Archive for the 'Not so Scientific…' Category

Is Coffee Healthy?

Published
by
Smoother
on November 1, 2009
in Observations and Scientific Studies
. 0 Comments
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Considering all the past concern about possible health risks from drinking coffee, newer reports of coffee’s possible protective effects may leave many people confused.

Overall, recent studies suggest that coffee (regular and decaffeinated) may offer a variety of health benefits against diseases such as cancer and diabetes. However, coffee may not deserve a place in the same category with other healthful foods like vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Laboratory studies suggest that the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant compounds in coffee could help reduce risk of cancer. Coffee also has a tendency to speed the passage of waste through the digestive tract. Potentially, this may lessen the time that cancer-causing compounds spend in contact with the intestinal tract, which could reduce the risk of colon cancer. Population studies, however, tend to split between coffee intake having no effect on or reducing risk of breast and colon cancer.

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Iowa Payroll Law and Practice

Published
by
Smoother
on October 1, 2009
in Observations and iowa
. 1 Comment
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he Iowa State Agency that oversees the collection and reporting of State income taxes deducted from payroll checks is:

Department of Revenue Income Tax Division Hoover State Office Bldg. P.O. Box 10457 Des Moines, IA 50306-0457 (515) 281-3114 (800) 367-3388 (in state) www.state.ia.us/tax

Iowa requires that you use Iowa form “IA W-4, Centralized Employee Registry Reporting Form/Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate” instead of a Federal W-4 Form for Iowa State Income Tax Withholding.

Not all states allow salary reductions made under Section 125 cafeteria plans or 401(k) to be treated in the same manner as the IRS code allows. In Iowa cafeteria plans are not taxable for income tax calculation; taxable for unemployment insurance purposes. 401(k) plan deferrals are not taxable for income taxes; taxable for unemployment purposes.

In Iowa supplemental wages are taxed at a 6% flat rate.

State W-2s are not applicable in the state of Iowa.

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Top 10 Cities For Younger Retirees

Published
by
Smoother
on September 1, 2009
in Observations and Travel
. 0 Comments
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Young retirees looking out for the best cities in the U.S. to retire young but still be engaged in an active lifestyle may take a look at the top ten cities that have been chosen by the Money Magazine with Bert Sperling of Bestplace.net this year. The best cities have been selected based on important factors for an active lifestyle such as population growth, cost of living, economic health, recreation opportunities and leisure activities. The city’s proximity to a large metro area, college presence in the vicinity and housing costs that are below $350,000 have been taken into account. However, the study also made a few exceptions for cities that offered unique benefits and did not strictly fit the criteria.

1. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho: Pronounced as ‘Core da lane’, this city offers a wonderful ski environment, stunning scenery and a flourishing golf culture. The city is picking up in the tourism sector. The median home price is $311,700 and the population is 38,246.

2. Charlottesville, Virginia: The Blue Ridge Mountains, University of Virginia, and variety of entertainment and recreation, makes Charlottesville an attractive option to retire in. This is also a city with a strong historical background. All these positive features offset the slightly high median home price of $398,400. The population of Charlottesville is 41,425.

3. Logan, Utah: Home to the Utah State University, Logan is a popular city that offers various recreational activities including plenty of water sports at Bear Lake. Logan has a historic downtown and the scenic Logan Canyon Scenic Byway is a great attraction. The city has a median home price of $205,400 and population of 44,599.

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Hypnosis for quitting smoking

Published
by
Smoother
on July 1, 2009
in Scientific Studies
. 2 Comments
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Smoking is hazardous to health. We all know it. However, there are many people who start smoking even after knowing that it is not good for health. It is very easy to start smoking. Anybody from a chain smoker to one who smokes occasionally or just a few cigarettes every day will tell you this. When it comes to quitting smoking, one has to be extra careful and work upon the will power.

A person can stop smoking for some days. However, the urge of having a fag is so strong that it is very difficult stay away from it. Here, you tend to get back to square one even after you decide to quit smoking.

Hypnosis is a process that has made a great impact on smoking. Most people who have tried it, agree that hypnosis can help quitting smoking.

When quitting smoking, one faces mood swings, lethargy and intense craving that are hard to resist. Hence, when you want to quit smoking, you need to take help of a hypnotherapist. A hypnotherapist will help you come out of the blues you experience when quitting smoking.

If you are a chain smoker or smoke occasionally, you can take help of a hypnotherapist to quite smoking. Here, you are able to get into a state of dream where you get a feeling of relaxation from head to toe. When undergoing a hypnotherapy, a person easily responds to suggestions. A hypnotherapy uses several positive suggest that may help a patient to curb his cravings for cigaretters. The reason is that on tends to get relaxed after hypnosis and feels less stress. When you tend to be free of stress, you don't crave for cigarettes.

There are many people who don't agree that hypnosis can help quit smoking. They think that during the period of the treatment, the patient is easily able to control his urge to smoke however, the moment the treatment is over, the urge to smoke arises again. However, this has not affected the popularity of hypnotherapy as a solution to quit smoking. You would find many hypnotherapists practicing hypnotherapy for quitting smoking. Iowa and Indiana have maximum number of hypnotherapy clinics.

The most important thing to take care of is that your will power to stay away from the cigarettes need to be combined with hypnotherapy. In short, hypnosis for quitting smoking will only help you if you want to quit smoking.

Hypnosis is not a new concept. It is a state of mind where you tend to take suggestions and advice easily. You are ready to respond to whatever treatment is give to you.

Many people have claimed that hypnosis has worked for them. Hypnotists use several methods to help their clients quit smoking. One of the most popular methods is where they may tell a person to relate smoking cigarettes with an extremely bad smell. They also associate the thoughts of smoking with a positive anti smoking message.

If you want an instant fix to your problem, hypnosis may not help but the therapy can help you cultivate a strong desire to succeed.

About the Author

frank j vanderlugt owns and operates http://www.youwillquit.com You Will Quit

Weird Drinking Laws

Published
by
Smoother
on June 1, 2009
in Scientific Studies
. 1 Comment
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The United States has its fair share of weird laws (what is up with having to pay taxes?), but there are few laws that achieve the level of oddness that certain American drinking laws attain. Underage folks may find the “21 and over” rule to be weird. People wanting to buy beer seven days a week may find the fact that liquor stores are closed on Sundays in many states to be strange. Those who like to stroll around a park with an uncorked bottle of wine may find it bizarre that open containers of alcohol aren’t allowed in many areas. But, the oddness that the above laws emit is nothing compared to the peculiarities of those below:

Don’t use the “R” word: According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BAFT), the word “refreshing” can’t be utilized when describing alcohol beverages. That forces us, the alcohol consumers, to describe beer as brisk, gin as invigorating, and wine as reviving. That’s right BAFT, we have a thesaurus.

Drinking Laws

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Worst Tornados Resulting in Massive Damage

Published
by
Smoother
on February 1, 2009
in Observations
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April 11, 1965 is still remembered by many: that day a brutal string of tornados hit the states of Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan with wind gusts as high as 318 miles per hour, killing 250 people and injuring some 1500 others. The first funnel cloud hit the ground at 1 p.m. with others following at varying intervals, up to 5:30 pm. The storms intensified as they day progressed. An F4 storm hit Koontz Lake, Indiana and 2 other twisters hit Wakarusa, and Goshen, doing massive damage to homes, and local infrastructure.

More storms continued to develop over the course of that same day. The worst of the tornados, an F5 storm with winds reaching speeds of up to 318 miles per hour landed at Elkhart Indiana and destroyed the Sunnyside subdivision killing over 30 people. One of the funnel clouds was a colossal eight hundred yards wide, leaving a trail of devastation in its path. Telephone and electrical lines where knocked out by the high winds. The phone system was down and, as a result, local city officials where unable to warn others in the path of the storm of the severe danger. The day progressed and tornados hit many other counties. The damage from all these rapidly occurring storms was devastating.

The impact that these storms had on the area was huge. The U.S. weather bureau conducted a full investigation after the storm and established the need for better methods to communicate warnings to residents and officials in other areas of approaching storms. It was just a little while after this that the Weather Service started to put out announcements indicating that tornados where likely to form and where they were traveling once they had hit the ground.

Iowa Tornados

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This Just In – Martians Like Mexican Food

Published
by
Steel
on January 15, 2009
in Not so Scientific..., Observations, This is cool! and This is crazy!
. 0 Comments
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Methane plumes spotted on Mars may be a sign of life

Kinda says it all, doesn’t it?

He Might Be Like That Dude…

Published
by
Steel
on January 12, 2009
in Not so Scientific..., Observations and Stuff to do when bored
. 0 Comments
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I wonder if Mr. President would be like that guy at your party that doesn’t leave, just hanging out on the couch, eating cheetos:

Bush Spends Day Feverishly Booby-Trapping Desk (from the Onion)

My favorite part is the last paragraph…

In what may turn out to be his greatest presidential prank, Bush also has spent the previous eight years damaging the American economy beyond repair and bogging the country down in an unwinnable war with a sovereign Middle Eastern nation.

Battling Teen Migraines

Published
by
Smoother
on January 3, 2009
in Scientific Studies and Solutions to Problems
. 0 Comments
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Below are some causes that might trigger teen migraines  and a handful useful steps on how parents can help their suffering teenagers. Migraines are painful and can last a long time while interfering with your day to day life. This is especially true for teenagers. Here are some possible causes and solutions to help your teenager through their migraine problems.

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