Thursday, March 20, 2008

MARCH 20, 2008

AMERICAN IDOL NOTES
Punker nurse Amanda Overmyer was sent back to Indiana on last night's American Idol. She said goodbye singing "Back in the U-S-S-R," which got low marks from all three judges the night before. Overmeyer was subject to the usual toying from Ryan Seacrest before hearing her fate, and placed in the Bottom Three with the continually panned Kristy Lee Cook and Carly Smithson, the Irish singer who is considered one of the frontrunners. Overmyer told Seacrest, "It's been a run -- number 11 out of all them people was more than I could ever expect."

Some other tidbits... Mariah Carey, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton, and Andrew Lloyd Webber will be mentors this season... And next week's theme is songs from the year the Idols were born...

Brooke White (1983)
David Archuleta (1990)
Carly Smithson (1983)
David Cook (1982)
Ramiele Malubay (1987)
Chikezie (1985)
Syesha Mercado (1987)
Jason Castro (1987)
Kristy Lee Cook (1984)
Michael Johns (1978)

RULES FOR THE OFFICE BATHROOM
Both men and women's bathrooms at work can be full of awkward and uncomfortable situations. Here are some tips for the next time you use YOUR office restroom...

1) DON'T DISCUSS BUSINESS. If you're using the bathroom, and someone else comes in... don't talk business. Bathrooms are for PRIVATE times... and no one wants to be hounded while they're doing their own stuff.

2) WASH YOUR HANDS. Do you want to turn your office into a disgusting cesspool full of your filthy germs? Do everyone a favor and wash your hands, please.

3) TREAT IT BETTER THAN YOUR BATHROOM AT HOME. Don't clutter up the place. Be respectful. If not for yourself, at least keep the bathroom nice for other people.

4) MEN... DON'T PEEK INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S URINAL. It may be tempting to compare your manhood to others, but don't do it. Especially not at work, unless you WANT to make things uncomfortable between yourself and a co-worker.

5) FLUSH. This is self-explanatory. I mean, come on... how hard is it to push down a handle?

60-SECOND HEALTH FIXES
Add up all the things you're supposed to do every day to stay healthy (the sleeping, the sweating, the veggie steaming) and it can feel like a full-time job. But studies show you can reap major body benefits--whether you double the calories you burn in a workout or reduce your risk of cancer--in 60 seconds or less.

When you're at the drugstore
The change: read the fine print on sunscreen labels
The benefit: Better SPF protection. A recent test of sunscreen products found that 83 percent of them don't provide adequate sun protection.

On your way home from work
The change: Stop by the floristT
he benefit: Less grouchiness the next morning. New research from Harvard University shows that even people who say they're not "morning people" report feeling happier and more energetic after looking at flowers first thing in the am.

When you first get to work
The change: check out a funny website
The benefit: Fewer colds. Instead of starting your day with office e-mail, try a gutbuster from a site like Will Ferrell and co.'s funnyordie.com. Research suggests that a moment of mirth increases the body's secretion of immune-boosting growth hormones and endorphins.

When you skin your knee
The change: Dab some honey on it
The benefit: A study shows that natural disinfectants in honey can speed healing, reduce the risk of infection, and soothe pain. Just apply a thin layer over small cuts and scrapes.

When you're having your annual check-up
The change: Tackle the tough stuff first
The benefit: Research shows that patients who bring up difficult issues at the start of an appointment are more likely to be satisfied with the visit.

When you want a snack
The change: Pop pistachios
The benefit: Improved cholesterol levels. In research, people who ate two to three ounces of unsalted pistachios a day for four weeks raised their HDL cholesterol (the good kind) by 6 percent. Buy them pre-shelled to save your nails, too.

When you're yawning at 3 P.M.
The change: Choose coffee over cola
The benefit: Reduced diabetes risk. coffee has fewer cals and more antioxidants than most sodas--and a Finnish study found that folks who drank three to six cups per day were 50 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who sipped two cups or less.

When you're craving a cigarette
The change: Drink milk
The benefit: Less-satisfying smoke breaks. In a recent survey of smokers from Duke University, nearly 20 percent agreed that milk makes cigarettes taste bad.