TN Women and Drugs vs. TN Men

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation website statehealthfacts.org, Tennessee women per capita used more prescription drugs than that of men living in Tennessee for 2006.

Retail Prescriptions Filled at Pharmacies (Women): 19
Retail Prescriptions Filled at Pharmacies (Men): 12

An interesting fact that mirrors the national average of women to men, 14 to 9 respectively.

Staring at the "Twins" Can Prolong a Man's Life

According to the New England Journal of Medicine staring at a pair of breasts for just 10 minutes a day is equivalent to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise.

"Hey honey, come here for a second."

Austin, TX Ranks High Among Singles, Not Knoxville

Josh Flory's jejune article on Knoxville, TN ranking high amongst singles falls short in comparison to a new survey compiled by Travel + Leisure. Austin, TX ranked .01 points higher than Las Vegas for singles according to the recent study. Even with the lack of statistical clout the T+L survey carries, it makes a lot more sense than the Primacy Relocation report I wrote about yesterday.

Seattle Facts You May Not Know (Or Care About)

My latest travels will land me in the heart of Seattle. As with Kingsport and Nashville, I thought I'd dig up some facts about Seattle that you may or may not know (or care about).

1. Seattle is known for being a coffee consuming mecca. Brands born in this area are Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, Tully's and from what I've read, Zoka is a rising star.
2. The largest continuous cement pour took place when pouring the hole where the Space Needle sits. It took 467 cement trucks less than 12 hours to fill the foundation.
3. Seattle sells more sunglasses per capita than any other major city in the U.S.
4. The Seattle Times recycles 95% of all solid waste generated by their buildings.
   

The Sunday Linker: 9/30/07

Lately, my life has started to speed up. Work has picked up, errands have piled up and I have added a permanent fixture to my finger called a ring. In case I haven't dropped enough hints, married life is in full swing at my house. As with every Sunday comes a new Sunday Linker and this week the topic will be, you guessed it, weddings. Not just weddings, wedding history and facts. With the recent marriage of myself along with 3 close friends, I have noticed that no two weddings are alike. Actually, not even close.

• Before 1753 there was no formal state involvement in weddings. A father had to conduct a "bewedding" where the groom and his family offered promises that the bride would be looked after.
• The average American engagement will last 16 months.
• 2.4 million weddings take place each year in the United States.
• The average wedding has a $22,000 cost associated with it.
• 4 out of 5 brides are employed.
• Over $19 billion per year is spent on wedding gift registries.
• 40% of newlyweds travel stateside whereas 60% travel to a foreign country for their honeymoon.
• By 2009 it is estimated that the average wedding will cost over $30,000.
  

Nashville Facts You May Not Know (Or Care About)

Since I did not provide you with any priceless knowledge yesterday due to my travels to Nashville, I thought I would give you some love today. Here are some facts about Nashville, Tennessee you may or may not have known.

1. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge on Broadway played host to many singers before they became famous including Willie Nelson, Terri Clark and Kenny Chesney.
2. 11.6% of the population is between the ages of 18 and 24.
3. Males average $6,074 more per year in median income than that of females.
4. Nashville has the largest population of Kurdish people estimated to be around 11,000.
   

Vols Running Backwards

The latest post on No Silence Here made me wonder just how the UT Volunteers have stacked up nationally with their running stats. After all, the Vols live and die by the run, right? I'll let you be the judge.

1999: Ranked #20 - 2,104 yards

2000: Ranked #39 - 1,790 yards

2001: Ranked #57 - 1,849 yards

2002: Ranked #55 - 1,957 yards

2003: Ranked #70 - 1,800 yards

2004: Ranked #24 - 2,418 yards

2005: Ranked #80 - 1,411 yards

2006: Ranked #96 - 1,404 yards

Stats from NCAA football archives.

The Sunday Linker: 9/16/07

Welcome to the second edition of The Sunday Linker.

• NUMBERS: A weeks worth of data from The American.
• 67.57%: The amount of annualized return I've reached this week at The UpDown.
• I didn't know Richard Branson was now head of Google.
• Steven Levitt shows how data feels about the surge in Iraq.
• Converting a newsletter into a blog is probably the single most helpful web development tip I've received all year.
  

Party Like It's 1981

Continuing my birthday theme for today, I wanted to take a second and see what events and facts I could find on the year I was born, 1981. In case you're wondering I was indeed a child of the eighties in which I rocked the mullet and MC Hammer parachute pants.

• France abolishes capital punishment.
• Sandra Day O'Connor takes a seat as the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
• The Boeing 767 takes its first flight.
• MTV is launched.
• Major League Baseball goes on strike.
• U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest in Washington D.C. by John Hinckley.
• Eli Manning, Mike Jones, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Hudson and Britney Spears were born.

It's My Birthday

I woke up this morning to another birthday and I must say I'm very happy. Many fear the mighty day in which they were born as it symbolizes getting older. Myself, I'm just happy to have made it through another year. With that said, I thought I would bring you some birthday history and traditions. Enjoy.

The tradition of birthday parties started in Europe a long time ago. It was feared that evil spirits were particularly attracted to people on their birthdays. To protect them from harm, friends and family would to come be with the birthday person and bring good thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits.

In various African nations they hold initiation ceremonies for groups of children instead of birthdays. When children reach a certain designated age, they learn the laws, beliefs, customs, songs and dances of their tribes.

In Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland) the birthday child is ambushed and their nose is greased for good luck. The greased nose makes the child too slippery for bad luck to catch them. This tradition is reputed to be of Scottish decent. Birthday punches. In Quebec the birthday person receives a punch for each year they are alive and then one for good luck.

Kingsport Facts You May Not Know (Or Care About)

This weekend I am headed to Kingsport, TN to visit family and friends. Being that I lived there for 18 years of my life I thought it might interesting to see what factual information Wikipedia contained about the booming metropolis (humor).

1. As of 2000, there are 44,905 Kingsportian's with 93.32% being white, 4.22% African American and 1.05% Hispanic or Latino.

2. The 2005 Kingsport Police Department budget was $8,602,800.

3. On September 12, 1916, Kingsport residents demanded the death of circus elephant Mighty Mary for killing a hotel worker who actually was hired the day before as an assistant elephant trainer by a local circus.

4. In 2001, Pal's Sudden Service won the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Pal's is still the only restaurant to receive such an award.