What is it?

Goldschläger is a Swedish cinnamon schnapps that contains little pieces of gold. The little pieces of 24- carat gold add up to be about 1/10th of a gram which is less then 4 dollars on todays market.

Lies: 

A general consensus about Goldschläger is that the pieces of gold cut your throat, making allowing the alcohol to go directly into your blood stream, making you incredibly drunk, incredibly fast. Unfortunaltey for those who like to blame how shit-faced they were on this- it isn’t true.

The Truth:

The truth is that if you cant drink without having to blame your bad human decisions on gold flakes, then you probably should not be drinking.

The truth about the 24 karat gold sheets, is that precious metal in that concentration do not have sharp edges and are not able to cut anything. One of the special properties of that precious metal is its softness .

More About Goldschläger

It originated in Sweden but is now manufactured in Italy. The originally put more flakes of gold into the bottle, but since the human body wasn’t made to digest precious metals, the company reduced the amount in the bottle. It is 43.5% alcohol which is 87 proof.

Here, you can see the tiny golf flakes in the shot.

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that tea cup piglets are amazing. I will also admit that it is my goal in life to own one, but I wanted to know more about how they were genetically modified.

In China, a group of scientists have discovered a way to genetically create real pygmy pigs. Now, they are not new to the world, but unfortunaltey most pygmy pigs are runts of litters or suffer from having the dwarfism gene. With this new genome sequencing technique, actual tea cup pigs that will forever stay little are becoming big.

How They Do It

Scientists stunted the growth of male genes by using enzymes called transcription activator-like effector nucleases. After doing this, they had the male pig reproduce with a genetically normal female.This made sure that only half of the babies born wold be genetically modified, while the rest stayed normal pigs. “The team chose this method in order to dodge the potential health hazards involved with cloning,” says the article.

Controversy

Now, these pigs are not only being made for the demanding public. They are also being produced to become the subjects for many tests. “pigs are one of the better models for human diseases,” and they are also much smaller which makes handling them in labs so much easier to do.  However, now that they can make these perfect pygmy pigs, they are selling them for high costs to people all over the world.

Another debate about these pigs, are whether or not it is ethical to genetically modify animals. Problems can arise when the sole purpose of making these animals is for them to be small. “‘”It’s questionable whether we should impact the life, health and well-being of other animal species on this planet light-heartedly,”’ geneticist Jens Boch says.”

It Might Be Alright Though!

So far, these pigs have shown no sign of having any health risks. The scientists also believe that  in the near future, buyers will be able to choose the color they want their new baby.  And while others agree with the claims that it is unethical, others believe that it is the same as breeding two different animals together. They are creating genetically modified and changed offspring. What is the difference?

Tell me what you think about pygmy pigs? Is this wrong to do, or is it ethical and simultaneously giving the public what it wants?

These are just normal piglets, as I had a hard time finding a good pic of a newly genetically modified one.

Last year, I heard about some students from North Carolina University who claimed to have created a nail polish that turned colors if it was exposed to any type of date rape drug.  After doing more research, I thought it would be an interesting topic for a blog.

Why They Did It

The four students (surprisingly all male) say they aim to combat sexual assault by combining modern chemistry with traditional cosmetics.  Now in order for the nail polish to work, it must be dipped into a drink, where it acts like a chlorine strop tester for date rape drugs. It can test for drugs such as Rohypnol, Xanax and GHB.  They made an extremely correct point: “while date rape drugs are used to facilitate sexual assault, there is very little science in how to detect them.”   They wanted to empower women to feel comfortable going out by themselves, and having something to look out for them.

Controversy

Katie Russell, from Rape Crisis England and Wales, believes that this nail polish is actually making women seem as though it is their fault if drugs appear to be in their drink. Points are also being made that Rohypnol, Xanax and GHB are no longer used that often as date rape drugs, so why would they even bother.

Really?

While I respect these claims, I as well as other I polled, do not agree. I decided to survey some of my sorority sisters and friends to see how they feel about all this information.

I first asked them if they felt this drug was sexist towards women. The 15 girls I surveyed all gave a resounding NO. They felt that having this drug gave them power back in being able to protect themselves. The sad truth is that us girls have to look out for ourselves and each other. We can NOT rely on men (the ones who have an interest in date-raping women) to just stop what they are doing, and what they have probably done before. Sadly, this is not how our society handles the issue of rape and sexual assault.

Next, I asked them if they thought it was pointless to have a nail polish that only detected three drugs? Especially if those drugs were not as commonly used anymore.  The girls were more hesitant in their answers, but they all sounded a bit like this:

They all agreed that it wasn’t 100% helpful if these drugs are not always used anymore. But they all also agreed that just because the drugs aren’t commonly used, doesn’t mean they never will be used. They are thankful that there are men out there who want to help us, as a society of women, prevent terrible things from happening. They decided that they would probably invest in the nail polish but they would push the four boys, now going by the name Undercover Colors, to create more types of nail polishes, ones that can detect every type of date rape drug.

What Do You Think?

Personally, I have to agree with my sisters. I am thankful that these men created something that can potentially prevent women from being raped. Just because it may seem sexist to other, or pointless, do we really have to slam the boys and the product?  It might not be the answer to all of our prayers, but it is a step in the right direction to help us protect ourselves. Tell me how you feel about this new product!

We like to think that doctors can fix anything with their latex-gloved hands and their drugs.  But the truth is, there are multiple bacteria out there that can attack a persons body, that don’t necessarily have a drug to help treat it. These are called Super Bugs, and they can be potentially life threatening if not quickly taken care of by a medical professional.

What is C. Diff?

C. difficile is a toxin producing bacteria that grows inside your colon, causing painful and uncomfortable swelling. C. Diff is short for clostridium difficile colitis. The bacterial infection can be caused by numerous things.

For example, when my grandfather was in the hospital a few years ago battling esophageal cancer, he caught some type of bug. When the doctors pumped him full of anti biotics, it killed the bacteria causing the bug, but didn’t kill the C. diff bacteria. This let the C. diff bacteria take over the colon.

Symptoms

The most common type of symptom is liquid stool, usually occurring up to 15 times a day. It can also cause intense abdominal pain and loss of appetite.  The issue with the stool is that is very infectious, which is usually how the bacteria spreads from person to person.

Risks of C. Diff 

In patients over the age of 65, it may lead to death. It can also cause colorectal cancer, or the need to have gastrointestinal surgery. It can also lead to kidney problems or even failure as well as create a weakened immune system.

Treating C. Diff

Since there is no antibiotic designed especially to combat the C. diff bacteria itself, different steps have to be taken to rid the body of the harmful super bug.  To begin, doctors usually “pump the patient full of oral antibiotics such as metronidazole, dificid, or vancocin .” In over 25% of the cases, another round of the 10-14 day treatment needs to be administered.  But in some extreme cases, like my grandfathers, none of the antibiotics worked. So they had to pump him full of probiotics. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that settle in your gut. In this case, they kill the C. diff bacteria and can help to prevent it from reoccurring. One of the easiest way to to try and aid the super bug is to drink as many fluids as possible.

How You Can Prevent It

Now, obviously there is no way to completely prevent getting this super bug, especially if in the hospital. Since the bug produces infectious diarrhea, it unfortunately is quite an easy bacteria to spread. However, you can try to prevent it using some other tactics. The most obvious being wash your hands thoroughly and frequently and do NOT take antibiotics unless prescribed by your doctor. Also, when cleaning surfaces be sure to use products such as bleach.

New Research

New research shows that by giving spores of the C. diff bacteria to patients, the chances of the super bug reoccurring are very low.  Scientists have also discovered that by doing stool transplants, there is a 90% success rate in stopping reoccurrence. Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is a procedure in which fecal matter, or stool, is collected from a tested donor, mixed with a saline or other solution, strained, and placed in a patient, by colonoscopy, endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or enema.  The point of this procedure is to replace bad bacteria with good bacteria.

This is a picture of C. Diff bacteria inside a gut

Right now, I’m yawning because I am starting this blog at 1:21 am the night before its due.  If you were to see me yawning, you’d correctly assume that I was tired- two things we normally always associate each other with.  But for dogs, it means something completely different.

When a dog yawns, there are multiple different things it could mean.  Being tired might be what it means, if the dog is stretched out in bed.  Generally, however, if a dog yawns in public, there might be something else happening.

For instance, it could  be a  sign of discomfort; the dog is trying to displace the feeling of stress, or inner conflict, with a safe, neutral behavior.  There are also other studies that indicate dogs yawn to let other dogs know how they are feeling. For example, “when a dogs is being menaced by another dog’s aggressive signals, the target of this display may simply respond with a yawn.” To humans, this may be a sign that the dog is bored, but the other dog sees the yawn and backs off with the aggression. It may be confused on how to continue the exchange, and might move on to friendlier tactics. There are studies showing that dominant dogs may yawn to make the submissive dogs more comfortable and relaxed.

But perhaps, the most interesting studies are the ones that show that dogs, in fact, catch a yawn from their owner. Researchers believe that this is a sign of dogs showing empathy, which is truly amazing.

The Study

In Japan, scientists took 25 different breeds of dogs, as well as their owners and set up a test all about yawning.  He asked the owners to fake yawn in front of their dogs, as well as give some honest ones too. What they found was remarkable.

The dogs heart rate, while watching their owners, did not increase- removing the option of the stress yawns.  What did happen, however, was that the dogs started mimicking their owners when they yawned. They were also able to differentiate between the fake yawns and the real ones.

What it Means 

What this shows, is that dogs are able to feel human emotions, and mimic them. They are also very attentive to their owners. They are smart creatures who are able to read their owners body language well, and can in fact, catch contagious yawns from humans.

(picture is from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130808-yawning-dogs-contagious-animals-empathy-science/)

What is BPA?

Bisphenol A, referred to as BPA, is a chemical that is commonly founds in plastic objects since the 1960s. It is also found in metal food products such as food cans, and is thought to bleed into the food or liquid the container is holding. BPA is thought to damage the brain and harm to pregnant women’s fetuses, as well as infants and children.

Who Made the Discovery?

David Feldman, a medical professor at Stanford University discovered that BPA might be a cause of medical problems. While Feldman and his team were growing yeast in a plastic petri dish, they discovered estrogen molecules growing as well

After looking into it further, they discovered it wasn’t the yeast creating these molecules, but rather it was oozing out from the plastic. Through this discovery they realized that BPA could potentially be harming people eating out of plastics or metals containing BPA.

After contacting one of the companies who produces BPA containing plastics, it turned out that the company had already looked into it, and deemed the product safe after using their own methods of testing the plastics.

Banned?

The part of the population that was potentially being hurt the most by this estrogen producing plastic, is considered to be the most dependent – infants. “A 2008 report by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) found “some concern for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A,” with that exposure coming from PC baby bottles and infant cups,” explains one article.

When baby bottles were found to excrete BPA into infant’s milk after being microwaved, Europe and Turkey banned BPA in their plastic and metal food containers, as well as Canada and Denmark.

While the US still allows for BPA to be put in all types of plastics and metals, 11 US states have banned it from being in any type of children’s objects.

The FDA

The FDA has claimed that BPA is relatively safe, if in moderately low levels. Due to contestant pushing, the FDA is currently still testing the effects BPA has on health.

It does however, claim that it “supports the industry’s actions to stop producing BPA-containing baby bottles and infant feeding cups for the U.S. market, along with facilitating the development of alternatives to BPA for the linings of infant formula cans.”

How to Avoid BPA

-Some steps you can take to avoid BPA:

-Use more fresh food to avoid using canned foods

– Find products that do not contain BPA

– Do NOT heat plastic that may contain BPA

This symbol means that there is no BPA in whatever container you are buying.

If you say that you don’t enjoy spooning, you are lying.

Spooning is the best thing to do with your significant other and maybe even your best friends.  But it is also been proven to have some positive effects on the body.

The most important thing that spooning does for your body, is that it relieves stress.  When you snuggle, your body releases oxytocin. It is the hormone that makes you happy!  Oxytocin also helps relieve anxiety, and lowers your risk of heart disease. All these added benefits just for cuddling with someone? Who wouldn’t love it?

Cuddles can help fight off infections. One study even shows that those who get less hugs in their lives were more likely to get the common cold! I don’t know about you guys, but I would snuggle with someone in a heartbeat if it meant I didn’t have to suffer from the plague.

Now, don’t worry if you’re single or have no friends, studies have shown that snuggling with pets actually has the same effects on your body.

GO OUT AND HUG/CUDDLE SOMEONE! It’ll make everyone feel better 🙂

“Golf is easy, I’ve never played before and I think I could probably beat you.”

If I had a dollar for every time someone has said that to me, I could pay all four years of my tuition without loans.

True, anyone with decent hand-eye coordination can hit a golf ball around a golf course.  The difference between kids who can just hit it, and actual golfers is the fact that actual golfers play mentally and not just physically.

Golf is a mental sport. Anyone who takes it seriously can tell you that the hardest part of the game is keeping yourself cool, collects, and focused.  One bad shot can take you from shooting even par, to shooting 10 over.  It all depends on how YOU, as a player, reacts.

I am a freshman in the Professional Golf Management Program here at PSU. I have classes that involve being out on the golf course, practicing the physical aspects of the game. But the most important class that I am in, is my Golf Mentality class. Even if you think you have a strong mental game, there is always room for improvement.

One of the biggest tips I can give, after having learned how to do this myself,  is to always have fun.  Whether you are having the worst round of your life or the best.  I try to laugh as much as possible on the course. I find the good in everything, even if the worst possible thing has just happened. Laughing makes the atmosphere of the course lighter.  For me, laughing gives me the mental edge on my opponents.

Having a goal keepers memory is also crucial to maintaining your cool on the course. For those of who don’t know what that means: Forget the last shot. It doesn’t matter anymore. The only thing that matters now is your next shot.

I would like to say that this WAS the hardest thing to learn and implement on my game, but the truth is I am STILL learning how to do this. I get angry with I miss a putt, or slice a ball to the right. The trick is just to make sure you don’t have two bad shots in a row.

“To develop a strong mental game it takes commitment to working on your mental toughness daily over weeks, months, and even years,” says one website. Every Pro has made a comment on the mental part of the game.  Take Jason Day for example. Day visualizes every shot he makes before he hits the ball. He stands behind his ball and closes his eyes and then hits the ball. That is how he mentally controls his game and emotions. Different things work for different people, and no one uses the same tricks.

The last thing, and probably the second hardest thing, is to stop thinking so much.  Go out and just play your own game.  Hit the crap out of the ball, and don’t hesitate.

Two years ago the term “basic” was created to describe people who fit into a specific set of criteria.

Here is a list of what being “basic” means:

1. Likes Starbucks (ex: Venti PSL)
2. Wears expensive watches (Michael Kors usually)
3. Has a pair of aviator Ray Bans that she wears EVERYWHERE (even when they’re not necessary)
4. Posts artsy photos on Instagram (scenery, bikini pics, “candid” pics)
5. Owns White Converse, Uggs, Hunter Rain boots
6. Obsessed with Coachella

Now, you’re probably reading this, seeing if you match the criteria, and fit into the category. The truth is, lots of people can resonate with these facts, and can call themselves basic.  Having similar thoughts/likes as other people can benefit you.

Being able to relate to people makes creating relationships that much easier, which is never a bad thing. Feeling connected to whoever your with (girlfriends, boyfriends, friends) is a great feeling. You feel confident and comfortable with them. Whether it’s relating on being basic or something else entirely finding common interests  is important, and being basic just gives you so many new friends all over the world that you haven’t met yet.  How can that be bad?

Just because having lots of common interests with someone is good, doesn’t mean that being unique is bad. You can meet all the criteria for being ‘basic” but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have one (or 100) different traits. Being unique sets you apart from everyone else, and makes you your own person.

Personally, I am very very basic; I can relate to almost all of those points above.  But, one thing that sets me apart from everyone else is the fact that I play golf.  Not a lot of girls, basic or not, play golf.  Ever since 8th grade, the game of golf has set me apart from everyone else. As much as I love being able to relate to my basic b*tch sisters, I love the fact that there is something in my life that makes me unique.

You can fit into a stereotype, while also being unique.

Also, if you’re not sure what being basic means and want to see if you are one, here’s an online quiz you can take! Have fun and let me know where you stand:)

How Basic Are You?

*Insert Christina Aguilera’s Song “What A Girl Wants”*

After polling my friends and floor mates, I wanted to share some pretty interesting information with everyone!

After looking over all of the guys’ responses to the question: What do you think matters the most to a girl when they’re interested in someone, this is what they said:

1. Sense of Humor
2. Looks
3. Confidence
4. Good Hygiene
5. Money
6. How they dress
7. Family Life
8. Penis Size

After talking to my girlfriends, the order that they put everything is a little bit different:

1. Intelligence
2. Sense of Humor
3. Confidence
4. Like-mindedness
5. Looks

Next, I had the girls look at how guys ordered the importance of things. I had them then re-order the guy’s list, and create a list in order of importance based on their thoughts:

1. Humor
2. Confidence
3. Hygiene
4. Looks
5. Family Life
6. How they Dress
7. Penis Size
8. Money

I think that the fact that both guys and girls agree on the fact that having a sense of humor shows that guys might have somewhat of a clue about what girls actually want. Now, when we look at the fact that guys thought looks were the second most important thing that a girl looks at in a guy, when girls think it’s the fourth most important thing, shows that looks aren’t everything. Men think that women are very vain when it comes to looks. I also think the same thing towards the fact that men think money matters quite a bit. For girls, it’s the last thing.

SO GUYS: Be funny, laugh at her jokes. Be able to stand up for yourself, and her. Don’t smell like complete B.O. Don’t worry about looks too much. There are tons of other things that girls care about more. Dress nicely, you never now when you’re going to meet the next love of your life. Size matters, but not that much. And do NOT flaunt your money. Its not a turn on. As for family life I’ll say one thing: Don’t let what’s going on at home affect what’s going on in your love life.

Leave comments about what you think girls care the most about!!!

I was diagnosed with ADHD going into middle school (6th grade). Neither my parents or my teachers were surprised by this discovery, but for me, I thought my whole world would be flipped upside down.

The first thing my Neuropsychologist  told me was that even with the medications they were going to be putting me on, I was going to have to work harder to make myself pay attention in class.  He also told me that my diet and level of physical activity was going to have to change as well. (Fun fact: My roommates dad turned out to be my neuropsychologist, which was a surprise and super awkward on move-in day)

Studies show that food high in protein may have beneficial effects on those with ADHD.  The article that I am referring to explains that stopping blood sugar spikes helps those with ADHD handle their symptoms. Personally, this point is incredibly true.  When I am hungry, I get incredibly fidgety and angry.  I always have to make sure that I eat some type of protein with every meal. You should see the fridge in my dorm- always packed full of ham and turkey.

Because the drug I take controls my ADHD, being a central nervous system stimulant, the energy that is being subdued all day usually hits me once the pill wears off. Working out after this happens, even if its just going for a light jog, helps improve my behavior as well as helps me work off the extra bit of energy that is still stuck in my system. Because of this, I have almost always played a sport after school. In high school it was soccer, lacrosse, swimming, skiing, and golf.  In college, I play golf, which doesn’t always get the effects I need, so going to the gym or for a run helps me achieve that.

While I like to think that I am a good multi-tasker- the sad truth is that I am not.  Even if I think that I can do an essay while having Netflix open is impossible. I blame a lot of inability on my ADHD.

The truth is, ADHD hasn’t stopped me from doing anything I couldn’t before, even though I thought that it was going to.  If anything, it has pushed me to work that much harder in everything I do.

Pic from google!

I hate writing about myself, it makes me feel super awkward.. Anyone else agree?

Anyway, hi guys! My name is Lexie Hayward and I live midway between Baltimore and Washington, MD, which is a 3 hour drive from PSU.  I am in the College of Health and Human Development, majoring in Professional Golf Management.  S/o to the other kids in my program that are in this class!  When I come out of the program I think I’d like to have my own show on the Golf Channel!

I actually love science, I’m just not that great at it. I’m taking this course because it seemed like a ton of fun, and it’s way more interesting than EGEE 101, which was what I was in on Monday.  I’m not majoring in science because, like I said, it’s not my best subject.

I love puns and corny jokes so here is a science one, hope you all enjoy!