- Aaaaaaand the pendulum swings back the other way - again. No health- or science-related topic has featured as many twists and turns as whether or not cell phones are dangerous to users’ health. As of Tuesday, that pendulum is back on the site of unhealthy after the World Health Organization declared that radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer. The WHO now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. Read that again: the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. Those are three powerful names to be in a category with, for sure. But hey, the agency did precede its announcement with the assurance to consumers that no adverse health effects had been established. The announcement came from research done by a team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States. After reviewing peer-reviewed studies on cell phone safety (doesn’t sound all that extensive or high-effort), these scientists decided they had enough evidence to categorize personal exposure as "possibly carcinogenic to humans." What does that mean? Not much, actually. There simply are not enough long-term studies conducted to make a clear conclusion if radiation from cell phones are safe, but there is still enough data showing a possible connection that consumers should be alerted. "The biggest problem we have is that we know most environmental factors take several decades of exposure before we really see the consequences," said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Radiation coming from cell phones is typically called non-ionizing, most closely resembling a very low-powered microwave oven. Even though Tuesday’s announcement is far from earth-shaking news, the voices decrying the dangers of cell phone use that have grown louder over the years will undoubtedly seize upon it to more loudly champion their cause. One such kook - a well-educated kook - happens to be the head of a prominent cancer-research institute at the University of Pittsburgh who sent a memo to employees telling them to limit cell phone use because of a possible risk of cancer. The largest international study on cell phones and cancer concluded in 2010 and it found that participants who used a cell phones for 10 years or more had doubled the rate of brain glioma, a type of tumor. One area that remains unexplored in the field of possible health hazards from cell phones is the danger to children, an increasingly important topic because of the rapidly expanding number of children who use cell phones at lower and lower ages. With thinner skulls and scalps, the danger should theoretically be higher if any sort of substantial radiation is being put out. Most smartphone manufacturers do warn consumers to keep their device away from their body, but those warnings tend to fall on deaf ears like so many other warnings about potential health hazards about products. For example, the safety manual for Apple’s iPhone 4 says for users' radiation exposure to not exceed FCC guidelines, "When using iPhone near your body for voice calls or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network, keep iPhone at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) away from the body." Competitor BlackBerry advises users of its popular Bold model to "keep the BlackBerry device at least 0.98 in. (25 mm) from your body when the BlackBerry device is transmitting." Or just continue using your phone the same way you always have and consequences be damned…………
- It sounds great and at the moment, it’s essentially all Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard can do to debunk rumors that he is planning on following the path beaten out of town by former Magic center Shaquille O’Neal and heading to a bigger market when he becomes a free agent. Like O’Neal, Howard has established himself as the NBA’s dominant big man and while he’s not on O’Neal’s level as an all-time great, he has won consecutive defensive player of the year awards and is prominently featured as a pitchman for various national companies. Couple his Hollywood aspirations with the reality that the small-market Magic seem like a long shot to compete against the Chicago Bulls and the in-state Miami Heat in the stacked Eastern Conference and it’s easy to see why speculation is intense about Howard’s possible departure. There’s also the rising trend of superstars coming together on specific teams to form quasi all-star squads to increase their championship chances. Howard has heard all of the speculation and although he is under contract with the Magic through the 2012-13 season and has yet to sign an extension, he wants nothing to do with it. Several weeks ago he took to Twitter to rip several local media members who had written stories speculating about his future and demanded that they allow him to enjoy his offseason in peace. That didn’t last long, as Howard sat down with a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel on Monday and said that although he can terminate his contract a year before it expires - after next season - he has no plans to go anywhere. "I'm not trying to run behind nobody like Shaq or be behind somebody else," Howard said of the suggestion he would follow the path paved by O’Neal, who left the Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers after the 1995-96 season. "I want to start my own path and I want people to follow my path and not just follow somebody else's path. I want to have my own path, and I want to start that here in Orlando. But I can't do it alone. Not only do I need the right teammates, but I need the city behind me. That's the only way it's going to get done. We can change this small city that we have -- this small market that we have -- and we can make it a big market." Making Orlando a big market will also mean re-tooling a roster that endured a first-round at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks to end their season. A legitimate run at a championship and a stronger roster could theoretically give Howard more incentive to remain in Orlando. But read between the lines of his comments and it’s clear he has given himself plenty of wiggle room if and when he leaves. "As of right now, I'm a part of the Orlando Magic and I plan to be here," Howard stated. "And I want the Magic to do whatever they can to make sure that we can get our city behind us. I never said I was leaving. I never, ever thought about leaving. That's basically where my head is right now. I never said anything to them (the Magic) about what my plans were because that's not what I'm focused on right now." Right now would be the key phrase there. At this point, Howard would be a fool to say anything else, especially with a lockout on the horizon that could freeze all league business indefinitely. Saying he plans to or has strongly considered leaving would only poison an already tenuous situation and make it all the more difficult for the Magic to trade him if it becomes clear to them he doesn’t plan to stay when he becomes a free agent. These comments won't persuade anyone to change their mind on the subject, but then again, nothing Howard could say right now would do that…………
- Certain actions, comments and stances in life just cannot be defended, no matter how hard someone tries. A country’s military conducting forced "virginity tests" on female protesters is one such action. Protestors gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in March as part of the uprising to demand political change after the February ouster of president Hosni Mubarak and among their number were many women. After weeks of violent protests security forces decided it would be a solid idea to get excessively violent in clearing the square and to detain scores of protestors. Some detainees painted vivid pictures of the alleged abuse, saying it included forced "virginity tests," beatings, electric shocks and strip searches while being photographed by male soldiers. The claims enraged Egyptian activists who called for demonstrations to condemn the incident and led to human rights groups to call on the government to investigate accusations that the army tortured and abused women. Groups such as Amnesty International have claimed that at least 18 women were arrested on March 9 when army officers forcibly cleared Tahrir Square. The military council currently running the country have denied the army’s role in any possible abuses and refused comment on the issue. Yet media reports have quoted an unidentified senior general confirming the allegations while attempting to defend the incident. This ass hat had the audacity to suggest that because the women subjected to degrading and dehumanizing “virginity tests” were not like his or others’ wholesome, pure daughters, the abuse was A-OK. He went on to claim that the so-called virginity tests were conducted so the army could prove that the women were not raped or sexually assaulted at the protest. Citing the tents set up in Tahrir Square the female protestors shared with male counterparts and the presence of Molotov cocktails and drugs in those tents, the general further defended the virginity tests. His revelation led to a mad rush among activists so organize demonstrations to condemn the military's actions. "Women were in the front lines in Tahrir. They have always played a role and they deserve for their dignity to be regained," one activist group posted on its Facebook page. Not to stir the pot further, but this seems to be a story that won't go away and time soon……….
- Peter Jackson hasn’t found the going easy with his forthcoming “Hobbit” movies, but he and everyone associated with the films received good news over the weekend as New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer said in a joint statement that the first “Hobbit” movie would open on Dec. 14, 2012. The date represents what some scholars say is the 509th anniversary of the birth of Nostradamus and comes a month or so after the supposed end of the world predicted by the mythical Mayan calendar, so it’s definitely in a solid window. Not only did the three studios announced the release date for the first of the two films, they also shared the news that the concluding “Hobbit” film will be released on Dec. 13, 2013, a date which not only has two 13s in it but also falls on a Friday the 13th. Those pieces of information on their own would be enough to sufficiently geek up the legions of dorks undoubtedly already planning their campsite outside their local multiplex when tickets for the first “Hobbit” film goes on sale, but wait, there’s more! The studios also announced the films’ full titles: Part I will be called “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and Part II will be called “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” neither of which gives much of a hint as to how the movies will unfold. The announcement did have a distinct odor of slightly panicked studios attempting to dispel the notion that there is some sort of curse working against Jackson’s “Hobbit” movies, which have already battled a labor dispute, the occasional explosion and emergency ulcer surgery for its director. Now that the films have both release dates and titles, perhaps talk of them being cursed will subside……until the next time something blows up on set or Jackson is rushed to the emergency room again. Then again, if the world does end in November 2012, none of this will matter anyhow…………
- How was your Memorial Day? No matter how fun it was, odds are it would have been substantially more entertaining had you been hanging out in or around downtown Decatur, Ala. As families across the country gathered around the grill or hit up the local park’s pavilion for their cookout, many Decatur residents headed to the Point Mallard aquatic park to cool off from the sweltering temperatures sweeping through their region. With that heat apparently came some hot tempers, as a brawl broke out around 4:30 and quickly spun far enough out of control that park officials decided to close the entire park down and call police. Best of all, the fight was amongst a large group of girls, possibly over someone moving in on someone else’s boyfriend, having the same bathing suit or talking junk about how someone else looked in her bathing suit (all theories approximate). The chick fight had broken up by the time police arrived, but not for good. Instead, it merely spilled out into the town once the water park’s gates closed. Although no arrests were made, police confirmed that the fight at the park multiplied into several fights across the city, with reports of brawls at a gas station and at a local McDonald's. The investigation is ongoing at this point and no suspects have been officially identified, but big ups to any of the fine, classy chicas involved in this fracas for turning what could have been another mundane, ho-hum Memorial Day at the water park into a day to remember. Nothing says “honoring our veterans” quite like fighting some other chicks at the local water park and having that brawl spread across the city as the day wore on. Surely our veterans had these very rights and freedoms in mind when they bravely laid down their lives for this country. The real winners on the day had to be patrons who entered the park after 3:30 p.m., as they not only were able to witness a heckuva brawl, but they can also come back for another day at the park for free on account of having less than an hour to enjoy the slides, lazy river and other attractions before the park closed. Oh, and no one was seriously injured in any of the fights, so the situation is truly a win-win for all involved…………
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