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Beach Bummer: Germs in the Sand

Bad news if you’re a beachgoer: that sand may not be as safe as you think. A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (conducted in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency) took a look at the bacteria content of beach sand… and how it can affect your family. Researchers spoke with close to thirty thousand families about their beach visits between 2003 and 2007. Participants were asked about contact with the sand (for themselves and their children) and were asked about health issues during a follow-up interview about ten days later. Approximately six percent of study … Continue reading →

What Is Germ Phobia?

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You may have heard about famous germophobes like filmmaker Howard Hughes, money man Donald Trump, Deal or No Deal’s Howie Mandell, and 90210’s Shannen Doherty. Germ phobia is an intense fear of something that poses little actual threat — but can cause severe anxiety or a full panic attack. Yes… tiny bacteria do cause countless diseases. The best way to prevent colds, flu, and other illnesses is through personal hygiene! Washing your hands is incredibly important. Unwashed hands can spread food-related germs like salmonella and E. coli. More hand washing could prevent a lot of illnesses! The Centers for Disease … Continue reading →

Trash Day

Its trash day and I missed it, again. Fortunately with just Hailey and I we don’t make a lot of trash but occasionally the cans do need to make it to the curb. If I don’t remember to put them out at night I always forget in the morning. Well, I don’t really forget but I’m always running when I leave the house in the morning so there just isn’t time to stop and put the trash out. Next week I’ll remember. I have a sort of routine that I try to follow the night before trash day, when I … Continue reading →

Phil Spector Found Guilty of Second Degree Murder

I always think of Phil Spector as the Howard Hughes of music – incredibly talented and innovative, yet eccentric and reclusive. I always wondered how the same man who created the now famous “Wall of Sound” could also be the same one that reportedly kept wife Ronnie (of the Ronettes) captive in their home and waved a handgun at John Lennon. Now, he has been found guilty of second degree murder. In case you’ve forgotten the whole story (it has been dragging on since 2003), Spector was charged with the shooting death of actress/hostess Lana Clarkson. Clarkson, 40, had met … Continue reading →

Mars Petcare Dog and Cat Food Recall Announced

Mars Petcare US — makers of several brands of pet food — announced a voluntary recall of products manufactured at a specific plant on September 12, 2008. The food is being recalled because of a potential salmonella contamination. Affected brands include Pedigree, Retriever, Country Acres, Pet Pride, and Ol’ Roy. You can see a full list of recalled foods at www.petcare.mars.com. Salmonella can cause infections in pets and in humans handling pet food. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets can include: Lethargy Diarrhea and/or bloody diarrhea Fever Vomiting Decreased appetite Abdominal pain If you believe that your pet has eaten … Continue reading →

What You Need to Know about Contaminated Tomatoes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about a salmonella outbreak related to tomatoes. Right now, the FDA does not know for sure where the contaminated tomatoes are coming from. As of the posting of this article, tomatoes from Florida and Mexico are NOT on the FDA’s safe list. Since mid-April, the FDA has received reports of 167 cases of salmonellosis associated with eating raw tomatoes. Twenty-three of those cases required hospitalization and one patient has died. Infections have occurred most often in New Mexico and Texas. The FDA issued the first warnings about contaminated tomatoes on … Continue reading →

How Much is the Tooth Fairy Laying Out These Days?

When I was losing my baby teeth, way back in those dark ages, it was a dime a tooth that I found when I turned them over. With my own children, if I remember correctly (and it was a little while ago too) it was a dollar a tooth. Although for the big molars I think the tooth fairy left $1.50 or, in the case of my middle daughter, she often wanted a toy or book instead of money—she just was never that into money when she was younger. Now that our tooth fairy days are done, I’m a little … Continue reading →

What Really Killed John Wayne?

As I was writing my last blog, in which I mentioned a new statue honoring John Wayne, I started thinking about a rumor I had heard years ago about what really killed him. Oh, there is no doubt it was cancer, but there is more information of which you may not be aware. In 1954, the 220 members of the cast and crew of The Conqueror rolled into St. George, Utah to begin filming. Mogul Howard Hughes thought Utah would pass for Mongolia. After all, the movie was a love story about Genghis Khan. Although director Dick Powell wanted Marlon … Continue reading →

Kids + Shopping Carts = Stomachaches

A few years back numerous studies were done to detect how much bacteria covered grocery store shopping cart handles. The studies confirmed that shopping cart handles had more germs than public restrooms. Researchers made their rounds on TV news programs claiming that shopping carts were one of the worst public places for germs and that shoppers should take precautions. Now, it seems some grocery store customers are getting help from the government (well, at least residents in Arkansas are) to stay healthy while shopping. State lawmakers are trying to pass a law to get stores to clean their carts. The … Continue reading →