It's the last day of May, but June is here ... somewhere in the world. We start the month with the every-day dramas people face but great weather helps with healing.
June brings vacations, concerts and festivals, weddings, reunions, proms, graduations, and thoughts about the future through tears/years of joy and sorrow.
There Are Now More 22-Year-Olds in America Than Any Other Age
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Last night, Pat, Jane, and I had dinner, then walked through the park across the street to watch local High School Seniors taking pictures before their prom. Did you go to your senior prom? I didn't as I graduated earlier in January, but I did go to the senior prom with a guy named Norman who was two years older. "Normie" as we called him - was close friends with Neil Diamond who lived 3 doors down from me. We hung out in Neil's basement back in the day in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. I wish we had cell phones to take pics and selfies back then.
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Each generation is smarter than the last, their brains adapting for the future they are programmed to experience. Today we have a huge increase in children with photographic memories. Without emotional problems they can create most anything. Further, they have no problem understanding that we live in a hologram.
How do you spell T-I-E? National Spelling Bee has two winners CNN - May 30, 2014
Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe correctly spelled so many words Thursday that the Scripps National Spelling Bee had to declare them both winners. Why? Because there weren't enough words left on the competition's list for them to keep facing off until only one was left standing.
New Word - 'Spellfie' - Emerges Victorious at Spelling Bee NBC - May 30, 2014
June will be a great month for sports for those of us who enjoy the games. Here in New York, the Rangers compete for the Stanley Cup. Over at Belmont Race Track in Queens, my favorite horse California Chrome, has the opportunity to win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing for three-year olds.
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Since 1919, when Sir Barton became the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, only 11 horses have won racing's most prestigious prize, the Triple Crown. Affirmed, in 1978, was the last horse to achieve the remarkable feat of winning all three races, at three different distances, at three different tracks, in the space of five weeks. The current 32-year gap between Triple Crown winners is the longest drought in the series' history; in 1973 Secretariat ended a 25-year hiatus dating back to Citation's 1948 triumph. In all, 21 horses, including seven in the past 13 years, have come into the Belmont Stakes with victories in the Derby and Preakness winners, only to fall short in the 1 1/2 mile "Test of the Champion."
Fans cheer on US World Cup team in Times Square Yahoo - May 31, 2014 -- A crowd of about 2,000 filled part of New York's Times Square to cheer the U.S. World Cup team during a televised send-off pep rally Friday night.
Then there's the ongoing saga of Donald Sterling and the LA Clippers that was supposed to end now with the sale of the team to Steve Ballmer, but now Sterling is suing the NBA. I really wish this would go away.
Sperm count may be up in the spring but ...
Sugary Drinks May Slow Down Sperm Live Science - May 30, 2014
Men might want to think twice before grabbing another soda out of the fridge. Scientists have already shown sugary drinks can add unwanted inches to waistlines, but a new study shows sugar-sweetened drinks such as soda may also lower semen quality. The researchers found that high consumption of sugary drinks was associated with low sperm motility, or sperm movement - but surprisingly, this was true only for healthy, lean men. The researchers found no relationship between sugary drink consumption and sperm motility in overweight or obese men.
Stress degrades sperm quality, study shows Science Daily - May 29, 2014
Psychological stress is harmful to sperm and semen quality, affecting its concentration, appearance, and ability to fertilize an egg, according to a study. It is not fully understood how stress affects semen quality. It may trigger the release of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids, which in turn could blunt levels of testosterone and sperm production. Another possibility is oxidative stress, which has been shown to affect semen quality and fertility.
