Pony Party….this-n-that

Some days there’s nothing i feel like putting in the pony.  Ok, that’s a lie.  Some days im particularly sensitive to the amount of sports content i put in the morning pony ;), but have nothing of substance to say.  On those days i generally hunt for a news story or some other item on the web i can present for discussion.  But on Monday when i am typing this (like with time travel in the douglas adams books, we need new verb tenses to discuss what we’re typing that wont have published until some time before youre reading it but after im typing it…but we’ll save that topic for another day) i’m horrifically unfocused…the Flyers are playing, and, at the risk of sounding whiny..i just dont feel like it…

So here are some finds from my horribly unfocused web travels…

From the “news you can use” category, is it any wonder that this Yahoo!News article caught my attention???

Chocolate may reduce pregnancy complication risk

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is rich in a chemical called theobromine, which stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscle and dilates blood vessels, and has been used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries, Dr. Elizabeth W. Triche of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and colleagues

Apparently after polling new mothers and testing cord blood, researchers found a possible link between higher chocolate consumption and fewer occurrences of preeclampsia.  So I guess all those Peppermint Patties I ate in 1993 were a good idea…  😉  

And then there was this story

Hair of the dog keeps children’s allergies at bay

Having a dog in the house reduces the risk that young children will develop allergies, German researchers said on Tuesday.

The finding, based on a six-year study of 9,000 children, lends weight to the theory that growing up with a pet trains the immune system to be less sensitive to potential triggers for allergies like asthma, eczema and hay fever.

This theory has proven to be helpful for many people. While growing up with dogs can help you fight allergens, it is also important to test your dog for allergies because these canines can also be allergic to many things that they encounter in an around the house. When choosing allergy testing tools, it is always a good idea to look at in-depth reviews of the same from reliable websites like Jack’s Pets.

How’s that for good news???  Dogs and chocolate are good for us!!!  Woot!!

Rounding out my meandery and totally unfocused web journey, please click this link to look at a sample of the work of photographer Stuart Franklin called “In the Time of Trees”.  It contains some breathtaking pictures with beautiful quotes…i enjoyed it immensely.