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Soccer stars think better
"Swedish scientists say top [soccer]players have significantly better cognitive functions than the average person, and are good at solving problems and multi-tasking," reports The Independent. "Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm gave 29 players in Sweden's highest leagues a test in design fluency. They were shown a drawing of dots, and had to bind the dots together in as many ways as possible within a minute. Their average score placed them in the top 5 per cent of those who took the exam, and they rated higher than players in lower leagues." The study appears in the journal PLoS One.
Tattoos don't lie
"A 19-year-old Idaho man with his last name tattooed on his forearm apparently tried to give police a fake name and was arrested," Associated Press reports. "The [Twin Falls, Idaho]Times-News reports … Dylan Edward Contreras was arrested [late last month]on outstanding warrants. An officer says he told three men who were walking on the street with a dog to move to the sidewalk, and that one looked like he might run away, so he asked for identification. Contreras identified himself as Emiliano Velesco, and a police database search found no matches. The officer then had a dispatcher run a check with the birthday he was given and the last name tattooed on the forearm."
Social network impacts health
"Let's say you want to adopt some healthier habits … perhaps you need to take a good hard look at your social network, the friends, family, and co-workers that influence how you eat, spend leisure time, and prioritize what's important in life," writes Deborah Kotz of The Boston Globe. "Both good habits and bad can spread like the flu through that circle of your closest connections, and research suggests this network could be the single biggest predictor of your overall state of health. 'It definitely seems like there's a contagion effect,' said Miriam Nelson, a Tufts University nutrition professor and author of The Social Network Diet. 'Once you move in certain circles, it's tough to change habits unless you make an effort to join a new network.' Friends who make friends with others trying to lose weight have a higher likelihood of losing weight themselves – something Weight Watchers discovered back in the 1960s."
The season of fat cats?
"Getting flabby over the winter may be even more of a problem for pets than it is for us," writes Steve Dale in the Chicago Tribune. "Two issues are involved: Pets don't exercise outside as often, and you don't get outdoors as often. With you in the house more, your pet may indulge in more between-meals snacks. An increase of as little as two pounds for a cat or small dog may not seem significant, but imagine any of us increasing our weight 20 per cent over the winter. About half of all pets are overweight or obese, which can be directly linked to several illnesses, including diabetes in cats; arthritis, some types of cancer and behavioural problems."
Cafes for cuddling cats
"Whisker by whisker, cats have begun to replace coffee as the top draw in cafes across Japan," reports a BBC Travel blog. "In a country where many citizens do not have the time or space to care for creatures, 'cat cafes' provide the experience of having a pet without the responsibility or hassle of ownership … Though the first cat cafe, named Cat Flower Garden, opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998, the concept blossomed in Japan, where nearly 150 such spots have opened in the past decade, mostly in the country's capital of Tokyo. Visiting with kitties does not come cheap, however. At Calico, one of Tokyo's most popular cat cafes, one hour of cuddling costs 900 yen ($11), with 200 yen for each additional 15 minutes. … The establishments, which house anywhere from 12 to 24 mixed breed or purebred cats, do have strict rules regarding how the animals are handled. Guests are not allowed to wake any sleeping cats, hold any clearly unhappy cat or take photos of the cats with a flash camera (many who visit spend their time taking pictures or drawing the cats)."
Too old for Twitter?
"A Philadelphia city councilman who pays a company $28,800 (U.S.) per year to use Twitter and Facebook for him said 53 is too old to understand the technology," reports United Press International. "Councilman Jim Kenney, who has 10 staff members making a total of $654,034 per year and pays $30,000 per year to a public relations consultant, said he has to spend an additional $28,800 in taxpayer funds to Center City-based company ChatterBlast to implement his 'social media strategy' on Facebook and Twitter, the Philadelphia Daily News reported [last]Wednesday. 'I, at 53 years old, do not have that facility, he said. 'So I need consultant advice to communicate with a group of folks who are not necessarily in my age group.'"
Thought du jour
"No revenge is more honourable than the one not taken." – Spanish saying