Acccording to this article, Alpine enthusiasts, “don’t drink and ski,”

More than thirty Britons died in Alpine accidents last year, half of whom were under 25. Many died because they underestimated the risk of drinking at a high altitude.

While the person who is drinking may feel “ok,” there are added effects to alcohol when you are at a higher altitude;  this could play a role in the increasing number of alcohol-related ski and snowboard accidents.

Alcohol-fueled skiers and snowboarders don’t just put themselves in danger. Authorities in France have said that tipsy or drunk people can – and do – set off avalanches when they go into barred areas. The sections that are sectioned off are done so because they are either too dangerous to use or they are avalanche-prone.

Seriously, why do such public campaigns have to be put in place? I know – common sense isn’t so common any more. You have to wonder though, we *know* that alcohol does things to our perception and ability to react. To put people in danger because you choose to drink is just selfish and,  yes, stupid.

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Image: PhotoXpress.com

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Other astronaut hopefuls were eliminated if they had scars. The experts said that the scar tissue could burst open in extreme conditions of space. I wonder if that’s true and if astronauts from other countries have the same restriction. And what kind of scar? I know very few people who don’t have any scar at all, the most common one being at the bottom of the chin. You know, the kind you get when you trip and fall flat on your face when you’re a kid. Not to mention all the forehead scars that most kids seem to get as well.

Chinese guidelines also don’t allow for astronauts to have a family history of serious illnesses – and they go back as far as *three* generations.

But, Chinese astronaut hopefuls, don’t get too excited even if you smell lily-fresh, have no scars, have an abnormally healthy family and you’ve passed all the tests and courses because – if you’re married and your wife doesn’t want you to go, you can’t. She has the final say.

Huh.

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Source

Image: PhotoXpress.com

Post from: Healthbolt

In keeping with this theme, TripAdvisor has ‘coughed up’ a list what they think might be the world’s top ‘germiest’ attractions…

photo by ge'shmally (flickr)

1. The Blarney Stone in Ireland where ‘up to 400,000 mouths from all over the world touch the stone each year‘.

2. Seattle’s Wall of Gum where, since the 1990s people have been deposit their masticated gum while waiting in line for Theatresports

3. Oscar Wilde’s Tomb in Paris which is has a ‘rainbow of hundreds of visible kiss marks adorning the grave’.

4. St. Mark’s Square in Venice is full of hungry pigeons that are often touched and petted by tourists.

5. Forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood where people get down on their hands and knees to place their fingers in the molds of their favorite stars.

I think I’ll steer clear of these attractions and settle for seeing them in youtube instead…

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But I didn’t want to leave all you Healthbolt reader’s high and dry, so I’ve been doing some pre-posting to keep you informed and entertained while I’m away.

And to start it of, here’s a safety video from Air New Zealand with whom I‘ll be flying with tomorrow.

Can you spot what’s different from the usual safety videos?

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Yep, you got it. They are not wearing any clothes.

It’s all body paint.

Thankfully, it’s just a video and all the real flight personnel on my flight will be wearing real clothes (I hope!)

(image source)

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Then maybe you need to think about living abroad. 

According to a new research by the American Psychological Association, living abroad expands the mind.

This conclusion is based on 5 studies involving students at Sorbonne University, INSEAD and the Kellogg School of Management in the US. 

Of course, despite these findings, moving abroad does not guarantee a budding writer or artist will create the perfect masterpiece or manuscript.

But as an expat, it’s interesting to know that living overseas is possibly increasing my creativity.

One more reason to stay where I am!

(source and image source)
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1065698

Post from: Healthbolt

Check out this restaurant in the Netherlands called Restaurant of the Future.

It looks like a restaurant. It acts like a restaurant. But it’s actually a living laboratory where scientists can monitor and study what and how people eat.

The scientists, thankfully, are not standing at the tables, clipboard in hand, watching the customers eat. Instead customer’s eating habits are monitored by cameras that are discretely in the ceiling.

In fact, the only way that customers even know that they are participating in an ongoing research project is because they are given a questionnaire and research waiver to sign when they arrive at the front door.

Unless they are looking closely, they probably won’t even notice the ceiling cameras or the black rubber scale at one of the cash registers that unobtrusively weighs each diners. Nor will they see how the staff weighs the food is thrown away to find out how much people are actually eating.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

His first port of call was an ice cream factory in New York City’s Chinatown to sample dorian ice cream. Dorian, a fruit that’s has been cultivated in southeast Asia since prehistoric times, is loved by many Asian communities. It’s odd appearance (think football with spikes) and abhorent rotten garbage smell, though, has prevented the fruit from become popular in the western world. One look at Dr Manny’s face when he was trying this and it’s pretty obvious that the ice cream doesn’t kill the smell.

As for it’s health benefits, apparently it is thought to act as an aphrodisiac!!!

The next stop in Dr Manny’s culinary quest took him to a Japanese restaurant Morimoto to sample blowfish sperm (health benefits – a source of zinc and DHA which is good for the brain)

Personally I’d have stopped there but Dr Manny and the Medicine Hunter went on to try sea urchins (health benefit – rich in antioxident compounds, protein, and Vit B) and smelly Natto (health benefits – good for digestion, has compounds that inhibit tumors, and a source of Vit B).

It’s really worth checking out the videos of Dr Manny’s culinary quest just to watch the expressions on his face while tasting these strange health foods

In this case, a  picture paints a thousand words.

(image from flickr / soma-samui.com)

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Post from: Healthbolt

If you’re heading out into the wilderness for some nature-like fun (not my bag, but hey, to each his own), you may come across a bear at some point. You are in their habitat, after all. And while this is scarier than the release of Gigli, there are certain steps you can take to protect yourself and your family, since most black bears are not interested in people and can usually be scared away. Take a look:

1. Stand up as tall as you can

2. Hold out your arms to appear bigger (if you’re wearing a jacket and have the time, open it up)

3. Speak in a loud, deep voice (what you choose to say is up to you, though I imagine explicatives might be part of the package)

4. Back up slowly

If this doesn’t work and the bear starts charging at you, you should actually fight back – and hard. Try to hit him in the nose, which is a bear’s main sensory organ. However…DON’T RUN! Running will torment the bear, and heavens knows, he can outrun you.

Keep in mind, this advice is all true for black bears, not brown grizzlies (which are found west of the Rockies). If you come across a grizzly, it’s best to play dead.

Hey, I’d rather play dead than become dead, wouldn’t you?

Source: Parents magazine

Post from: Healthbolt

Turns out it’s not such a bad idea. Dancing, it seems, has many health benefits. Besides the obvious – it is exercise and therefore should help you keep fit – dancing is also good for lowering the risk of dementia, helping those with depression, and improving balance for those with Parkinsons.

So I’m going to make good my resolution and ‘dance like no one is watching’. And for inspiration, I’ll follow the lead of Matt Harding, better known for his video ‘Where the Hell is Matt?’. He doesn’t care whether anyone is watching or not. He just keeps on dancing his way around the world. And it looks like fun…

(source)

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