World Statistics

Hans Rosling does it again. Another lecture on our 'flat world,' with some updates.

The data in the video can be accessed on his website, Gapminder World.

What's in a Name

The statistics are out and Emma is the most popular name among girls in America, as it had been for more than a century, along with Emily.

My favorite site for name data: Baby Name Wizard.

20s Lingo

Here it is.

My favorites:

(20s - today)

mouthpiece - lawyer

handcuff - engagement ring

butt me - give me a cigarette

(Via: BuzzFeed)

Amsterdam Pwns O'Reilly

O'Reilly has apparently been pontificating about the crime rate in Amsterdam, as of late. I wouldn't know, because I never listen to him. Now, a Dutchman responds and, frankly, owns him pretty well, albeit amateurishly.

(Source: BuzzFeed)

Health & Science Update

This is a loooooong one.... Science doesn't wait for me.

Circumcision has been on the medical news for a few years now, with medical authorities claiming that it reduces the risk of HIV transmission. Should we encourage it? Are there differences in transmission between homosexual and heterosexual men? This article answers some of these questions. This other article addresses the shortcomings of circumcision among gay men.

I guess I should stop smoking the hookah (or shisha, as Brits apparently call it). A study reported by the BBC discovers that it causes as much harm as cigarettes.

There is now an Encyclopedia of Life, culling information on all known species in the world. The resources will be available and useful to people from many fields of life.

Scientists have discovered that dog hair types are controlled by three genes. Moreover, their discovery might help scientists learn more about cancer genes in humans, since cancers in dogs and humans are very similar.

Mercury levels in fish are rising, according to an article in The Economist. The traces are high in freshwater fish because of mercury leaked into freshwater streams and rivers from the coal industry. They are the highest in larger fish, however, such as shark and tuna, since they accumulate in the food chain.

The Economist also reports that the origin of men's muscle mass and its differences with women's muscle mass is the product of evolution... sexual selection, to be precise.

The intake of folic acid, which helps women to get pregnant, is a territory to be treaded very carefully, since high amounts of the substance in the body can help the growth of cancers.

The New York Times summarizes a study by the New England Journal of Medicine pointing out that people who undergo imaging tests are exposed to more radiation than is allowed for a one-year period among nuclear power plant workers.

According to Reuters Health, one's diastolic blood pressure can affect one's memory and other cognitive functions. For every increase of 10 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure, there is a seven percent increased chance of developing cognitive impairments.

It has been found that the human papillomavirus (HPV), which has been considered for some time as a cause of cervical cancer, is also the cause of about half of the instances of penile cancer in men.

Sugar is now linked to greater risks for heart disease via the obesity it creates, primarily through the intake of soft drinks high in sugar. Even a single can of soda contains more sugar than the total recommended daily sugar intake.

Second-hand smoke was never a friend of passengers stuck in a car with a smoker. Now there is proof of it.

Nobody likes the dreaded colorectal exam, but males of South Asian descent are more likely to refuse to take it, despite being at high risk for it colorectal cancer. Overall, fewer than 60% of people who need it are getting tested.

Drug advertised on TV for cancer patients may create tensions between a patient and his/her doctor, not help patients at all, or even worsen their condition with side effects if the advertised drugs are taken.

This article is in French, but it basically says that the sun has lost its spots and has been cooler in the past few weeks.

Israeli scientists have constructed abdominal tissue, which, when injected in the heart, can restore and strengthen the areas of the heart that have been damaged by a heart attack. The experiment only took place in rats.

Low-carb diets, whether high in fat or protein, can increase the risk of atherosclerosis by 9% of 15%, respectively.

Yet another adverse effect of obesity in women: 40% higher chance of asthma in 'apple-shaped' women. I know, I never heard of the 'apple-shaped' either... and doesn't seem particularly appropriate since they're talking primarily about the weight around their abdomens. That would make them pear-shaped.

Hormonal therapy in treating prostate cancer in men can create bigger problems for them, such as bone loss and hot flashes. They suppress testosterone production and, I'm guessing, inject female hormones, which would explain the menopausal side effects.

Scientists are able to create viable monkey embryos and live monkeys from eggs whose mitochondrial DNA had been removed, paving the way for women to choose the procedure if they want to protect their children from hereditary problems carried in mitochondrial DNA.

This short Q&A in The New York Times describes the differences and similarities in age-related hearing loss between men and women.

Hip fracture rates have been steadily declining for the past 20 years in both Canada and the U.S., despite an ever-aging population. Experts credit multiple reasons.

E.D. problems in men are not so easy to solve. Most importantly, they are indicative of deeper-lying health problems.

Skin cancer is more prevalent among the elderly because their skin is less able to signal the immune system to send T-cells to the damaged area. The problem may be reversible and may give clues about how to remedy it in other tissues.

This is unbelievable! Scientists were able to view a molecule at the molecular level. The image and the diagram of the molecule are at this link.

Doctors at MIT have created a monitor the science of a grain of rice in order to track the development of tumors inside a patient's body.

The video below describes and explains 'aquaponics,' a cohabitation of fish and plants, whereby the fish excrement feeds the plants and, in return, plants clean the water when absorbing those organic molecules.

Pianiste e paparë

E di vetë se cila është.... ;)

Kitty-ing Around

Kitty keeps 'saying' yum-yum-yum-yum-yum while eating. Now I want a cat again.... :(

(Source: BuzzFeed)

«Vuejtja»

Ka do dit

që po shof fare mirë
se si nga vuejtja syt po më madhohen,
nepër ball dhe ftyrë rrudhat po më shtohen
e si buzqeshja m'asht e hidhun...
... dhe po ndij
se si mëngjeset e mia
nuk janë ma mëngjese hovi e pune,
as ndërtimi, por të shtymt dita më ditë
e një jete që s'durohet.
Dalngadalë po shof
si jeta një nga një
secilin ndjesi
me tradhti
po ma vulos
dhe s'po më mbetë asgja
që me u nda
si shej gëzimi,
përpara
nuk e dishe, o jetë,
se kaq i tmerrtë
asht grushti i yt
që mbyt
pa mëshirë.
Por kot
në pasqyrë po shof
se si nga vuejtja syt po më madhohen
nëpër ballë dhe në ftyrë rrudhat po më shtohen,
dhe shpejt do të bahem
flamur i vjetruem
i rreckuem
ndër luftat e jetës.

MIGJENI

(Me rastin e 71-vjetorit të vdekjes)

Public v. Private

This article from the Associated Press discusses the possible scenarios of the competition that will spring up with a public health insurance option in the arena.

If health insurance companies think they're so good and that the government plan will be so bad, why are they afraid? If they deliver, people who have the means will go to them. Unless they continue to be the mountebanks they already are, of course, on which there is no doubt.

Meanwhile, California nurses, those who fight in the trenches of the war we call healthcare, react and predict that insurance premiums will increase by 94% by 2020, unless measures are taken by the government in the form of a public option in order to curb that.

Lieberman Sways in the Wind

As always, the 'independent' senator doesn't know what he's talking about. Healthcare, he says, 'may have to wait.'

This is just as bad as when he supported McCain for the presidency, knowing fully well that his running mate was a dolt.

And, speaking of McCain, here he is, singing the same tune.

Econ 101

Paul Krugman educates on why the GDP can rise while unemployment also rises. Graphs within.

More here on what he terms an economic 'purgatory.'

Healthcare Reform Myths

The Daily Dish considers the issue of coverage for illegal immigrants and how it's being viewed in the blogosphere. There are provisions for legal immigrants, but none for illegal immigrants, despite popular right-wing nonsense claiming the contrary.