NAZZY'S RANDOM STUFF

AND NOW . . . MUGSHOTS OF IDIOT CRIMINALS WITH FACIAL TATTOOS:

I have just the thing to cheer you up when you get to work this morning. It's a little something I like to call, "Mugshots of Meatball Criminals With Facial Tattoos." Seriously, you have to see these guys. What were they thinking?

Some of them sport the ugly-step-brother of the facial tattoo . . . the neck tattoo. (--Enjoy some truly knucklehead citizens of our fine republic, here . . .)

HERE ARE FIVE "MYTHS" ABOUT BREAST SIZE:

If you ask the average guy whether he cares about the size of a woman's breasts, he'll either say yes, or he'll lie. But does breast size matter to WOMEN? I'm talking in the medical sense here, ladies. You might THINK it does, but in most cases you're wrong.

Here's what AOL Health has to say about five common medical myths when it comes to breast size . . .

#1.) MILK: The size of a lady's breasts does NOT affect how much breast milk she can produce. That's because breast size depends on the amount of supporting fatty tissue, not the number of milk glands. In other words, women with bigger boobs don't produce more milk.

(--If you must know, breast milk production is stimulated hormonally, and increasing the frequency of breastfeeding sessions increases the milk supply. In other words, supply WILL meet demand.)

#2.) CANCER: You'll also be happy to know that size does NOT have anything to do with cancer . . . either your risk of getting it, or the effectiveness of treatment. That's because the most common type of breast cancer starts in the cells of the milk-producing glands, not the fatty tissue.

And if you're thinking that it's harder to DETECT cancer when you're larger . . . studies show that's not true. Just get routine screenings, and check regularly on your own.

(--While obesity HAS been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, the obesity is the factor there: More fat overall means higher estrogen levels, and that raises your risk.)

#3.) MAMMOGRAM PAIN: According to a recent study, breast size did NOT affect the amount of pain women felt during mammograms. In other words, larger breasts don't make a mammogram more painful. So if you're bigger, make sure you still get the appropriate screening.

#4.) PHYSICAL PAIN: Here's a myth that ISN'T a myth: Breast size CAN affect a woman's physical well-being on a daily basis. A more ample size can lead to serious neck, shoulder, or back pain . . . and even headaches.

There are three solutions: get a better-bra, lose weight or have breast reduction surgery.

#5.) SELF-ESTEEM: Finally, breast size IS related to a woman's emotional and mental well-being. After all, society places a ton of emphasis on it, from puberty onward. And by society, I mean MEN.

As a result, women with bigger chests might be thought of as more sexually open or aggressive. And women with smaller breasts are made to feel inadequate. (AOL Health)


DISNEY WILL REFUND YOUR MONEY IF "BABY EINSTEIN" DIDN'T MAKE YOUR KID SMARTER:

You've heard of "Baby Einstein", right? Those multimedia products for kids aged three months to three years old that are marketed like they'll make your kid smarter. There are books, toys, flashcards . . . and DVD's like "Baby Mozart" and "Baby Shakespeare".

The videos don't have many words. It's basically music, puppets, bright colors, and simple patterns and shapes. The reason you've heard of them is because they're insanely popular: Disney bought the company in 2001, and "Baby Einstein" controls 90% of the baby media market, selling $200 million worth of products every year.

According to a 2003 study, a third of all American babies from six months to two years old had at least one "Baby Einstein" video.

But if you're one of those parents who bought the DVDs and your kid's still dumb as dirt . . . Disney says they'll give you your money back. --It's because of a lawsuit by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. Their director, Susan Linn, says baby videos aren't educational. She cites studies that show that television exposure at ages one to three is associated with attention problems at age seven.

(--Actually, The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV watching at all for children under two, and a University of Washington study in 2007 found SMALLER vocabularies in children 6-to-18-months who watched "Baby Einstein" videos.)

Anyway, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood got Baby Einstein to drop the word "educational" from their marketing in 2006. Then last year, they threatened ANOTHER lawsuit . . . unless Disney offered a refund on all the videos they sold since 2004.

As a result of the settlement, Baby Einstein will refund $15.99 for up to four DVDs per household, if you bought them between June 5th of 2004, and September 5th of 2009, and return them to the company. --You can exchange the videos for a different title, get a discount coupon, or get $15.99 for each of the four returned DVDs. You don't have to have a receipt, and the offer's good until March 10th of next year. (The New York Times)