I can't think through my hair.

Dr. Limor Shifman of Hebrew U and Dafna Lemish of Tel Aviv U studied the current state of blonde jokes. Their research was published in the journal Society.

In case you thought that blond hair and low IQ really are connected genetically, well, this probably isn’t the case. Very possibly, argue Shifman and Lemish, men make jokes about beautiful women in order to put themselves at ease if they are feeling inferior.

Interestingly, because of the Internet, blonde jokes have spread from the U.S. and Britain to cultures all over the world. They have reached countries where the majority of people are blonde (Scandinavia) and countries where almost no blondes exist (China and Japan).

The three main findings of their research:

1. The jokes are more about these women being stupid than promiscuous.
2. Though these jokes originate in the United States, they have spread throughout the world thanks to the Internet.
3. A new kind of joke has been created which builds on the old-fashioned blonde joke and reflects on it. Problem is that through that stereotype are reinforced.

I wonder… If some people actually believe the stereotype, are there women who purposely act stupid thinking that the dumber they act, the prettier guys will think they are? Maybe the ditz image, and the fact that many girls and women seem to choose to act flighty almost purposely, grows out of the connection made in society between beauty and lack of intelligence.

Read the full article in the Daily Mail here.

BTW, I found this article by following @HebrewU on Twitter.

Photo by lilivanili on flickr.

Our beloved little country, however, came in #7 with 1.385 cell phones per person. I’m trying to figure out what one does with more than one cell phone.

Why is Israel such a cell phone-crazy country? There are different theories. They include the security situation (we need to be able to reach our loved ones quickly) and, of course, we love to talk. But based on a recent study, it might be best if we love it a bit less, or at least try to use our home phones a bit more (our bank accounts wouldn’t complain, that’s for sure).

An Israeli study commissioned by the Israel Dental Association and directed by Avi Zini of the community dentistry department at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine has some bad news. They studied the incidence of oral cavity cancer from 1970 to 2006. The results?

There seems to be a rising number of cancer cases of the parotid gland. This is the gland located just where the cell phone sits on our face while we’re handsomely lining the cell phone companies’ pockets. The cancers of the other parts of the mouth, on the other hand, did not seem to be rising. Cases of this parotid gland were steady at around 25 per year from 1970 to 2002. Then, within another five years, there was a dramatic increase to 70 cases per year.

Who’s giving up their cell phone? Not I! But, the researchers were sure to mention that there is less radiation against your head if you use accessories such as a headset.

Read the whole article here.

Alzheimer’s is probably one of the most heart-breaking diseases. Anyone who has seen the affects of Alzheimer’s knows that research on this disease is extremely important for people affected directly or indirectly by it all over the world.

So, ever hear of Tau tangles? This is when certain proteins in the brain get “tangled” or folded. This is not good and has been found to be closely associated with Alzheimer’s symptoms. Recently, a bunch of researchers, including Hanna Rosenmann, Ph.D., head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Kerem, and an investigator (Associate-Senior Lecturer) at the Hebrew University Hadassah School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel, did research whereby they attempted to immunize mice against the tangling.

The result? They found a major reduction in tangles without any evidence of inflammation in the brain from the therapy. The latter fact being important since other scientists had to stop their research in immunotherapy in the past because 6% of (human) participants developed brain inflammation. The chemical that these Israeli scientists are using is a different one and so far seems to be showing much better results!

Hopefully one day Alzheimer’s can enter the history book of diseases and our children can say to us when we’re 90 years old, “Mom, what was it like living in a world with Alzheimer’s?”

Click here to read the full article.

The faculty of agriculture, etc. etc., Rechovot. Taken by yours truly in January '07. Yes, January.

But is all that about to change? Click here to see pictures depicting how the new gate is destined to look. It is very exciting! It is very university-like, it’s really quite beautiful and probably safer. Actually, the only reason I hesitate to be excited for this change (because otherwise I can’t wait to see it!), is that I hope that whatever changes might take place there, the kibbutz ambiance will be taken into consideration so that it will be kept.

Otherwise, thank you Robert H. Smith for helping Hebrew U continue to be at the forefront of agriculture!

Aw… Talking about “the Faculta” makes me want to go pay it a visit, even before the gate is done.

On July 8 she spoke to around 50 people at the St. Louis Chapter of Hadassah on July 8 about Hadassah’s hospitals’ vital role in responding to disasters. Kater is a paediatric nurse specialist and an assistant clinical professor of nursing at Saint Louis University’s School of Nursing. She spoke about Hadassah’s ability to respond unbelievably to very large-scale disasters (God forbid). She told the audience that the hospital is capable of transforming whole wards into emergency rooms within five minutes. (Read more about her visit and talk here.)

So, that is Life #3 which she’s living today.

Life #1

The beginning of Vered’s life was a painful one. She was born in Holland. During WWII she was one of the “hidden Jewish children.” After Germany invaded Holland in WWII, she was passed from family to family until the end of the war. She was thankfully reunited with her parents and sibling following the war. She studied in a few different countries before she immigrated to Israel and eventually joined the faculty at Hadassah’s Hebrew University School of Nursing in Jerusalem.

Life #2

As someone who is apparently a very compassionate person, israaid.org.il reported that in 2003, Vered volunteered on a mission to India. IsraAID is the Israel forum for international humanitarian aid. She wrote about her experiences on the site.

Vered went through the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Volunteer Corps, for two months to Bhubaneshwar, an area with medical needs for families in the local slums. The purpose of her trip was to train teaching staff first aid and preventive health care, train teaching staff to recognize health problems, provide primary care on existing mobile clinics and develop and conduct community workshops about preventive health care behaviour.

When she visited the slums, she said that, “The cows were looking a lot healthier than the roaming children.”

She wrote more about her experiences and finished by saying:

“Teaching a needy population always teaches me how rich we are. One tends to forget the ease with which we can obtain teaching materials, the luxury of air-conditioned classrooms and the taking for granted that everyone can receive an education.

“We, in Israel are very fortunate and one should try to share this wealth.”

To read her whole first-hand account of her experiences in India, click here.

It’s always exciting to  hear about the amazing, important work that Hebrew U people are doing.