in Copenhagen. The suggestions include increasing the width and number of cycle paths and introducing multi-storey bike parking facilities. It is a challenging task but worth doing when you consider the beneficial impact of cycling and physical exercise on health and the environment

This is something for American couch potatoes to think about.

coffee may reduce the risk of breast cancer

more coffee less cancer

According to a researcher of the Karolinska Institut in Stockholm, women who drink more than five cups of coffee a day may be reducing their risk of one type of breast cancer known as estrogen-receptor negative cancers. This type of breast cancer is less likely to respond to hormone therapy than estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer.

The study evaluated coffee drinking and breast cancer risk in 2,818 patients with breast cancer and 3,111 study participants who did not have breast cancer.  Participants were all Swedish, ages 50 to 74. The researchers collected information on coffee drinking habits. education, family history of breast cancer, menstrual history, reproductive history, and habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and exercising.

The researcher herself is not convinced about the results and is unclear whether this observation was a chance finding. However, a U.S. expert cautiously warns that the only thing this study suggests is: "Drinking coffee doesn’t seem to increase the overall risk of breast cancer."

So, I would suggest: ladies, enjoys your cup of coffee and keep it brewing.

===================

SOURCES

telegraph.co.uk

webmd

California puts $1 million to convert biosolids (shit) into energy

On March 23, 2011, The California Energy Commission awarded nearly $1 million for a research project that will look at converting biosolids ((aka SHIT) to energy.

Bioenergy

The Commission approved $999,924 to the Antioch-based Delta Diablo Sanitation District  to develop, demonstrate, and implement a system to turn biosolids into energy. The total cost of the project is $4,738,924, with the remainder of costs coming from Intellergy Corporation of Richmond.

There appears to be a need to generate energy form untapped waste and reduce the volume going into state’s landfills. The press release provided more details:

“Biosolids are the treated byproduct produced by wastewater treatment facilities when organics are removed from municipal sewage. Biosolids contain latent energy that can be harnessed in several ways; one conversion method involves heating the material to break down the solids and create gases that are converted to energy.

Wastewater treatment facilities in California must address how to manage biosolids. Existing options for using biosolids are limited (mainly land application and alternative daily cover in landfills) and face increasing environmental challenges that could eliminate those options. Current disposal practices often involves hauling biosolids long distances, which consumes transportation fuels, increases greenhouse gas emissions, and increases ratepayers' costs for wastewater treatment.

The Delta Diablo Sanitation District will lead the implementation of a regional biosolids to energy facility under the project that the Energy Commission is funding. The project will demonstrate the steam/carbon dioxide reforming technology of Intellergy which has yet to be commercially demonstrated with biosolids. The biosolids will be heated at a high temperature in an airlock vessel, vaporizing the liquids and gasifying the organic solids. Steam and carbon dioxide will then be added, producing a hydrogen-rich gaseous fuel known as syngas. The hydrogen gas produced will be used to run a fuel cell to generate electricity.”

A website for women in sports

womeninsports-af.org is a website to give exposure to young women and girls in sports. According to the website:

women in sports

”This site is the cooperative effort of a group of ardent sports fans who collaborated together to help provide young promising minority women athletes the exposure and funding necessary to become successful and to make a difference, not only in their lives but in the lives of other up-and-coming young minority athletes.

Our goal is to make these athletes visible through news stories, opinions, interviews, feature articles and blogs from writers, athletes, parents and coaches. Our effort is to engage our athletes and the public in an ongoing dialog and discussion about how we can help young minority women reach for the stars in the sports they love.

At Women in Sports Angel Foundation we hope to eliminate such hindrance with the help of sponsor ads, sponsorship or donations and to give these talented young athletes a chance at their athletic dreams.”

-----------

More information:

http://www.womeninsports-af.org

ecospiritdating – a new dating site for free spirits

There is new dating site for people interested in all things Green and/or spiritual who are seeking dates, friends or community connections.

www.Ecospiritdating.com

Ecospiritdating.com aims to build a bridge between two often like-minded communities: the spiritual and the eco/Green.  They are not mutually exclusive and the connections and overlaps are obvious.

The site is suitable for a variety of people. If you are: green, anywhere from a gardener to a committed activist, love the outdoors, fitness, health issues, permaculture or sustainable living, spiritual, have a deep connection with nature, interested in holistic living, personal growth, social issues are important to you or just curious about alternative beliefs, then ecospiritdating.com may be place to explore and find like-minded people..

Registration is free. Check it out.

------------------------

source:

http://ecospiritdating.com/

circle of friends cookbook - 25 dip & spread recipes, FREE [kindle edition]

Amazon is offering FREE Book which will be will be auto-delivered to your Kindle or other device on June 7, 2011

circle of friends cookboo

Title:     Circle of Friends Cookbook - 25 Dip & Spread Recipes [Kindle Edition]

Author: Gooseberry Patch

List Price:         $0.99

Kindle Price:     $0.00 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

You Save:        $0.99 (100%)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Dips and spreads for every occasion! Try Robert’s Corn Dip, Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball, Vickie’s Favorite Guacamole and Undefeated Bacon Cheese Dip!

Product Details

Format: Kindle Edition

File Size: 624 KB

Publisher: Gooseberry Patch (June 7, 2011)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Language: English

ASIN: B004TTHKY2

------------

More Information:

Amazon

legislation to give tax benefits for bike, public transit commuters

bike, public transp

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.),who often rides a bike to work himself, is introducing a legislation to help people and businesses cope with bad economy and high fuel prices.  

According to Blumenauer ”the only way to meaningfully protect Americans from spikes in gas prices is to make alternatives to driving more convenient and affordable.”

His proposed “Commuter Relief Act”  offers commuters immediate relief and options with the intent of adding no additional cost to the federal deficit. The legislation will would expand tax credits "for individuals and employers to make it easier for commuters who wish to commute to work by bicycle, walking, carpooling, or using public transit."

Specifically, the bill would equalize the parking and transit benefits at $200 per month; let people claim benefits for more than one mode of transportation; and allow employees the option to take cash instead of an employer's parking benefit, "reducing the incentive to drive instead of take alternative transportation." It would also increase the current bike benefit (which Blumenauer got passed back in 2009) from $20 to $40 per month.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer  said "Our goal is to lay out a budget-neutral alternative that gives people some choices,.. One of my favorite options here is giving people the opportunity to cash in their employer-provided parking…giving a commuter the opportunity to say, I'd like to take that money and buy a bike and a bus pass and enrich my life and my health."

Rep. Earl Blumenauer has been joined in his efforts by Rep. Jim Moran and Mazie Hirono. I am glad to see we have sensible politicians who care about people and the community.

-----------

SOURCES

http://blumenauer.house.gov/

grist.org

Yogavive – producer of healthy organic snacks

If you are interested in eating healthy snacks, here is a company, Yogavive, that you may want to know.

yogavive apple chips

Yogavive, based in Napa, CA,  is a leading producer of USDA certified organic fruit products.

This company aims to produce healthy alternative snacks that will help people live a balanced and healthy life. Yogavive products contain no added chemicals or preservatives and no chemical/ synthetic pesticides or fertilizers are used during farming. Overall, these products are good for comsumers and the planet. 

PRODUCTS

The most popular product is Yogavive Apple Chips. It is made from USDA certified organic Fuji apples and is 100% fat-free. The product maintains the nutrients and flavor of the fresh fruit and is packaged in convenient snack size single serve packs but larger sizes are also available.

SIZES  2

1-apple (10g)

5-apple (50g)

VARIETIES     7

Original Flavor

Cinnamon Flavor

Caramel Flavor

Peach Flavor

Strawberry Flavor

Garlic Flavor

Ginger Flavor

WHERE TO FIND

Yogavive products can be purchased online from the company.

These products are also available at a number of retail locations.

In LOS ANGELES AREA, these are some of the stores that carry Yogavive products:

Nature Mart     2080 Hillhurst Ave        Los Angeles , CA 90027

Locali               5825 Franklin Ave        Los Angeles , CA 90028

Joe's Market    1855 Industrial St         Los Angeles , CA 90021

Erewhon Mkt.  7660 Beverly Blvd        Los Angeles , CA 90036

Vitamin World 2700 Colorado Blvd     Los Angeles, CA 90041

Vitamin World  5675 Telegraph Rd      City of Commerce, CA 90040

------------

Contact for information:

www.yogavive.com/

service@yogavive.com

1.707.254.8800

Melaleuca, tea oil tree, gets in a nasty war with the USDA

melaleuca trees

Melaleuca is member of  myrtle family of plants most of which are endemic to Australia. Melaleucas are popular garden plants, both in Australia and other tropical areas worldwide. They are also found growing wild in open forest, woodland or shrubland, particularly along watercourses

and the edges of swamps. Famous Melaleuca is also known as tea tree which contains an essential oil, notable anti-fungal, and antibiotic properties. Because of those medicinal value tee tree oil is used in  many topical applications.  There are some multi-level businesses (melaleuca.com) that sell health and wellness products based on  metaleuca and provide home-based business opportunity to its consumers.

 Melaleuca quinquenervia (Broad-leaved Paperbark) was introduced in the Florida Everglades in the past few decades in order to help drain low-lying swampy areas. However, now it seems to have become serious disaster to the Everglades. These plants are highly flammable, suck a lot water and are able to spread aggressively as they swallowed up precious marshes, mangrove forests, and tree islands.

Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come up with an idea to control melaleuca trees. The proposal calls for releasing massive amount of snout beetle because of their ability gobble up the leaves of invasive plants like melaleuca. Weevils known as the Australian snout beetle, were released into the wild over  a decade ago and, since then, they have been munching the leaves of melaleuca trees to stop them from spreading seeds.

The federal scientists, at the Invasive Plant Research laboratory (IPRL) of Agricultural Research Services (ARS) of the USDA, in Davie, FL, will rear tens of thousands of the snout beetles and other useful insects over the next few years to successfully combat melaleuca. They hope that within 10 years melaleuca will be a non-issue.

-------

More information:

USDA/ARS Lab (IPRL)

mechanical fitness boot camp in Tarzana by Servando Dominguez

Hello, Southern California people, you don’t have to be in the westside of Los Angeles or near beach communites to exercise and look great. Here is something that will interest people of San Fernardino Valley (SFV), CA.

mechanical fitness boot camp

The Mechanical Fitness Boot camp in Tarzana is run by fitness expert Servando Dominguez who himself is a resident of SFV. The program is primarily a fitness boot camp for women but not exclusively for women.

This boot camp can help you:

Finally LOSE weight

SHAPE up your thighs & hips

FLATTEN your stomach

TONE your arms

LOSE inches off your waist to fit back into those old jeans

Have more ENERGY

REDUCE FAT by eating all day in my "No Hunger Meal Plan"

& Have FUN while working out at your FITNESS LEVEL

LOCATIONS

The classes take place in 3 locations: 

Tarzana

Chatsworth

Porter Ranch

The popular HOURS are:

Mon Wed Fri   6AM, 9AM, 7PM

Tue Thurs         6:30 PM

What kind of guarantee?

Apparently, this is the only women's boot camp in Chatsworth, Tarzana and Porter Ranch with a 100% Money Back GAURANTEE. According to Servando:

 “I am so confident that my personal fitness program, my unique boot camp formula, can help YOU look and feel great that if for ANY reason YOU are unsatisfied in the first 30 days of the boot camp Program… I'll give you a FULL refund plus $50 CASH!”

So, there is no need to wait. About 500 people a month inquire about this fitness program. If you are in  San Fernardino Valley (Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Chatsworth, Granada Hills, Northridge, Porter Ranch, Reseda, West Hills, Woodland Hills and Simi Valley),  you may want to check out Mechanical fitness boot camp.

---------

Contact for more information:

www.mechanicalfitness.com/

servando@mechanicalfitness.com

Tel: (818) 314-2775.

cell phone use can cause cancer

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer similar to engine exhaust and chloroform.

cell phone cancer

WHO felt it was important to investigate, understand and monitor any potential public health impact of cell (mobile) phone use. Cell phones are now an integral part of daily communication and there were an estimated 4.6 billion subscriptions globally at the end of 2009. In some developing countries, the mobile phones are the only means of telecommunications.

WHO also mentioned  that that no harmful health effects had been established yet. However, a team of  31 scientists from 14 countries, felt that there was enough evidence to conclude that mobile phone use can potentially cause cancer in humans.

Mobile phones communicate by transmitting radio waves through a network of fixed antennas called base stations. The type of radiation emitted by a cell phone is called non-ionizing. It is not like an X-ray. It is more like a microwave oven radiation and it can potentially cook your brain similar to what microwave oven does to food.

It is worth noting that many cell phones already come with some form of health warning from the manufacturer and advise consumers to keep their phones away from their body.

coffee may reduce the risk of breast cancer

more coffee less cancer

According to a researcher of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, women who drink more than five cups of coffee a day may be reducing their risk of one type of breast cancer known as estrogen-receptor negative cancers. This type of breast cancer is less likely to respond to hormone therapy than estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer.

The study evaluated coffee drinking and breast cancer risk in 2,818 patients with breast cancer and 3,111 study participants who did not have breast cancer.  Participants were all Swedish, ages 50 to 74. The researchers collected information on coffee drinking habits. education, family history of breast cancer, menstrual history, reproductive history, and habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and exercising.

The researcher herself is not convinced about the results and is unclear whether this observation was a chance finding. However, a U.S. expert cautiously warns that the only thing this study suggests is: "Drinking coffee doesn’t seem to increase the overall risk of breast cancer."

So, I would suggest: ladies, enjoys your cup of coffee and keep it brewing.

===================

SOURCES

telegraph.co.uk

webmd

cars not allowed in walk friendly Christiania, Denmark

Christiania, Denmark

Christiania is a as self-proclaimed independent community of about 850 people in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Christiania was founded in 1971 when a group of hippies moved in abandoned military barracks in Copenhagen.

This neighborhood is accessible only through two main entrances which are blocked by road block robots to prevent visitors from driving into Christiania. Cars are not permitted. Only cargo transport is allowed through these gates. You have to walk in this community and you can walk as much as you want. Therefore, Christiania is a definitely a popular walk friendly community.

The people in Christiania follow some of their own rules independent of the Danish government. Such rules include no cars, no stealing, no guns, no bulletproof vests, and no hard drugs. Even Danish laws banning smoking in public places (workplaces, restaurants, bars and clubs) are not enforced in Christiania.

However, the cannabis trade is permitted in this town. Since its opening in 1974, Christiania has been famous for its centrally located 'Pusher Street' where cannabis is sold openly.

Christiania is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Copenhagen and a great place to enjoy a walk.

--------------

SOURCE:

http://www.christiania.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

I went to Christiana - Viceland Today

smart car to keep track of your health

It was only a matter of time before smart phone were followed something else smart. According to USA Today, the automakers are working on car that will help you stay behind the wheel.

Ford Motor has developed a car seat that can monitor a driver’ heart and, can potentially, act as an early warning system. Ford has been working on several vehicle base monitoring systems that can be relevant to health and wellness issues such as glucose levels for diabetics or pollen levels for asthmatics.

There appear to be a lot of untapped potential market in such areas although some health professionals are doubtful about effectiveness of such devices for people who have health problems.

Vermont is the most green state in the U.S.

If you are interested in green living and care about this earth, check out Greenopia’s ranking of all 50 states. The rankings are based on recycling rate, air and water quality, number of green buildings, number of green businesses, and per capita waste generation, emissions, water use, and energy use. Vermont tops the list::

cheers to green living

1          Vermont

2          New York

3          Washington

4          Oregon

5          Minnesota

6          California

7          Nevada

8          New Hampshire

9          Massachusetts

10        Maine

11        Hawaii

12        Arizona

13        Colorado

14        South Dakota

15        Idaho

16        Florida

17        Connecticut

18        Iowa

19        Maryland

20        Rhode Island

21        Georgia

22        Wisconsin

23        Arkansas

24        Michigan

25        North Carolina

26        Virginia

27        Illinois

28        New Mexico

29        Missouri

30        Texas

31        Pennsylvania

32        Ohio

33        Oklahoma

34        South Carolina

35        Tennessee

36        Montana

37        Kansas

38        New Jersey

39        Utah

40        Nebraska

41        Mississippi

42        Alabama

43        Delaware

44        Alaska

45        North Dakota

46        Kentucky

47        Wyoming

48        Indiana

49        Louisiana

50        West Virginia

------------

SOURCE

greenopia        

Arnold Schwarzenegger could have been cured by a head slam

head slam cure

Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California, has been busy keeping him and his beloved family members in the news. This man lied to his wife, and even ‎lied to the voters of California for 10 years. He got into a public office for 7 years where he was in charge of making and implementing various laws, including crimes related to gender discrimination, protection of children, child care, and sexual improprieties. All this time he was covering up his misconducts while California sank into a debt of over $25 billion.

Recently, an interesting incident occurred in Indiana. The Governor Mitch Daniels required 16 stitches to his head. Apparently, after a workout at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport, the governor was standing near a door when the door suddenly swung and slammed in his forehead. As a result, two interesting thing happened to Daniels:

Arnold on weed

Apparently, at the hospital, Daniels was concerned about the cost and wanted to make sure he will not be charged by the number of stitches. Basically this guy, Mitch Daniels, was worried that he will be ripped off by the health care industry. This is despite the facts that, when it comes to pain to average Americas, the republicans  always insist that, government is not required and, the heath care costs will be taken care by the free market economy. 

Second, on May 22, Mitch Daniels declined his republican presidential bid  for 2012 election citing concerns from his family.

One has to wonder whether Arnold Schwarzenegger could have been brought to his senses years ago if he would have gotten a treatment similar to what happened to Mitch Daniels in an Indiana gym. In such a scenario, Schwarzenegger would not have run for a public office and saved a lot of pain to his family and to people of California.

Arnold Schwarzenegger,  spent a lot time in the gyms mastering his improper conducts. It seems like he never got slammed in the head that would have brought him to his senses. I guess, in California, they don’t make gym doors as productive as they are in Indiana these days.

outdoor smoking banned in New York city

Effective Monday, May 24, 2011, outside smoking will be banned in most public places in New York city.  The law passed and signed in February, makes smoking illegal in New York City's 1,700 parks, on the city's 14 miles of public beaches and pedestrian plazas like Times Square. The law is intended to prevent second hand smoking and the violators could be fined $50.

With this law, New York city joins 105 municipalities (in states including California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Jersey) to ban smoking on public beaches and 507 municipalities that ban smoking in public parks.

Wisconsin man swallows 25,000 big macs in 40 years

Here is an accomplishment for the Americans can be proud of.

This month, one of our fellow Americans, Don Gorske, from Wisconsin, 

Don Gorske

eat his 25,000^th Big Mac since he started eating burgers 39 years ago. That turns out to be 641a year and about 2 Big Macs a day if you ate it every day. You would think, one would get fed up eating this stuff everyday, but, no, you are wrong. Don says Big Mac is his favorite food and he looks forward to it every day. He has no intention of giving it up until the day he dies.

He started eating Big Mac on May 17, 1972 when he bought a new car and since than, in 39 years, he has missed big macs only on eight days. Don, 57, is a former prison guard and now has proudly retired.

Don entered into Guinness World Records three years ago after having consumed  23000 Big Macs. He also participated in the in the 2004 documentary ”Super Size Me”.

To honor Don’s loyalty, recently, McDonalds held a special ceremony in the town of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Apple to put fitness center app in iPhone, iPod

There is a great news for health and fitness enthusiasts. It appears Apple may be developing an iPhone App for fitness.

iPhone

It has been reported that Apple has filed a patent application for advanced fitness center App with social media components:

” On April 28, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals various aspects of a newly advanced Fitness Center App that they've been working on for some time now. While Apple's app is uniquely their own, they appear to be consulting with or at least including Nike into their program as one illustration lists "The Nike Training Club Class." Apple's Fitness Center App is well designed to cover all aspects of a workout including stats gathered from next generation smart equipment right down to the inclusion of a unique social networking component that will work within a particular fitness center or within your city limits to help you find a workout buddy and/or to stir on competition to get you motivated. Apple's new fitness center app is designed to work with your iPhone or iPod touch to provide you with realtime stats to keep you informed and on track.”

Indiana Governor Daniel’s head is cracked open by a gym door

Things are not looking so healthy in Indian’s health clubs.

head slam

Indiana's Governor Mitch Daniels got slammed in his forhead by the door of a fitness center. Apparently, after a workout at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport, the governor was simply standing near a door when the door suddenly swung and slammed in his forehead. He was taken to Methodist Hospital where he was treated with 16 stitches.

According to Governor’s office he was concerned about the cost and wanted to make sure he will not be charged by the number of stitches. It is funny, that suddenly a republican forgets about heathcare and free market economy and is worried by health industry ripping him off.

It is incredible how quickly people began to talk sense after a good slap to the head.

The governor was also considering a Republican bid for presidential election in 2012. However, on May 22, Mitch Daniels declined presidential bid  He stated that he would not become a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination because of concerns from his family.

One has to wonder whether it was good slam by the gym door that brought Governor back to his senses. We will have to wait and see if health club doors in rest of the country act as aggressively as those in Indiana.

tony the tiger wins freedom to walk and exercise

tig

Here is an interesting story and an accomplishment about animals.

Tony is a 10-year-old siberian bengal tiger who has been kept as an attraction at the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, La. by the owner Michael Sandlin since 2003.

Tony lives in a horrible condition in a concrete cage where he is harassed by visitors and surrounded by lights, the smell of fuel and the sound of diesel engines 24 hours a day seven days a week with nowhere to escape and nothing to do. He's been there since 2003. 

Tony was discovered by chance by Sky Williamson at the truck stop in 2005 and since than activists have been fighting for years to no avail to have him freed and sent to a wildlife preserve. Organizations such as Big Cat Rescue has repeatedly offered to take Tony but did get approval.

Tony’s conditions have been brought to the attention of authorities by thousands of people. However, despite state laws preventing private ownership of exotic animals, officials did nothing to rescue the tiger. Instead, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) bent the rules in favor of Michael Sandlin.  LDWF recently renewed Sandlin's permit to keep Tony because he has owned Tony (tiger) before the laws were enacted in 2006. Which means Tony got stuck at the truck stop were he had been confined since 2003

In April of 2011, the Animal Legal Defense Fund's (ALDF) intervened on behalf of Tony and filed a lawsuit against the LDWF arguing that granting Sandlin a permit in the first place violated state law.

On Friday, May 6, District Judge R. Michael Caldwell of the East Baton Rouge District Court granted the Animal Legal Defense Fund's (ALDF) request for a permanent injunction against the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), preventing them from renewing the annual permit that allows Michael Sandlin to keep Tony as of this December 14. 

With newly granted freedom, Tony the truck stop tiger is free to walk. The ALDF plans to work with the LDWF to find the best sanctuary where Tony can live out the rest of his days in a suitable environment.

 ======

Sources:

ALDF Wins Freedom for Tony

Cat Fight Ensues Over Tony the Tiger

legislation to give tax benefits for bike, public transit commuters

bike, public transp

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.),who often rides a bike to work himself, is introducing a legislation to help people and businesses cope with bad economy and high fuel prices.  

According to Blumenauer ”the only way to meaningfully protect Americans from spikes in gas prices is to make alternatives to driving more convenient and affordable.”

His proposed “Commuter Relief Act”  offers commuters immediate relief and options with the intent of adding no additional cost to the federal deficit. The legislation will would expand tax credits "for individuals and employers to make it easier for commuters who wish to commute to work by bicycle, walking, carpooling, or using public transit."

Specifically, the bill would equalize the parking and transit benefits at $200 per month; let people claim benefits for more than one mode of transportation; and allow employees the option to take cash instead of an employer's parking benefit, "reducing the incentive to drive instead of take alternative transportation." It would also increase the current bike benefit (which Blumenauer got passed back in 2009) from $20 to $40 per month.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer  said "Our goal is to lay out a budget-neutral alternative that gives people some choices,.. One of my favorite options here is giving people the opportunity to cash in their employer-provided parking…giving a commuter the opportunity to say, I'd like to take that money and buy a bike and a bus pass and enrich my life and my health."

Rep. Earl Blumenauer has been joined in his efforts by Rep. Jim Moran and Mazie Hirono. I am glad to see we have sensible politicians who care about people and the community.

-----------

SOURCES

http://blumenauer.house.gov/

grist.org

Obese man dies, was found fused to the chair he sat in for 2 years

obesity prob

In March of this year, Bellaire, Ohio police received a call that a man was not responsive. 

The police found the man was fused to a chair he had not moved from in two years because he was so obese. The police were forced to cut a hole in the wall of his house just to get him out. He was taken to the hospital in morbid condition where he eventually died.

Apparently, the man had not moved in two years and his girlfriend served him food while he stayed on that chair. Man’s skin was fused to the fabric of chair and he was sitting in his own feces and urine with maggots visible, The condition was horrible that the officer had to throw away his uniform after helping remove the man from the chair.

The landlord told that the man used to be an active person and said she had no idea how bad his condition was since he covered himself with a blanket every time she came to visit.

 

What was surprising is that two other people, a man and the obese man’s girlfriend, also lived in the same filthy house. They were ordered to clean up or get out.

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SOURCES

Obese Ohio Man found fused

Bellaire Man Found Stuck in Chair Dies at 43

can coffee and sex increase the risk of stroke?

According to a new study quoted by BBC, the risk of stroke is increased by coffee, sex and blowing your nose. The study evaluated 250 patients for three years at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, Netherlands.

coffee and sex

The risk factors in decreasing order are:

Coffee

Vigorous exercise

Nose blowing

Sex

Straining to defecate

Drinking cola

Being startled

Being angry 1

A good advice will be not to do these things at the same time.

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Sources:

BBC

the journal Stroke.

A new blood test – find out how long you will live

test how long you will live

Life Length, a Spanish company has developed a new commercial blood test that measures telomeres. The test will be possible to tell whether a person's "biological age", as measured by the length of their telomeres, is older or younger than their actual chronological age. 

The test will not predict the exact number of months and years a person has yet to live, The scientist behind the company is Maria Blasco of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre in Madrid, Spain.

The test measures telomeres. Telomeres are the tips of a person's chromosomes, which are believed to be one of the most important and accurate indicators of the speed at which a person is ageing. Scientific evidence suggests that people who are born with shorter telomeres than normal also have a shorter lifespan. It is known that shorter telomeres can cause a shorter lifespan although it is not know whether longer telomeres are going to give you a longer lifespan. That's not really known in humans.

Telomere research is considered to be one of the most exciting areas in biomedical science and 2010 Nobel Prize in medicine was given to three scientists who are pioneers in the field

Life Length is in the process of making distribution deals with medical diagnostic companies across Europe and expects it to become widespread within the next five or 10 years, The test will cost approximately $700 (500 Euro).

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SOURCES

http://www.lifelength.com/

independent.co.uk