ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

A new study shows that reading ShAARP Session is good for your health. From the UCLA Newsroom.

UCLA scientists have found that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function.

The study, the first of its kind to assess the impact of Internet searching on brain performance, is currently in press at the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and will appear in an upcoming issue.

"The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults," said principal investigator Dr. Gary Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA who holds UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Chair on Aging. "Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."

So, here is your task: find the contact information for both campaigns and tell the candidates what you would like to see addressed at tonight's debate. Remember, it's good for your health.

As you've probably heard by now, Senator McCain found himself in some hot water after desserting David Letterman to head back to Washington to work on the bailout deal. If not, you can see Letterman's reaction below:

Letterman was pretty upset and continued to harp on the issue for several shows. Thankfully, it looks like the two have finally managed to patch things up. McCain appeared on Letterman's show just last night, and after a pretty good tongue lashing by the late night host, the two were able to smooth things over and Letterman forgave McCain. See for yourself!

Well the saying holds that money can't buy you happiness. The Beatles said money can't buy me love. That may be true, but I'll tell you what money can buy you: life. A new study released by the World Health Organization shows that there is an enormous disparity in the life spans of the world's richest 10% and the poorest 10%. A 35 year disparity to be exact. The richest 10% of people can expect to live to age 81, while the poorest 10% live to an average age of 46. So I guess we had better hope this economy turns around soon.

What did you get out of the debate? Well if you're like me, you probably remember the candidates talking more about some plumber named Joe, than they were about many of the issues. Did you know they mentioned this guy more than 20 times? That's more references than they gave to just about every major issue facing the country! You'd think that in the days of this and this, the candidates would be a little more willing to stick to the matter at hand and not get caught up in some silly and shallow conversation on one man's personal situation. What did you think of last night's debate?

All the analysts are abuzz about who won this debate since it's being hailed as the best one of all. So tell us...who won?

Finally a question about negative campaigning! Negative information and mud slinging gets us nowhere - and it certainly doesn't help us become more educated voters.

Here's hoping they actually address the issues on the minds of American voters and not play to political pundits who are desperate to keep confrontation alive. We need leaders who can rise above, not candidates who do their best to be less-worse than the other guy.

Thoughts?

Senators Obama and McCain are getting right to the down and dirty - talking about their economic proposals. Everything from taxes, jobs, home ownership is on the table - who's plan do you think provides the most relief for you?

For those of you tuning in tonight...use our debate score card to keep track of how well the candidates answer the questions!

The sickness that has spread through the economy with the speed of a pandemic has spread to the health care industry. Tightening credit markets are leaving hospitals strapped for cash. What does this mean for us? Hospitals will be delaying improvements such as new emergency rooms and updating high tech equipment such as MRI machines. Worse still, with the economy not showing any signs of turning around any time soon, hospitals will likely fall further into debt as they have an increasingly hard time collecting bills from patients.

While we're thrilled for your feedback and welcome your thoughts about the election, we ask that all please be respectful and refrain from offensive or abusive language.

We're inside the 1-month countdown for the 2008 Presidential Election and that means it's time to voice your opinion! In less than 30 days there will be a new president-elect, and whether he's from the left or the right, blue or red, Americans demand that health care and financial security be addressed, and quickly.
30 Day Push for Action

At Divided We Fail, we're all about bipartisan efforts among our leaders in Washington to provide affordable health care and long-term financial security to every American. In order to make sure that our message gets through loud and clear, we're working on gathering hundreds of thousands of signed pledges to the DWF mission.

I call upon you in the next 30 days to spread the word and make sure that we, as a nation, are unified in a voice that calls for action. Tell your friends to sign the pledge at Dividedwefail.org and tell us what you think about the issues. How do you feel about the current state of health care and financial security and what's the best solution moving forward?

TAGS: Divided We Fail, DWF, AARP, dividedwefail.org, pledge, 2008, Presidential Election, health care, financial security

A childhood favorite turns 50 this year...Paddington bear!

Many news outlets, including New York Daily News report:

In honor of his birthday, Google put Paddington on its homepage logo. Fully dressed in his signature coat and hat, the picture shows Paddington making his way from his native Peru to his new home in London.

More than 30 million Paddington Bear books have been sold in the last half-century, in 30 different languages. With all his timeless charm, Paddington has come alive in his own BBC television series and has comforted many a child as a furry stuffed animal.

We all knew things were bad, but this bad? Really? As personal debts mount people across the country are being forced to make some tough choices. Some folks are so desperate that they're committing insurance fraud to try and dump some debt and collect a check. One example: the number of cars suspected of being burned by their owners has nearly doubled in the last year. Just a little taste of the desperation some people are feeling as they watch their savings go down the drain.