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And where are we really?  Background checks didn't pass, the Democratic senators who voted against the proposed legislaton are still in Congress, and still against it, and the NRA is still whooping it up in victory. There have been a few signs of hope -- with NYC Mayor Bloomberg taking out ads against those running for office who are pro-gun, and his most controversial stand yet, urging big donors to deny funds to those four senators who joined the Republicans in killing the background check legislation, even if their seats may now fall to Republicans. You have to admire his drive -- though sitting on billions of dollars helps. And Democrats, according to The New York Times today, are also renewing their push for gun measures.  Jonathan Weisman writes that Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, though, is cautioning that he won't accept any bill that is weaker than the one voted on in April. But has anything really changed?  Hero teacher Victoria Soto's sisters were on mo...

It's called "eating for your mood " and doctors are finding that there are, indeed, certain foods that can improve your outlook on life. E xperts told CBS 2 that researchers "have identified specific foods that may be helpful in promoting feelings of well being and calm," the story reports. A study published in Nutrition Journal found a direct association between higher levels of nutrient intake and better mental health in 97 people, CBS 2 notes. According to CBS New York, tuna and mackerel (yuck) are two of the foods high in vitamins and essential fatty acids that can help you feel less depressed and anxious.  Webmd.com weighs in with, " Dietary changes can bring about changes in our brain structure (chemically and physiologically), which can lead to altered behavior." If you're not a fish person, don't get upset.  Bananas, olive oil, lean beef, and dates also may do the trick, along with brown rice, spinach and sunflower seeds....

Where do you stand on genetically modified food ?  If you're like most Americans, you'd rather not -- or at least know when you're eating it. But the agriculture industry has been successful in fighting the distribution of this knowledge, using big bucks and political allies (read: Congressmen they sponsor). But last month Vermont became the first state to pass a bill requiring "labeling of foods produced using these genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, and thankfully, my home state, Connecticut. Right to Know GMO, a self-described grass-roots coalition with members in 37 states, counts 26 states that have introduced labeling bills, passed its own, according to Dan D'Ambrosio of USA Today. Barbara Boxer, Democrat from California, always in the forefront of protecting the consumer, whether from guns or artificially assembled food, told D'Ambrosio in an e-mail, "As more and more states take action, I believe lawmakers in Washington will realize tha...

Men, have you ever been lying in bed when your legs start to do the Harlem Shake, all on their own?  If you have, you could be at risk for dying early. A new long-term study  has found that men with restless leg sydrome (RLS) do seem to die younger.  Over 18,000 healthy men around the age of 67 were followed for eight years, 3.7% of whom had RLS, characterized as "an irresistible urge to move the legs and often causes leg sensations of burning, creeping, and tugging, which are usually worse at night," according to a story at  newswise.com. During the study, more than 2,700 of the men died, and of the people with RLS, "171, or 25 percent, died during the study, compared to 2,594, or 15 percent, of those who did not have RLS," newswise com reports. The stats are even scarier.  The study found that men with RLS had a nearly 40 percent increased risk of death compared to men without RLS.  And differences in body mass index, lifestyle, chronic...

It used to creep me out when a new baby was born somewhere in our extended family and one of our older members would say, "That means someone will die." While I'm not too terribly superstitious (knock on wood), that always used to make me look around uneasily when a baby was born, or when someone died.  It seemed to be pretty true. The New York Times reports today that a baby is no longer being born every time someone dies .  In fact, for whites, fewer babies were born this year than older folks dying.  This year, for the first time in at least a century, according to Sam Roberts, the two did not cancel each other out.  More people died.  So?  Actually, it's quite significant. Roberts calls it "a benchmark that heralds profound demographic change." The number of non-Hispanic white Americans is expected to begin declining by the end of this decade.       “These new census estimates are an early signal alerting us to the impending decl...

Well, maybe a little.  But a new study just out says workers 60 and older (I'll be there soon) are earning more than their younger counterparts.  Now, I hope that doesn't mean at Burger King! According to smartplanet.com, "Older workers are more educated, more productive, and make more money than ever before. And with the increasing numbers of Baby Boomers hitting age-60 mark, these trends are only going to accelerate." Wish I could say I'd seen it.  I've been out of work for about six months and though there are some bright spots on the horizon, I must confess that I'm pretty cagey about my past experience.  I've even, I hate to admit it, lied about my college graduation and first job dates. But recently I had an interview that went well (we'll see) and I was overjoyed to see that one of the people interviewing me was at least as old as me.  (Of course, the executive above her looked about 20!) I, too, used to think people in their 60s sh...

If your son (daughter) is like mine, he loves to play soccer. But a disturbing new  report is finding that it's every bit as dangerous as football when it comes to your head. According to a story at newswise.com, researchers have found that "soccer players who frequently head the ball have brain abnormalities resembling those found in patients with concussion (mild traumatic brain injury)." The researchers studied soccer because it's the most popular sport in the world.  “Soccer is widely played by people of all ages and there is concern that heading the ball—a key component of the sport—might damage the brain," newswise.com quoted Michael L. Lipton , M.D., Ph.D., associate director of Einstein’s Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center and medical director of MRI services at Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, who led the study. Soccer players "head" the ball six to 12 times during games, where balls ca...