June 10, 2009
The Cayce United Methodist Church and Living Springs Lutheran Church in South Carolina are conducting an unusual donation drive. They have partnered with Soles4Souls which collects footwear and distributes it to children in need. Both churches are asking parishioners to place their shoes on the altar and leave the service barefooted.
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June 9, 2009
Researchers at the University of Vermont found that people who exercise experienced significant improvements in mood-not just immediately after exercising, but for up to 12 hours later-as compared to people who did not exercise. These findings were recently presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. According to Jeremy Sibold, assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science, “It’s clear that exercise is critical for both physical health and mental health.”
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June 8, 2009
Scientists have found it difficult to track the migrating patterns of Emperor penguins, made famous in the documentary March of the Penguins, during the harsh Antarctic winters. Researchers at the British Antarctic Survey were reviewing satellite photos and noticed reddish-brown stains in the pure, colorless ice. They realized that these stains were caused by the guano (or fecal matter) from colonies of Emperor penguins spending months in the same place. Peter Fretwell documents this in his paper “Penguins From Space” that will appear in Global Ecology and Biogeography.
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June 7, 2009
A controversial ruling might put some Ohio State Troopers out of a job. Their union contract allows for the removal of officers who are consistently overweight. Since January of this year, 11 have received verbal or written warnings for being up to 48lbs too heavy. The rational is that while much of their time is spent sitting in cars or at desks, their duties require them to be prepared for sudden physical exertion. In order for the clause to be enacted, officers must fail their monthly weigh-in for 24 consecutive months. However, they can still pass if they perform well on various exercise tests and if they do get dismissed from the force, they may return after losing the weight.
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June 6, 2009
Cell phones – they have become a vital part of our lives and they can perform nearly all the functions of a computer. But in the race to create the next great thing, companies have come up with some real clunkers. PC World showed their “dirty dozen” – 12 phones so ugly, you gotta see them to believe them. You might be surprised to learn that these are from major manufacturers like Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Virgin Mobile, and Motorola. One phone is nearly too large to fit in a pocket, another looks like a calculator, and one is adorned with a Cobra snake featuring 439 rubies, 2 emeralds, and 2 diamonds. If you have been looking for a phone fashioned after a lobster’s claw that is available too! But don’t expect these phones to come cheap. Some start at $1,000 and they top out at $310,000.
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June 5, 2009
At a gathering, El Paso Schools Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia celebrated the news that students received high test scores on state exams. He walked around giving high-fives to all the school principals in the room. When he reached Mary Lechuga, principal of Barron Elementary in El Paso and a recently demoted former district administrator, she did not raise her hand to receive the high-five. Faced with the awkward situation, Garcia opted to tap Lechuga on the head. The Associated Press reported that following the incident, Lechuga filed a complaint stating she had pain and feared what Garcia might do next.
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June 4, 2009
The Jonas Brothers have demonstrated their sense of humor with appearances on comedy mainstay Saturday Night Live. As part of the promotional activities for the upcoming release of their fourth album Lines, Vines and Trying Times, Joe Jonas reaches new heights of humor with a lampoon of Beyonce’ Knowles’ hit single and video of Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It). Jonas emulates Knowles’ outfit worn in the video-high heels and a black leotard-and an awkward version of her dance moves. The popular dance track features the catchy chorus of “If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it.” In an interesting twist, all three members of the Jonas Brothers wear purity rings pledging abstinence until marriage.
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June 3, 2009
In Philomath, Oregon, Rosie, a border terrier was pinned by a cougar that wandered into their town. Fearing for his pal, Chiquita the Chihuahua chased off the cougar by barking ferociously. The dogs’ owner, Loren Wingert, says they were “tough but lucky”.
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June 2, 2009
With its history steeped in nobility and grand traditions, the game of tennis maintains its reputation of being a refined sport. Over the past few decades, players have developed habits of yelling or grunting as they exert energy into their swings. Last Friday in the French Open, sixteen-year-old Portuguese phenomenon Michelle Larcher de Brito gained attention with her long-lasting shrieks as she played. The noises were so disturbing, the crowd began to jeer her and officials convened courtside to consider their options-though no action was taken. Watch this video and at the 2:30 mark you will hear an example of De Brito’s “shriek heard ’round the world” and her response to the official’s request to quiet down.
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June 1, 2009
As of June 1, 2009, the final stage of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative takes effect for travelers crossing the northern and southern borders of the United States. Sweeping changes occurred in 2008 when the person needed to show proof of citizenship in the form of a passport, birth certificate or voter registration card. The new regulations permit only the acceptance of a passport, passport card, or other travel documents in the “Trusted Traveler” program that are approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A government official has confirmed that thus far there has not been an increase in requests for passports, likely due to the rush created with the 2007/2008 travel document changes.
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