Friday, January 24, 2020

According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are a lot of states with the most physically inactive adults

The study found seven states to be considered the most inactive which include Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi. Two US territories, Puerto Rico and Guam were also put into the same category. The south had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity with 28%, followed by the northeast with 25.6%, the midwest with 25% and the west with 20.5%. Physical inactivity is defined as a self-report of engaging in no leisure-time physical activity during the past month. The data come from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an ongoing state-based, telephone interview survey conducted by CDC and state health departments. Respondents were classified as physically inactive if they responded “no” to the following question: “During the past month, other than your regular job, did you participate in any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking for exercise?” The maps use combined data from 2015 through 2018 and show noticeable differences in the prevalence of physical inactivity by race/ethnicity.

Across States and Territories

• All states and territories had more than 15% of adults who were physically inactive.
• In 4 states (Colorado, Washington, Utah, and Oregon) and the District of Columbia, 15% to less than 20% of adults were physically inactive.
• In 24 states, 20% to less than 25% of adults were physically inactive.
• In 15 states, 25% to less than 30% of adults were physically inactive.
• In 7 states (Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Mississippi), and 2 US territories (Puerto Rico, and Guam), 30% or more of adults were physically inactive.
• The South (28.0%) had the highest prevalence of physical inactivity, followed by the Northeast (25.6%), Midwest (25.0%), and the West (20.5%).

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Hair braiding regulations up for discussion in Oklahoma Legislature

Senator Micheal Bergstrom has filed legislation for the 2020 session that would slightly expand the services a hair braiding technician could offer to include mild trimming of hair and use of hair extensions while also completely deregulating the practice. His bill would also get rid of any regulations for cosmeticians, who practice makeup application, cutting and shampooing hair and blowouts. “This is an approach that is being taken elsewhere around the country. We are putting an unnecessary burden on people. If it is something that needs to be regulated, then we regulate it. Otherwise, we need to stop charging for licenses that we don’t need to have in the first place”, he said. His bill is a continuation of efforts to deregulate Oklahoma’s cosmetology industry, which has gone on for several years and has met severe backlash from professionals in the industry. But the national movement to deregulate hair braiding has been successful across the country. (The Oklahoman)

How rich are the world’s richest?

The 2,153 richest people in the world held more money than the poorest 4.6 billion altogether in 2019, while unpaid and underpaid work by women and girls was worth over $10.8 trillion a year for the global economy, according to a new report from Oxfam. The Nairobi-headquartered charity said in a report released ahead of the annual World Economic Forum of political and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that women around the world work 12.5 billion hours combined each day without pay or recognition. (Reuters)

New Research Flags Potential Link Between Marijuana Use, Heart Issues

As more states legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use and use increases nationwide, cardiologists should advise patients about the potential risks, including effects of marijuana with some commonly prescribed cardiovascular medications, according to a research. The authors estimate that more than 2 million cardiovascular disease patients are currently using marijuana or have used marijuana previously. This includes recreational use and approved medical uses, such as human immunodeficiency virus-related weight loss, treatment of seizure disorders, or chemotherapy-associated nausea and vomiting. Certain cardiovascular medications, including statins and blood thinners, can be affected by marijuana use. The reviewers recommend that cardiologists screen their patients for marijuana use, asking them how often and how much they use. They also should ask about how they use marijuana. (EurekAlert)

Man, teen break into home, hold victims at gunpoint, steal PS4 controller

Police in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma arrested two people after they allegedly forced their way into a home, held the victim and a baby at gunpoint, and stole a PS4 controller. According to a police report, the victim told police that a 20-year-old man and a 15-year-old entered the house and threw the victim to the ground. She told police that the 20-year-old choked her and kicked her several times while the teen held a gun to her head. The victim said once he and the teen noticed the baby in one of the bedrooms that the teen placed the gun against the baby’s head. He told the victim that he was looking for his PlayStation 4, the report said, to which the victim told him that she had a black PlayStation, while his was blue. She told police he agreed and decided to take a pink controller instead. The two suspects then left the home and sped off. While driving away, police said, the suspects started shooting at a car. One of the victims told police they saw the teen hanging out the window with a gun pointed at them and he fired five or six shots. Police caught up with them both and were taken into custody. (OKC Fox)

Wife tasers man after finding him with another woman at nightclub

A 24-year-old Wichita Falls, Texas woman was charged with tasing her husband after police said she went looking for him and found him at a nightspot with his girlfriend. She was charged with assault family violence. Police were called by the victim at a restaurant, which police say operates as a night club on the weekend. He said she was his child’s mother and she was in the parking lot armed with a taser. Officers said when they arrived, several people were arguing and a gold car was trying to leave. An officer stopped the car driven by her and said she told them she came to pick up her husband, and that his girlfriend and her friends tried to jump her. She said that’s when she pulled out the taser and pointed it at the girlfriend and her friends. Officers said she first said her husband had called her to come get him, but later changed it to a friend had told her her husband was at the club with another woman, and that she went there to confront them. Police said the man told them he was trying to leave with his girlfriend when she arrived and blocked his vehicle in. He said she got out of her car and began trying to tase him and his girlfriend, and showed officers redness where he said he got tased on his hand. Witnesses told officers they saw the woman attempting to tase several people in the lot. The man said another person was able to disarm her, and the taser was found near her car. Court records show that last October, she was granted a protective order against a man who was harassing and threatening her because she filed for child support. She said he went to bars every weekend and got drunk then came to her house at all hours to threaten her. (Texoma’s Homepage)

Bill would ban transgender athletes from girls’ teams in NH schools

Lawmakers in New Hampshire are considering a bill to prohibit transgender athletes from playing on girls’ sports teams. The language of the legislation is simply stated: “This bill prohibits public schools from permitting a male student to participate in a student sport designated for females.” State Representative Mark Pearson, Rockingham County, New Hampshire said men have a physical advantage over women when it comes to sports. He filed legislation to keep biological males from competing on female sports teams at public schools in New Hampshire. “We’re discovering some girls and young women are losing places on teams. They are losing state records to people who are biologically male,” he said. However, it does have opposition from State Representative Lisa Bunker, one of the first transgender women elected to the State House, saying she thinks the bill is trying to fix a problem that doesn’t exist. The bill says if there’s a dispute over an athlete’s gender, “a student may prove that she is of the female sex by presenting a signed physician’s statement” to verify their anatomy, testosterone levels and chromosomes. The Attorney General’s Office said the proposed ban could be in direct violation of the state’s anti-discrimination law. (WJAR)

Father arrested, charged after tackling son’s opponent during high school wrestling match

 A father of Harrisburg, North Carolina was arrested and charged after he rushed and tackled a high school wrestler during a match, according to a Kannapolis Police Department news release. The father was arrested and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. The teen he tackled was from Southeast Guilford High School and was wrestling his son, who is a student from Hickory Ridge High School, the release says. The father was processed at the Cabarrus County Jail and received a $1,000 secured bond. The SGHS student was reportedly not injured. (WGHP)

Apple reportedly scrapped plans to fully secure iCloud backups after FBI intervention

Apple dropped plans to let iPhone users fully encrypt backups of their devices in the company’s iCloud service after the FBI complained that the move would harm investigations. Behind the scenes, Apple has provided the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation with more sweeping help, not related to any specific probe. More than two years ago, Apple told the FBI that it planned to offer users end-to-end encryption when storing their phone data on iCloud, according to one current and three former FBI officials and one current and one former Apple employee. Under that plan, primarily designed to thwart hackers, Apple would no longer have a key to unlock the encrypted data, meaning it would not be able to turn material over to authorities in a readable form even under court order. (Reuters)

A struggling Minnesota church is asking its older parishioners to leave in hopes of making it more attractive to young families

Grove United Methodist Church in the St. Paul suburb of Cottage Grove, Minnesota is closing in June, with plans to relaunch in November. The present members, most of them over 60 years old, will be invited to worship elsewhere. The church is asking that they stay away for two years, then consult the pastor about reapplying. “I pray for this church, getting through this age-discrimination thing,” one member said at church on a recent Sunday as the gray-haired heads around him nodded in agreement, but church officials said the congregation needs a reset and the best way is to appeal to younger people. The Cottage Grove church has struggled with membership and finances. Seven years ago, Methodist officials said they could no longer pay for its minister, so the church switched to lay ministry, with weekly sermons by members. The church’s attendance and finances have stabilized recently, with an average weekly attendance of 25. But Cottage Grove is growing quickly and the church should be growing with it, said the head of the two-location Grove church. The older members will not be physically barred from attending, but the expectation is that they won’t. Many of the members, well below the age of 60, have repeatedly expressed that is a bad idea and it shouldn’t be that way. All members are welcome, no matter what their age is. Many have also said they won’t be back if this happens. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

Utah bans conversion therapy for LGBTQ children

The discredited practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ children is now banned in Utah, making it the 19th state and one of the most conservative to prohibit it. Supporters navigated a winding path to passage and some dissent remains, but barring it in Utah could give a boost to similar efforts in other right-leaning states, according to the legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The change in Utah comes after the state hammered out a regulatory rule that had the support of the influential Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Leaders had opposed a previous version because it didn’t have certain exceptions for clergy. Governor Gary Herbert took the unusual step of calling on regulators after a proposed law was derailed by changes made by conservative lawmakers. Virginia is considering a ban, and the issue could also come up in this year in Texas and Kentucky. (NBC News)

Friday Catches Up With:

• Beer Can Day
• Belly Laugh Day
• International Day of Education
• National Compliment Day
• National Peanut Butter Day
• Talk Like A Grizzled Prospector Day
• Women’s Healthy Weight Day (Friday of 3rd Full Week aka Healthy Weight Week)