Thanks so much for your feedback!

plus, new research on "vegetative states"...tossing out your spinach?...and I do the Monday Madness meme

Ladies, I can't thank you enough for your feedback to the survey I posted Friday. I had some terrific participation, and it's really going to help me prepare a report on what women are doing, buying, enjoying, etc. Look for this to pop up about once a month.

I did find that the e-mail responses were somehow easier to facilitate for my research purposes, so I may ask that you do that next time as opposed to answering it in the comments section.

Now, on to some assorted thoughts this Monday...

Some very interesting research on those "vegetative states"

From the Life Advocacy Resource Project's Briefing: "Dramatic findings by doctors in Britain studying brainwave responses of a comotose woman have some medical personnel rethinking the status of human beings who are unconscious and questioning the 'vegetative state' diagnosis which has doomed all too many to death-for-convenience.'

"A team of Cambridge University researches have published in the journal Science the results of their study of a wowan who was living is a 'persistent vegetative state' (PVS) that her 'brain responded to commands in the same brain centers and in the same way normally associated with consciousness,' reports Hilary White for LifeSiteNews.com.

"The woman's brain scans measured after verbal stimuli, such as asking her to imagine herself 'playing tennis or walking through her house,' reports LifeSite, matched those of 12 conscious volunteers upon the same promptings."

The story quotes lead researcher Dr. Adrian Owen as being "absolutely stunned" by the results.

Hmmm...does the name "Terri Schiavo" come to mind?

Have you thrown out your bagged spinach?

I stopped using bagged salads a few months ago, after one of my "Cindy Swanson, CyberSnoop" editions made me afraid of the possibility of e coli.

Interestingly enough, one of my favorite buys was bagged baby spinach, because it adds such interest and texture--not to mention health benefits--to an otherwise boring salad.

I loved the bagged salads, because they are SO convenient and actually economical for me--whereas a head of lettuce might go to waste in my refrigerator, the bagged salads got eaten.

In case you're interested, here's the (2 min. 9 sec.) CyberSnoop that talked about the dangers of bagged salads.

It's dated 6/8/06:



So how about you? Are you back to buying heads of lettuce yet?

And just for fun...Monday Madness!

1. How do you eat an oreo cookie? --Well, I don't unscrew 'em. My preferred method would be to dunk them in milk, but I almost never buy Oreos. I have what doctors call a little bit of a weight problem. :)

2. How long does it take you to eat lunch?--Not long enough. I'm trying to retrain myself to eat more slowly.


3. Caffeine or decaf?--Caffeine in the morning--my goodness, I'm a morning radio show co-host!!! But after noon, I try to limit or eliminate the caffeine. I've taken a shine to decaffeinated green tea for iced tea, and enjoy a cup of decaffeinated Constant Comment of an evening.

4. Chicken or beef?--I eat chicken most often, but enjoy beef in various forms. I plan to make beef stew this week.

5. Pen or pencil?--Oh, pen, definitely!!! I HATE pencils...I don't even do crosswords with pencils. And not just any pen, either. It has to feel just right. I favor the UniBall Vision Elite.

6. Autumn or spring?--It's a toss-up. I love autumn, but I also love an end to the long winter and everything coming to life again. Fortunately, autumn and spring are equally beautiful here in Northern Illinois.

7. Baseball or basketball?--Basketball! Much more fast-paced and exciting. But my husband would say baseball.

8. 'Survivor' or 'The Amazing Race?'--"Survivor," although it's been a while since I've watched it, and I think their dividing up the races thing is ridiculous.

9. Come up with one question I can ask our Monday Madness participants in the weeks to come. How about this one: "Lost," "24," or both? (I can't decide who I like most--Jack Shepherd or Jack Bauer!

Related Tags: PVS, Vegetative states, Terri Schiavo, spinach, e coli, Monday Madness