- Does something called "broken heart syndrome" really exist? Yes and ladies, you’re the ones who need to worry about it most. Women are seven to nine times more likely to suffer "broken heart syndrome." It occurs when sudden or prolonged stress like an emotional breakup or death causes overwhelming heart failure or heart attack-like symptoms. A nationwide survey led by Dr. Abhishek Deshmukh of the University of Arkansas, found that patients typically recover from it with no lasting damage. The classic case of broken heart syndrome is a woman who has just lost her husband. Japanese doctors first identified the phenomenon in 1990 and named it Takotsubo cardiomyopathy after tako tsubo, a type of octopus traps that resemble the unusual pot-like shape of the stricken heart. The syndrome occurs when a major emotional shock - positive or negative - causes a rush of adrenaline and other stress hormones that cause the heart's main pumping chamber to balloon suddenly and not work properly. Tests have shown that dramatic changes in rhythm and blood substances occur, similar to a heart attack, but no arterial blockages are typically found in case of broken heart syndrome. Dr. Abhishek Deshmukh of the University of Arkansas had treated a few such cases and was inspired to examine the phenomenon more closely. "I was very curious why only women were having this," he said. He reported results Wednesday at an American Heart Association conference in Florida (a nonstop kegger to be sure). For the study, Deshmukh used a federal database with about 1,000 hospitals. He found 6,229 cases of the syndrome in 2007, but only 671 involved men. Even after adjusting for high blood pressure, smoking and other factors that can affect heart problems, women were 7.5 times more likely to suffer the syndrome than men. That disparity was even larger among women younger than 55, who were 9.5 times more likely to suffer it than men of that age. However, it was actually women over 55 who were three times more likely to suffer from broken heart syndrome than younger women. That part of the study makes perfect sense, as women over age 55 are obviously more likely to have their husband pass away. No one is certain why broken heart syndrome affects women more frequently, but theories range from hormones to men having more adrenaline receptors on cells in their hearts than women do, possibly making them able to handle stress and the chemical surge it releases better. Just 1 percent of broken heart syndromes in the study proved fatal, but there’s still no explaining exactly why it’s the ladies who are the most likely to suffer. Ten percent of those who do have a case will have a second episode sometime in their lives , the study also showed……….
- Stop it, PETA. Just stop it. At this point, you just look desperate, pathetic and feeble. Go back to sending “You deserved it” emails and faxes to Sigfried and Roy after their tiger tries to eat them on stage and stop hassling random towns simply for their name. The animal rights kooks we all know and wish we didn’t are looking to gravy train on the name of one Texas town and use it to promote their nutty agenda. The people of Turkey, Tex. probably never thought their town would be at the center of a national story, but PETA looked around and found a target on which to project its extremist beliefs and ideals. The group is asking Turkey officials to change their town’s name to 'Tofurky' for Thanksgiving. In a letter to Turkey Mayor Pat Carson, PETA urged town officials to change its name because turkeys suffer virtually every day of their lives while eating Tofurky comes without the suffering of the turkeys. To incentivize its offer, PETA says it will treat the entire city to a vegan holiday feast if the name is changed. “I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters, including thousands in Texas, with an idea that will boost Turkey into the spotlight and promote compassion: Rename your town "Tofurky" for Thanksgiving. If you agree to adopt this moniker for just one day, we'd be happy to provide a delicious, healthy vegan holiday feast for all the town's residents. Thanksgiving is murder on turkeys," said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "By changing its name to 'Tofurky,' Turkey would send a clear message that delicious, savory mock meat is an easy way to celebrate without causing suffering-and give a bird something to be thankful for." Wanna know what’s murder on America’s patience and mental well-being, Tracy? Listening to your moronic ramblings. So allow me to finish this bite of juicy steak, put my chicken fingers back in the fridge, sit back down on my genuine leather coach, sink my toes into the warmth of my bearskin rug and respond to your offer of a meal featuring Tofurky with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes (made with vegan margarine), and vegan apple pie topped with vanilla dairy-free ice cream. No. That will be all……………
- Ricky Gervais is a polarizing figure. Not because some people think he’s funny and others don’t, but because some find his attempts at humor tolerable and others find them offensive and over the line. That division became clearer when 16 members of the 62 panel for the The Hollywood Foreign Press Association voted against Gervais returning to take his third turn as Golden Globes host in January. In spite of those objections, the HFPA announced through Twitter on Wednesday that Gervais will take his third turn as Globes host in January. Granted, no one with anything remotely worthwhile in their life and/or a modicum of self-respect is wasting three-plus hours of their lives watching the Golden Globes and injecting some minor “controversy” into the mix by having Gervais host again might not be the worst idea. He was fairly merciless last year, taking runs at Charlie Sheen's drinking habits and making cracks at Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp for their part in The Tourist. The performance and resulting controversy led to speculation that Gervais would not return for another run as host, but having more than 25 percent of members vote against him was not enough to convince the association to seek someone else for the gig. "My worry was that he was insulting, and when I invite someone to my house, they don't insult me," said longtime HFPA member Judy Solomon. "But this is show business. I guess I'm old-fashioned." Not surprisingly, many of those who voted against Gervais were older members of the group, those least likely to get or appreciate edgy humor. The HFPA acknowledged on its website that "not everyone is happy with the decision" to bring Gervais back because "his blunt one-liners targeting big-name celebrities caused anger and resentment in some quarters." Those “blunt one-liners” didn’t only target big-name celebrities; Gervais joked last year that the HFPA accepts bribes after the group was sued for allegations that it engaged in payola schemes. The HFPA admitted after the show that Gervais "pushed the envelope and occasionally went too far." However, controversy sells and the show drew nearly 17 million viewers to the NBC broadcast and beating out its network competition in that time slot. This year’s show will be held Jan. 15 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills………….
- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Kuwait was the place to be Wednesday for inspiring dissident action as dozens of Kuwaitis stormed the country’s parliament building late on Wednesday and hundreds more demonstrated outside, demanding that prime minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah step down. Kuwait hasn’t made much noise as most every other nation in the region has experienced an uprising of some sort in the past year, so it was awesome to see protestors force their way into the parliament’s debating chamber. It was even better to see some opposition lawmakers join in the demonstration and join hundreds of people protesting outside parliament every week to demanding the removal of Sheikh Nasser, whom they accuse of corruption. “The people want to bring down the head [of government],” the crowds chanted as the protesters finished their work inside and came back out to rejoin the group. Those are the same words chanted by protesters in Egypt who in February forced Hosni Mubarak to step down after three decades as president. Seeing Kuwait lag behind the sort of inspiring protests that toppled Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali has been sad, but a simmering political stalemate and opposition build-up against Sheikh Nasser have finally produced the revolt that Kuwait has been waiting for, even if it’s starting out small. Sheikh Nasser is an influential member of the ruling family and thus an easy target for the average Kuawaiti. The protest was met with the predictable use of excessive force, with witnesses reporting scenes of riot police beating demonstrators as they assembled outside parliament. Media members reported seeing ambulances in the area, but there was no immediate confirmation of whether anyone had been hurt. Sheikh Nasser has been under attack since May, when two lawmakers attempted to question him over alleged misuse of public funds, a charge he denies. His previous cabinet quit in March to avoid parliamentary questioning of three ministers, so Sheikh Nasser isn't exactly giving anyone a reason to believe in him……………
- Buying a professional sports franchise is a big day in a rich person’s life. It’s the day when all of your hard work in your chosen business pays off by allowing you to purchase one of 30 or so (depending on which major American professional sports league you’re buying into) rich-people prizes that you can gloat over when you talk to your rich friends about who of you has better stuff. Having someone dictate to you the terms of that sale and added conditions you must agree to in order to make that purchase can’t be easy to stomach. Rich people aren't used to having anyone tell them what to do, so Houston businessman Jim Crane had to be boiling over inside when Major League Baseball told him it would not approve his purchase of the Houston Astros unless he agreed to move the team to the American League. The Astros currently play in the NL Central, but Crane was forced to agree to the change to move the sale along, according to a source close to the negotiations said Wednesday on condition of anonymity. Approval of the sale could be announced within the day at a meeting of baseball executives in Milwaukee. Whether he liked it or not (and how could 18 or 19 games a year with in-state rival Texas not be good for business for the Astros), Crane agreed to the plan in exchange for a price drop in the sale after the team was valued earlier this year at $680 million. No one has commented publicly on the claims and the team’s current owner was as tight-lipped as anyone. "We'll let baseball talk about that," current owner Drayton McLane said Wednesday night. "There were a lot of adjustments, so we'll just wait and see what they have to say (Thursday)." In a nice change from the typical approach of players’ unions and associations, the MLBPA believes two 15-team leagues would create a more proportionate schedule and has urged baseball to make the switch. The new alignment cannot happen until 2013 at the earliest because schedules for next season have already been completed. Crane has done some dictating of his own in his purchase, saying his offer, which was announced on May 16, expires Nov. 30. Commissioner Bud Selig addressed a potential Astros’ move to the American league during a Twitter chat on Monday. "For 15/15 realignment, Houston would be the team moving to AL West. Would create more fairness in baseball," Selig tweeted via the Colorado Rockies' feed. He added that "15 teams in each league would necessitate interleague play every day but it will be better schedule overall." Moving the Astros to the AL West is actually logical, as it is the only division in the majors with four teams (Rangers, Angels, Athletics and Mariners). The move would mean more road games on the West Coast and thus, more games Astros fans in Houston might not be able to watch with late start times. Regardless of the outcome, the real winner in all of this will be McLane. He bought the team in November 1992 for about $117 million and will sell it 19 years later for a profit of nearly $500 million. Not a bad return on investment…………
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