Head Transplant Is Months Away
The stuff of science fiction is only months from becoming reality, but it would have been sooner if not for a glitch.
The Italian neurosurgeon planning the world's first head transplant says there's a change in the patient. Dr. Sergio Canavero now says he will not perform the operation on a Russian man he's been treating for almost two years. Instead, the surgery will be done in China, on a patient who has not been chosen yet.
The Russian man suffers from a muscle-wasting disease. The publisher of the media company handling the surgeon's press relations says the head transplant will be done in China because, quote, "It's much easier to get a Chinese donor." The surgeon says the first human head transplant will happen within ten months.
Critics have questioned the procedure because the science behind it is a closely held secret. Naysayers believe technology is not capable of transplanting a head yet. Source: Newsweek
Early Bedtime For Kids Leads To Better Mental Health For Mom-It’s kind of a no-brainer that shipping the kids off to bed early makes for an overall healthier mom.
There’s more to it than just that, according to new research. Kids who fall asleep early are more likely to be healthier, and their moms have better mental health, research has found.
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia and lead author Jon Quach said in a statement “So mums and dads, getting kids to bed early is not just great for them. It’s good for you, too.”
For the study, researchers used information collected from parents of kids who were 4 to 5 years old, then again when they were 6 to 7, and finally when they were 8 to 9 years old.
The key to the findings was an early bedtime, not how long the children slept. Source: Today
Today is May Day
May 1st is May Day! People have been celebrating the first of May for hundreds of years, but for two very different reasons. Our modern observances have both “green roots” and “red roots.” For some people, May Day is a celebration of spring—a tradition that comes from the Pagan festival of Beltane. (These are the “green” traditions.)
For others, May Day is a celebration of workers’ rights, marked by rallies, parades, and marches. In 1958, President Eisenhower declared that the second type of May Day celebrations were communist (hence, the name “red roots”), and created a new holiday called Law Day to take its place.
One of the most popular May Day traditions is the maypole dance, which was created by the ancient druids of the British Isles. During the Beltane festival, people performed a circle dance around a pole. The dance evolved over the years to include the ribbons and standard weaving patterns we still use today.
Today is Global Love Day
May 1st is Global Love Day! Global Love Day was created as an annual event to celebrate our humanity and unity through unconditional love, pioneered by Harold Becker, founder of The Love Foundation on May 1, 2004 to “Inspire people to love unconditionally.”
You can find out more about Global Love Day at their website, GlobalLoveProject.com. Just consider this - when you allow more love into your live, that love will not only bless and transform your life, but will always spill over and bless others and the world. Cool idea, right?
Today is Women-Owned Business Day
May 1st is Women-Owned Business Day! As the name suggests, this is the day people are encouraged to shop from woman-owned businesses. Inspired by the investment gap between woman-owned and male-owned businesses, the founders of this celebration want to create awareness about woman-owned businesses as good investments.
If you’re one of the fine folks patronizing a women-owned shop today, show your pride – and promote the day on social media using the hashtag #buyfromwomen.
Travel Agency Plans Trip For You But You Don’t Know Where You’re Going Till The Day You Leave
Travel company Pack Up + Go can plan your next trip just like any other travel agency but there’s a catch, you won't know where you are going on your vacation until you leave for the trip. According to the website, they rarely send travelers more than three or four hours away because they don't want folks to spend the entire trip traveling. But you can choose whether you want to travel by car or by plane, so your destination might be a new town nearby or one halfway across the country. Mystery tours have been around for a while in Europe, but the idea was new to the United States.
Link: http://www.packupgo.com
Taking the Stairs A Comparable Pick-Me-Up to Coffee, Study Says
You'll feel more energized if you do some easy stair walking rather than drinking caffeine, a new study recommends.
The study included college women who said they were chronically sleep deprived, meaning they got less than 6.5 hours of sleep a night.
On separate days, they consumed capsules with 50 milligrams of caffeine (roughly the amount in a can of soda) or a placebo, or spent 10 minutes walking up and down stairs (about 30 floors in total) at an easy pace.
"We found, in both the caffeine and the placebo conditions, that there was not much change in how they felt. But with exercise they did feel more energetic and vigorous," said study co-author Patrick O'Connor, a professor at the University of Georgia's Department of Kinesiology.
The exercise boost was immediate but short-lived, he said in a university news release.
The researchers wanted to focus on an easy and convenient way for office workers to be active.
"Office workers can go outside and walk, but weather can be less than ideal. It has never rained on me while walking the stairs," O'Connor said.
He said even a short walk up and down the stairs seems to make workers feel more motivated and refreshed.
Link: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2017/04/28/Taking-the-stairs-a-comparable-pick-
Service Provides Dapper llamas as Wedding Guests
A service in Oregon offers couples the opportunity to have well-dressed therapy llamas and alpacas attend their wedding.
Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas a non-profit animal therapy organization, launched a service called Wedding Llamas to have their star animals Rojo the llama and Napoleon the alpaca attend local weddings.
"Our animals are 'pros' when it comes to parties and special events, always decorated to compliment, our llamas can easily handle all ages, and any size of crowd!" The organization's website states. "More than just 'entertainment,' we provide a unique interactive experience for your guests, that most have never experienced before, and smiles that will last forever!"
The group told The Oregonian they had their first llama wedding in 2011 and the service has continued to grow.
"We have a dozen on the calendar this year and it's not even wedding season," the owner's daughter Shannon Joy said.
All proceeds from the animal wedding packages, which start at $200 and $300 for two, go toward funding the organization's Therapy and Education Program.
Couples hosting a wedding within an hour drive from the Mtn Peaks facility can contact the organization via email to inquire about hiring the animals.
Link: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2017/04/28/Service-provides-dapper-llamas-as-wedding
Chipotle Debuts Dessert
Sweet news for Chipotle fans: the Mexican Grill has decided to add a new dessert item to the menu. According to Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold, they’re going to start selling buñuelos - a “classic Mexican treat” next month.
Never heard of buñuelos? Neither had we, but here’s what you can look forward to/ It starts with something Chipotle has around anyway: tortillas.
- They’re deep fried
- Tossed in cinnamon and sugar,
- Topped with honey
- And you can even get a special caramel apple dipping sauce for them.
This is the first sweet treat they’ve ever had, so fans must be pretty excited. Now if we can just learn to save some room for buñuelos after a burrito or a bowl.
Source: New York Post