Dancing to show you know math principles? Hey, according to recent research all you gotta do is chew gum to get smarter in math. At least that's what research funded by Wrigley Chewing Gum found:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/05/chew-on-this-wrigley-research-claims-gum-makes-teens-smarter.html

Oh, that's not all. Another research study shows that if you either chew more gum or drink chocolate milk, then you'll get smarter:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/05/math-is-getting-easier-and-easier-all-you-have-to-do-is-either-chew-gum-andor-drink-chocolate-milk-and-youll-get-smarte.html

Jeez! Is there any research that shows if you have more sex, you will become richer? No no, not prostitution.

It's wonderful that NASA would work with Braille experts to create a way to help visually-impaired students explore!That's how it should be.

If only others in authority would stop purposefully hurting the disabled. This example is really horrific -- special needs and minority students were Tasered by a cop in class 'demonstrations' repeatedly for months. And the school principal and teachers watched and did nothing. The cop kept picking on the same children, who did nothing wrong. The Tasering was so bad that the cop put newspapers on the floor where the kid would fall, anticipating the student would urinate and defecate when Tasered. Unbelievable! Our vulnerable populations keep getting abused. Ethic Soup blog has a good post on this at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2010/01/special-needs-kids-tasered-by-cop-in-class-demos-not-once-not-twice-but-three-different-times.html

I know artist supplies keep increasing and can be very expensive. Now people are painting pictures with chocolate? Well hang onto your billfold, because chocolate prices keep getting higher -- only illegally! The chocolate industry is in trouble. Currently, both Canada and Germany are out to stop companies like Mars, Nestle, Kraft Foods, Cadbury and Hershey from antitrust activities. Competition watchdog authorities are investigating these chocolate candymakers and suggest that they have formed cartels, conspiring to keep prices artificially high for years. Ethic Soup blog first wrote bout chocolate price-fixing 11 months ago when Mars, Hershey, Nestle and Cadbury controlled 75 percent of the U.S. chocolate market and had 87 different antitrust suits against them. There is a good post on current chocolate pricefixing at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2010/02/more-chocolate-pricefixing-probes-target-mars-hershey-nestle-cadbury-kraft-foods.html

Cruel human beings seem to be a fact of nature -- physically they are different. Recent research shows that some people's brains are just wired differently, sadistically, to enjoy others' pain. Their brains are physically different -- literally, as reported at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2008/11/bullies-may-be-wired-in-brain-to-enjoy-others-pain.html#more

Doctors who participate in state executions in the U.S. are considered unethical and the physician medical groups, responsible for licensure of doctors, tell members not to be at executions (not even to declare death certifications) or lose their license to practice medicine. There's a really good post on execution doctors at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2008/11/execution-doctors-unethical-whether-hanging-electrocution-gas-or-lethan-injection.html#more

Yeah Puppy Bowl! I'm so bored with the Super Bowl. But puppies are a different story. I bet Micky Rourke would rather watch Puppy Bowl too. Remember a few weeks ago his Golden Globes acceptance speech: "...sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog." Guess what? He's got the names of his seven dogs etched inside one of his rings: Loki, Jack The Great, his "wife" Angel, Chocolate, Mow Zone, Knee Knee and Rome. If you want to know how he gave one of his chihuahuas mouth-to-mouth resusitation for 45 minues read :

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/01/animal-rights-donations-up-mickey-rourke-thanks-his-dogs.html

And then another Hitler/Nazi story was in the news today. A German chain of coffee shops, Tchibo, had a nation-wide advertising campaign jointly with Esso petrol stations in Germany. It used the phrase "Jedem den Seinen" to advertise its coffee varieties -- translation is "To each their own." However after complaints, the company just this week pulled its ad campaign. The sick part of this story is that this was the phrase which hung over the main gate at the Buchenwald concentration camp. Literally it means "To each their own," but figuratively it means "Everyone gets what he deserves" and was used in this fashion by the Nazis.

The Ethic Soup blog has an excellent article on the repeated use of this Nazi slogan in Germany today, suggesting that the companies who use the slogan but deny awareness of its Nazi connotation really do know exactly what they are doing. More Neo-Nazis but from the corporate world? The article is at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/01/german-coffee-shop-chain-uses-nazi-slogan-ads.html

Hip! Hip! for George-the-lobster. Glad he wasn't sacrificed. And congrats to PETA which just keeps hanging in there (sometimes literally) to awaken our consciousness. This fell-good story makes me think about how human beings compare to animals when it comes to rights. The Ethic Soup blog has two unique animal rights articles. One came after Nov. election when Californians voted for a ban on crowding caged chickens(too cruel)and against already-legal gay marriage. That's a "yes" for animal rights and a "no" for human rights.

In this article, we're reminded of a news story several years ago when a woman jogging in southern California was killed by a mountain lion. The fund for the slain cougar's orphaned pups received more donations than the fund for the woman's orphaned children. Read more at: http://www.ethicsoup.com/2008/11/controversial-caged-chicken-ban-passed-by-landslide-in-california.html

Then there's the new Switzerland animal rights law that just took effect? The Swiss can no longer flush live goldfish down the toilet. They must be properly euthanized -- the fish, not the Swiss. For this story go to:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2008/11/animal-rights-in-switzerland-even-for-goldfish.html#more

Nature's architects -- and just nature period -- is restorative for your brain. When someone tells you to "take a hike" it is truly in your best interest to do so. Even if the termperature has dropped below freezing in winter you will still benefit more from getting outdoors and being with nature for a while than staying warm inside, working in your cubicle.

Interacting with nature can have similar effects as meditating, according to psychology researchers. A new study shows how the city hurts your brain and how a walk in nature can restore it. That simple walk in the park can improve memory,attention and self-control.

A really good article on the research is on Ethic Soup blog at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2009/01/the-art-my-backyardis-by-artist-leung-grace-a-talented-texas-second-grader.html#more

Sharon McEachern

These test strips are a great idea, particularly since caffeine intoxication is becoming a serious health concern. Beverage, food and pharmaceuticals have higher and higher amounts of caffeine as an ingredient. Candy bars and gum even have caffeine. Most people have no idea just how much caffeine they consume daily. For example, Starbucks coffee has 50 percent more caffeine than home-brew.

There's a good article on Caffeine Facts on the Ethic Soup blog at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/abcs-of-caffeine.html

And if the serious aspects of caffeine get to you,lighten up and read a really funny article on "25 reasons you know you've had too much caffeine at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/25-reasons-you-know-youve-had-too-much-coffee.html

Sharon McEachern