I like the part at the end where it says that some of the smokers couldn't have their memories tested again because they were dead.

Quoted: CHICAGO (Reuters) - Middle-aged adults who smoke tended to perform poorly on tests of memory and reasoning compared to nonsmokers, adding to the list of reasons not to smoke, French researchers said on Monday.

All personal property and just silliness issues aside, this is quite an ugly tree -- and how scary that the public health people in Wales think that the problem with being pricked by a hypodermic needle is the prick itself.

Quoted: A 150-year-old monkey puzzle tree is facing the chop after health and safety experts said its needles are a danger. The 50ft-tall tree is to be felled after it's needles were likened to syringes.
...
‘Every effort is made in this day and age to prevent children playing with discarded syringe needles,’ a report stated.
...
‘Every effort must be made to prevent children coming into contact with these potentially, equally sharp needles.’

Wow ... it measures your BMI and tracks your fitness progress all while playing games like ski slalom. Cool.

Quoted: Despite just being released in December, Wii Fit already has sold 1.76 million copies in Japan and is the best-selling game of the year ending March 31.

Now, with Wii Fit's U.S. debut inching ever closer, it's time for American gamers to start stretching and warming up. But what is Wii Fit? And why is it being seen as the next big product launch from Nintendo?

This is really distressing. There is a lot of discussion in the mommy blog community about BPA (Bisphenol A) and it is very easy to search for products that do not contain this chemical. Luckily we did not bottle feed our little guy at all.

Quoted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A chemical in some plastic food and drink packaging including baby bottles may be tied to early puberty and prostate and breast cancer, the U.S. government said on Tuesday. ...

The National Toxicology Program went further than previous U.S. government statements on possible health risks from BPA.

It said: "There is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children at current human exposures." The findings expressed concern about exposure in these populations, "based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females."

Sounds like a good time to indulge ...

Quoted: In the Pacific Northwest pampering and "going green" aren't mutually exclusive. This year, Spa Week (April 14-20) gives those who normally won't splurge on spa services a chance to try out a variety of treatments, many of which are organic, for just $50 each.

Treatments at 15 Puget Sound-area spas range from a man's Brazilian wax (seriously) to eyelash extensions to a papaya nectar pedicure.Book your appointments now, because the services sell out quickly.

FYI ...

Quoted: You can skip the mouth-to-mouth breathing and just press on the chest to save a life. In a major change, the American Heart Association said Monday that hands-only CPR - rapid, deep presses on the victim's chest until help arrives - works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest in adults.

Hands-only CPR calls for uninterrupted chest presses — 100 a minute — until paramedics take over or an automated external defibrillator is available to restore a normal heart rhythm.

This action should be taken only for adults who unexpectedly collapse, stop breathing and are unresponsive. The odds are that the person is having cardiac arrest — the heart suddenly stops — which can occur after a heart attack or be caused by other heart problems. In such a case, the victim still has ample air in the lungs and blood and compressions keep blood flowing to the brain, heart and other organs.

A child who collapses is more likely to primarily have breathing problems — and in that case, mouth-to-mouth breathing should be used. That also applies to adults who suffer lack of oxygen from a near-drowning, drug overdose, or carbon monoxide poisoning. In these cases, people need mouth-to-mouth to get air into their lungs and bloodstream.

This has always been my issue with CFLs. This article has a nice guide though about what to do if you break a CFL and release the mercury in your house.

Quoted: Compact fluorescent light bulbs pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought, say officials and activists, who warn that the bulbs’ mercury-laced contents can be hard to dispose of. ...

“It’s kind of ironic that on the one hand, the agency is saying, ‘Don’t worry, it’s a very small amount of mercury.’ Then they have a whole page of [instructions] how to handle the situation if you break one,” she said.

It's just odd when you think that zoos used to not bother finding out what animals actually ate in the wild. And I'm still not sure that Jell-O should be on the menu, even if it IS sugar-free.

Quoted: Gorillas on Weight Watchers? Polar bears slurping sugar-free Jell-O shots? Giraffes nibbling alfalfa biscuits?

The days of letting visitors throw marshmallows to the animals are mostly history at zoos around the country, replaced by a growing focus on diet and nutrition that parallels the fitness craze in humans.

And thanks to mounting research on wild animals' food needs, today's zoo staffers are trying new feeding tricks to keep their lions and tigers and bears healthy and happy.

Avoiding obesity is part of the program.

Seattle is on the list for greatest number of parks per square mile.

Quoted: A look at the best walking cities in all 50 states.