Old swine-flu PSAs will soon come in handy

Thought I would re-post this given all the recent controversy surrounding the swine flu.

[from AdFreak]
If the U.S. government finds itself in need of some seriously awesome swine-flu-vaccine PSAs, they can just re-air these old fear-mongering spots made during the last big scare in 1976. They've got it all: frightening, echoey sound effects; hammy acting; cavalier attitudes followed by feverish hospital visits. In the second ad, there's even a casually mentioned old-person death. We won't get PSAs that are half as good this year. We will get lots of new-media communications, though. You can start off with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's swine-flu video podcast.

"Stayin' Alive" Can Save Lives

The Bee Gees disco classic "Stayin' Alive" can actually save lives according to recent study. Apparently performing CPR around 100 beats per minute gives the person a significantly greater chance of being revived and it just so happens "Stayin' Alive" is 103 beats per minute.

In a small but intriguing study from the University of Illinois medical school, doctors and students maintained close to the ideal number of chest compressions doing CPR while listening to the catchy, sung-in-falsetto tune from the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever."

The American Heart Association recommends 100 chest compressions per minute, far more than most people realize, study author Dr. David Matlock of the school's Peoria, Illinois, campus said Thursday.

And while CPR can triple cardiac arrest survival rates when properly performed, many people hesitate to do it because they're not sure about keeping the proper rhythm, Matlock said.

He found that "Stayin' Alive," which has a way of getting stuck in your head anyway, can help with that.

His study involved 15 students and doctors and had two parts. First they did CPR on mannequins while listening to the song on iPods. They were asked to time chest compressions with the song's beat.

Five weeks later, they did the same drill without the music but were told to think of the song while doing compressions.

The study showed the song helped people who already know how to do CPR, and the results were promising enough to warrant larger, more definitive studies with real patients or untrained people, Matlock said.

He plans to present his findings at an American College of Emergency Physicians meeting in Chicago this month.

It turns out the American Heart Association has been using the song as a training tip for CPR instructors for about two years. [CNN]

BPAs Are No Good

Suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, concerns about the use of Bisphenol A, or BPA, in consumer products grabbed headlines in 2008 when several governments issued reports questioning its safety, and some retailers pulled products made from it off their shelves.

The main focus of BPA scrutiny has been focused on baby bottles and products to be used by young children, as they are the most vulnerable to BPA's reproductive health effects. Today, a study released by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that higher levels of BPA increased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes more than two fold.

Well if you are somewhat freaking out about the amount of BPA you've ingested over the years, I was right there with you. I was using Nalgene's and various other plastic containers multiple times to store and carry liquids and even a few times probably used them store hot liquids (a big no-no). This coupled with the fact that I was a chronic bottle water drinker, meant I was harming myself and the environment.


Recently, I was turned onto the company above, Klean Kanteen. The reusable, lightweight, and risk free stainless steel Klean Kanteen was introduced in 2004 to encourage better health, hydration, and environmental responsibility.

•Better Health: Klean Kanteens are made from #304 stainless steel, the material of choice in the food processing, dairy, and brewery industries. Stainless steel is easy to clean, durable, inert, sanitary, toxin-free, and non-leaching.

•Hydration: It’s vital for life.

•Environmental Responsibility: Klean Kanteens are the stainless steel alternative to plastics. Plastics in landfills and oceans are one of the most alarming of today’s environmental stories.

Be Glad You Don't Eat Whoppers from the Xenia, Ohio Burger King

Burger King employee takes a bath in the restaurant sink ***HERE***