10 (more) things you might not know

As a writer and an insanely curious person, I look up a lot of things.  I’ve started keeping notes.  When I learn ten cool things you get a j-list.  Excellent, right?  So here you go… ten new things.

1. Chess boxing is a real sport.  Really.  It works like this:  two opponents play alternating rounds of chess and boxing. The contest starts with a round of chess, followed by a boxing round, followed by another round of chess and so on. Matches can be decided via KO or checkmate.  How cool is that?
2. According to the Pew research center, the more educated the republican, the less likely he/she is to believe that accelerated global warming is caused by humans.  Only 19% of Republican college graduates say that there is solid evidence that the earth is warming and it is caused by human activity, while 31% of Republicans with less education say the same.  I don’t even know what to say about that.  I’m amazed.
3. The expiration dates on your medications don’t necessarily mark the end of the drug’s effectiveness or safety.  Studies have shown that, excluding tetracycline, nitroglycerin, insulin, and liquid antibiotics, most medications remain safe and effective more than a decade after their expiration dates.  (I knew I was holding onto that Vicodin for a reason.)
4. Baby smiles get mom high.  I knew that, of course, I’m a mom, but I didn’t know Houston researchers have found that baby smiles actually activate a region of their mothers’ brain known as the reward center, a middle area associated with feelings of euphoria.  That would be the same reward center that gets flipped on when addicts take drugs.  (Between baby smiles and semen, we women are under siege all the time!)
5. It’s not my imagination, Lexi (my dog) can read my facial expressions. A study published recently in the New Scientist found scientific evidence that dogs have evolved and developed “face reading” skills.  They look to a human’s face, processing it in much the same way we do, for hints about a person’s emotions and mood. Dogs are the only animals (other than humans) to demonstrate “left brain bias.”  If you’re a dog person, read more  here.  If not, sorry.  Moving on.
6. Heath Ledger has been nominated for best supporting actor.  There have been 70 posthumous nominations in Oscar history, seven (counting Ledger) for acting, and one winner: Peter Finch as Howard Beale in Network.
7. The word today on my Urban Dictionary calendar (thanks, Jay!) is Pornfolio:  The mass of porn that one has stored on their computer, generally in a separate folder.
8. Here are three cool blogs I’ve discovered:  Green as a Thistle – a well-written, funny blog about living green by the author of Sleeping Naked is Green; Emma’s Tea Shop for Old Ladies – a very funny blog of all the “ingenious and underappreciated” inventions that pop into Emma’s head; and Gwen Bell Dot Com – a just plain fun blog; her last three topics?  The Boulder regional barista championships, high and mighty living, and salsa dancing.  Something for everyone.
9. I can tell the difference between reduced fat Cheez-Its and regular Cheez-Its.  And my feeling is this.  If you’re going to eat Cheez-It’s, go for it.  Splurge big.  They’re Cheez-Its for God’s sake.
10. Okay, so THIS is what a zebra sounds like.  (Who knew?)

p.s.  new Watch This page!