Women’s Influence Growing in US Men’s Professional Basketball

The growing influence of women in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the men’s professional basketball league in North America has become evident with the rise of several women in the organization. The involvement of women in the organization can be seen from broadcasting, officiating, and coaching to high-level management and even team ownership. Currently, 11 women are serving as assistant coaches in the thirty (30) NBA teams. One of them is Boston Assistant Coach Kara Lawson. She was a basketball star back in her University and has won several medals and awards in the field of basketball in the past few years. Player Gordon Hayward commended her as she was very experienced and well-versed in the field. Another woman assistant coach in the league is Kristi Toliver. Aside from being an assistant coach for NBA’s Washington Wizards team, she is also playing for WNBA’s Washington Mystics. Former professional basketball player Nancy Lieberman sees these trends as a great leap from the time when women’s presence in NBA was very rare. Richard Lapchick, who examines racial and gender hiring numbers for the NBA, believes that soon, NBA will have its first female head coach.

Georgia Museum Devoted to Bigfoot

In the mountains of northern Georgia, what once was a restaurant, has now become a museum dedicated to Bigfoot or Sasquatch, an ape-like creature that is said to inhabit the forests. The owners of this place are David and Malinda Bakara. David has long been a member of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Being a bigfoot field researcher and a Disney fan, David envisions the place to be something like a family attraction. Some people’s attention was drawn to the exhibit while some are not. The museum features several maps, statues, and videos of bigfoot. It also has statements from people who claim to have seen a bigfoot in real life. Some say that it is very human-like to the point that shooting them felt wrong. A glass container can also be found in the museum which allegedly contains feces of a bigfoot in Oregon. The place is very welcoming when it comes to people who provide additional evidence to support the existence of the bigfoot. According to David, who claims to have seen two bigfoots, these creatures come in many subspecies, and that the terms used to call them also vary from one place to another. Despite doubt of other people as to its existence, David says that it was fine with him as he knows that he will never be able to persuade everyone.

What’s So Bad about Processed Foods?

Processed foods such as chips and soda contain high amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. Scientists are looking further into other factors that may harm human health by eating packaged foods. According to scientists, processed foods are linked to the increase in obesity rate worldwide. The main cause is how these foods are made. They are mass produced that require little to no cooking, and additives are added to the packed foods. Even morning cereals, energy bars, and some types of yogurt are considered processed foods. A four-week study involving 20 people run by researchers at the National Institutes of Health showed that those who ate processed foods consume 500 more calories a day on top of what they normally eat. Furthermore, when people are fed less processed foods, they produced more hormones that control hunger. The reason behind this reaction is still unclear. Individuals are also noted to eat processed foods more quickly. The sources of nutrients differ as well. Fibers from fruits and vegetables are notably better at making people feel full compared to fibers found in processed foods.

Non-alcoholic ‘Mocktails’ Growing in Popularity

Bandrovschi was urged by a friend to stop drinking alcohol for a month and she agreed. She claimed that she was not really a drinker so it was easy for her. Little did she know, she was able to realize that it is not only easy to do away from alcohol but, is also more enjoyable for her to go out with friends without drinking alcohol. With this, she decided to open Listen Bar, one among the growing number of alcohol-free bars in the United States. These bars are popular for their ‘mocktails’. Mocktail is a wordplay from the word ‘cocktail’. This is usually an iced drink made with any of various ingredients such as juice, herbs, and soda water, but without alcohol. This has become popular these days especially for young people. According to Amanda Topper, an international market researcher, this led to fewer people drinking alcohol in public places and providing women with safer and more enjoyable bars. The idea of mocktails is not just confined to alcohol-free bars as some regular bars are serving them too. Traditional suppliers are also becoming part of the movement. Even beer suppliers are trying to venture into non-alcoholic drinks. The idea is to promote a community wherein people can socialize without the need for alcoholic drinks.

Why Americans Spend Billions of Dollars on Fantasy Football

Nima Vaez-Zadeh has been playing fantasy football for years. In fact, checking the performance of his fantasy football team had been part of his daily routine. This may be the case not just for Vaez-Zadeh, but for a lot of Americans as well. Fantasy football is a competition wherein participants get to pick players from the real league, the National Football League (NFL), and score points according to their performance. When the season starts to commence, participants will give money which will form part of the ‘pot’ for the league. The performances of the players from the real league will be scored and the participant with the highest score will get the money from the pot. The Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association’s approximations show that 59 million are playing fantasy games in the United States and Canada combined. But, according to Andrew Challenger, these leagues are costing US businesses billions of dollars. With the competence required in the game, workers need to check on the performance of their players requiring them to use a daily average of thirty minutes. This time could have gone to the business, but instead, it is paid to the employee in a time when he is not actually working. As to Vaez-Zadeh, aside from the fun and entertainment, you can get from playing, it also allows you to reconnect and keep in touch with your friends.

Why Americans Don’t Wear White after Labor Day

Every September, Americans celebrate Labor Day, a day to celebrate workers’ rights. But as to them, it also meant not wearing white until the following May, the day after Memorial Day. One reason for this is the weather. Since it is summer from June to September, people prefer to wear light-colored clothes during these months. Historically, Americans used to wear formal clothes all year. Thus, the wearing of white seems like a breather to them. It also became a fashion rule especially to the wealthy. Back in the 1930s, wealthy people only wear white while they are on summer vacation in cozy hotels. Eventually, wearing white had become related to ease, beauty and money. It became an unspoken rule in fashion if one is rich or purports to be one. Nowadays, people have been encouraged to ignore the rule. Fashion magazines cite Coco Chanel, Kim Kardashian, and Michelle Obama as examples of personalities who wear white during all seasons.

Aluminum Cans or Plastic Bottles?

Bottled water companies have been shifting from the use of plastic bottles to the use of recycled aluminum cans. This is pursuant to the people’s rage stemming from the fact that plastic bottles severely pollute water. But, will the use of recycled aluminum cans, in lieu of plastic bottles be beneficial to the environment? As the aluminum companies claim, the aluminum cans are infinitely recyclable. Furthermore,
compared to plastic bottles with 3 percent recycled content, aluminum cans have 68. However, the problem lies with the production of aluminum cans. It has an estimated carbon footprint twice as much as compared with plastic bottles. With its smelting process, it contributes a lot to air pollution. Despite these, it cannot be said that aluminum cans will permanently replace plastic bottles for a lot of reasons. First, the production of aluminum cans is more costly than plastic bottles. It would mean higher prices for water. Another reason is convenience, while plastic bottles can be open and closed easily, aluminum cans stay open. But what is important and can be seen as development is that companies are trying to venture into new ideas which will help decrease the pollution in the environment.

Blind Man Given a Chance to See

With the advent of technology, blind people are now given a chance to see. Jason Esterhuizen had lost his sight after a car accident. He never thought that he would be able to see again, but it was made possible with the use of a device. According to him, the device does not give one full and normal eyesight, but as to him, he is
already happy as it allows him to move around. Dr. Nader Pouratian, one of the
researchers who developed the new technology said that the device was geared
towards helping blind people to be independent. The device is using several parts and is also put in several parts of a person. One is placed in the brain while others are in the glasses and the clothes. All these parts are interconnected which helps users to regain sense or see some movement of lights. The device is called Orion and is still undergoing tests at the UCLA Medical Center in California and the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Esterhuizen is just one of the two people who were given the chance to use the device. As for him, the results have been amazing. The makers of Orion envision this device to be helpful also to people who had lost their eyesight due to disease and those who were born with defects specifically eyesight.

Beekeeping May Reduce Stress and Depression

As major pollinators, the role of bees in the sustain of our food supply is very evident. However, benefits which we may acquire from is not limited to this.
Researchers say that bees can also help people who are experiencing mental health problems such as anxiety, stress, depression, and other forms of mental health illness. With this, the term ‘beekeeping therapy’ was coined. Among the groups who were able to benefit from this therapy are military veterans. With their trauma during war, they tend to have a hard time dealing with their present lives. Vince Ylitalo is a war veteran who is currently undergoing beekeeping therapy. Having served in the military for almost 40 years, he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. He explained that the therapy was able to help him as instead of thinking about his experiences, he is thinking all about bees. Another veteran is
Wendi Zimmerman who claims that the buzz of the bees was able to divert her attention from what she calls ‘clutter’ or the unwanted experiences of the past. Currently, there is no fact to prove that bees are helping treat the PTSD of soldiers. However, as to veteran and beekeeper Frank Bartel, it does not matter if it can be proved or not because just seeing the bees helps him relax his mind. Harvard researchers seem to agree with this opinion of Frank.