Wednesday, May 18, 2011

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

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

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:
the journal Stroke.

Monday, May 16, 2011

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

Saturday, May 14, 2011

bike friendly cities of the world

Here is some news for bike enthusiasts.
A recent article in CNN named 15 most bike friendly cites of the world:
Happy bikers


Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe
      The " bicycling capital of Europe" where 40 percent of the city's traffic is on bikes.

Barcelona, Spain, Europe

Berlin, Germany, Europe  
  400,000 people bike to work each day
Copenhagen, Denmark, Europe
About a third of the workforce gets to the office by bike and an estimated more than a million kilometers are pedaled every day.
Christiania, Denmark, Europe
A neighborhood of 850 where cars are banned
Paris, France, Europe
One of the world's largest public bicycle rental programs that distributes 20,000 bikes through1,450 rental stations throughout the city and offers free rides under 30 minutes.
Boulder, Colorado
Devotes 15% of its transportation budget to improving and promoting bicycle travel. They have even launched a pilot program to get kids biking to school.
Chicago, Illinois
Calls itself  "the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States."  
Davis, California 
A city of 65,000 people that has more bikes than cars.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Has 170 km of bike paths and the highest percentage of bike commuters in the country.
Portland, Oregon
Considered  the bike capital of the U.S., has a 260-mile bike path network and the highest percentage, 10%, bike commuters in the country.
San Francisco, California
Has taken initiatives to remove car parking to make room for bike parking,
Beijing, China  
Probably the city with most bicycles in the world
Cape Town, South Africa
Offers public commuter showers for bikers
Bogotá, Colombia, South America
Hosts special Sunday Ciclovía events where main thoroughfares are closed to cars
Perth, Australia
Has more than 700 km of bike routes

Friday, May 13, 2011

tony the tiger wins freedom to walk and exercise

Tiger
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:

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.


----------------
SOURCES

Thursday, May 12, 2011

higher rate of cancer reported among gay men

According to a BBC report, a study of 122,345 people in California suggests that the gay men are twice as likely to have had cancer. It is not clear from this study why this might be.

The survey was based on interviews of "survivors" so is not a true representation of the number of cancer cases. It was not possible to conclude that the gay men have a higher risk of cancer. Further research would be needed to determine if homosexual men were actually getting more cancer or had greater survival rates than heterosexuals.

There was no such link in women. However, lesbians and bisexual women were reported to have poorer health after cancer than heterosexuals.


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SOURCE

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Seattle named the most walk friendly city in the U.S.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), established in 1999 with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, is located at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. PBIC’s mission has been to improve the quality of life in communities through the increase of safe walking and bicycling as a viable means of transportation and physical activity.

PBIC recently announced the first round of Walk Friendly Communities! After evaluating applicant communities in several categories related to walking, including safety, mobility, access and comfort, PBIC has recognized 11 communities for their commitment to improving walkability and pedestrian safety.
walk friendly communities

Seattle got the highest "platinum" ranking.
Here is the list of walk friendly cities:

Platinum Level
Seattle, Washington

Gold Level
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Arlington, Virginia
Hoboken, New Jersey
Santa Barbara, California

Silver Level
Charlottesville, Virginia
Decatur, Georgia

Bronze
Austin, Texas
Charlotte, North Carolina
Flagstaff, Arizona
Wilsonville, Oregon

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Sources:

Sunday, April 17, 2011

bolani – delicious Afghani food by bolaniandsauce

Today, after a bike ride, I stopped and walked my bike past the farmer’s


market in Brentwood, Los Angeles. There were two guys who stopped me and offered a few samples of food to eat. Apparently, it
www.bolaniandsauce.com/
was there first day at that Farmer’s market. The food was tasty and I wanted to know more about them. I was told it was the product was Bolani, an Afghani food, and these two vendors were representing a business “BolnaniandSauce”.

BolaniAndSauce AKA East and West Gourmet Afghan Foodwww.bolaniandsauce.com/), based in Concord, California, was founded by an Afghan family. Their home made Afghan food was initially sold at a few of the Bay Area’s farmers’ markets. However, this healthy and tasty food rapidly became popular mainly through word of mouth. Now they are known as "Ambassador of Love" in most of the San Francisco Bay Area's Farmers' Markets and even beyond, including Southern California. (

PRODUCTS by BolaniAndSauce
These products are tasty and healthy and will be great addition of your meal

Bolanis
Bolani is a traditional Afghani flatbread stuffed and baked with either spinach, pumpkin, red potato, or green lentil filling. Bolani is usually served warm. It is all natural, fresh, healthy, made with organic ingredients and contains no trans fats, additives or preservatives. It handmade daily and absolutely delicious and healthy. The company makes following types of bolanis, inclucding the most popular with spanich:
  Spinach Bolani
  Pumpkin Bolani
  Potato Bolani
  Lentil Bolani
           
Sauces and Spreads
Sauces and spreads are ideally used for complimenting the Bolanis, but they can also be used to accompany or cook your own dishes. All the spreads are vegan with the exception of Garlic Mint Cheese. They are all preserved with natural ingredients such as garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, citric acid. They are all low in calories, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium – but packed with nutrition. The company provides the following varieties ofSauces and Spreads:
  Garlic Mint Cheese
  Cilantro Pesto
  Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
  Lentil Curry
  Eggplant Pesto
  Hummus
  Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
  Basil Pesto
           
Dips and Pepper Jellies
  Sweet Jalapeno
  Sweet and Sour Carrot


LOCATIONS - where to find
Today East and West Gourmet Afghan Food participates in up to 100 farmers’ markets every week. The product is also found in a number of stores.
Whole Foods markets
Andronico’s Market
Mollie Stone’s Market

Northern California Farmers' Markets – a number of locations

Southern California Farmers' Markets
BRENTWOOD  FARMERS MARKET (West Los Angles)
741 S. Gretna Green Way, L.A., 90049
Sundays 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Brea    
Birch Stree at Walnut Avenue  
4 PM to 8 PM Year Round       

Manhattan Beach         
Noon to 4 PM Year Round
13th Street between Valley and Morningside Drive

Torrance         
8 AM to 1 PM Year Round
Wilson Park on Crenshaw Boulevard, between Carson
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For more information:
(925) 687-0817
(877) 687-0817

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Bicycling ban in City of Black Hawk, Colorado

Bicycling ban, Black Hawk, Colorado
Bicycling is healthy and fun but, apparently, not everybody thinks so.

Black Hawk, population 100, "The City of Mills," is one of Colorado's oldest cities. It is one of a number of towns that grew up in "Gregory's Gulch," the narrow ravine where Georgia prospector John H. Gregory first discovered lode gold in the western part of Kansas Territory in 1859.

Well the times have changed. Now, this small casino town in Colorado is cracking the whip on “pedaling.”  Yes, you read it right, the city is cracking down on bicycling because the casinos complain that cyclists get in the way of buses used to bring gamblers in and out of town.

In January, 2010, the town approved the ordinance banning biking on nearly every street and only paved thoroughfare in town.  Cyclists may still pass through town, though they are now required to walk their bicycles.  According to the City of  Black Hawk Ordinances 2009-20 and 2010-3 “bicycles are prohibited within the City on certain streets.”  If you want to buck the ban, be willing to pay a hefty $68 fine as police are already issuing tickets.

According to the Denver Post, The City Manager Mike Copp said that due to an increase in traffic, the city has taken a proactive approach.  The new ordinance, enacted in January, ”is best for its citizens, for its businesses, which in this case are casinos, and its visitors.” 


The Black Hawk Bike Ban issue got a lot of international press and led to many campaigns to challenge this ban to prove that Colorado is a great state for bicycling: