Many people hated physical education class (and still do)

This doesn’t come as a surprise to those of us (including this blogger) who were usually the last ones picked to play on teams during Phys Ed class. It doesn’t sound as though much has changed in the teaching of Phys Ed since George Leonard’s article Why Johnny Can’t Run ( a chapter adapted from his book The Ultimate Athlete) appeared in the August 1975 issue of The Atlantic Monthly (pp. 55-60). I quit taking Phys Ed after Grade 10 in the first half of 1976, but my last Phys Ed teacher, Rick Capyk, was the best I had in that subject, because he had some sympathy for the non-jocks among us. He came up with the idea of intramural leagues in various sports where we could pick our own teams, with one level of play for the jocks, and another level for the rest of us (my junior high math teacher, Mr. Farrelly, had done a similar thing for some of us a couple of years earlier). I started a flag football team, and we had a lot of fun. I have no idea if such intramural leagues still exist, but the idea is still worth trying.

Gym class makes grown-ups shun sports

Bad memories of phys-ed linked to inactive lifestyles

By Elise Stolte, edmontonjournal.com
January 7, 2010

EDMONTON — The reason many adults don't play sports may be related to the humiliation they faced as kids in gym class, when they couldn't climb a rope with everyone watching.

That might seem obvious, but University of Alberta researcher Billy Strean said he was shocked by the painful, visceral reactions he got when he interviewed people about their gym teachers even 40 years later.

When a man's brain is turned on, so is another part of him

Why is it that the social scientists who are researching other people’s sexuality don’t seem to have any themselves?

Sexual response in women more subtle than men: Study
By Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service
January 5, 2010

The old joke goes that a man's brain is located in his pants, and according to an international study published this week, the adage may in fact be partly true.

The study, which appeared in the Archives of Sexual Behavior journal, examined more than 40 years of international sex research and found that in many cases, when a man's mind was sexually aroused, it was likely his genitals were too. But in women, sexual responses were much more complicated.

For the original article in academicese as opposed to English, go here.

Sand is softer than wood

Another study done by scientists who apparently have never been children, or don't have any:

Children who fall off playground equipment and land on sand may be less likely to break an arm than if they land on wood chips, Canadian researchers say...

...How badly a child is hurt depends not only on how far they fall, but also the type of surface they land on, researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto found after some school playgrounds in the city were resurfaced.

Women cry more often, longer, and more dramatically than men...

...with the possible exception of Johnnie Ray. I do have my doubts as to the validity of the "scientific" studies. If the data came from self-reporting, I suspect that the men may be inclined to lie. Roy Orbison was very popular for singing "crying" songs at a time when men weren't supposed to cry or admit that they did--and his following was largely red-blooded heterosexual men.

...German experts provided confirmation on Wednesday: women cry more often than men, for longer -- and in a more dramatic fashion.

Go here for the original German press release.

Young people don't want to let adults in on their conversation

The slang you use gives away your age? Far out! This article leaves one question unanswered: Why would any adult want to talk with today's foul-mouthed, body-pierced, tattooed freaks yutes?

Slang vocabulary, like musical tastes, or physical height, may be one of those things that is more or less fully formed before we exit our teens...

Pamela Munro, a linguist and editor of U.C.L.A Slang 6, defines slang as "language whose use serves to mark the user as belonging to some distinct group within society."

In other words, when your kid is slangin,’ he’s really saying he is different than you — and he likes it that way.

"Anthropologically, kids form themselves," said Munro. "Slang is a kind of code or password if people are trying to show that they are a member of your group."

Late-night snacks could pack on the pounds...

...although the study doesn't mention that they might give you weird dreams, too.

Midnight raids on the refrigerator may have worse consequences than indigestion -- a study in mice boosts the theory that when you eat affects whether the calories go to your hips or get burned off.

Mice fed during the daytime -- when they normally would be sleeping -- gained more weight than mice fed at night, Fred Turek of Northwestern University in Illinois and colleagues found.

Smokers are unpopular with non-smokers

The Collective Dynamics of Smoking in a Large Social Network
Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., and James H. Fowler, Ph.D.

From the abstract:

Network phenomena appear to be relevant to smoking cessation. Smoking behavior spreads through close and distant social ties, groups of interconnected people stop smoking in concert, and smokers are increasingly marginalized socially.

Translation: Smokers are influenced by the behaviour of those in their social circle, and that social circle is getting smaller.

Maybe the reason non-smokers can't stand the company of smokers is that smokers reek of the foul stench of tobacco. Football coach Dave Skrien put it succinctly in his book Countdown to Grey Cup (page 44):

Tobacco is the most useless habit ever invented by man. It is unnecessary, unclean, unhealthful, rude and thoroughly distasteful.

Could it be that men honk their horns at women because they're interested in them?

University of Alberta professors differ on why men beep their car horns at women
Car honking theories range from male aggression to competition for status
Sarah Malik, News Writer

Dr Michelle Meagher, a women’s studies professor at the University of Alberta, has formulated a theory as to why men blow their car horns at women. According to her, there is no question that this behavior— which she talks about in terms of aggression and desire—reveals how boys have been raised and the sort of fantasies they have developed about women.

"It has nothing to do with how men are hardwired," she said.

However, Dr Peter Hurd, a Psychology professor at the U of A who researches sex and aggression, emphasizes that men are more likely to honk at women when other men are around rather than when they’re alone.

"It is a dominance signal, a competition for status with other men," Hurd explained.

He further maintained that the role of the woman, who is treated merely as an object in such scenarios, is minimal and that the honking is not about her, but about the male peers.

Obviously, these professors need to get out more. If you saw the photo of Dr. Meagher that accompanied the article in the print edition of The Gateway, it would be easy to conclude that she probably hasn't been honked at by any men. On that point, I wonder if she actually conducted a study on this behaviour at all. It's highly unlikely that any such study could be conducted in Edmonton, since most of the city's women are fat, ugly, waddling slobs with butch haircuts, tattoos, and body piercings. In the words of Newman, "A more offensive spectacle I cannot recall."

"This behavior is part of a sliding scale," Meagher said. "It is related to other violent activities by men against women, such as physical violence."

This is typical of the misandrist drivel that "women's studies" serves up by the bagful. My mother has told me that when she was young, she and her friends took offense if men didn't honk and whistle at them. If Dr. Meagher were a woman, she'd feel the same way.

Lonely hearts find comfort in TV characters

Subjects in one study who felt down from remembering unhappy moments of social rejection soon perked up upon writing about their favorite TV shows and characters. This supports the "social surrogacy hypothesis," where technology provides a sense of social belonging when real social connections are lacking.

"Normally rejection has a horrible effect on us, because we're a very social species," said Shira Gabriel, a psychologist at the University of Buffalo in New York who conducted four studies on the issue. "But with our favorite TV shows, we're no longer sad."

However, if George Costanza is the television character that you draw the most comfort from, you may be in trouble. These social scientists may someday discover that lonely people tend to fantasize a lot, and that lonely females like to read romance novels.

Apparently these "scientists" have never met either children or dogs outside a laboratory

To anyone who knows anything about kids or dogs, this isn't unclear at all. So many social scientists are so retarded, I wonder how they ever got their degrees.

Dog Bite Risk for Kids Greatest in Summer

SUNDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Young children are at the greatest risk for dog bites in the summer and are especially vulnerable to severe bites in the head and neck areas, say researchers who analyzed 84 cases of dog bites in children.

It's not clear why children are more likely to suffer dog bite injuries in the summer, but it may be because children spend more time outdoors playing with dogs in warmer months, the researchers suggested. Or it may be that dogs are generally more irritable in hot weather.

Sex researcher discovers that attitude influences behaviour

I suspect that sex researchers are too busy studying others' sex lives to have any of their own.

Virginity Perceptions Affect Relationship Choices: Trent Professor
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Findings Have Important Implications for Sexual Education Programs

According to Trent University psychology professor Dr. Terry Humphreys, virginity is a powerful cognitive schema that has different meanings for people and can affect their relationships choices and other life decisions.

People who act like snobs are probably rich

Rich Man, Poor Man: Body Language Can Indicate Socioeconomic Status, Study Shows

The results, reported in Psychological Science, reveal that nonverbal cues can give away a person's SES. Volunteers whose parents were from upper SES backgrounds displayed more disengagement-related behaviors compared to participants from lower SES backgrounds. In addition, when a separate group of observers were shown 60 second clips of the videos, they were able to correctly guess the participants' SES background, based on their body language.

The researchers note that this is the first study to show a relation between SES and social engagement behavior. They surmise that people from upper SES backgrounds who are wealthy and have access to prestigious institutions tend to be less dependent on others. "This lack of dependence among upper SES people is displayed in their nonverbal behaviors during social interactions," the psychologists conclude.

Fat kids don't feel good about themselves...

...while kids who do well on exams do feel good about themselves.

According to this study from the University of Alberta:

Kids who scored well on provincial exams tended to have high self-esteem, the researchers said, although children with low self-worth still managed to perform well. Children dealing with obesity, meanwhile, weren't feeling good about themselves.
"Body weight affected self-esteem negatively, and ... school performance affected self-esteem positively," the study says.

For another article on the same study, go here.

Mother knows best

Children may groan, but Mom was right, scientists find
Modern research affirms traditional wisdom of motherly dictums
Tom Spears, CanWest News Service
Published: Tuesday, January 06, 2009

The more scientists study us, the more they confirm that your mother was right. You should eat your veggies, wash your hands and play with friends outdoors.

Unhappy people watch more television...

...or does increased televiewing cause more unhappiness? If I spent more time watching the garbage that's on TV these days, I'd be unhappier, too.

Unhappy People Watch More Television
By News Staff | November 15th 2008 12:00 AM

A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. The study appears in the December issue of the journal "Social Indicators Research."

Analyzing 30-years worth of national data from time-use studies and a continuing series of social attitude surveys, the Maryland researchers report that spending time watching television may contribute to viewers’ happiness in the moment, with less positive effects in the long run.

"TV doesn’t really seem to satisfy people over the long haul the way that social involvement or reading a newspaper does," says University of Maryland sociologist John P. Robinson, the study co-author and a pioneer in time-use studies. "It’s more passive and may provide escape - especially when the news is as depressing as the economy itself. The data suggest to us that the TV habit may offer short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term malaise."

Bullies enjoy seeing people in pain

Bullies may get kick out of seeing others in pain
By Julie Steenhuysen – Fri Nov 7, 8:15 am ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Brain scans of teens with a history of aggressive bullying behavior suggest that they may actually get pleasure out of seeing someone else in pain, U.S. researchers said on Friday.
While this may come as little surprise to those who have been victimized by bullies, it is not what the researchers expected, Benjamin Lahey of the University of Chicago, who worked on the study, said in a telephone interview.

There's a generation gap in fitness clubs

'Geezers get out'
New research finds that if the old folks like it, the kids will stay away
Sarah Schmidt , Canwest News Service

Young customers don't want old people around when they're eating out at restaurants and will avoid patronizing health clubs and other service industries related to physical activity if senior citizens are present, a new study suggests...

I prefer rude doctors, myself

Patients prefer polite physicians, says U.S. report
Wed May 7, 2008 6:27pm EDT
By Gene Emery

BOSTON (Reuters) - Doctors should try a new type of prescription -- being a little more polite -- if they want to connect with their patients, a U.S. psychiatrist suggested on Wednesday...

Yutes with TV in their bedrooms get dumber

Study ties bedroom TV to unhealthy habits in teens
By Will Dunham
Mon Apr 7, 12:04 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Teenagers with a bedroom television tend to have poorer diet and exercise habits and lower grades in school than those without one, U.S. researchers said on Monday...

People prefer trains that run on time

Headline: Report: On-time trains would reduce Amtrak's losses
Date: April 3, 2008

"Amtrak could significantly boost its revenues and cut expenses if
it improves its on-time performance, according to a report by the
Transportation Department's inspector general. Doing so, however, would
require the cooperation of the freight railroads, which host the
national passenger carrier on their tracks."

Wounded war veterans bring their wounds home with them

This will come as a surprise only to those who've never heard of war. And here's another possibility these "scholars" might want to investigate: Families and caregivers of those who suffer serious injuries not related to war may also suffer from stress.

Military families suffer collateral damage
Caring for injured soldiers has steep price: study
Keith Gerein, The Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - When a Canadian soldier loses a limb in combat, or suffers paralysis or develops severe depression, the injuries can be devastating.
But when that soldier returns home, the impact can be passed on to spouses, parents and children -- caregivers who suffer in profound and often unrecognized ways, say the authors of a new University of Alberta study...

Crucifixion isn't supposed to be good for your health

The following items are excellent examples of one of the major errors of Roman Catholicism: Roman Catholicism teaches that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross isn’t enough to pay the penalty for all our sins. In contrast, the teaching of the Bible is clear: Jesus Christ has done it all, and there’s nothing that we can do instead of or in addition to what He did on the cross to achieve our salvation.

On the cross, just before He died, He said "It is finished." (John 19:30). The Greek word is tetelestai, an accounting term meaning "paid in full." Other New Testament passages that confirm this include:
I Peter 3:18a: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God...
Hebrews 9:26b: But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Hebrews 9:28a: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many...
Hebrews 10:10: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:12: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Hebrews 10:14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Obviously, if Christ has done it "once" and "for ever," it’s neither necessary nor efficacious to try to reenact Christ’s suffering, or to try to atone for our own sins by inflicting suffering upon ourselves. Moreover, we’re saved because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, not because He endured a certain amount of physical suffering. Mel Gibson is a Roman Catholic who believes that physical suffering is necessary for salvation; that’s why his movie The Passion of the Christ dwelt on the gory details of Christ’s physical suffering on the cross. The Bible on the other hand, doesn’t dwell on the gruesome physical details, but rather on what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. As the passages cited above state, He took the punishment that we deserved, and by the shedding of His blood (Hebrews 9:22b: ...and without shedding of blood is no remission) completely satisfied the demands of God’s law.

When Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, He paid a debt that was owed to His Father--not a debt owed to Satan, as some erroneously teach. The work of salvation was completely the work of God. It should be noted that when Jesus said "It is finished," He was on the cross; He didn’t finish the job in Hell, as some heretics in the so-called "Faith Movement" teach.

If anyone reading this blog hasn’t yet accepted Jesus Christ’s payment for sins, that forgiveness is available to you right now:
Psalm 95:7-8: ...Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart...
II Corinthians 6:2: ...behold, now is the day of salvation.
John 6:29: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Romans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Warning: Crucifixion bad for health
From correspondents in Manila
March 19, 2008 09:43pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse

PHILIPPINE health officials are warning people taking part in Easter crucifixions and self-flagellation rituals to get a tetanus shot first and sterilise the nails to avoid infections.
Every Good Friday in the predominately Roman Catholic Southeast Asian nation, dozens of men re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ by having themselves nailed to wooden crosses.
At the same time hundreds of others, mostly men, strip to the waist and whip themselves until their backs are cut and bloody as a way of atoning for their sins over the past year...

Man crucified for 22nd time
By Joseinne Ignacio and Samuel Medenilla in the Philippines
March 21, 2008 08:23pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse

A MAN has been crucified for the 22nd time in a gruesome Easter ritual.
Devout Roman Catholic Ruben Enaje donned a crown of thorns before being nailed to a cross.
The 47-year-old decorator was the first of 19 men in this northern Philippines village of San Pedro Cutud who underwent the bloody Easter crucifixion ritual, an extreme form of penance by devotees wanting to thank God for answering their prayers...

In order to discover what drives voter preferences...

...advanced brain research isn't necessary. The same information can be obtained just by asking women why they vote the way they do--which is why women should never have been allowed to vote.

Voters make decisions more on emotion than reason, author finds
Honest pitch will persuade quicker than facts, figures, even among sophisticated
David Zussman, Freelance
Published: Tuesday, March 04

...A recently published book authored by Drew Westen, titled The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation, provides a new lens through which to analyze and speculate on voter behaviour...

In essence, Westen challenges the popular notion that voters are rational and cool headed in their assessment of political parties and individual candidates. Westen argues that when strategists "assume voters dispassionately make decisions based on the issues, they lose."

In other words, based on their MRI research, when voters are asked to choose between reason and emotion, they always choose the candidate or party that evokes the emotional response...

Psychologists are the last people to discover the truth about human nature

Lack of free will may aid cheating
Linda Nguyen, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008

People are more likely to throw caution to their moral standards and cheat when they believe they have no control over their free will, according to two recently published academic studies.

The studies, both appearing in the American journal Psychological Science last month, found that participants were more likely to cheat when they were told that genes or the environment predetermines their behaviour...

People in love use pet names for each other

Of course, if they start calling each other nasty names, this could be a sign that the relationship may be in trouble.

Terms of endearment make hearts grow fonder
Chris Zdeb, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Friday, February 08

Sweetie. Darling. Adonis. Baby Boy. Jam Tart. Words of love: pet names for people.

They're more than terms of endearment, says registered psychologist Helen Neufeld; they enhance a relationship...

These scientists apparently don't have (or have never been) children

More evidence that scientists need to get out more often:

Generation Gap? 'Online Gap' Widens Divide Between Parents and Children

ScienceDaily (Feb. 5, 2008) — Instant messaging, blogs, Facebook, MySpace -- there are limitless ways your child communicates online with the offline world. And the risks and opportunities are only increasing.

A new Tel Aviv University research study has found that, despite what parents might believe, there is an enormous gap between what they think their children are doing online and what is really happening...

Don't marry someone you can't stand

Of course, the sooner the relationship breaks up, the less time the partners will have to get on each other's nerves.

Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse
By Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 05 February 2008 02:19 pm ET

If your spouse already bugs you now, the future is bleak. New research suggests couples view one another as even more irritating and demanding the longer they are together...

Watching close, exciting games is more stressful than watching boring, lopsided games

Canadian Football League coaches (especially Danny Maciocia and Tom Higgins) have been very effective in recent years in preventing heart attacks by doing everything they could to remove all the entertainment from the games.

Don't be a Super Bowl statistic
Stress of watching the big game can be hazardous to heart, research suggests
By Jeremy Manier | Tribune reporter
January 31, 2008

Most sports fans can recall a close game that made their hearts skip a figurative beat, but a new study suggests that the stressful emotions of big contests may in fact increase the risk of chest pains or cardiac arrest in spectators...

Maybe drunks are depressed because they can't stop drinking

Alcoholics With Depression Less Likely To Stay Sober

ScienceDaily (Jan. 4, 2008) — It’s hard to stay on the wagon when you’re depressed, according to a new study of problem drinkers...

These findings aren't "surprising" to anyone who's ever lived near a frat house

These studies remind me of the episode of Get Smart where Maxwell Smart was showing Agent 99 a listening device hidden inside an artificial ice cube. According to Max:
"Professor Parker has tested this device in every known liquid. That's how he got his reputation."
"As a scientist?"
"No, as a drunk."

Drinking And Aggression Among University Students Often Depends On The Context

ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2008) — A significant proportion of university students experience violence, under circumstances that often involve alcohol. A new study has found that drinking at a fraternity, sorority or campus residence increases the likelihood of aggression, and that attending parties can especially increase aggression for women...

Inside College Parties: Surprising Findings About Drinking Behavior

ScienceDaily (Jan. 6, 2008) — Most studies of drinking by college students have focused on individual factors like attitudes, and have relied on self reports. A uniquely designed study instead had researchers visit college parties, gathering data on the spot. Findings revealed that drinking games and themed parties are associated with higher levels of drinking...

Football Game Days Tops For Drinking Among College Students

ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2007) — College students drink larger amounts of alcohol on football game days, comparable to well-known drinking days such as New Year's Eve and Halloween, according to research from The University of Texas at Austin...

Would you believe...Teen binge drinkers may become adult binge drinkers

Teen Binge Drinkers Risk Alcoholism And Social Exclusion As Adults

ScienceDaily (Sep. 10, 2007) — Teen binge drinkers are significantly more likely to become heavy drinkers as adults and find themselves with a string of criminal convictions, indicates a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health...

Heavy drinking shrinks brains...

...especially those of the scholars who conducted this study.

Drinking Heavy Amounts Of Alcohol Shrinks Your Brain

ScienceDaily (May 3, 2007) — Drinking heavy amounts of alcohol over a long period of time may decrease brain volume, according to research that was presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, April 28 -- May 5, 2007. The study found the more alcohol people drink on a regular basis, the lower their brain volume...

Scientists make the shocking discovery that young people imitate the behaviour they see on the screen

If scientists got out more often, they'd realize, as tobacco companies do, that most movies today are made for young adults and teenagers. This is why these companies pay actors to smoke in movies.

On-screen Smoking In Movies Linked To Young Adult Smoking Behavior

ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2007) — New study findings show that exposure to on-screen smoking in movies has a strong correlation with beginning to smoke or becoming established smokers among young adults 18-25, a critical age group for lifelong smoking behavior...

Teens Who See More Smoking In Movies May Have Increased Risk Of Becoming Established Smokers

ScienceDaily (Sep. 4, 2007) — Exposure to smoking in movies appears to be associated with adolescents' risk of becoming established smokers who have used at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetimes, according to a new report...

Exposure To Smokers In Movies Increases Likelihood Of Smoking In The Future

ScienceDaily (Jun. 14, 2007) — A new study appearing in the July issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, reports that watching an actor smoke on the big screen may make smokers more likely to continue smoking in the future, and make nonsmokers more favorably disposed toward smoking...

Drunks get hurt a lot because drunks fall down a lot

Drinking Can Be Dangerous

ScienceDaily (Jul. 20, 2006) — People who drink alcohol are up to four times more likely than non-drinkers to be hurt from physical injuries such as a fall or punch, new research shows.

The University of Queensland study found any alcohol consumption quadrupled the risk of injury for the first six hours after drinking alcohol and this risk remained at 2.5 times that of a non drinker for the next 24 hours...

That's why they're called "bystanders"

As reported by Jamie Hall, in the Edmonton Journal, January 18, 2008:

EDMONTON - Bystanders are less likely to step in and help someone whose life is in danger if they're part of a crowd, according to a University of Alberta professor asked to comment about the recent actions of two Good Samaritans.

One man, an off-duty restaurant employee at Joey Tomatoes, was shot in the leg when he and a manager intervened in a fight; another, 46-year-old Randy Lintner, was killed when he tried to stop a fight outside a bar.

The men acted in separate incidents over the past few days, but in both cases several people were present.

"The likelihood that someone will intervene in dangerous situations diminishes as the number of bystanders increases; psychologists call it the bystander effect, " said Mitchell McInnes.

He...wrote his doctoral dissertation on Good Samaritans while at Cambridge University several years ago.

The bigger the crowd, the easier it is for people to diffuse responsibility, and shift or avoid blame. "People kind of freeze in those situations; they're inhibited by uncertainty, and by the fear of acting inappropriately," McInnes said.

Fawn Hagen thinks the recent spate of violence will deter others from taking similar actions. The restaurant employee who was shot is her sister's boyfriend. She identified him only as "Justin."

"He chose to help a man who was being beaten. His reward? A gunshot to the leg," Hagen wrote in a letter to the Journal.

"If this isn't a deterrent for the Good Samaritans on our city, I don't know what is."

Fear of personal harm, or legal liability, are among the factors that make them hesitate or stop altogether, McInnes said.

The latter has prompted a number of provinces--Alberta was among the first, in 1969--to enact legislation to protect Good Samaritans.

Essentially, the legislation protects Good Samaritans from legal liability in the event of damages or injury "unless they're grossly negligent or do something wildly wrong," McInnes said.

Walking might be good for dogs, too

Canine trainer could keep you healthy
Researcher looks into dog-walking as way to overcome barriers to exercise
Sandra Mcculloch, Times Colonist
Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Out of shape? You might have a perfect fitness coach under your own roof.
A University of Victoria researcher is looking into the health benefits of dog-walking, something many dog owners may not realize offers beneficial exercise...

Unpopular girls tend to be fatter...

...or is it that fat girls tend to be unpopular?

Teen girls' popularity predicts weight change, study shows
Posted by Elizabeth Cooney January 7, 2008 05:04 PM

Adolescent girls who placed themselves low on the ladder of popularity were more likely to gain weight later in their teen years than girls who saw themselves as having higher social standing, Boston-area researchers say...