Super Bowl Increases Risk of Heart Attacks

31 Jan

Be careful when watching the Packers play the Steelers next week. If you’re at risk for heart disease, rooting too hard for a team that ultimately loses could increase your risk of suffering a heart attack.

Researchers utilized data from the Los Angeles County health department to study two week periods immediately following the 1980 and 1984 Super Bowls. The L.A. Rams played in both games, losing in 1980 in a close game to the Steelers, but crushing the Washington Redskins in 1984. In 1980, the number of deaths rose 17 percent while in 1984 they actually decreased immediately following the game.

Their strategy for preventing heart problems: Tape the game and wait to hear the results. Yeah, we’ll see if that one catches on.

Not Enough “Working Class Heroes” in the Music Industry?

30 Jan

The BBC asks if the music industry “Has Gone Too Posh?” in a recent article online.

They point to a rise in privately-educated musicians with pop hits, rather than stars who came from poverty to conquer the industry. As always, the story is slightly more complicated. For every star musician that rose from extreme poverty, like Roger Daltrey and Keith Moon, there were those who came from middle class backgrounds, like John Lennon and Pete Townsend.

With that said, the BBC compared the current Top 40 chart with one from 20 years ago, and discovered that back in 1990 nearly 80 percent of artists were educated in state schools. Rolling Stone recently pointed out new hit artists, like Nicki Minaj, who attended drama schools.

With all that said, do you think the music suffers from private school pupils?

Would they have made it today?

 

Inside the Catacombs of Paris

29 Jan

Be sure to check out the February issue of National Geographic for more of these stunning pictures.

This Is So Punny

29 Jan

As everyone knows, I love puns.

Hairy Potter, get it? (h/t Laughing Squid)

Three Fascinating Food Stories

28 Jan

1) The Dark Side of the Bird (Slate): Who knew that in 2001 (a peak) the United States exported over 1 billion pounds of dark chicken meat annually? This article examines what the USA plans to do with all that meat, since exports to Russia have dried up. It’s also an interesting examination of why we prefer white to dark meat.

2)Offal Chef Chris Cosentino Is Happy to Make a Meat Dress for Lady Gaga (Vanity Fair): Cosentino runs a restaurant called “Incanto” in San Francisco and specializes in offal cooking. That involves cooking with body parts of animals that you might not ordinarily consider (brains, hearts, kidneys, sperm sacks). He has a simple philosophy for getting you to try these foods: “Harden the fuck up and try it. It’s not like you’re going to a restaurant and they’re putting a pile of dog shit in front of you.

3) How Many Bugs Are Allowed in Your Pasta (Salon): Probably don’t want to read this if you’re eating. The FDA has guidelines for how much “foreign matter” is allowed in your food. Yeah, the guidelines are pretty shocking. For popcorn, the food is okay if it has less than “20 or more gnawed grains per pound and rodent hair is found in 50 percent or more of the subsamples.” Eat up!


← Older Entries
Newer Entries →