Sleepwalking urination stabbing

May I apologize for my extended absence. I am no longer commuting 4 hours a day to work, or attempting to graduate from grad school while simultaneously planning a wedding. I offer the following hilarious headline as a peace offering:

KC Man Urinating While Sleepwalking Stabbed

The Truth About Abortion

Abortion is a divisive issue that incites strong emotional responses from all sides.  The problem is that many people don't really know what they're talking about.  Abortion is a relatively rare procedure that is only available in 13 percent of the nation's counties.  Where it is available, there are often many restrictions, some of which rely on political pseudo-science to scare off would-be patients (e.g. requiring counseling that tells girls that abortions increase the risk of breast cancer when no such link has been established).

The recent assassination of Dr. George Tiller, one of the last doctors still performing late-term abortions in the United States, demonstrates that domestic terrorism is still alive in this country.  Furthermore, it has put the Obama Administration in an uncomfortable position after the DHS released a report finding that it was highly likely that domestic terrorism might be commited by “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion."

As one of the few remaining providers of late-term abortions told MSNBC, “the only difference between the Taliban and the people who kill doctors in the United States is 8,000 miles.”

Should we sleep like the Cleavers?

Sleep is an important part of everyone's day and everyone sleeps best under certain conditions, so should we sleep in separate beds or even, gasp, separate rooms from our spouses?  Gwendolen Fairfax asks precisely that question.

Bunk beds, anyone?

Red Bull: It's got cocaine!

Red Bull may have to change its signature slogan from "It'll give you wings" to "It'll give you arythmia" since authorities in Germany have found traces of cocaine in Red Bull and Cola drinks.  Germany is now considering a national ban on the popular energy drink.

In Spain, Yeyo is in the Air

The cocaine in Spain falls mainly on the... cities.  Recent studies in Madrid and Barcelona have detected everyone's favorite White Powder in the air.  While no one is going on a bender from the Iberian Incentive, it potentially presents a new way to measure drug use anonymously.

What does 1 in 7 really mean?

We've all heard the statistic: 1 in 7 Americans is not covered by health insurance. Then comes the inevitable follow up: and millions more are underinsured . . . The harder question, as we try to tackle this problem is, who are the uninsured? The Christian Science Monitor's patchwork nation blog divides America demographically into 11 community types by county. This week they're exploring who's being hit by the healthcare crisis the most?

Comprehensive healthcare and insurance reform has been tried countless times before, and the same pitfalls descend each time: one side says Tort Reform will solve the crisis the other says that only single payer health care will get anything done. In reality both sides are naïve. Medical malpractice is less than 1% of American health care spending and limiting the right to recover violates one of the basic tenants of Tort law, the right to be made whole, a tenant which is a basic foundation of civil justice long before America came to be. On the other hand single payer isn't going to happen, America hates socialism. Getting burnt to the ground in World War II changed Europe forever; market fundamentalism had no choice but to get out of the way when state-centered rebuilding (much of which funded by American dollars) brought Europe back to life. America has never faced such an identity crisis.

Nevertheless, healthcare reform isn't discretionary. We already have universal healthcare. We should recognize that we have the least efficient universal healthcare plan in the world, and maybe we can put some of that American ingenuity to work to change that. What am I talking about? Emergency Rooms; if you are experiencing a medical emergency, they can't turn you away. This means medical indigents don't get basic care when healthcare is cheap, but wait until a cough becomes pneumonia. And when they can't pay for expensive inpatient care, who pays for it? You and I already do. Sometimes its Medicaid, sometimes the Hospital itself absorbs the cost. Either way, the cost already comes back to you, in taxes or insurance premiums.

Helmet and a Hug courtesy of Denmark's police

Like their southern friends in the Netherlands, Denmark is all about riding bikes.  A program has police handing out helmets for free and every helmet comes with a hug.

Drink more, worry less

Every now and then there is a study that indicates possible severe health problems from drinking, but there are plenty of studies showing a strong causal relationship between moderate drinking and good health. Author and freelance writer Laura Fraser has done a little research on the studies and writes a short treatise in defense of her drinking habit.

Societal expectations and sex: gender showdown

Two sexperts duke it out in a side-by-side article addressing societal expectations on sexual behavior and how it affects men versus women. In a battle to answer who has it worse, Susannah Breslin of Reverse Cowgirl and Grant Stoddard of Nerve.com lay the case for their respective genders.

Eat less meat, smell sexier

A study suggests that "red meat consumption has a negative impact on perceived body odor hedonicity."

So going vegetarian means you smell better? I guess that doesn't take into account the "Dirty Hippy Effect."

"Universal" flu vaccine?

Scientists discovered a virtual viral "Achilles' heel" for most strains of influenza. This could lead to a vaccine that would provide immunity against several types of the microbial menace.

Oh China...

This kid is going to have lung cancer before he's potty trained.

Medical Marijuana and the new administration

This week the Obama administration is facing its first test on drugs. Although President Obama has not yet appointed a new permanent DEA administrator, his comments on the campaign trail suggested that his administration would support medical Marijuana where the same controls are placed on the dispensement and prescription as other prescription prescribables. However, this week DEA agents have conducted the first raid of a medical Marijuana dispensing facility since Bush left office. This raid occured in California where voters decided more than a decade ago by public referrendum that medical Marijuana should be available by prescription as a legitimate drug treatment option as decided between patients and doctors. Should the Federal government get in the way?

To your health: 4 more reasons to drink red wine

Stay fit, fight Alzheimers, help your heart, and reduce your risk for lung cancer... all this and more by drinking red wine.

Newsweek has the scoop.

5 things you didn't know about your penis

Nothing groundbreaking here, just a review of 5 fast facts (with explanation) you may or may not have known about your penis. Among them, you can break your penis (and how to prevent it), and some penises can grow up to double their length when erect. I was going to post a picture, but that doesn't seem like a great idea.

In defense of the "fat tax"

New York is proposing an 18% tax on sugary drinks and non-diet soda to combat the trends of increasing obesity among children and adults as well as the shift from drinking milk, water, and fruit juices towards sugary drinks like soda. According to recent polls, the public opposes the tax, but State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has created a video to talk about the shift and explain why he supports the tax.

Is this just another way the government is becoming a nanny state and trampling on personal freedoms or is it important legislation that addresses a public health issue that costs billions every year?

How does this compare with the Pennsylvania public smoking ban?

Discuss.

"Please excuse me for being late to class, I was busy preventing heart disease"

New research has shown that hours spent sleeping has a direct correlation to risk for coronary artery disease. For each additional hour of sleep, the risk of calcification of the coronary arteries decreased by 33 percent -- an outcome equal to reducing blood pressure by 16 point elevations. This held true even when confounding factors, such as age, race, cholesterol level, and other possible risk factors were controlled. So, the next time you get in trouble for oversleeping, I'd say that this is a pretty good excuse.

Fill your tank . . . at Burger King

Forbes investigative journalism on the prowl:

For a time, Beverly Hills doctor Craig Alan Bittner turned the fat he removed from patients into biodiesel that fueled his Ford SUV and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator.

Love handles can power a car? Frighteningly, yes. Fat--whether animal or vegetable--contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel.

the perfect christmas present for anyone on your list

At a loss for what to get your parent, friend or "lover" for Christmas this year? How about Chlamydia? Yup, that's right- GiantMicrobes has come to rescue for all you challenged gift givers out there and released a line of plush dolls shaped like microbes, ranging from the common cold to ebola, and for those of you who are feeling a little kinkier, herpes to "the clap." The microbes come with a magnified picture of the real microbe, along with an imformation packet on the disease it causes. So, I don't know about you guys, but all I want for Christmas this year is Gonorrhea. Or maybe some fat cells. Or maybe C. Diff. I just can't decide!!

Your pesticides are shrinking my son's junk

Research from around the world is demonstrating that the bevy of chemicals, especially chemical pesticides, floating around the world is entering females' bodies and damaging their male offspring's genitals. This phenomenon is being observed in males throughout nearly all major vertebrate animal species.

Many [chemicals] have been identified as "endocrine disrupters" – or gender-benders – because they interfere with hormones. These include phthalates, used in food wrapping, cosmetics and baby powders among other applications; flame retardants in furniture and electrical goods; PCBs, a now banned group of substances still widespread in food and the environment; and many pesticides.

Feminisation of the males of numerous vertebrate species is now a widespread occurrence. All vertebrates have similar sex hormone receptors, which have been conserved in evolution. Therefore, observations in one species may serve to highlight pollution issues of concern for other vertebrates, including humans.

Some British fish have even been developing eggs in their testes.... Ach, Scheiße!