ZAP INFO

By: www.hubpages.com, 7/29/08 10:24 AM A Swedish study points out that drinking Whole Milk (Full Fat) dairy products are more likely to keep you thinner than low fat foods. It says daily consumption of full fat milk will help reduce obesity. Researchers from Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute did a study and monitored more than 20,000 women whose dietary habits have been recorded since 1987. The women had an average body mass index (BMI) of 23.7 at the beginning of the study. After ten years, the BMI results showed the women who consumed full fat milk or cheese had a lower BMI than the rest of the group. The researchers recommend a glass of full fat milk every day to help cut weight gain by 15 per cent. Researchers also said one portion of full fat cheese per day cut weight gain by 30 per cent. Alicja Wolk, professor at Karolinska Institute, to Svenska Dagbladet told The Local: The surprising conclusion was that increased consumption of cheese meant that overweight women lost weight. I ...

Joe Rao SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist SPACE.com Fri Jul 25, 12:45 AM ET F riday, August 1 is a red-letter day for eclipse enthusiasts. On that date, the sun will be partially eclipsed over an immense area that includes western and central Asia, parts of northern and central Europe, all of Greenland and even a small slice of northeastern North America. A total solar eclipse — the first in nearly two and a half years — will be visible along a narrow track that will start over the Northwest Passage of Canada, gives a glancing blow to northern Greenland, then shifts southeast through Siberia and western Mongolia and before ending near the famed Silk Route of China. The path of totality for this upcoming eclipse is never more than 157 miles (252 km) wide. Where it's visible The total eclipse begins at sunrise over Northern Canada's Queen Maud Gulf, where the moon's umbra will first touch down on the Earth, resulting in Canada's hosting its first total solar eclipse since F...

By: Heather Hajek Published: Friday, 25 July 2008 www.healthnews.com C alling all men who want to become fathers! Soy products may reduce a man's sperm count. Based on a recent study, men who consume soy products may have lower sperm counts than those who don't. The study was based on a small group of men who visited the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center from 2000 to 2006. Even though the study found that some of the men who ate soy products on a regular basis had lower sperm counts, the researchers conducting the study are not saying that soy products were the cause of the lower sperm concentrations. The men who had soy products in their diets recorded lower sperm counts than those that didn't, but their counts were still within the normal range. Researchers don't deny that during the study men who consumed soy products had lower sperm counts, but they want people to realize there are other factors other than soy products that may have played a role in th...

By: The New York Times July 24, 2008, 11:20 am T he head of a prominent cancer research institute has warned his faculty and staff to limit cellphone use because of a possible cancer risk, The Associated Press reports. Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, notes that while the evidence about a cellphone-cancer link remains unclear, people should take precautions, particularly for children. “Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later,” Dr. Herberman told The Associated Press. Earlier this year, three prominent brain surgeons raised similar concerns while speaking on “The Larry King Show.” Their concerns were largely based on observational studies that showed only an association between cellphone use and cancer, not a causal relationship. The most important of these studies is called Interphone, a vast research effort in 13 coun...

By DONALD G. MCNEIL JR Published: July 24, 2008 B ill Gates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that they would spend $500 million to stop people around the world from smoking.The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco will kill up to a billion people in the 21st century, 10 times as many as it killed in the 20th. This time, most are expected to be in poor countries like Bangladesh and middle-income countries like Russia. In an effort to cut that number, Mr. Bloomberg’s foundation plans to commit $250 million over four years on top of a $125 million gift he announced two years ago. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is allocating $125 million over five years. Since 1999, the Gates Foundation has spent more than $2 billion on AIDS programs and about $1.2 billion on malaria. Mr. Gates has just left his Microsoft post for full-time foundation work and said he intends to form partnerships with other philanthropists. The announcement was made at a joint news c...

Lacey Rose, 7/25/08, 4:57 AM T inseltown's leading ladies may generate more tabloid ink, but when it comes to blockbuster paychecks, Hollywood is still a man's town. In an era where risk-averse studio executives have declared men the more reliable movie stars--and the more desirable moviegoers--perhaps it's no surprise that they are also the medium's top earners. The reality: Hollywood's 10 best-paid actors out-earned Hollywood's 10 best-paid actresses 2-to-1 over the course of the year. Collectively, the big screen's leading men took home an estimated $487 million between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008, compared with the leading ladies' haul of $244.5 million. In Pictures: Hollywood's Best-Paid Actors Will Smith leads the pack of Hollywood's best-paid actors, banking an estimated $80 million over the course of the year. Frequently called the hardest-working man in Hollywood, Smith has proved that no matter the genre--be it sci-fi thriller (Warne...

By Jess Zielinski Posted: 07/22/2008, 4:26 PM The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the body that demoted Pluto, has now formally dubbed the object formerly known unofficially as "Easterbunny" and officially as 2005 FY9. The newest member of the dwarf planet family will be called "Makemake" — which isn't a redundancy or a child's happy gibberish. It's the name of the Polynesian creator of humanity and the god of fertility. It's also pronounced "MAH-keh MAH-keh" and is one of the largest known objects in our outer solar system -- those objects that dwell beyond Neptune. Just a bit smaller and dimmer than Pluto, the dwarf planet is reddish. Astronomers think its surface is a layer of frozen methane. Makemake was discovered in 2005 by a California Institute of Technology team led by Mike Brown. You may recall it has an important spot in the history of our solar system discoveries, along with Eris and 2003 EL61. The discovery of that tri...

Posted Jul 22, 08 6:18 PM T he brains of men and women are so physically different they amount to different organs and may have developed from distinct genetic blueprints, new research shows. Distinct anatomical differences between male and female brains likely explain many well-established differences of perception and behavior between the sexes, from problem-solving strategies to emotional responses, the Independent reports. One study found that parts of the frontal lobe—seat of decision-making and problem-solving—and the emotion-regulating limbic cortex were proportionally larger in women. Brain areas in men that are larger involve sites linked to sensory and spatial perception. One reason such key differences have remained largely undetected is that most neurological research uses only men and male animals as subjects.

G uys, isn't it annoying that all the healthy news and diet tips seem to be geared for the ladies? Well, we have decided it’s about time we paid you a bit of special attention for a change. We know that you all like to pamper yourselves occasionally (go on, admit it!) and you need to look after yourself and your health too! So I present to you my Top 10 Foods for Men (in no particular order)…and don’t worry, it’s not all boring old cabbage and lettuce – you might find a few surprises in there! Garlic This smelly little number is literally packed full of goodness! It has anti-cancer compounds, antibacterial and decongestant properties to keep coughs and colds at bay, and phytochemicals, which help lower cholesterol and prevent blood clots. You can add it during cooking to practically any savoury dish, or, if you’re not mad about the distinctive taste (or smell), pop a whole clove of garlic in the oven while you’re cooking a pizza. Roast garlic is soft and can be spread like butter b...

By Imran Naseem Post date and time : 7/20/08, 8:16 AM O ne of the main problems that an individual goes through in his/her life is something to do with his/her height. Most people who are short lack confidence and self esteem and therefore will always be looking for ways to increase their growth. This article explores the different ways an individual can help increase their height naturally and how this can help them in the long-term. One of the best ways to grow taller naturally is to do a lot of exercises. As people go through different phases during their ages in men bones stop growing at the age of 25. This is when the height remains the same. However, there are ways to actually help increase your posture and height by different exercises. One of the most common exercises is to carry out sit ups and press ups on a daily basis. This can help grow your abs and can help your back to straighten. Many short people have a problem whilst walking and therefore, might feel crouched but i...

S occer heartthrob Cristiano Ronaldo currently in LA on an undisclosed business trip - arrived at trendy hotspot Villa in the early hours of Wednesday morning. A source said: “Paris was all over him. The moment he arrived, she went over to his private table. At one point, she pushed her chest together and made a point of trying to snuggle up against him. But Ronaldo clearly wasn’t interested in Paris. He turned his back on her.” According to reports, the 23-year-old Manchester United striker is a single man after splitting from model Nereida Gallardo, 25. And heiress Paris, clad in a peach-coloured dress, was clearly impressed by his charms. The onlooker added: “Every girl in the club was checking him out but Paris couldn’t take her eyes off him. “You could tell he enjoyed the attention but he didn’t really want anything to do with any of the girls.”

Sat Jul 19, 1:45 PM ET HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe, grappling with a record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle rampant cash shortages, the central bank said Saturday. The new note will go into circulation on Monday, the bank said in a statement cited by state media, joining about half a dozen new high denomination notes already issued this year. In January, a 10-million-dollar note was issued, then a 50-million-dollar note in April. In May, notes for 100 million and 250 million dollars were issued, swiftly followed by those for five billion, 25 billion and 50 billion. The southern African nation, currently gripped by a post-election crisis, has been ravaged by hyperinflation which shot up from 165,000 percent in February to 2.2 million in June. Independent economists however believe the official inflation figure is grossly understated, estimating it could be running between 10 million and 15 million percent. Zimbabwe's ch...

By Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D. Special to Special to Yahoo! Personals Updated: Jun 13, 2008 T here appears to be a trend of older women dating younger men, notably illustrated by celebrity couples including Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher, Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry, and the most recent fling between 48-year-old Linda Hogan and 19-year-old Charlie Hill. According to a study of 50,000 women daters over 30, conducted by an online dating site in 2007, more than one-third of the subjects showed interest in men at least 5 years younger. And in 2003, an AARP survey revealed 34 percent of 3,500 women (between ages 40 and 69) dated men who are 10 or more years younger than themselves. This trend appears to be shocking to some people, but I don't find it so unusual. Socially, there's a role reversal of sorts going on, women are more powerful now than ever before and may want men who are younger, and perhaps, more flexible; men who can handle it if the woman's career and lifestyle takes ...

By The Idol Chatters Wed Jul 9, 1:33 AM PDT T he American Idol tour officially kicked off in Arizona July 1, starting a summer-long bus odyssey of the continental U.S. On day seven of the journey, though, David Cook and David Archuleta are already feeling the heat of mega fandom that they ignited during Season 7 " albeit in their own ways. For starters, their tour performances represent their respective hot and cool approaches. Cook claims the audience response so far to Archie is already a tough act to follow. He told TVGuide.com, "It's always fun to go stand in the back and listen to the audience when he first comes out. Crowds have been really noisy for Archie. It's been really intimidating!" Archie maintains, however, that his performance is "laid back" versus Cook's, which is "really exciting and full of energy." Despite Cook's supposed fear factor, the tour's already trumping the AI competition days. "There's more o...

L ittle did Bucknell University geology professors Craig Kochel and Jeffrey Trop know, as they were working in Alaska, that they would soon predict one of the most important planetary observations ever made. The pair was in Alaska for an eight-day trip in July 2006, studying geological features and the processes that create them. As they studied photographs taken of the surrounding area, some features caught Kochel's eye. He thought they were strangely familiar, and then realized they reminded him of images he'd seen when working on the Viking missions to Mars in the 1970s. Kochel and Trop trekked to where the shots were taken overlooking a glacier. Spotting triangle-shaped landforms called "fans" sealed the deal: They looked strikingly similar to photographs taken of features on Mars. Mystery solved Although geologists can usually tell what shapes the landscape around us, it was a mystery what formed the Mars-like features found in Alaska. The conditions on Mars are ...

W ASHINGTON (Reuters) - This week's New Yorker magazine pokes fun at smears directed at Barack Obama, but the U.S. Democratic presidential candidate isn't laughing. The cover portrays the Illinois senator in a turban and robe bumping fists with wife Michelle, who sports an Afro, a rifle and military garb. In the background, an American flag burns in the fireplace. The left-leaning magazine's cover summarizes several smears that have surfaced this year: that Obama is a "secret Muslim" who hates America and his wife harbours a Black Panthers-style enmity toward white society. Even that fist bump, the modern version of the high five, was described as a "terrorist fist jab" by a Fox News anchor, who later apologized. The Obama campaign, which has taken aggressive measures to knock down these perceptions, is not amused with the magazine cover. "The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the...

M endoza and three other Latin Americans women made the final five at Sunday's contest. The four other finalists were Miss Colombia Tailana Vargas, Miss Dominican Republic Marianne Cruz Gonzalez, Miss Mexico Elisa Najera, and Miss Russia Vera Krasova. Miss USA Crystle Stewart of Texas was in the top 10 but tripped on the train of her bejeweled evening gown as she made her entrance. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. NHA TRANG, Vietnam (AP) — For the second year in a row, Miss USA has fallen down during the evening gown competition at the Miss Universe competition. It was a nightmare come true for Miss USA Crystle Stewart, a Texan, who tripped on the train of her bejeweled evening gown as she made her entrance. During the 2007 Miss Universe contest in Mexico City, Miss USA Rachel Smith also tumbled during the evening gown competition and became an unintended star on You Tube, where the video was shown over and ov...

A re you tired of having bad breath? Is it affecting your life, and making you self-conscious? Put your mind at ease, and get rid of your bad breath. In this article I will show you exactly how to do it. In order for you to find out how to cure bad breath, you have to understand what causes it first. Bacteria dwells and eats on food remains that are left in your teeth. This creates a foul smell/odor that is known as bad breath. Here are 5 easy steps, and how to cure bad breath: 1) Brush your teeth - and I mean REALLY brush your teeth! Most people only brush their teeth for 0 - 60 seconds. You need to brush them for atleast 1.5-3 minutes to really get that bacteria out (along with all that old food.) Brush those teeth thoroughly! 2) Floss those teeth! - Very few people take the necessary time to floss their teeth. If you don't, you're only cleaning a part of your mouth. All those little gaps between your teeth are a haven for bacteria... Start flossing! 3) Your tong...

July 13 (Bloomberg) -- Yahoo! Inc., owner of the second-most popular search engine, rejected a restructuring proposal by Microsoft Corp. and billionaire investor Carl Icahn that would have included the sale of Yahoo's search business to Microsoft. Yahoo's advertising agreement with Google Inc. offers ``superior financial value'' to the proposal from Microsoft and Icahn, the Sunnyvale, California-based company said in a Business Wire statement today. Icahn has criticized Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Jerry Yang for failing to close a deal with Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker. Microsoft, which on May 3 withdrew an offer to buy Yahoo, said on July 7 it may renew talks for a deal if Icahn, who controls about 69 million Yahoo shares, succeeds in ousting Yang and his board. ``Carl Icahn and Microsoft presented us with a `take it or leave it' proposal,'' Chairman Roy Bostock said in the statement. ``It is ludicrous to think that our board could a...

P eople who sleep fewer than six hours a night - or more than nine - are more likely to be obese, according to a new US study that is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies. The study also linked light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use. The research adds weight to a stream of studies that have found obesity and other health problems in those who don't get proper shuteye, said Dr Ron Kramer, a Colorado physician and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "The data is all coming together that short sleepers and long sleepers don't do so well," Kramer said. The study is based on door-to-door surveys of 87,000 US adults from 2004 through 2006 conducted by the National Centre for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such surveys can't prove cause-effect relationships, so - for example - it's not clear if smoking causes sleeplessn...

By Marie Claire , on Thu Jul 3, 2008 9:32am PDT I f you’re having trouble falling asleep , you’re in good company. An estimated 65% of Americans said they encounter sleep problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little is linked with an increased risk for obesity and depression. But before you reach for a sleep aid from the nearest pharmacy, it’s worth reexamining your nighttime routine. Some of your favorite evening rituals could be responsible for that tossing and turning. 1. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock The looming glare of your alarm clock can be distracting when trying to sleep. The goal is to have as dark a room as possible. Block the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cell phone alarm may also do the trick. 2. Counting Sheep When you just can’t fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Founda...

By REUVEN FENTON, AUSTIN FENNER and LUKAS I. ALPERT Last updated: 11:20 am July 10, 2008 Posted: 3:23 am July 10, 2008 H ere's a guy who figured out how to be both the luckiest and unluckiest man on the face of the earth at the same time. One crazy afternoon in June of last year, maintenance man Degli Martinez learned he had won a $65 million Lotto jackpot - the largest single prize in the 30-year history of the state Lotto game. He then promptly lost the ticket. That began a yearlong odyssey of hand-wringing and heartburn before Lottery officials were finally able to hand Martinez his check yesterday. "It was a lot of pain waiting," said the 55-year-old Paraguayan immigrant at a lower Manhattan press conference. Martinez's wild tale began on June 29, 2007, when he bought a handful of tickets at a minimart in Sunnyside. He returned the following day and had store clerk Supriyo Bhattacharjee scan the ticket bar codes to check for winners. Bhattacharj...

By AOIFE WHITE, AP Business Writer Wed Jul 9, 1:07 PM ET B RUSSELS, Belgium - Belgians finally get the chance to buy one of Apple Inc.'s coveted iPhones on Friday — at the highest prices in the world. The 8-gigabyte iPhone will retail for 525 euros ($825) — more than four times the U.S. price of $199. The 16-gigabyte version costs 615 euros ($966). The same phone would cost $299 in the U.S. Belgian Enterprise Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne blamed a local law that forbids companies subsidizing one product by charging more for something else. He said he will try to scrap this rule in September because it stops phone operators from selling handsets inexpensively along with fixed service contracts, as is common elsewhere. For instance, Dut...

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE S AN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft Corp. threw its weight behind investor Carl Icahn's effort to dump Yahoo Inc.'s board, saying Monday that a successful shareholder rebellion would encourage the software maker to renew its bid to buy Yahoo's Internet search engine or possibly the entire company. The unexpected endorsement gives Icahn a carrot to dangle before Yahoo shareholders as he wages an acrimonious campaign to replace Yahoo's nine directors at the company's annual meeting Aug. 1. It marks the first time that Microsoft has publicly sided with Icahn since the billionaire investor launched his attempted coup nearly eight weeks ago. The two sides decided they could work together after Icahn held "frequent" discussions with Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer and some of his top lieutenants during the past week, according to a letter that Icahn sent Monday to Yahoo shareholders. Industry analysts said Icahn now has more credibility...

Robert Roy Britt LiveScience Managing Editor LiveScience.com Tue Jul 8, 11:51 AM ET W hile the quest for the proverbial Fountain of Youth is endless and typically fruitless, one method known to extend the human lifespan by up to five years has quietly become accepted among leading researchers. The formula is simple: Eat less. It could add years to your life, several experts now say. And done in moderation, it could at least help you live a more healthy life. The only question is: Will the average person do it? While little short of a nip-and-tuck will make you look younger, calorie restriction, as it is called, is as close to a real Fountain of Youth as any known technique comes. Even scientists who are cautious about anti-aging hype say it works, both by cutting risks for some disease...