We don’t like thinking about the inevitable end of life but we’re on a non-stop course for death. Some of these causes of death are somewhat preventable or manageable if you’re proactive. Others could just happen in a flash.
So what are the most common causes of death and which are most common among people your age? We have a handy (or is it really scary) infographic to help you predict your end.
Yesterday’s column about viral fundraisers omitted one important argument about why these massive viral fundraisers are a problem. While it’s great that some $80 million has been raised over the last month thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge, ALS affects only a very small portion of the population but is now eating up a massive part of the charitable donations people might have made during the year. After all, money doesn’t grow on trees.
The other problem with viral fundraisers is that it disproportionately overfundraises for diseases compared to how they affect society. Sure, there are people who would be quite justified to advocate for their causes. For example, the ALSA has, in the last one month, pulled in about half of what the American Heart Association has raised over the last 12 months. The number of ALS diagnoses over the next year will be less than 10% of the deaths from heart disease over the next year. It’s just not proportionate to what affects the health of the population.
To give you a little food for thought, here’s a handy little infographic for your perusal.
With school starting this week for Canadian students (from elementary through university), it’s important to remind everyone of the importance of how you start the day. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day but I didn’t believe it until I read some of the science behind that old adage. It turns out that breakfast will make you both smarter and healthier than if you skip it.
For this and more facts about breakfast, we have a handy infographic for your perusal. Continue reading
The one word that is becoming increasingly synonymous with the NFL is “concussion.” In June, more than 2,000 former players filed a lawsuit against the NFL claiming the league ignored the risks of head injuries as a result of playing in the NFL. In fact, a survey completed in 2000 showed that approximately 60% of NFL players have received at least one concussion. This probably isn’t the sort of thing that the NFL wants getting out there at the start of training camps. For this and more facts about head injuries in the NFL, we have a handy infographic for your perusal. Continue reading
Last year, the boys of Epic Meal Time made a huge splash on the internet with their famous TurBaconEpic. This year, they’re back with their homage to American Thanksgiving dinner. But this time, they’ve used that YouTube money to do not one but 10 of their famous bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a pigs lined up to make a 802,420 calorie Turbaconepicentipede. Continue reading
For once, the Man Lab is here to do some practical science stuff for you guys. Today, we take a look at the science of hangovers. At first glance, it seems as simple as drink too much and you get a pounding headache in the morning. But that first sip of alcohol starts you on a slippery slope that drags you toward a rough next morning.
So let’s take a look at why who you wake up to isn’t the only thing you regret after a night out. Continue reading
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving for our American friends. Usually, Thanksgiving dinner involves a turkey and football. More recently the Turducken has become increasingly popular at the dinner table. But now, some lunatics with a very good health insurance plan have created the ultimate in Thanksgiving meals. It’s 72,186 calories and 6,451 grams of fat of a bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a pig known as the TurBaconEpic. Continue reading
For the 15th time ever, it’s all the news that’s not fit for print. It’s time for the Not News of the Week.
How ridiculous have Ontario’s laws about smoking gotten? You can’t even smoke in your own car anymore… Assuming that your car is also your workplace. A truck driver on Highway 401 (Canada’s busiest highway) was fined for violating the Smoke-Free Ontario Act because he was smoking in the work place. Apparently, there is a national law that allows truck drivers to smoke in “designated smoking vehicles.” It also turns out that the ticketing officer may have been so busy trying to apply an unpopular law that he forgot to check who owned the vehicle. If the driver did own the vehicle himself, he was well within his rights to smoke. It looks like this is another case of an officer trying to meet his quota and this fine will go up in smoke. Continue reading
The Lowdown 