School Shootings

They may shock the nation, but unfortunately, children and violence are two words that are becoming more commonly linked with one another. The American Academy of Pediatrics named firearm-related deaths one of the top three causes of death in American youth, and the rate of violent crimes are higher for people 12 to 24 years of age than any other age group. And even if children aren’t the victims of violence, they’ve been exposed to it. According to the American Psychiatric Association, by the time the average child reaches 18, he or she will have seen an estimated 200,000 acts of violence on television alone.

Hobbit Fuel

During the filming of The Hobbit, producer Peter Jackson spent $1.5 million of the movie’s reported $150-million budget on food and $380,000 on coffee. No word on whether it was Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts.

2 0 1 3 will be
the first year
that doesn’t have repeated digits
Whitneysince 1 9 8 7.

Snow Way Out!

For some people, snow days are even worse than slushy roads and shoveling driveways. Chionophobia is the fear of snow, and sufferers feel panic, shortness of breath, impending death and other anxiety symptoms when icy precipitation starts falling. The cause of the phobia is usually a traumatic experience involving snow and, luckily, therapy can help. Sometimes chionophobia is mistaken as a fear of the Chinese, but that malady is actually sinophobia.

That’s Soooo Interesting

Studies have shown that exposure to sarcasm enhances creative problem solving. Being surrounded by sarcastic people also makes you smarter, according to the Smithsonian. Scientists monitoring the electrical activity of the brain found that comprehending a sarcastic opinion as opposed to a sincere statement makes the brain work harder.

Rock Out

British journal BMJ Open found that being a solo singing sensation may not be all it’s cracked up to be. A team of researchers from the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University looked at the mortality rates of 1,489 rock and pop stars who gained fame between 1956 and 2006, and found that solo performers were about twice as likely to die at an earlier age than than members of a band. In North America, 23 percent of solo stars died early in life, while just 10 percent of stars in a band met untimely deaths. They concluded that this may be because solo stars are usually more famous than band members, and have different sets of pressures and temptations. Interesting for anyone considering a career in the music industry.

“Whitney Houston”

was the most Googled search term of 2012. The late singer was followed by “Hurricane Sandy,” “Election 2012,” “Hunger Games,” and “Jeremy Lin.”

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