From the BBC:
Heavy mobile use ‘damages sperm’
Take your pick:
I had to cancel a trip to the Doctor to check on a dodgy knee yesterday, because I was too sick to go. Not the usual excuse, I expect.
Via Lifehacker I learn that This American Life is now available as a free podcast in the iTunes store. This was probably the best NPR show I routinely couldn’t find time for, and should particularly appeal if you like effete, East Coast liberal radio like I do.
I’ve been doing a little bit of reading on digestion, as I’m currently suffering somewhat in that respect. I learned with interest that the large intestine (normally my second-favourite intestine, btw) acts as a storage compartment for spare water, which I assume saves having to drink more frequently.
“What the large intestine essentially does, other than act as a passageway for removal of body wastes, is to act as a provisional reservoir for water. There are no villi in the large intestine and peristalsis is much less forceful than in the small intestine. As water is absorbed, the contents of the large intestine change from a watery liquid and are compressed into semisolid feces. Nerve endings in the large intestine signal the brain that it is time for a bowel movement. The fecal material moves through the colon down to several remaining inches known as the rectum and out through the anus an opening controlled by the outlet valves of the large intestine.”
I would like to take issue with the bolded word at the end there. Turns out rampant peristalsis isn’t as much fun as you might think. I hope that normal service will be resumed soon.
It’s an easy reflex to express outrage when a former leader in an industry is appointed to regulate that industry. Of course, we say, they’ll look after there own (i.e. other executives) at the cost of regular folk. I don’t think that such natural distrust is necessarily a bad thing, because it’s clear that there’s the potential for a conflict of interest, but if the person is chosen well then their experience can be a huge help in keeping an industry well-ordered and prosperous.
On the other hand, if you use a recess appointment to fill the role of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the person you appoint had overseen an injury rate twice the national average during his tenure in management, then you should employ every reflex at your disposal, because you’re looking at two incompetent managers, not just one.