Monday, November 14, 2005
Smacking, Low-Carbs, and Anthrax
While out for a nice family dinner, go ahead and smack your bitch up, but not your brat*. New research indicates that kids who are physically disciplined, regardless of local culture, tend to be more violent and anxious. While in theory I'm against hitting kids, sometimes a little mortal terror does wonders for discipline. See, for example, that screaming brat at table 5, versus the boisterous-but-not-irritating child at table 3.
At the restaurant, you may be tempted to stick to your low-carb routine. Be warned: this diet may do some pretty significant damage to your heart. Researchers found that people on a low-carb diet had reduced coronary energy stores, and their heart muscles became slightly 'stiff.' Though the n is miniscule and the length of follow up brief, the findings are worth consideration (and, hopefully, replication).
When you get home from dinner, you may open a letter from your mailbox to find white powder inside. Anthrax!!!! (not the band) You inhaled it, so you're probably going to die. But, at least now science can tell you why inhaling the spores is so much more dangerous than getting them on your fingers: it turns out that anthrax is pretty easily killed by neutrophils using alpha-defensin, but that there are too few neutrophils in the lungs to do the job. Maybe in a few years there will be an inhalable alpha-defensin? No, that would probably cause severe inflammation and kill you anyways.
* This blog does not endorse or advocate the smacking of bitches. Unless heasksbegs for it.
At the restaurant, you may be tempted to stick to your low-carb routine. Be warned: this diet may do some pretty significant damage to your heart. Researchers found that people on a low-carb diet had reduced coronary energy stores, and their heart muscles became slightly 'stiff.' Though the n is miniscule and the length of follow up brief, the findings are worth consideration (and, hopefully, replication).
When you get home from dinner, you may open a letter from your mailbox to find white powder inside. Anthrax!!!! (not the band) You inhaled it, so you're probably going to die. But, at least now science can tell you why inhaling the spores is so much more dangerous than getting them on your fingers: it turns out that anthrax is pretty easily killed by neutrophils using alpha-defensin, but that there are too few neutrophils in the lungs to do the job. Maybe in a few years there will be an inhalable alpha-defensin? No, that would probably cause severe inflammation and kill you anyways.
* This blog does not endorse or advocate the smacking of bitches. Unless he
