Health & Wellness

Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill

Staff / Truthdig Jul 19, 2006 Its official. In his first use of the veto, the president has refused to sign H.R. 810, or ғthe Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. According to Bush, ԓHuman beings are not a raw material to be exploited or a commodity to be bought or sold. The bill, which passed the Senate just shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto, would undo funding limits imposed by the administration in 2001. The silver lining here might be the impact of this on the midterm elections. Check out the roll call on Daily Kos. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Set to Veto Stem Cell Bill

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2006 It would be the first time the president has used his override power; but that's only because he has made unprecedented use of so-called signing statements to ignore the parts of new laws that he doesn't feel like obeying. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ellen Goodman: What’s Eating Us About Eating Lobster?

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The arguments for banning the cooking of live lobsters may have their merits, but by making lobster meat just another shrink-wrapped commodity we further disconnect ourselves from the food chain that sustains us. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Vanuatu Is World’s Happiest Country, Study Finds

Staff / Truthdig Jul 13, 2006 The AP reports: "The tiny South Pacific Ocean archipelago of Vanuatu is the happiest country on Earth, according to a study published measuring people's wellbeing and their impact on the environment." Zimbabwe came in last of the 178 ranked countries. The U.S. came in at a dismal 150th. Of the G8 industrial powers, Italy scored highest at 60th. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Study: Mushroom Drugs Produce Mystical Experiences

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2006 Duh! In a Johns Hopkins study, many volunteers who took a single dose of psilocybin-laden "magic" mushrooms said it was "one of the most meaningful or spiritually significant experiences of their lives. Some compared it to the birth of a child or the death of a parent." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Christian Weight Loss Programs Booming

Staff / Truthdig Jul 10, 2006 Apparently the programs' emphasis on group support and, like Alcoholics Anonymous, deference to a higher power aid some people in losing weight. But a Yale diet expert is extremely skeptical. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Next Must-See Documentary

Staff / Truthdig Jul 7, 2006 Check out the new movie that The New York Times calls "a prosecutorial examination of the role of oil companies, the automobile industry and the Bush administration (them again) in stymieing the development of emission-free electric vehicles." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Test-Tube Meat May Be En Route to Dinner Table

Staff / Truthdig Jul 6, 2006 Dutch scientists are working on growing artificial pork out of pig stem cells. Efforts to mass-produce it are underway. This use of stem cells may have the unintended effect of uniting militant vegans and evangelical right-to-life'ers. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mediterraneans Have All the Fun, Fewer Heart Attacks

Staff / Truthdig Jul 6, 2006 According to Reuters: "Mediterranean-style diets, rich in healthy fats from olive oil or nuts, may be better for the heart than low-fat regimens, a new study shows." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Study: Money Does Not Buy Much Happiness

Staff / Truthdig Jul 3, 2006 According to a new study, not only does a higher income not make you much happier, but people with higher incomes tend to be tenser and spend less time on simple leisure activities. The Washingon Post has more. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Study: Link Between Having Older Brothers and Homosexuality

Staff / Truthdig Jun 27, 2006 Having one or more older brothers boosts the likelihood of a boy growing up to be gay -- an effect due not to social factors but biological events that occur in the mother's womb, according to a study published Tuesday. More evidence--alas, Bible-thumpers still need it--that homosexuality has nothing to do with outside factors and has everything to do with biology. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Study: Americans Have Fewer Friends Than 20 Years Ago

Staff / Truthdig Jun 25, 2006 The American Sociological Review has found that Americans have a third fewer close friends and confidants than just two decades ago--a huge shift, statistically speaking What to make of it? Uhhh, take your guess: suburbs vs urban living, iPods vs conversations . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )