Do Sports Drinks Provide "Energy?"

We've had sports drinks around for years. These beverages generate sales of over $3 billion in the USA alone! The implication has always been that these energy drinks will give a person energy.

But, it's important to realize that "energy" is derived from calories. The truth is that ANY drink (or food) that has calories gives a person energy. So, technically speaking, orange juice, iced tea, non-diet soda and white wine are also energy drinks.

Of course, what's being marketed to consumers as energy drinks is a different story altogether. The standard ingredients included are sugar, some vitamins, amino acids and herbs. But the real "buzz" comes from a hefty dose of caffeine.

The exact amount of caffeine is rarely listed on the label. One beverage though claims 170 miligrams of caffeine in a 1-ounce "shot" and another beverage notes 350 miligrams in 2.5 ounces.

Concerns about the consumption of too much of caffeine shouldn't be taken lightly. In a three-year period, 265 cases of "caffeine abuse" were reported to the Illinois Poison Control Center in Chicago. 37 were from dietary supplements and 41 were from "caffeine enhanced beverages".

In nearly 12 percent of the 265 cases, the patients were hospitalized for serious medical complications from caffeine! Pass me that bottle of water.

The Lack of Women in Engineering

According to a recent report published by Evaluation Engineering magazine, very few women (only 5% of the respondents to their annual survey), display the title of engineer on their business cards.

One reason for this might be a perception by many that girls don't do as well in math and science as boys. Recent research by UW-Madison however, found that this perception is not at all accurate.

They gathered data on students in 10 states, including math scores from state exams, gender, grade level, etc. After crunching the numbers, they found that the average scores were the SAME for girls and boys.

The scores showed that just as many girls as boys landed in the top scoring percentiles. Also, data showed that girls could handle complex problem solving equally as well as males.

First Lady Laura Bush is an Honorary Chair for the Extraordinary Women Engineers Project. It is an awareness and outreach effort designed to encourage young women to select engineering as a career and to develop a new generation of role models for those already in the field.

So, if you happen to be an engineer yourself, go home tonight and tell your daughters all about the challenging engineering work and why you enjoy it. YOU can make a difference!

Look to the Sky for Great Wi-Fi!

Well, business travelers among us can no longer hide on those long cross-country flights. Earlier this week, American Airlines became the first commercial airline to offer it's passsengers full in-flight wireless access. Their new service, GoGo, an air-to-ground broadband system, is available on Boeing 767-200 non-stop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles and New York and Miami.

You'll still have to keep your laptop "off" until the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet but after that, passengers will be able to connect to check their emails, pay bills and socially network. It would be great to see people on an airplane actually talk to each other, but you know how that goes.

Anyway, this service will cost @12.95 per session for flights in excess of three hours. The service can also be accessed by smartphones and PDA's. So much for that good long nap on that coast-to-coast flight!

An Apple a Day?

According to The American Cancer Society, apples are proof that good health DOES grow on trees! Disease-fighting substances have been found both in the fruit's flesh and peel. Research suggests that antioxidants in apples may protect against breast, colon and liver cancers. Pectin, another apple substance, may help lower bad cholesterol. Like other fruits and vegetables, apples provide dietary fiber, which has been linked to reduced risk for cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity!

Making a Home Fire Escape Plan!

Every second counts during a fire. Families should practice their home fire escape drill so that it becomes second nature. Here are some tips that Underwriters Laboratories recommends for families as they develop their own fire escape plans:

• Draw a simple floor plan of your home, making sure you have two exits from every room, including windows.


• Write "Call 911" on the escape plan.


• Post the plan in a central location, such as a refrigerator door, and encourage family members to memorize it.


• Make sure everyone recognizes the sound a smoke detector makes and knows to get out of the home immediately.


• Rehearse the escape plan until everyone understands it.


• NEVER re-enter a burning building for any reason!

The above was brought to you by our friends at UL!