World Health Organization:

Clarification of erroneous news reports indicating WHO genetic research on hair colour

1 October 2002 -- In response to recent media reports citing an alleged World Health Organization (WHO) study predicting the extinction of the naturally blonde hair gene, WHO wishes to clarify that it has never conducted research on this subject. Nor, to the best of its knowledge, has WHO issued a report predicting that ‘natural blondes are likely to be extinct by 2202’. WHO has no knowledge of how these news reports originated but would like to stress that we have no opinion on the future existence of blondes.

we have no opinion on the future existence of blondes

That's a safe stance to take.

Yesterday in class someone asked "What's the blonde's name again?" Kravver next to them "ita???"

"No! The real blonde!"

See, I wasn't going to be extinct by 2202 anyway. Dead, maybe, but that's not the same thing.

Tickles me to no end when someone describes me as a blonde (as opposed to blonde). Not precisely sure why.

My shoulders hurt like whoa. I'm worried this means I'll have to punch lightly until Friday. Don't want to.

Paczki Day

The one day a year I miss living near Detroit.

Do we know about Holla Back NYC?

Women post photos of men who harrass them. Not just NYC.

I have no Paczki.

Kathy, let me know next time you go!

I'm trying to listen to a Jack Klugman interview on an NPR podcast, but his voice is so wrecked from throat cancer surgery it's hard to concentrate on it. He did compare The Odd Couple to Brokeback Mountain. I'm just not sure how.

Gondor has no Paczki.

Gondor needs no Paczki.

I, on the other hand, wouldn't mind trying them. But I think I'll settle for bacon-wrapped chicken.

I just got a message from Dad. (I knew being away from my desk for 20 minutes would do it.) Mom's out of surgery and everything apparently went just fine. She'll be in ICU tonight and in the hospital until Saturday or Sunday.

ETA: Klugman's still alive? I had no idea. I guess I was confusing him with Walter Matthau.

That's good that you heard from your family, and good what you heard about your mother.

eta: He's just written Tony and Me about him and Tony Randall.

Good news!

Brian Bujisse of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven and his colleagues measured the cocoa intake of 470 men between 1985 and 2000 as part of the Zutphen Elderly Study, a longitudinal look at nearly 1,000 Dutch men between 65 and 84 years of age. The nutrition experts identified 24 cocoa-containing foods that the elderly men ate, ranging from dark chocolate bars to chocolate spreads. They summed the total amount of cocoa each consumed and came up with a grams-per-day measurement, which they used to separate the men into three groups: those who ate little chocolate, a modest amount, and the most.

Among those who ate the most chocolate--averaging more than four grams a day--average systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 3.7 and 2.1 millimeters of mercury lower than their chocolate-spurning peers. This result did not hold true for other sweet foods nor did it vary among men who also smoked, were inactive or consumed a lot of alcohol. And, despite being strongly associated with greater intake of calories, chocolate lowered the overall risk of cardiovascular or any other disease by as much as 50 percent.

Good news!

Best news story EVAH!