| Get smart: Lose the heart myths
Test your "heart smarts" with Dr. Molly Szerlip, a cardiologist at the Medical College of Georgia Cardiovascular Center. Myth: Breast cancer is the No. 1 killer of women. Truth: Heart disease — not breast cancer — is No. 1. More than 500,000 women die every year from heart disease, stroke and other heart-related conditions. Myth: Heart disease is a man's disease. Truth: Heart disease kills more women than men. Studies show women are less likely than men to survive heart attacks. Perhaps women aren't as likely to seek or receive treatment, or their smaller hearts and arteries make them more susceptible. Myth: Women and men experience the same symptoms when having a heart attack. Truth: Common signs in men include pain, squeezing or pressure in the chest, profuse sweating, pain or numbness in the left arm, fatigue, feelings of indigestion or heartburn, or nausea and vomiting.
Insurance plan would lower rates
For the first time in years, state lawmakers sided with homeowners at the expense of the insurance industry Sunday as they hammered out a massive hurricane-insurance overhaul that they promise will lower rates. The promised rate cuts of 5 percent to 25 percent -- varying from place to place and company to company -- are based largely on two measures: having the state shoulder an unprecedented $35 billion in insurance risk, and expanding state-run Citizens Property Insurance to compete with private companies in high-risk areas. Citizens customers, who live mostly along the coast and largely in South Florida, will see the smallest savings, from 5 percent to 20 percent, compared to their 2006 rates. But lawmakers won't and can't guarantee that it all will work.
Current Issue:
The scientific community remains unable to answer the abundance of questions that challenge the organic food market. It is also unable to prove many of the assertions organic defenders encourage.
A common misconception about organic foods is they have an innate healthiness that superceeds the nutritional values of conventionally grown food. However, organic foods are considered healthier not because of qualities they have, but because of qualities they lack -- specifically pesticides, artificial ingredients and trans fats, according to the National Organic Program.
Proponents of an organic diet, such as Valentina Daly, a senior in criminology, assert that organics are healthier, more environmentally friendly and have a greater sustainability than conventional crops.
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