Growing up with at least one girl in the family makes people more able to cope with their problems. The researchers believed that daughters and sisters tie loved ones closer together and encourage them to communicate their emotions more effectively.

According to Professor Tony Cassidy, who carried out the study with other researchers, "Sisters appear to encourage more open communication and cohesion in families. However, brothers seem to have the alternative effect. Emotional expression is fundamental to good psychological health and having sisters promotes this in families."

Girls who had sisters also tended to be more independent and achievement-oriented.

The study questioned close to 600 young adults about the make-up of their families and their emotional well-being.

In an explosive interview on Bill Moyers Journal, William K. Black, a professor of economics and law, alleged that American banks and credit agencies conspired to create a system in which risky loans could receive AAA ratings and zero oversight, amounting to a massive “fraud” at the center of U.S. finance.

What’s more, said Black, Timothy Geithner, President Barack Obama’s Secretary of the Treasury, is currently engaged in a cover-up to keep the truth of America’s financial insolvency from its citizens.

A single bank, IndyMac, lost more money than the entire Savings and Loan Crisis. The difference between now and then, says Black, is a drastic reduction in regulation and oversight. That financial calamity was brought about not by mishap or accident, but following after a concerted effort to undermine and remove all regulations, allowing a creditor free-for-all that hinged on fraudulent risk ratings for bad loans.

A recent New York Times and CBS News Poll shows a surprising increase in the belief that the economy is rosy and turning around. Obviously most of them have not seen this PBS video.  I encourage you to view it so you won;t be fooled.  This is one of the most enlightening videos on what the banks have done that I have ever seen. It is absolutely extraordinary.

To see the full interview, click the PBS link below.

Advertising claims stating that Coca-cola will not make children fat or rot their teeth have landed the company in trouble with Australia's consumer watchdog, which has ordered the soft drink company to correct its advertising.

Coca-Cola ran advertising titled "Motherhood & Myth-Busting," which claimed that Coke was "kiddy-safe." The full-page print ads also argued that Coke was not packed with large amounts of caffeine.

Coca-cola has agreed to publish corrective advertisements in major newspapers in every major Australian city, as well as on the company's own website. The company was ordered to include the correct levels of caffeine for Coca-Cola, Diet Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero.

According to Haley Curtis Stevens, spokesperson for the International Formula Council which represents the infant formula industry, the rocket fuel chemical perchlorate, recently proven to contaminate powdered baby formula, is ’safe’.

The CDC report that revealed the contamination contained no information at all on the potential effects of consuming rocket fueled baby formula, other than to say levels of the chemical might exceed the limit considered safe for adults if it is mixed with water that also contains perchlorate. However, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted recent tests public water supply systems, approximately 160 of them contained perchlorate in detectable levels.

The CDC study merely identified the presence of perchlorate in an assortment of powdered baby formulas that it did not mention by name.

An alarming new study finds that nearly 1 in 5 American 4-year-olds is obese. This suggests that, overall, more than half a million 4-year-olds are obese.

The rate is even higher among American Indian children, with nearly a third of them obese. Obesity also occurs at a high rate among Hispanic and black youngsters.

The study was an analysis of nationally representative height and weight data on more than 8,500 preschoolers born in 2001. Almost 13 percent of Asian children were obese, along with 16 percent of whites, almost 21 percent of blacks, 22 percent of Hispanics, and 31 percent of American Indians.

Researchers are reporting that a combination of proteins in the saliva of the black fly help this blood-sucking pest spread parasites that cause "river blindness," a devastating eye-disease. A better understanding of these proteins could lead to treatments for river blindness and other diseases spread by biting insects.

River blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, affects more than 17 million people worldwide, particularly in rural Africa. 

The saliva of adult female black flies contains substances that mute the human body's natural defenses. This chemical cocktail makes the body more vulnerable to disease. Researchers collected salivary glands from hundreds of adult female black flies and identified 72 different proteins, including several new to science.

The obsession with routine and dislike for new experiences common in children with a certain type of autism may be related to low levels of a stress hormone.

Researchers found that children with Asperger syndrome do not experience the normal twofold increase of cortisol upon waking up. Levels of the hormone in their bodies still decrease throughout the day, however, just as they do in those without the syndrome.

Your body produces cortisol during stressful situations. Cortisol increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels to signal the body's need to adapt to changes occurring around it. The increase shortly after waking may help jump-start the brain for the day ahead.

The study results suggests that children with Asperger syndrome may not adjust normally to the challenge of a new environment on waking, which could affect the way they subsequently engage with the world around them.

Dental experts placed teeth in sports drinks and in water to compare the effects, and they found that the sports drinks caused corrosion that could result in severe tooth damage if left untreated.

The researchers cut calves' teeth in half and immersed each half in either a sports drink or water. They compared the results after 75 to 90 minutes. The erosion on the half placed in the sports drink was clearly visible -- dozens of tiny holes appeared. There was no damage on the half which was immersed in water.

Brushing teeth immediately after the drinks would actually compound the problem, because the citric acid in the drink softens tooth enamel, leaving it vulnerable to abrasive brushing.

Believe it or not, looking on the bright side of things can be good for your career and your mental health. Research shows that an attitude of gratitude in trying times can not only help you keep your job, but get you the job you want.

The most common responses to economic problems are panic, fear, anger, distrust, and even hostility. But a study of the characteristics of recession survivors and found that those who avoided being cut were cheerful, likable, generous contributors -- and not necessarily the most skilled and proficient.

Corporate leaders are likely now placing more value on workers who add positive energy to the atmosphere beyond increasing sales and visibility. That means that those who are grouchy and unpleasant can end up on the layoff list, along with the person who never says anything and flies under the radar.

Vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid may reduce the frequency, severity and disability of migraines, according to new research. Daily vitamin supplements were found to produce a two-fold reduction in migraine disability.

About 12 to 15 percent of people suffer from migraines, with twice as many women as men affected. The headaches are sometimes preceded by flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms or legs, or anxiety. Suffers generally experience a pounding sensation in one side of the head and many undergo nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and noise. The symptoms are often severe and debilitating.

Scientists recruited 52 people diagnosed with migraine. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either vitamin supplements or a placebo for six months. The supplements were associated with a reduction in the prevalence of migraine disability from 60 percent at the start of the study to 30 percent after 6 months. No reduction was observed in the placebo group.

Reductions in the frequency of the headache and the severity of the pain were also observed in people in the B vitamin group, while no such changes were observed in the placebo group.

A new theory about sleep's benefits has gotten a boost from a study on fruit flies. Researchers found evidence that sleep, already recognized as a promoter of long-term memories, also helps clear room in the brain for new learning.

The scientists looked at whether synapses, or junctures where nerve cells communicate with each other, are modified by sleep. Neurologists believe creation of new synapses is one key way the brain encodes memories and learning, but this cannot continue without limit -- which may be where sleep comes in.

Your brain can't indefinitely add synapses, if only because of the finite spatial constraints of your skull. But scientists were able to track the creation of new synapses in fruit flies during learning experiences, and found that sleep pushed that number back down.

According to one theory, less important connections are trimmed back during sleep, while connections encoding important memories are maintained.

The world is on the cusp of an explosion of drug-resistant tuberculosis cases. Patients could inundate hospitals and leave physicians fighting a nearly untreatable malady with little help from modern drugs.

Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the World Health Organization, urged health officials from 27 countries at a three-day forum on drug-resistant TB to recognize the warning signs of what looms ahead. She argued that traditional drugs are useless against some strains of tuberculosis and health-care costs for treating those strains could skyrocket.

“This is a situation set to spiral out of control,” warned Chan. “Call it what you may: a time bomb or a powder keg. Any way you look at it, this is a potentially explosive situation.”

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious bacterial infection that attacks the lungs and can also affect other organs. If untreated, a person with TB can infect 10 to 15 other people in a year. Virulent forms of tuberculosis are on the rise, fueled by improper use of drugs and poorly managed treatment regimes.

When Dr. Jonathan Leo told editors of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) about undisclosed financial ties between a researcher and a drug company, all he wanted was prompt, public disclosure. A study published in JAMA reported that stroke patients who took the drug Lexapro were less likely to become depressed -- but the author, Dr. Robert G. Robinson, did not disclose speaking fees from Forest Laboratories, which makes Lexapro.

By the time a correction ran -- five months later -- Dr. Leo had run out of patience. He posted an essay about his concerns on the Web site of the British Medical Journal. JAMA rebuked him for going public and called his dean to demand a retraction. Now the American Medical Association has asked an oversight committee to look into the issue.

In an editorial, JAMA said its confidentiality policy banned anyone who made charges about undisclosed conflicts of interest from publicizing these concerns before the journal completed its own investigation.

Dr. John Cannell, noted vitamin D expert, recently received a great letter from a reader.  I thought I’d share it with you, along with his introduction:

“I want to pass a reader's letter along (with her permission) as many of you may know a couple who cannot conceive and know the heartbreak that brings to childless couples.  While I know of no direct evidence this is true, why should childless couples be Vitamin D deficient?  Both the man and the woman should take 5,000 IU a day.”

John Cannell, MD

Vitamin D Council

“Dear Dr. Cannell,

“I am writing to thank YOU for doing what is important work. I am an RN, BSN, work in the area of fertility in collaboration with an OB/GYN and others. I have studied the research on vitamin D for the past 2 years and came across your site. You can only imagine what treating vitamin D deficiency does for fertility. I see there are no large studies on this in existence anywhere. I have developed protocols based on current research. They are used by the OB/GYN I work with as well, and it's nothing short of amazing. (I guess we do not need a large study to prove what we are seeing, it is across the board success) Everyone of our women have conceived that previously had difficulty. One was infertile for 10 years, another for 3 years, and one had no cycles for three years, they all returned to full fertility within 6 weeks.

“An understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of fertility disorders has led to the development of my protocols that include, Vit. D, diet and lifestyle. All key components. I watched too many women over the years with fertility disorders of every kind, go on to develop breast, uterine and ovarian cancers. What was the link? Well now we know and can do something about it.

“Thank you for all your work and helping educate people on the need for vitamin D in all of this.”

Darcy Hemstad, RN, BSN

Fertility Educator

From Lawn to Lunch

To convert your lawn to a lunch box, remove turf in long, 18-inch strips. Cut the edges of each strip with a sharp-bladed edging tool. While one person rolls up the grass like a jellyroll, another slices through grass roots with the edging tool. Remove about an inch of rooty soil with the top growth. When the roll gets heavy, slice it off and load it in a wheelbarrow.

Compost the strips by layering green sides together, then brown sides together, ending brown-side-up. Cover the stack with soil and mulch (straw, chopped leaves, or shredded bark) and let it stand for 10-12 months.

Make beds 10 to 20 feet long and six to eight feet wide, so you can reach the center from each side. Mulch three to four-foot wide paths between beds to accommodate a wheelbarrow. Now fork over the soil strips and remove as many roots as possible. Aerate beds with a garden fork, sinking it as evenly and deeply as possible. Spread on two or three inches of compost, then set plants about six inches apart, in staggered rows. Top with a mulch containing corn gluten, a high-nitrogen protein that prevents weed seeds from germinating.

Eat Your Vegetables

The USDA attributes 14 percent of all deaths in the U.S. to poor diets and/or sedentary lifestyles. You can improve your health and the health of the planet by following food columnist Michael Pollan’s simple rule: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Party with Your Preserves

Ten quarts of pumpkin puree in the pantry, and not a jar of tomato sauce left? Throw a canning swap party. Here are some tips and recommendations from foodroutes.org:

Gauge interest with your friends early on. Then remind them throughout the planting, growing, and harvesting season to set aside extras for canning and swapping.

Try new recipes on your swappers. Bust out that crazy 5-alarm salsa verde recipe you’ve always been scared to try. Make sure to can extra so you can pop a jar open for samples.

Not everything at the canning swap party has to be pressure-canned or boiled in a hot water bath. Dried items, homemade baked goods, candies, and homebrewed beer are all eligible. You’ll be amazed by what can be preserved from the season’s bounty

Glean Those Fields Clean

A lot of perfectly good food is left to rot in farm fields and under fruit and nut trees. With a bit of work, you can gather a group to “glean” this free food, providing fresh, nutritious food to your community.

To glean in your area, talk to farmers, gardeners, and orchard owners. Explain your purpose, share a copy of federal “Good Samaritan” law, which protects them from liability, and ask for written permission to glean.

Family, friends, students, and members of your faith community are potential volunteers. You can also put a notice on craigslist, bulletin boards, at farmers markets, or in the local paper. Contact food banks, shelters, and other facilities to check on their needs, and to arrange delivery times.

On gleaning day, bring collection baskets and buckets, snacks, water, and other necessities that will ensure a successful expedition. As the day ends, gather your freshly harvested food, thank the landowner, distribute something to each gleaner, and leave the land in better condition than you found it.

Shop Outside of Supermarkets

Local foods are not nearly as well-advertised or visible as chain supermarket foods, so even those who want to give locally harvested food a try may not know where to get it. Consider what types of agriculture are natural to your environment. Does your area have a history of blueberry farming or cod fishing? Are there traditional foods that have been neglected in the fast-food age?

Talk to old timers, ask around at farmers markets, look for road-side food stands and U-pick places. Watch for hand-painted signs. You may find a wide variety of freshly harvested foods and get to know new communities and regional traditions at the same time.

Visit localharvest.org, sustainabletable.org, and eatwellguide.org to find sources of affordable and environmentally friendly food.

Start a Community Garden

Call a meeting (or better yet, a potluck) to decide what kind of garden you want, what locations might work, and how to manage plots. Identify possible sites. Look for land that gets plenty of sunlight, has a water source, is convenient to get to, and is free of soil contamination. You could consider combining back yards if several neighbors are involved.

Identify the owner of the land and negotiate a lease long enough to make it worth building the soil and the community involvement. Invite immediate neighbors to join.

Test the soil for nutrient levels and contaminants. Clean the site, mark plots with gardeners’ names, and, if possible, include on-site storage for tools and equipment. Also designate a spot for compost.

For more ideas, including sample bylaws and insurance policies, go to communitygarden.org.

Plant a Row for the Hungry

As unemployment rises, more people are wondering how they will put food on the table. How can you boost food security at home:

• Skip the so-called convenience foods; processed foods almost always cost more for what you get
• Form a buying club to get healthy food in bulk at discount prices
• Buy in season, or harvest and preserve it yourself
• Study (and/or teach) the art of cooking and preserving tasty, nutritious food on a budget

And in your community:

• Contribute something from every shopping trip to local food banks
• Plant a row for the hungry and donate the produce to a shelter, day care center, neighbor, or food bank

Share Your Table

The best antidote to fast-food culture is as close as your table. Invite friends and a few strangers to a local-foods potluck. In good weather, eat outside. Share an evening of conversation and enjoy the good life.