R.J. Williams of Brooklyn, New York just set a new world record that we certainly hope you won’t try to break anytime soon. He swallowed a light bulb in 33.86 seconds! The rules that Williams followed were simple: He had to use a standard, household light bulb; he had to eat everything excluding the metal parts; he could only use his teeth to break and eat the light bulb and he could only wash it down with water. There’s amazing video of this thing on YouTube and the adjudicators at recordsetter.com were there to make sure that everything was on the up-and-up as the light bulb went down. He literally chews the thing up and swallows it! (Huffington Post)
The lights are on but nobody’s home?

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

Researchers think that warning labels that explain how much exercise is needed to run off the calories in junk food are far more effective than traditional counts. It was found that teenagers who were shown the warnings on carbonated cans – which stated an hour’s run would be needed to get rid of the calories – were half as likely to drink them. Results showed that providing calorie-related information did cause sales to drop by over a third (40 percent), but that the physical activity equivalent was most effective, reducing soft drink sales among teens by half. Study author Dr Sara Bleich said: ‘People generally underestimate the number of calories in the foods and beverages they consume. Providing easily understandable caloric information-particularly in the form of a physical activity equivalent. Because of the health problems associated with junk food, it is critical to explore the most effective strategies for presenting caloric information to consumers on fast food restaurant menu boards.’ (Fox News)
Oooof, I don’t even want to think about how much exercise I’d have to do after that box of chocolates! .. maybe a marathon?

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

A recent survey by Disney/Pixar finds that nearly two-thirds of kids ages 3 to 8 want their parents to spend more time reading to them, and a whopping 82% say a bedtime tale helped them to sleep better. Storytelling even beat TV and video games among the 500 kids surveyed, who liked it best when mom or dad used funny voices and made sound effects to exemplify the characters and action. The kids also said they’d like to have celebrities read them tales, with 30% favoring Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, while others preferred Hanna Montana star Miley Cyrus or High School Musical hunk Zac Efron.

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

An unhappy marriage may be as bad for your health as a fast food diet. Investigators found that women in rocky relationships were up to 40% more likely than happily hitched women to have metabolic syndrome a cluster of health issues including obesity and high cholesterol that can lead to heart disease. Chronic stress stimulates the release of the hormone cortisol, which causes the body to store fat in the belly. Excess ab fat is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome according to the University of Utah. (Women’s Health)

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

Men, it’s time to update your wardrobe. Why? Women are more attracted to men in red. That’s the word from researchers at the University of Rochester and the University of Munich, who found that red has a universal sexual appeal for women. After all, it’s a symbol of courage and sacrifice, sin and sexuality, power and passion, so why wouldn’t it also make men more alluring to women? In the U.S., England, Germany and China, women found men to be more appealing when they were either pictured wearing red or framed in red, compared with other colors. Not only are men who wear red more attractive, they are also more desirable…that’s why I have such a crush on Santa! I thought it was all the goodies in his gift bag! ; )

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

A hidden tracking app has been found on tens of millions of smartphones that secretly records everything users do, including things like the content of their text messages, every website visited and even every keystroke they make. A 25-year-old Android developer found the Carrier IQ software, which almost always runs in the background of users’ phones without their permission or even awareness, and is almost impossible to remove. The Carrier IQ company says it’s only recording information for diagnostic purposes and doesn’t record keystrokes or the content of email and text messages. AT&T, Sprint, HTC and Samsung have admitted to having the tracking app on their phones, but also say the information collected is only used to improve service, while Verizon, Blackberry maker Research In Motion and Nokia said the app isn’t on their phones. It’s been found on the iPhone, but it apparently is off by default and only logs technical information. The story is still developing, but privacy and legal experts say this isn’t only about privacy, but could potentially be a violation of federal wiretap law.

Have a good weekend!
Lou-Anne