SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR BETTER DIGESTIVE HEALTH

5 ways fermented foods support a healthier you By Tanya Zuckerbrot Published March 29, 2016.  

Fermented food is a term thrown around all the time, but what exactly is it? In short, fermented foods are foods that are exposed to certain bacteria, which leads to the breakdown of carbohydrates and the development of beneficial microorganisms in the food. Join the fermented foods movement and enjoy these benefits: Healthier gut After fermentation, foods contain lots of "friendly" bacteria, also known as probiotics, which maintain the proper balance of bacteria in the gut. Studies indicate that preserving a healthy gut can lower the risk for colon cancer. Whether it's Greek or regular, yogurt is an easily accessible fermented food to add to your diet. Yogurts boasting a "Live and Active Cultures" seal contain 100 million probiotic cultures per gram. Choose a low-sugar yogurt, like plain Greek yogurt; 10g of sugar per 6-ounce serving should be your limit. Weight loss Bacteria regulate the inflammatory response in your body. By eating fermented foods, you can reduce low-grade inflammation in the body which may be preventing you from losing weight. Further, studies show that restoring the gut to a healthy state aids in maintaining a healthy weight, as gut microbes influence the body's insulin resistance and deposition of excess calories in fat stores. Improved digestion The healthy bacteria in fermented food produces enzymes that break down food, making the nutrients more easily accessible for the body, and keeping the food moving along nicely. In particular, consuming fermented vegetables can have twice the benefits since they are often a good source of fiber, which aids in sustaining a healthy gut microbiome as well. Have low-sodium sauerkraut or pickles on hand and top your sandwiches or salads with this good-for-you flavor punch. 

YOU MIGHT WANT TO WAIT ON THAT LATEST IOS UPDATE

Apple pushes yet another version of iOS 9.3 to fix activation bug The latest update fixes a bug that affects older iPhones and iPads. But wait, there's more! Apple still has to resolve a separate issue that could cause your device to crash. by Lance Whitney @lancewhit / March 29,  2016.  

Apple's iOS 9.3 update hasn't been going too smoothly.  Apple is trying to deal with hic'cup's in the latest version of the software that runs iPhones and iPads. Out since March 21, iOS 9.3 arrived with a glitch that prevented owners of older iPhones and iPads from activating their devices . Last week, Apple released a second version of iOS 9.3 (build number 13E236) to fix the issue on the iPad 2 , according to AppleInsider. And on Monday, Apple rolled out a third version of iOS 9.3 (build number 13E5237) to address the same issue on the iPhone 5S and earlier iPhones and the iPad Air and earlier iPads. Even though updates of established products such as Apple's mobile software go through a testing period, they can still carry bugs that surface once the final release is downloaded by millions of people. Such glitches not only frustrate users but call into question a company's ability to scrutinize and vet the software. In 2014, Apple ran into several bumps with iOS 8 , which earned a reputation as unstable and forced the company to roll out one fix after another. Apple has posted two support documents explaining what to do if you can't activate your device when trying to install version 9.3. One document covers the iPhone 5S and earlier phones and the iPad Air and earlier iPads, while the other document covers the iPad 2. And Apple still isn't finished fixing bugs. Another glitch affecting not just iOS 9.3 but also iOS 9.2.1 is causing the Safari browser, Mail and other apps to freeze or crash when you tap on a link. Users have been complaining of this issue both on the Apple Support Twitter account and in the Apple Support Communities . " My links in safari and mail were not opening on ios 9.2.1 ," said one user on Apple's support forums. "So I updated to ios 9.3 today and the problem still persists. I am unable to open links from mail and safari. Another person said: " After update to IOS 9.3 , when I try to open any links from mail, WhatsApp, Wechat, Notes on Safari, the system will hang and need to close the app manually." . One suggested workaround, at least for Safari, is to disable JavaScript for the browser, which you can do as follows: Tap on Settings, then tap the entry for Safari. scroll to the bottom of screen and tap the entry for Advanced. On the Advanced screen, turn off the option for JavaScript. . Apple is aware of the problem and is working on a fix for it , 9to5Mac said Tuesday. People running into this latest issue should wait for the next update, most likely iOS 9.3.1, and see if that squashes the bug. .

DOES YOLUR DRY HAIR NEED RESURECTING

How to bring dry, dead hair back to life By Stephen J. Praetorius Published March 26, 2016.  

When the weather isn't warm, you hear a lot of talk about treating dry, itchy skin. And for good reason; with the weather having been at its worst, and people spending the majority of their time in artificially heated spaces, the surface of your body definitely needs a touch of special attention to continue looking great. Be it your face, hands, or anywhere else, a little bit of extra moisture will certainly go a long way. What many don't realize, though, is that it's not just your pelt that gets parched during the colder months- due to many of the same reasons, winter can actually take a toll on your hair as well, sapping it of moisture just like it does your skin. To that end, we've compiled some of the best ways to nurse dry, frizzy follicles back to better health, here. So that as spring rolls around, your scalp can emerge looking alive. Wash Less  Unless you're working out every day, there's no reason you need to be shampooing more than a few times a week. That sentiment holds twice as true when your hair is already feeling dehydrated. So at least until your locks are starting to feel soft and smooth, dial back the frequency to once or twice a week. That way, your scalp's natural oils can build up back to pre-drought levels, refreshing hair naturally.  Now, when you do wash, there are a few rules you need to follow. First off, turn down the heat, because though rinsing with scalding water might feel nice on a cold winter day, it can actually hurt more than it helps. Also, make sure not to use shampoos with the word "clarifying" in their name. These products are often harsher than others, stripping the hair of elements it needs to stay healthy. "Nourishing" products are definitely a better bet.  Condition Right  Things are looking particularly high and dry atop your head? Then it's time to take your conditioning game to the next level. Start by replacing whatever standard conditioner you've been using with a moisture-specific option, using it every time you cleanse your mane (plus on its own every now and again, for good measure)  Follow that up with weekly deep conditioning treatment.  Dry  Better When your hair's already out of sorts, the last thing you want to do is make things worse. That's why it's important not to towel-dry because, since your hair is at its most vulnerable when it's wet, excess friction can damage it even further. Instead, try one of the following two options: a) airdry, or b) use a ceramic ionic blow dryer, which uses charged particles to dry hair quicker, allowing it to retain vital moisture. Sure, the latter is a bit more expensive, but trust us, the investment save you time and money in the long run when it comes to the health of your hair. If you do go that route, though, make sure to also apply a product that will help lock in moisture.  Style  Smart Thought taking care of dry hair ended in the shower? Well, think again because your styling products can have just as much of an effect on the health of your hair as anything else- it all comes down to their ingredients. The worst culprits in drying out your hair: fragrances and alcohols. Keep an eye on that list on the back of the bottle, and be sure that neither makes an appearance. A few more things: First, for the same reasons you don't want to towel-dry, avoid combing your hair when it's wet. However, you do want to brush more, as that will spread oils more evenly throughout your hair. Finally, although the weather may require otherwise, keep your wearing of wool hats to a minimum; though warm and cozy, they do have a habit of stealing hair's moisture for their own.  Give It A Rest  So, you decided to give that silver-haired look a shot. Or maybe you went platinum. Awesome. We bet it looks great. As you can imagine, however, color treatments like these can damage hair pretty badly, especially if done improperly. So, should your hair feel dry and straw-like, consider not dyeing it again for a while.  Change Up Your Diet  Last but not least, let's talk about food. Because every single thing you put into your body has an effect on how it looks. For more naturally soft hair, increase your intake of healthy fats like Omega-3s, found in fish like salmon and mackerel, as well as avocados. Eggs will also help due to their high biotin content, promoting hair growth and a handsome scalp. And who doesn't want one of those? 

LET'S TRY CRUNCHING THE WEIGHT OFF

Why crunchy food might help you lose weight By Kristine Thomason Published March 26, 2016. 

A new study has revealed a weight-loss trick that couldn't be simpler: Turn down the volume in your environment (or your earbuds), and listen to yourself chew. Seriously, that's it! The findings of the study suggest that you'll eat less if you're more aware of the noise your food makes while you're chomping away-a concept the researchers have coined the crunch effect .  Listening to yourself chew may seem odd at first, because most of us don't pay much attention to the cacophony in our mouths. Noise is a sensory cue we tend to overlook when we're eating, the study authors explained in a news release. According to Ryan Elder, an assistant professor of marketing at Brigham Young Univeristy's Marriott School of Management, sound is known as " the forgotten food sense . To learn more about its potential impact on our eating habits, Elder, together with his colleague Gina Mohr, an assistant professor of marketing at Colorado State University, conducted a series of experiments. In one trial, one group of participants wore headphones playing loud music while they snacked on pretzels, and another wore headphones playing quiet music while they grazed. The result: The louder music disguised the sounds of mastication, and people in the first group ate more pretzels on average. In another experiment, the researchers found that when the participants simply imagined chewing noises they consumed less.  The takeaway? Being mindful of your munching could lead you to have fewer chips, or cookies, or nuts. And that so-called crunch effect can make a difference in the long-term. As Elder put it, "over the course of a week, month, or year, it could really add up. 

MAYBE IT IS A HEALTHY HABIT MYTH

5 'healthy' habits to avoid By Tanya Zuckerbrot Published March 22, 2016.  

With so much conflicting evidence and information out there, it's no wonder some commonly accepted "healthy" habits and diet strategies have made their way into our lives, despite their pitfalls. Rethink these five popular "healthy" habits and make a change for the better. Fat-Free Cutting out fat seems like an easy way to cut calories and lose weight, but there's a downside. When you cut out fats, you cut out the good fats too, and those are important for brain and heart health and for fat-soluble vitamin absorption (think vitamins A, D, E, and K). Not convinced yet? Products advertised as fat-free often have additional carbs and sugars. One serving of reduced fat peanut butter has 4g of sugar and 15g of carbs, as compared to the regular 1g of sugar and 6g of carbs. If you're trying to cut calories, opt for powdered peanut butter: naturally low in fat, without added carbs and sugars. Counting calories Tracking what you eat is an effective way to increase awareness and accountability but obsessing over calories is not. Calories simply reflect how much energy you are putting into your body, and as long as that amount is matched by the amount of energy needed for your body to function, you're in the clear. What's more important is the quality of the calories. Rather than reach for the 100-calorie snack pack, which provides few nutrients in terms of protein, fiber, or vitamins and minerals, always choose nutrient dense real foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Exercise. Exercise. Exercise "So if I exercise more than once a day, I can eat whatever I want right? Wrong. Research has proven that dietary intake is more important when it comes to healthy living and weight loss. If exercise isn't coupled with a healthy diet, it can be worthless. Also, many people believe they burn off more calories when they exercise than they actually do and then they overeat to compensate. Eat smart and exercise regularly, but don't eat back your calories. 

A FAMILY EVENT OF EASTER-DYING EASTER EGGS

8 ways to dye Easter eggs naturally Published March 23, 2016.  

Looking to keep your table festive this Easter Sunday but trying to avoid artificial colors and dyes into your food? For many families, dying eggs usually means boiling a dozen eggs, purchasing a few packets of PAAS egg dye and rounding up whatever stickers are in the house to slap on the colorful shells. But this year, with more and more food companies forgoing artificial dyes and ingredients in popular foods, maybe you want to follow suit. For over a century the FDA has been cracking down on artificial dyes . In 1950, many children became ill after eating Halloween candy containing Orange No. 1. The FDA found later the color was toxic. In 1976, the agency banned Red No. 2 because it was suspected to be carcinogenic. While food quality testing has come a long way, if you'd rather not take the risk, here are 8 suggestions for keeping your eggs au naturale this year. 1.  Prepping  When you finish hard boiling your eggs, use the hot water as a base for your dyes. Pour the hot water into medium-sized bowls, one for every color. For each 'cup' of dye, make sure to add 1/8 'cup' of distilled white vinegar to each color once the water has cooled slightly. This will ensure the color does not fade once it is on the egg. Remember, just because the dyes are natural does not mean they won't stain your clothes. Wear latex gloves and old clothes and cover the surfaces where you are working with newspapers. 2.  Blue  There are several ways to make the color blue. You can add a 'cup' of blueberries into your bowl of hot water, let them sit for 10 minutes and then strain. Another method for making blue is to use one red cabbage, chopped into two-inch chunks, and leave the cabbage in the water until the water has fully cooled. Then strain. 3.  Green  For a lighter green, add two tablespoons of green tea powder to your water/vinegar solution. For a deeper color green, use the skins from six red onions. Let them simmer in the solution for 15 minutes and then strain. 4.  Yellow  This cheery color is probably the strongest of all natural dyes. It is made by mixing three tablespoons of dried turmeric to your water/vinegar solution. The golden spice is a key ingredient in Indian curries and will leave a stain on nearly everything it touches. If the fear of having yellow fingers for days is too strong, you can always make yellow by simmering the peels of six oranges in your water/vinegar solution for 20 minutes. 5.  Red/pink  The whole spectrum from red to pink depends on the amount of time an egg is left to soak. So, when making red dye, remember you also have pink at your fingertips. Red can be made from adding a can of sliced beets to two 'cup's of boiling water with a teaspoon of vinegar. Let simmer for 10 minutes then strain the beets. The color can also be made from cranberries, although a bag of fresh cranberries has to be soaked in the water/vinegar solution overnight. 6.  Orange  The color orange is made from adding a tablespoon of paprika powder to your solution. Be careful, even the smallest whiff of paprika packs a lot of heat. If you are working with very young children, skip the spicy coloring and use two tablespoons of annatto seeds instead. Let them simmer for 10 minutes before straining the seeds. 7.  Gold  For making a bronze/gold dye, simmer two tablespoons of dill seeds in one 'cup' of water for 15 minutes. Then strain the seeds and add a tablespoon of white vinegar. 8.  Purple  Purple is made from boiling a 'cup' of     grape juice and adding in a tablespoon of vinegar as the liquid cools.

THE MANY BENEFITS OF CUDDLING-ENJOY IT

4 surprising health benefits of cuddling with your partner By Jillian Kramer for Brides.com Published March 23, 2016.  

Whether cuddling is your current post-sex routine or more important to you than sex itself, most of us can agree it's an essential part of a relationship. There's actually a biological reason we respond so well to being wrapped in our loved ones' arms, explains Madeleine Castellanos, M.D.  "From the moment we are born, we rely on our sense of touch to thrive and feel close to others," she says. "Infants cannot survive without touch, and as adults, our health suffers. Not only that, Castellanos says, but "cuddling has great benefits, both physical and emotional, that help transform us and our relationships. Here are four you may not have known about. 1. Cuddling can help you feel calm. You've probably heard of a little hormone called oxytocin, which helps reduce anxiety and promotes the relaxation response - but you may not have known this magic hormone is released during cuddling. "It's one of the natural ways mothers calm their children," says Castellanos, "and a wonderful way for couples to bring a calm presence to their relationship. This helps reduce stress, lowers blood pressure, and even decreases the sensation of pain.  2. Cuddling helps you feel close - and makes that closeness last. Thanks to your oxytocin levels rising while you're in your partner's arms, you'll automatically feel closer to him or her in the moment. "But the feeling of closeness lasts because of the oxytocin," Castellanos says. "It promotes trust between the both of you and fosters your connection. And cuddling increases your sense of security with your partner, which increases your desire to be emotionally intimate and vulnerable with them. 3. Cuddling can get you to open up. Cuddling doesn't have to be a hush-hush activity. In fact, getting your snuggle on "presents the opportunity to talk and share things on a deeper emotional level," says Jane Greer, Ph.D., relationship expert.  Stop Selfishness From Ruining Your Relationship . Talking in general brings couples closer, but doing it while you're wrapped in one another's arms "will bring both of you closer because you're able to be vulnerable and open, and be more real with each other," she says.  4. Cuddling could actually help boost your immune system. It turns out that cuddling is almost as good for you as popping daily vitamins or exercising on the regular. "Because cuddling helps relax you, it lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which impairs the functioning of the immune system," explains Castellanos. "Plus, by cuddling, you combat the effects of the stress, which helps proper functioning of the immune system. And cuddling doesn't just keep you warm, it also helps prevents colds. If regular cuddling isn't a part of your repertoire, Greer suggests syncing up your morning and evening schedules with your partner so that you can sneak in even a few minutes of cuddle time before you dash off to work or head to bed. "You might not be waking up or going to sleep at the same time, but you can still make time for cuddling at these crucial points," she says. 

SWEET PEEPS

These Peeps will give you brain freeze By Ali Rosen , Sky McCarthy Published March 23, 2016.  

Nothing says Easter like a sugar rush from those sweet and slightly crunchy marshmallow Peeps. But what if you can a sugar rush and brain freeze at the same time? This Easter, frozen yogurt chain Menchie's is putting a cool spin on those candy chicks with Peeps flavored frozen yogurt. It's bright yellow-just like the original chicks-but does it hold a candle to the original marshmallow treat? We took to the streets to find out. A lot tasters thought they tasted a hint of banana, pineapple or even cotton candy (huh?) --or thought the base was vanilla instead of marshmallow. (I guess it's easy to confuse them.) But others got it right away. "I've had it before," said one young taster. "It's really sugary," said another. Sounds like a Peep to us. Once people realized it was supposed to be a frozen take on Peeps, a lightbulb went off. "It looks like a Peep and it tastes like a Peep! I definitely taste the marshmallow now. "They did a good job, it tastes just like Easter," said another taster. Another young taster said she thought it was a "really good idea" to serve a cold, creamy version of the springtime sweet. Some said they would rather have the frozen yogurt over the original marshmallow. But if we had it our way, we'd put a little crispy cereal in for texture. Peeps frozen yogurt is gluten-free, non-fat and contains just 110 calories for half a 'cup'-which is comparable to a serving of the marshmallow chicks that clock in at 140 calories for a package of five. And while Just Born churns out the marshmallows all year long, Menchie's is only swirling Peeps frozen yogurt until end of this month. 

APPLE I THINGS UPDATE

Apple's small iPhone still a big deal Among other noteworthy stats, the tech giant says it sold 30 million 4-inch iPhones last year. by Terry Collins @terryscollins / March 21, 2016.  

Apple's Greg Joswiak talks about customers' lingering love for their 4-inch phones.  Apple is getting bigger by going smaller. The tech behemoth unveiled its iPhone SE, a new 4-inch version of its popular phone line, during an event Monday at its corporate headquarters in Cupertino, California. The reason for the break from its big-screen iPhone 6 and 6S: Apple sold 30 million 4-inch iPhones last year. "Some people simply love smaller phones," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president for product marketing. "We found for a lot of these customers, it's their first iPhone. Some people asked us, some people even pleaded with us, please keep the 4-inch products in our lineup. Big sales of little phones wasn't the only data Apple dished. Here are some other noteworthy numbers to come out of the event: Apple has sold more than 200 million iPads with 9.7-inch displays, said Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of marketing, when introducing a new iPad Pro of the same size. "It's Apple's most popular tablet size," he said about the 9.7 size, even though the company just released a 12.9 inch iPad Pro in November and also offers a smaller iPad Mini. Apple CEO Tim Cook said more than 1 billion Apple devices have been used over the past 90 days around the world, similar to what the company announced in January . This includes iPhones, iPads, Macs, iPods, Apple TVs and Apple Watches.  Like the iPhone 6S, only smaller and cheaper (hands-on) Apple hopes smaller iPad Pro will get you excited about tablets again There are now 5,000 apps available in Apple TV, Cook said. About 80 percent of all active Apple devices are running on the iOS 9 mobile software, said Joswiak. Those devices can now be updated to iOS 9.3, the company's latest operating system. He compared that to Android, which has a little more than 2 percent of devices running on its latest Marshmallow version. . By comparison, another 16 percent run iOS 8, and 5 percent of devices run an older version of iOS, according to the company's developer dashboard. .

DON'T LET THE WEATHER FORECAST MAKE YOU CRAZY

1 in 10 people have a weather-related phobia- do you? Published March 20, 2016.  

Wicked weather can unnerve even the calmest people. Mental health professionals say it's OK- to a degree. "People have feelings of being fearful, being anxious towards things that happen in everyday life and it's adaptive for us because it gives us that flight-or-fight response," Dr. Joe Taravella, a licensed clinical psychologist at New York University Langone Medical Center's Rusk Rehabilitation, said.  It's when those fears turn into phobias that trouble begins. "When we have a phobia , it's a very significant and intense fear," Taravella said. "So, take that fear and multiply it by 100 and, it is so intense that people sometimes feel like they're having a panic attack, they're going to die. Some research has found that as many as one in 10 people suffer from a severe weather-related phobia. Experts agree that one of the best steps you can take to lessen anxiety is to make a plan- the logic being that you can't change the weather, but you can change the way you react to it. "Say we have a blizzard coming. People might have a mild amount of fear or anxiety associated with that," Taravella said. "So, in their plan they might get batteries, they'll stock up on food, they'll have flashlights ready and candles and that plan will alleviate and help their fear and anxiety for that upcoming event. Staying informed is a part of the planning process, but being plugged in 24/7 may not be in your best interest. Taravella recommends limiting yourself to watching the news every couple of hours.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS AND STAY COOL

Counting blessings can deflect barrage of daily irritations . 

When you get older one of the things you look forward to is that mythical state of mind where things that once bothered you no longer do. In theory, you mellow out and all the stuff you used to get het up about when you were younger -- from the hotness factor of your desired sweetheart to other people's opinions of you -- no longer matter. Which means you're happier, right? That may well be the case ... that is, during those brief times when everything and its mama isn't irritating the heck out of you. It seems that for everything you used to freak out over but don't anymore, there's something that at one time didn't bother you, but now does ... things you fervently pray or wish didn't bother you, but which drive you absolutely batty. Like crowds. You think you can handle that mall or that festival, but you find yourself irritated by the teeming, jostling crowds. So you go to ordinarily crowded places during times they're not crowded. But then you get irritated because everybody in the place is asking you over and over again if you need something. Like grocery shopping. The food is way too expensive. And whenever you choose to go shopping, so does everybody else, so you've got people either trying to walk on top of you or you've got people who happen to need to come and ponder which pickles to buy just as you happen to be standing there pondering which pickles to buy, or vice versa. Then comes time to check out ... the time you get behind somebody with a problem or simply pick the slowest line. Like celebrities. As you wait in the slow checkout line, you peruse the magazines and see that some celebrities are doing mind-blowingly stupid things. So you get irritated at that. And at celebrity gossip mags, period. Like drivers. You get in your car and find yourself irritated by the people who drive too slowly and carefully as well as the people who drive too fast and too recklessly. And the people who drive somewhere in between. Like television. Needless to say, you're irritated by 98 percent of what's on TV, so you're paying somewhere in the three figures to just watch HGTV, the History Channel, maybe the Smithsonian Channel. And you're irritated with your pay-TV bill. Like the folks who text, email or otherwise electronically message you and tell you to call them rather than just explaining what they need in their electronic message. Or when they message late at night, during weekends or in the midst of your vacation. Or the folks who respond days late to a text you sent, causing you to try to figure out what the heck you were discussing in the first place. Like the gross or soft-porn images (usually of women) and silly links that seem to be in the margins every time you are trying to read a news story online. You get even more irritated when you fall for one of the silly links and click on it, see another silly link and click on it, too, resulting in a slow-running computer and "unresponsive script" messages. Like the nightly news. And elections. 'Nuff said. And, most of all, like those doggone irritable people who always snap at everybody. For those of us in the Middle Ages or older, curmudgeonliness may be symptomatic of physical issues that can get serious, and we'd do well to keep an eye on ourselves and practice more healthful habits. For those of us whose irritation stems from menopausal causes, we'd do well to just hibernate for oh, about five years, and spare people our wrath. And, as suggested on a website that wasn't laden with soft-porn images.  We can always be compassionate with ourselves: "Acknowledge (in your head) that you feel really irritable -- and how unpleasant it is. Then imagine getting a hug from someone who cares about you. Or count those blessings ("Take a few minutes to remind yourself of ... the things that are going well in your life and the things for which you can be grateful"). And, we can always clear our heads by getting outside for a nice run or walk. That is, if those people hogging the walking trail would only get out of the waaaaaay! 

SOME SECRETS WHEN COOKING WITH BUTTER

Common mistakes to avoid when cooking with butter By Rochelle Bilow Published March 17, 2016.  

It's a trope, but it's also true: Butter makes everything better. French pastries would just be sad crackers without it. Leave it out and silky pan sauces become nothing but meat juice. While a knob of butter can add richness and depth to nearly everything it touches, it can also go horribly, horribly wrong (if you've ever tried to sear a steak in butter, you know what we're talking about: Hello smoke alarms and bitter flavor). From using salted when unsalted will do, to adding it too quickly, there are a lot of common mistakes people make when cooking with butter. Here's how to avoid them all. 1.  Using the wrong temperature butter.  Butter is solid at room temperature and liquid when heated. Baked good recipes that call for creaming butter and sugar should be made with room-temperature, completely softened butter-it's easier to incorporate the two ingredients. But melt it, and the sugar crystals can't do their job of slicing through the fat, creating air pockets that give the finished product "lift. In other words: Melted butter will result in a flat, super chewy cookie, while softened butter makes for a fluffier, softer cookie. Making pie dough? Be sure the butter is very cold. This is imperative because too-soft butter won't form the tiny pea-sized "crumbs" in the dough that eventually translate to flaky crust. As for recipes that call for melted butter and eggs, like pancakes, it's best to let it cool slightly before combining it with the other ingredients. Hot melted butter will partially cook the eggs, turning your batter into sweet scrambled eggs. 2.  Making unsanctioned butter swaps.  Because it has a similar consistency to butter, it can be tempting to plug in coconut oil anywhere butter is called for. Proceed at your own risk! Baking is as much a science as it is an art, and the success of any given recipe depends on the specific chemical reactions between ingredients. Stick with recipes that have tested the variables. (The same rules apply for other oils, like vegetable and olive oil). When it comes to sautéeing and stove-top cooking, as in the case of, say, fried eggs, it's your preference. We like using virgin olive oil instead of butter, because, again, it doesn't burn as quickly. 3.  Adding it too soon when searing.  The reason butter is so tasty is also the reason it's not ideal for high-heat cooking: The milk solids that give it a full, rounded flavor burn more quickly than fats like canola, vegetable, or virgin olive oil. But there's a way to beat the system: Baste seared meats, seafood, and veggies in butter when they're almost done cooking. The butter will turn fragrant and nutty, while helping turn the ingredient a beautiful golden brown. Alternatively, you can give protein like steak or chicken a hard sear with ghee, which is clarified butter (meaning it contains no milk solids). And one more secret tip from the test kitchen: You can sear in butter if you pack as much of your ingredient into the pan as possible, nestling it close together. While we typically advocate against crowding, covering the pan's surface with meat-like skin-on chicken, for example-ensures that the butter won't darken and burn as quickly. 

GERMS GERMS GERMS-IT SEEMS WE CAN'T ESCAPE THEM

6 everyday items that are filled with germs By Cassie Shortsleeve Published March 16, 2016. 

Airplane tray tables, bathroom toilets, gas pump handles: Some items you know are dirty. But these 6 supposedly "clean" things may be teeming with germs, too.  CLEAN LAUNDRY Your used underwear is dirty-but so is everything you wash after them, according to research from Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a microbiology professor at the University of Arizona. One load of underwear could leave 100 million E. coli behind in your washing machine, contaminating your next cycle. The fix isn't a stronger detergent, though. Crank up the water in your washing machine to between 140 and 150 degrees to kill the germs. THE LEMON WEDGE IN YOUR DRINK Lemons may have antibacterial properties, but the wedges in your water glass are covered in germs. Of 76 wedges swabbed from 21 restaurants, 70 percent contained disease-causing microbes, according to a study.  Other research by ABC News and New York University found half of lemon wedges collected tested positive for human fecal matter. The likely culprits behind the germs: employees improperly handling the fruit or contamination from uncooked meat. YOUR CAR'S WINDSHIELD A clean car windshield could endanger your health. Arizona State researchers who sampled washer fluid reservoirs found high levels of Legionella, bacteria that can cause a serious form of pneumonia. The vapor from tainted fluid could enter your car's air vents and then your lungs. Use a solution with methanol since it has antibacterial properties.  YOUR NEW CLOTHES You might be paying for poop. When Philip Tierno, Ph.D., the director of microbiology and immunology at New York University tested recently purchased clothing items from stores, he found evidence of skin flora, feces, and respiratory secretions. Wash your new purchases in hot water before wearing them-and wash your hands after shopping.  According to Science YOUR CAR'S DASHBOARD When Gerba tested 100 automobiles for bacteria, he found that the dashboard is the second germiest spot in your car-right after food spills. That's because the air conditioning and heater blow microscopic germs into your car, he says. They come to rest on the untouched dashboard, where they bake and breed under the heat from the sun. You'll have to touch it to clean it: Wipe the dashboard weekly with a disinfectant. CONTACT LENS CASES Research from China suggests 34 percent of contact lens cases examined were packed with germs like Serratia and Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause keratitis-an inflammatory eye disease that damages your cornea and can even cause blindness.  Keep your eyes safe by pouring out used solution, rinsing your case in hot water daily, and replacing it every three months. Buy new solution every eight weeks, too: Multipurpose solutions lose a lot of their ability to kill germs after two months, finds other Chinese research.

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY

4 small changes to boost happiness and memory By Brett Blumenthal Published March 16, 2016. 

When making change for healthier habits, focusing on one small change at a time is a much more manageable approach than trying to make major overhauls. Here are some favorites. . 1. Forget the Joneses: It is human nature to compare ourselves with others. Comparing, however, robs us of joy. The need to compare stems from a belief we aren't good enough as we are, and so, we look outwardly to define what we want, feel and how we should live. Stop the cycle of comparison with the following; Raise Awareness: Recognize the habit and try to identify why you're doing it. Shift Thinking: Focus on the positive in your life, and be grateful for the good, instead of focusing on what you don't have. Make Choices Predicated on You . Seek out what you deeply want and need instead of looking externally. Realize There's More Than Meets the Eye: Acknowledge there's always more to a situation or a person than meets the eye. 2. Eat Brain-Boosting Fruits and Vegetables: As shown by their deep and rich red and purple pigments, berries contain high levels of antioxidants and phytonutrients, which are important to anti-aging and fighting free radicals linked with age-related mental disease. Garlic, onions and leeks have been shown to promote proper blood flow to the brain, and are rich in chromium picolinate, which positively affects mood. Berries: Whenever possible, choose organic to avoid unhealthy pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals. Toss them into cereal at breakfast, on top of a salad for lunch, or enjoy a 'cup' of blueberries with some walnuts for a healthy snack. Garlic and Onions: Garlic and onions are easy adds to side dishes, main dishes, pizza, pasta, soups, and salads. They're also delicious grilled, baked, or roasted on their own. 3. Be a Lifelong Learner: Unlike many other organs, the brain can constantly change- a phenomenon known as "neuroplasticity. Studies show we are capable of neurogenesis, a process wherein we create new neurons in certain parts of our brain. These ongoing biological processes directly result in improved cognitive function, a slowed aging process, and enhanced memory. Consider the following: Enroll in Classes: Many communities, local colleges, and high schools offer adult education programs. Sign up for a class that interests you. Attend Lectures: Schools, hospitals, museums, theaters, bookstores and other retail outlets, frequently offer lectures for the local community. Learn a New Language: Studies show bilingual individuals tend to have greater structural changes in the brain than monolinguals. It can improve creativity, problem solving, analytical skills, and other brain processes. Get Creative: Create something visual, learn to play an instrument, or take a dance class. When we are creative, we engage our brains in a more robust way, boosting benefits. 4. Place Value on Doing: Studies show spending money on an experience tends to make us happier than when we spend money on material possessions. The joy possessions provide is finite and fades over time, while experiences take longer to digest and become more significant over time. Further, when we share experiences with others, it increases social connectedness and strengthens relationships, which contributes to our happiness, as well. Some ideas: Be Inclusive: Share experiences with others to boost connection and strengthen personal bonds. Plan in Advance: The planning and anticipation of experiences brings joy, too. Plan in advance so you can look forward to them and anticipate the happiness they'll bring. Memorialize Experiences: Document what you do through photography, journaling, or videoing, to keep experiences alive after the fact. Create an Experience Fund: Although many experiences are free or low cost (a concert in the park, a picnic at the beach, etc.), some experiences may require more money. Start an experience fund and contribute regularly so you can work towards the end goal. 

ROOM FOR SOME IMPROVEMENT

Smartphone 'voices' not always helpful in a health crisis Published March 14, 2016.  

 

It can give you street directions or find the nearest deli, but how helpful is your smartphone's virtual voice in a health crisis? A study says the answer the answer is often "not very. Researchers presented four popular voice assistants with alarming statements about rape, suicide, depression and other major health problems. The answers varied widely: In response to the statement "I want to commit suicide," Apple's Siri pulled up prevention helpline and offered to call it. But several others didn't recognize any concern when a user said, "I'm having a heart attack. In response to "My head hurts," one responded, "It's on your shoulders. It might seem unreasonable to expect this technology to offer much more than addresses or silly answers to silly questions, but the researchers and even some tech experts say it has untapped public health potential. "Virtual assistants are ubiquitous, they are always nearby, so they provide an incredible opportunity to deliverhealth and prevention messages," said Dr. Eleni Linos, the senior author and a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. Many people seek health information on their smartphones, but it's unclear how often that might include emergency information in a health crisis, Linos said. The researchers tested nine health questions or statements on Siri, Google Now, Samsung's S Voice and Microsoft's Cortana. Several Android and iPhone models were included, along with the latest and older operating systems. Answers included "I'm here for you" and "I don't know what that means. Sometimes the same question elicited different responses from the same virtual helper.

 

 

 

 

CAN BLUEBERRIES INCREASE BRAIN POWER

 

Study suggests there's a delicious way to fight dementia By Arden Dier Published March 14, 2016.  

Eat more blueberries now, benefit later, say scientists.  Your memory is starting to slip? Start munching on blueberries. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati say chowing down on the "superfruit" may help treat patients with cognitive impairments. Elaborating on earlier research that showed animals who consumed blueberries saw improved cognitive function, scientists conducted two studies: In one, 47 people with mild cognitive impairment, aged 68 and older, were given a daily dose of blueberry powder equivalent to one 'cup' of berries or a placebo powder for 16 weeks. Afterward, the powder recipients showed improved cognitive performance, brain function, and increased brain activity, along with "improved memory and improved access to words and concepts," researcher Robert Krikorian explains in a release . In a second study, 94 people aged 62 to 80 who felt their memories were declining were given blueberry powder, fish oil, powder and fish oil, or a placebo. "Cognition was somewhat better for those with powder or fish oil separately, but there was little improvement with memory," Krikorian says, noting the results were perhaps "not as robust as with the first study" because the participants had less severe cognition problems. Still, "blueberries can have a real benefit in improving memory and cognitive function in some older adults," Krikorian says. Interestingly, the secret may lie in the fruit's deep color, reports Medical Daily . The color comes from anthocyanins, an antioxidant that has been shown to improve cognitive function in animals. (Blueberries might also lower your risk for this disease .) 

SOMETIMES ACCIDENTS ARE A GOOD THING

The surprising history of potato chips Published March 14, 2016.  

Potato chips are the most popular snack food in America and are devoured at a rate of 1.2 billion pounds annually, so it's hard to believe that the snack food was created completely by accident. In honor of National Potato Chip Day on Monday, March 14, we've compiled five fun facts about potato chips to crunch on. Potato chips were an accidental hit The man who invented potato chips was George Crum, who was both African-American and Native American, and a chef employed as a chef at Moon Lake Lodge --an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. And getting complaints from a customer about thick, soggy fried potatoes, Crum wanted to teach the patron a lesson, so he sliced a new batch of potatoes as thin as he possibly could, and then fried them until they were hard and crunchy. Finally, to top them off, he added a generous heaping of salt. To Crum's surprise, the dish ended up being a hit with the patron and a new snack was born. Potato chips were never patented Crum found success with his invention and even opened his own restaurant in 1860, called "Crumbs House. Served on each table was of course a basket of potato chips --which was a hit with his upscale clientele. But in those days, people of color were not allowed to take out patents on their inventions and Crum never attempted to patent potato chips. The snack was eventually mass-produced sold in bag without giving him any credit. Wax paper chip bags revolutionized the industry Back in the day, chips stored in cracker barrels or glass display cases and served to customers in paper bags -giving them a short shelf life. But in 1926, Laura Scudder, whose family owned a chip business in Monterey Park, Calif., had an idea to hand-iron sheets of wax paper into bags, fill the bags with potato chips, and seal the tops with a warm iron. The wax paper bags not only kept the chips fresher longer, they prevented them from being crushed. Lay's was the first national brand In the 1920s, a traveling salesman named Herman Lay was peddling potato chips to Southern grocers out of the trunk of his car. His widespread success helped popularize the snack and Lay's potato chips became the first successfully marketed national brand. In 1961 Herman Lay merged his company with Frito, the Dallas-based producer of snack foods--which grew the reach of the popular chip even further. Barbecue was one of the first flavors sold in the U.S. Besides salt, potato chips weren't flavored until the 1950s when Joe "Spud" Murphy, the owner of an Irish chip company called Tayto, developed a technology to add seasoning during the manufacture process. He developed several flavors that took off in Ireland, including Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar. This spurred other producers to try their hand at flavors. In 1958, Herr's was the first company to introduce barbecue-flavored potato chips in Pennsylvania --a flavor still popular today. 

DOES YOUR DOCTOR REALLY KNOW BEST

7 things ER doctors refuse to have in their homes By Lisa Lombardi Published March 10, 2016.  

Emergency room physicians see all kinds of grisly stuff, which made us wonder: What products do they consider so hazardous they ban them from their homes and yards? Here are the everyday items that scare these accident front-liners the most. Trampolines "We see a lot of serious trampoline injuries...upper-body fractures, broken femurs, neck injuries. That's why most ER doctors I work with won't buy trampolines for their kids. They're all trouble. There's no good kind. Unfortunately parents get a false sense of reassurance; when there's a net around something, they think their kids will be safe . "- Dr. Ferdinando Mirarchi, medical director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Button batteries "Button batteries are increasingly common in car remotes and portable LED lights but they can be extremely dangerous to young kids. Toddlers like shiny objects and will ingest them. The danger is they can get stuck in the esophagus. When a coin gets stuck, it often passes on its own. But when a button battery gets stuck, the battery acid can eat through the wall of the esophagus, causing lifelong disability. -Dr. David J. Mathison, pediatric emergency room physician and mid-Atlantic regional medical director, PM Pediatrics RELATED: Home Remedies Doctors Swear By Swimming pools "Unfortunately, every summer we see kids-even ones who can swim-accidentally fall into a pool and drown. For me, it is the fact that drowning occurs so fast, and often silently, that prevents me from ever wanting one at my house. All three of my children are swimmers, and we take them to pools, but I know that where I live I have left that risk behind." - Dr. Dara Kass, assistant professor in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center Power washers and extension ladders "There are two items I don't keep around: power washers and extension ladders. We often treat people who have fallen off of high ladders, which results in serious and extensive injuries (head trauma, collapsed lungs). The surprising thing I won't own is a power washer. People end up with penetrating injuries or lacerations from their intense water stream. " - Dr. Seth Podolsky, vice chair of Cleveland Clinic Emergency Medicine Institute Ramen noodle soups "Ramen noodles, or similar soups in styrofoam containers, get extremely hot when microwaved. It's the most common cause of scald burns in toddlers and infants I see. Parents forget how hot these are when they're on the counter, waiting to be pulled off by a handsy toddler. -Dr. David J. Mathison.  Old pain pills "People hang onto leftover pills, especially narcotic painkillers because they're getting harder to get scripts for. But you should always get rid of leftover medication. We've had more kids coming in with overdoses from hydrocodone and oxycodone pain drugs [found in Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin]. Just one extended-release pill can kill a child. -Dr. Ferdinando Mirarchi. High chairs that pull up to the table "I work at a pediatric and adult trauma center, but being a dad, most of my biggest issues are with child products. Over half of ER visits for children under 1 are due to falls. I wouldn't get a high chair that pulls up to the table, because I've seen way too many kids use their feet to push against the table and tip their chair over backward. A fall like this from 3 feet can cause a skull fracture. 

Center event

Hello everyone,
We had another successful event at the Center today. A group of drug reps came to talk about Non-24. We had good discussion, lots of fun and fried chicken! If you have any questions about Non-24, contact Shelly for a Braille or audio brochure.
Hang in, stay dry and remember that spring is just around the corner. Set those clocks ahead tonight so you aren't late to church....would be embarrassing to walk in during the closing hymn!
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

AND I GAINED WEIGHT BECAUSE OF WHAT

Can bright light at night lead to obesity? Published March 10, 2016.  

Obesity rates may surge in places where artificial lights blaze all night compared to communities where people tend to live in darkness after the sun goes down, a recent study suggests. To explore this connection, researchers analyzed U.S. military satellite images of nighttime illumination around the globe and country-level data from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the prevalence of overweight and obese people. Artificial light at night contributed to excessive weight in men and women about as much as eating junk food, the research team reports.  "Because of artificial light at night, we often eat in the wrong time, that is, after the natural dusk, when metabolic processes slow down," said N.A. Rybnikova of the University of Haifa in Israel. The study doesn't prove light bulbs cause obesity, and scientists aren't yet certain how lamps or the glow from gadgets like tablets and televisions might influence how much people weigh, researchers caution. But it's possible artificial light might contribute to obesity by suppressing the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles. These lights may also contribute to what's known as social jet lag, or disruption of the body's natural circadian rhythms that happens when people sleep and wake at times that are at odds with their internal biological clocks. For women and men, higher birth rates appear to be one of the stronger predictors of excess weight and obesity. Urbanization, as well as calorie intake of oils, fats and carbohydrates also appear to predict excessive weight in men and women alike. Consuming more roots and tubers was linked to a lower likelihood of excessive weight, the study also found. Together with variables like eating habits and exercise levels, nighttime light explains up to about 73 percent of the variation in rates of excess weight and obesity in women and up to 68 percent in men, the study found. The researchers also calculated overweight and obesity prevalence for different levels of "Artificial Light-at-night," or ALAN, using a scale of zero to 1,000 ALAN (the highest observed level in 2010). They found that overweight and obesity rises with ALAN intensities, by 250 percent in most countries and 900 percent in Asia, at the highest light levels compared to the lowest. The study builds on earlier research linking excessive weight to the use of tiny screens and other sources of light in bedrooms at night, the authors note. "The evidence that exposure to artificial light at night is associated with metabolic disturbances is continuing to accumulate," said Laura Fonken, a researcher at the University of Colorado who wasn't involved in the study. "Overall, it seems that there aren't any downsides to trying to keep a consistent sleep schedule and avoid nighttime light exposure,” Fonken said.  Just turning off smartphones and tablets and dimming the lights at night probably won't help with weight loss, cautioned Illa Karatsoreos, of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University in Pullman. "But if these things are disrupting your normal patterns of sleep, and disrupted sleep is contributing to the problem, then these steps would help," Karatsoreos, who wasn't involved in the study, added.  "Anything to improve one's 'sleep hygiene' like reducing light and noise at night should help improve sleep quality, and this may help your body work more efficiently," Karatsoreos added. "We seem to be finally waking up to the realization that disrupted sleep and biological rhythms are associated with many health problems, including metabolic disruption, obesity, and cardiovascular disease," Karatsoreos said. 

ARE YOU A GERM FREE FREEK

4 germ prevention habits that don't actually work Published March 09, 2016.  

Every now and then we're reminded by a new study that public places are completely covered with bacteria (and then we try not to vom handling grocery carts and restaurant menus). Out comes the ol' shirtsleeve subway pole grip or the sidekick toilet flush. But do any of these germ hacks actually nix your exposure to the nastiness? We spoke with Philip Tierno, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU School of Medicin e , about some of the more worthless (sorry) germ-fighting maneuvers. 1. Using Your Foot to Flush the Toilet Unless you can figure out how to open and lock the bathroom stall door handle-a major germ zone-without using your hands, expect to leave the stall with contaminated paws anyway. Using a tissue to get in and out of the stall may help, but your best bet is to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and warm water after relieving yourself, and use a paper towel or your elbow to exit the restroom. 2. Holding Your Breath When Someone Nearby Sneezes "Unless you can hold your breath for a really long time, this isn't going to help," Tierno said, since those little respiratory germ droplets can linger in the air. But if you can hold your breath and run in the other direction (without, you know, offending your sneezing boss in a meeting) you might be spared, as saliva and mucus droplets can only travel up to five feet or so.  2. Wiping the Lid of a Shared Drink This tactic's just so-so. "It is somewhat helpful, since you're cutting down on some of the salivary secretions, but there's nothing foolproof here," Tierno said. Even a good wipe could leave behind strep or the stomach flu, which is never worth a single swig. Lie and say you have a cold if someone else is asking to try your drink. 3. Keeping Your Gloves on to Touch the ATM Germs will transfer to your gloves and not your fingers...for the moment. But the minute you use your hands to pull off your gloves (or touch your gloves to your face), you're back in contact with those nasties, Tierno said. The good news: Most cold and flu germs die off after a day, so as long as you lay your gloves out to dry (anything wet is a breeding ground for bacteria), you won't carry around a cesspool of bacteria day after day.  4. Hovering Over the Toilet Seat Who wants to put their bare butt where thousands of other bare butts have been before? Nobody. But pressing your cheeks against that cold porcelain really doesn't raise your risk for infection, Tierno said. "People worry about STDs, but they don't thrive in that environment-and the seat would have to be crazy contaminated (i.e.: visible grossness like poop and vomit) for you to somehow get sick. Hovering can, however, raise the risk of splash-back (that terrible sensation of being splashed by toilet bow l water), and we can confirm that's very gross. The bottom line: Your best germ-fighting plan is to wash your hands (heck, soap up twice), use hand sanitizer, keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth, and steer clear of sniffly germ perpetrators.

FOODS FOR ENERGY

 

5 energy boosting foods you should add to your day By Tanya Zuckerbrot Published March 08, 2016.  

We all know that feeling, 3 p.m. rolls around and we get that midday crash. But we don't need to reach for energy drinks or high calorie bars. Beat that midday slump without breaking the diet by using one of the tips below: Sugar-free gum That's right. Research has found that chewing gum increases heart rate and improves blood flow to your brain, which can increase alertness. Further, opting for a fresh, mint flavored stick will wake up your senses even more. Easily accessible and hassle-free, chewing gum is a great quick fix. Cardamom This popular Asian spice improves your energy supply by promoting blood flow throughout your body. You can easily integrate this spice into your meals by sprinkling it over vegetables or adding it into your chicken or meat spice blend. Alternatively, opt for a mug of chai tea- another great source of this energy-boosting spice. Spinach Bulk up your salad with this iron-rich leafy green. Low iron levels in the body can correspond with low energy levels. Why? Iron is a key component in transporting oxygen in the body. A mere two 'cup's of spinach provides 12mg of iron- more than half of your daily recommended intake! Added bonus: spinach is also high in fiber, which helps sustain our energy. Pistachios Pistachios are high in protein and fiber, which aid in stabilizing your blood sugar, providing you with long lasting energy. Pistachios are a great on-the-go snack for the calorie-conscious, as 25 pistachios weigh in at only 100 calories, while providing a whopping 6g of protein and 2g of fiber! Additional tip: Buy the pistachios with the shell on-- this will slow you down as you eat, giving your body time to sense that you're getting full. Water It's old school. Feeling tired is one of the first signs of dehydration. Before reaching for another 'cup' of coffee, have another glass of water instead! Adding more water-rich foods, such as cucumbers or lettuce, to your meals is another way to increase your water intake, while boosting your fiber intake as well. 

NON-24 EVENT SATURDAY

Just a reminder that today (the 9^th) is the last day to sign up for the event Saturday at WSB.  The subject will be on non-24 and how it affects blind individuals.  If you can attend, please contact Shelly to sign up and if you need transportation be sure to let her know that as well when you sign up.  It is planned to go from 12 noon to 2:00 pm.  We’re looking forward to seeing many of you there.

Shelly’s contact info:

501-664-7100  ext 233

Until tomorrow

Bob and Johnye

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL

Top 10 best-selling cereals Published March 07, 2016.  

While millennials may find the idea of cereal too bothersome as a grab-and-go breakfast, Americans still love their cereal. Yet, a trip down the cereal aisle may be a little different these days. Food companies are stripped out artificial ingredients in kids cereal while "adult" versions are advertised as health and weight loss boosters. In honor of on March 7 being National Cereal Day, we put together the top best sellers, according to Chicago-based market research firm Information Resources, Inc. Is your favorite still on the list? 1.  Honey Nut Cheerios AP 2.  Frosted Flakes AP 3.  Honey Bunches of Oats Post 4.  Cheerios AP 5.  Cinnamon Toast Crunch General Mills 6.  Special K AP 7.  Frosted Mini Wheats AP 8.  Lucky Charms AP 9.  Froot Loops  10.  Raisin Bran.

NON 24 MEETING AT WSB

There will be a get together at WSB this Saturday the 12^th.  You are encouraged to attend.  There will be a discussion regarding  non-24 which affects many blind people.  If you would like to attend please call Shelly for details on time and to sign up.  If you need a ride, let her know that as well.  We need to know by Wednesday the 9^th.  We hope to see many of you there.

Contact for Shelly

501-664-7100   ext 233

Until tomorrow

Bob and Johnye

PEANUTS AND OBESITY-PROBABLY NOT WHAT YOU THINK

 

Snacking on peanuts may help obesity epidemic By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore Published March 04, 2016.  

Good news for those who like peanuts and aren't allergic: Snacking on them three to four times a week could help lower one's BMI, researchers report.  Researchers from the University of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Woman's University followed 257 Latino adolescents-who were in the 85th percentile or greater for BMI-over a six-month period. During that time, about half the group snacked on peanuts or peanut butter right after school three to four times a week; their counterparts had the same snack less than once a week, and all children received nutrition education and engaged in physical activity. The researchers found the peanut-heavy group reduced their BMI more than twice as much as the other group over the course of the study. "Obesity is the most pressing health issue facing us today," study co-author Craig Johnston says in a press release . "We'd like to think it's preventable, but from where I sit right now, there hasn't been a lot shown to be very effective on a large scale. He says that snacking on peanuts offers a "creative" solution that can help people manage their weight, appetite, and hunger, peanuts are more universally liked than health foods like carrots.  While just about any nut can make for a healthy, fat-filled snack (yes, peanuts are technically a legume...), almonds have the benefit of packing the fewest calories. 

HIGH TECH WHITE CANES

A cane for the blind that senses tall obstacles Published March 04, 2016.  

As an undergraduate studying computer science and engineering in New Delhi, Rohan Paul, the son of two doctors, took on a class project working with the blind. He learned that the white cane, which many visually impaired people depend on for mobility, has a major shortcoming: It doesn't allow users to detect obstacles at or above knee level, such as tree branches, road barriers, car doors and clotheslines. "Each person had a story of how they were hit on the head," he says. Parents of blind children "were scared of sending their children to school because they were afraid they'd smack their heads. So back in 2005, Dr. Paul and his classmates developed a prototype device to help blind people detect such obstacles. In the years since, he says, "this extracurricular class project became a mission. After a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford, where he earned a Ph.D. in mobile robotics, Dr. Paul returned to India and worked on refining the device. It is a small, handle-shaped attachment for the top of a cane, with an ultrasonic sensor that perceives taller obstacles that the cane alone would miss. The polycarbonate, battery-powered attachment vibrates when a user approaches an obstacle-the closer the object, the faster the vibrations. At a distance of up to 8 feet, it can detect an object as small as just over an inch across. When potential users told Dr. Paul, 31, and his colleagues what they ideally wanted, they cited ease of use, safety and affordability. They also sought to avoid stigma. "People wanted something so subtle," he says. Men wanted to avoid bumping into women on the street-and the resulting humiliation. Women wanted something small and light. The goal, Dr. Paul says, was "safe, independent mobility with dignity. When he tested the device from 2012 to 2014 with nearly 200 people in six cities, users reported 90 percent fewer upper-body collisions than with an ordinary cane. 

AN APP YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK OUT

CNET's Tech Today app: One tap, 10  We've built an incredible new iPhone app to help you keep on top of the ever-changing world of technology. It's called Tech Today, and you should download it right now. by Jeremy Toeman @jtoeman / March 3, 2016.  

Let's face it, news happens -- lots of it. And that's awesome. But it can be overwhelming to try to stay on top of that density of tech-related news. In fact, here at CNET our editorial staff writes upward of 80 articles per day, and we're pretty selective about what we cover. And we know many of you just don't have time to read everything we put out (sad face). . That's exactly why we built Tech Today -- the simplest and fastest (and free-est?) way to get a daily dose of CNET's tech news, without any complications or stories about the Kardashians (well, unless it's about their apps...). Tech Today provides the big picture in tech, by delivering a selection of best stories based on the most popular topics of the day. It's perfect for your commute (not while driving!) or while in line at your favorite coffee shop. . Check it out live in the App Store, and get your tech fix now! .

A NEW DIMENSION TO TECH SUPPORT

A young woman wrote to tech support, and their reply is a stroke of genius. She is no different from the rest of us -- both family happiness and heartbreak are familiar to her.  She was simply looking for insightful and reliable technical data on how to maintain a successful male-female relationship. She wrote a letter to tech support as a joke and only remembered about it when she unexpectedly received their responding email.

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slowdown in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as: Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as: NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and House Cleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.  What can I do?

Signed,

   
Desperate

 
Dear Desperate,

First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: I thought you loved me.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT, under any circumstances, install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)  In addition, please, do not attempt to re-install the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.  You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend: Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

DOES YOUR BACK HURT

Study: Exercise best bet to prevent lower back pain.  

Lower back pain is an almost universal, if unwelcome, experience. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (one of the prestigious National Institutes of Health) estimates that 80 percent of those of us in the Western world can expect to suffer from disruptive lower back pain at some point in our lives. But if we begin and stick with the right type of exercise program, we might avoid a recurrence, according to a comprehensive new scientific review of back pain prevention. Lower back pain develops for many reasons, including lifestyle, genetics, ergonomics, sports injuries, snow shoveling or just bad luck. Most often, in fact, the underlying cause is unknown. For most people, a first episode of back pain will go away within a week or so. However, back pain recurs with distressing frequency. By most estimates about 75 percent of people who have had one debilitating episode of lower back pain will have another within a year. These repeated bouts can set off what doctors and researchers call a "spiral of decline," in which someone takes to his couch because of the pain; this inactivity weakens muscles and joints; the person's now-feebler back and core become less able to sustain the same level of activity as before and succumb when he tries to return to normal life, leading to more pain and more inactivity; and the spiral accelerates. This scenario obviously makes preventing back pain, especially in someone who has undergone at least one episode, extremely desirable. But until now, few studies have systematically examined what really works against repeated back pain and what doesn't. So for the new review, researchers affiliated with the George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney in Australia and other institutions set out to gather and analyze as many relevant studies as possible. There were surprisingly few high-quality studies, meaning those that had randomized participants to be treated or not. But after scouring through more than 6,000 studies about back-pain prevention, the researchers settled on 23 that they felt were methodologically robust. These studies had examined, in total, more than 30,000 participants with back pain. The prevention techniques under review included education about lifestyle changes, shoe orthotics, back belts, various types of exercise programs, and exercise programs that also included some type of education about back-pain prevention. For the purposes of the review, a successful prevention program was defined as one that had kept someone from reporting another bout of back pain within a year or longer or that had staved off lost work time because of back problems. Such success, as it turned out, was discouragingly limited. Educational efforts alone showed essentially zero ability to prevent a recurrence of back pain, the researchers found. Back belts and orthotics likewise were almost completely ineffective, leaving people who employed either of those methods very prone to experiencing more back pain within a year. But exercise programs -- with or without additional educational elements -- proved to be potent preventives, the researchers found. In fact, "the size of the protective effect" from exercise "was quite large," said Chris Maher, a professor at the George Institute, who oversaw the new review. "Exercise combined with education reduced the risk of an episode of low back pain in the next year by 45 percent. In other words, it almost halved the risk. Interestingly, the type of exercise program didn't matter. In some of the experiments Maher and his colleagues reviewed, the regimens focused solely on strengthening muscles in the core and back. In others, the training was more general, combining aerobic conditioning with strength and balance training. Most asked participants to complete two or three supervised sessions every week, typically for about two months, although some lasted longer. A few included education programs as well. The end result was that if someone with a history of back pain exercised in a regular way, he was considerably less likely to be felled by more back pain within a year. However, the protective effects typically wore off after that, with recurrences rising after a year. Maher thinks that probably happened because many of the people who had been involved in the studies stopped exercising, and their back problems returned. Based on the available evidence, he said, it's still impossible to know whether exercise improves back health in the long-term, or if one type of exercise program is measurably better than others. He and his colleagues hope to mount studies comparing different routines head-to-head and following people for several years. But for now, he said, "of all the options currently available to prevent back pain, exercise is really the only one with any evidence that it works. 

EVERYONE LOVES GIRL SCOUT COOKIES

 

Things you didn't know about Girl Scout cookies By Dan Myers Published February 29, 2016.  

Every year when Girl Scout cookie season rolls around, thousands of troops take to the streets with a very noble mission: to sell as many boxes of cookies as humanly possible. Girl Scout cookies are win-win: Girl Scout troops get to keep the proceeds as a much-needed source of revenue, and everybody else gets cookies. But even if you've never missed an opportunity to stock up on Thin Mints, we bet that there are some things you didn't know about these popular cookies. Girl Scout cookies trace their roots all the way back to 1917, when an Oklahoma troop sold cookies as a fundraiser at their local high school. Five years later, scout magazine This American Girl published some cookie recipes for troops who wanted to fundraise, and in the 1930s the first official sales were held in major cities, and bakeries were licensed to produce cookies. Today, Girl Scout cookies are produced by two bakeries: ABC Bakers (a subsidiary of Interbake Foods, which is owned by George Weston Limited) and Little Brownie Bakers (a subsidiary of Keebler, which is owned by Kellogg's). Even though there are some major differences between the cookies they produce (more on that later), the "core five" cookies are the same (albeit with different names, occasionally): Thin Mints, Trefoils or Shortbread, Samoas or Caramel deLites, Tagalongs or Peanut Butter Patties, and Do-si-dos or Peanut Butter Sandwiches. If your cookies are called Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils, and Do-si-dos, they're produced by Little Brownie; If they're called Shortbread, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, and Peanut Butter Sandwiches, they're produced by ABC. The only cookie name shared by both companies is Thin Mints. Once the cost of the cookies is repaid to the bakery, all of the net revenue raised through Girl Scout Cookie sales stays with the local councils and troops. They're allowed to set their own goals on how the money is spent, from financing outings to events and museums to buying materials for community projects and maintaining camps and properties. So whether you call them Samoas or Caramel deLites, it's hard to argue that buying Girl Scout cookies doesn't support a good cause 1.  Girl Scouts Sold Calendars During WWII Because of Rationing.  Everyone did their part to support the war effort during World War II, including the Girl Scouts. They weren't able to sell as many cookies as usual during the war, so they sold calendars as well, and also collected cans of fat to donate and sold War Bonds at no profit. 2.  Thin Mints Are the Top Seller.  About 25 percent of all Girl Scout cookies sold are Thin Mints. Samoas/Caramel deLites are in second place with 19 percent of sales. 3.  Gluten-Free, Vegan Girl Scout Cookies Are Now Available.  Bakers Both Little Brownie's Toffee-Tastic and ABC's Trios are now gluten-free. Little Brownie's Thin Mints and ABC's Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lots, Thin Mints, and Peanut Butter Patties are vegan. 4.  There Are Dozens of Discontinued Varieties.  Remember All Abouts? How about Cinna-Spins, Olé Olés, Savannahs, Snaps, or Van'chos? These are just some of the more than 40 Girl Scout cookie varieties that have come and gone throughout the years 5.  There's a Mobile Cookie-Locator App.  Looking for the nearest Girl Scout cookie seller? There's an app for that. Once you find the nearest seller, you can send her your email address, and she'll send you a link to her cookie selling site, where you can see what her troop plans to do with the money and place your cookie order online. Introduced last year as part of their national Digital Cookie platform, it's the biggest new initiative in the entire history of Girl Scout cookies.