Left-handed people have long put up with the challenges presented by a right-handed world, but now a new study has found that left-handed people die younger than their right-handed counterparts.

Researchers from California States University and the University of British Columbia found that right-handed females live six years longer and right-handed males live 11 years longer than left-handed people.

“The results are striking in their magnitude,” said Diane Halpern, a psychology professor at California State University at San Bernardino who was one of the principal researchers.

The study is the first trial large enough to accurately assess why there are fewer left-handed people among the elderly population than right-handed. The research also concluded that left-handed people were four times more likely to die from injuries while driving than right-handers and six times more likely to die from accidents.

“Almost all engineering is geared to the right hand and right foot,” Halpern said. “There are many more car and other accidents among left-handers because of their environment.”

Peg Simmons, 29, a graduate student in English at New York University said, “These are important studies to have out because it might actually make automotive companies make cars more user friendly for left-handers. We will see how the study changes anything.”

For the trial, Diane Halpern and Stanley Coren, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, looked at death certificates of 987 people in two Southern California counties. Relatives of the deceased were queried by mail about the subjects’ dominant hand.

“We knew for years that there weren’t as many old left-handers,” Halpern said. “Researchers thought that was because in the early years of the century, most people born left-handed were forced to change to their right hands. So we thought we were looking at old people who used to be left-handed, but we weren’t. The truth was that there simply weren’t many left-handers left alive, compared to right-handers.”

The study was conducted last year and appears in last Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

"Some of my best friends are left-handed,” Although previous left-handed studies have been conducted on whether there was a gene that determined what hand a baby would be born with, the results of these studies have produced mixed results. “It’s important that mothers of left-handed children not be alarmed and not try to change which hand a child uses,” she said, “There are many, many old left-handed people.”

For some, being left-handed isn’t a problem. Josh Freeland, 28, a left-handed trader from New York City said “Outside of not being able to find left-handed baseball gloves and having to reverse notebooks around, I can't think of too many problems that I've encountered.”

Left-handed women die around age 72; right-handed women die around age 78. Left-handed men die about age 62, right-handed men die about age 73. Halpern said her study should be interpreted cautiously. “It should not, of course, be used to predict the life span of any one individual. It does not take into account the fitness of any individual.”

“Being a lefty really does not worry me. I eat right, exercise, and I am an alert driver,” said Simon Rodriquez, 28, a San Francisco based freelance writer, “There are far worse things to be than left handed. I’m glad that’s all that is wrong with me.”

Future of journalism relies on psychic help

TMZ posted that Michael Jackson was dead six minutes before the coroner declared his death. I don't know how they did it (wire tapping at UCLA medical or maybe an office psychic). Who knew entertainment websites would be the place to turn for breaking news. I am assured that my guilty pleasure of reading tabloids will be very important to my career, life and future happiness.

So what does this say about receiving breaking news through the internet?

TMZ did not identify their source. However, their speediness played a part in the athletic game of who gets the news out first (good work in delivering factual gossip). Especially when the legit news sites like CNN, BBC, NY Times were bombarded with hits and google thought they were being attacked by a virus, (one that can do the moonwalk, that is). TMZ managed to grab the news first, the best in the game, they win.

Hopefully future happiness is still in the cards for those of us who read tabloids.

Jobs lost in journalism are on the rise in the US, but enrollment in journalism schools are soaring according to Angelia Herrin, professor of journalism at Harvard. Many question this phenomenon, with readership down in print journalism and massive lay-offs in the newsroom; classrooms are still full of optimistic students ready to learn on their first day.

One of those students would be Maria Karpenko, 22, from Waterloo Canada. Karpenko isn’t discouraged when she hears that journalism is in bad shape. “My viewpoint is that journalism is at a standstill”, she said. “There is a new wave of journalism evolving from a new type of stories.”

Karpenko would like to have a master’s degree in journalism to complement her recently completed bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Waterloo. “I want to bridge the gap of the sciences to the general public,” she said. “I want to stay connected with science, but don’t want to spend six years on a PhD.” Karpenko would like to become a health or medical journalist.

Karpenko is no stranger to the world of journalism. She spent much of her teenage years
helping out in her family’s own art publication called Lace Express magazine. “I worked as a secretary,” she said.

Karpenko was born in Moscow and lived there for six years then moved to Niedersachsen, Germany for eight years and then to Canada where she spent most of her life. She speaks three languages and hopes that will help with her career in journalism.

“I like the idea that at this program, I can start working on my degree right away,” she said. “I don’t have to wait to apply by December and start in a year’s time.”

Interested in new technology and social media, Karpenko believes that blogging, Twitter, and Facebook are important ways for her to keep track of all the different changes in journalism in the social networking world.

Karpenko would like to have her own online magazine one day. “I recently got my own blog, but haven’t written anything on it yet.” she smirks and continues, “I am starting small.”

Ray Bradbury

One of my literary heroes is still kicking. Click here to read more.

Last Weekend Before Class Begins!

Seven week class. Goodbye Summer.

Thinking Books

Recently, I blogged about reading books on neurology to understand and help with my indecisiveness. These author folks are responsible for helping me whenever my head is stuck and I'm gone to the world of decision making. They're also to blame for my missing countless T (subway) stops, audible ahhs and hrmm in public places. All because they make me think about thinking. Here's the list of the books I found helpful:










Click here for an article about following your gut.

Ballet

I did it, I joined. I loved my first class.

I can't stand on my toes... yet.