It all began with a mid-life crisis. Jean Béliveau’s small sign business went bankrupt, which compelled him to run around the world to shake off his despair. He did run in the beginning, but the journey soon took on a slower pace that led him through 64 countries on six continents.
Béliveau, now 56, has gone through 53 pairs of shoes.
The Department of Homeland Security is testing a pre-crime detection program on the general publi….*knock* *knock* *knock* …hang on for a second guys, someone is at the door.
If this sounds a bit like the Tom Cruise movie called “Minority Report,” or the CBS drama “Person of Interest,” it is. But where “Minority Report” author Philip K. Dick enlisted psychics to predict crimes, DHS is betting on algorithms: it’s building a “prototype screening facility” that it hopes will use factors such as ethnicity, gender, breathing, and heart rate to “detect cues indicative of mal-intent.”
Halloween is coming up soon and what better time to talk about superstitions than a holiday focused on spirits and symbolism. Whether you’re superstitious or not, discovering the origins of these common beliefs is a fascinating look at religion and human psychology. So enjoy!
Apparently in several wooded areas around the UK, passersby have been stopping for decades (if not centuries), meticulously hammering small denomination coins intro trees. Most of the trees seem to be in and around Cumbria and Portmeirion, and I didn’t find a single example of a tree like this located outside the UK. According to this recent article by the BBC, the practice might date back to the early 1700s in Scotland where ill people stuck florins into trees with the idea that the tree would take away their sickness.
While the origins of the phrase is unknown, one thing is certain. It isn’t rooted in science. It actually takes more muscles to smile than to frown. While it’s difficult to determine exactly how many muscles are involved in smiling or frowning — not everyone smiles the same way and uses different types of smiles depending on context — the bare minimum required for a smile is 10 muscles. For a minimal frown, only six muscles are used.
According to Dr. David Song of the University of Chicago Medical Center who recently did a study on the topic, the average frown requires 11 muscles while an average smile requires 12. However, his method of counting the number of muscles used in creating a facial expression does not take into account other variables like energy used by each muscle or the individual variability in a person’s facial muscles. While humans share facial muscles to express emotions, some have more muscles in their face and may use more of them when smiling or frowning.
1. Catechins found in blueberries activate fat-burning genes in abdominal fat cells to assist with weight loss, and belly fat loss in particular. According to research at Tufts University, regularly ingesting catechins increases abdominal fat loss by 77 percent and double total weight loss.
2. They contain a group of natural phytonutrients (plant nutrient) called proanthocyanidins which have a unique ability to protect both the watery and fatty parts of the brain against damage from some environmental toxins.
3. Blueberries are one of the richest sources of proanthocyanidins. These phytonutrients decrease free radicals levels that are linked to aging (yes wrinkling!) and disease.
