SQUAWK BOX VIDEO

24 Nov 2009

What began as a price war between Wal-Mart and Amazon over a handful of books has nos spread to a wide assortment of consumer goods. Lee Eisenberg, a noted retail expert and consumer behaviorist, and CNBC's Jane Wells discuss.

Prices to Be Thankful For 24 Nov 2009
A decrease in food prices is something to be thankful for this holiday, reports CNBC's Jane Wells.
Holiday Price Wars 23 Nov 2009
Retailers are doing everything to get you into stores now, reports CNBC's Jane Wells.
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures 23 Nov 2009
When it comes to retail and the holidays, anything goes, reports CNBC's Jane Wells; with Linda Conrad, Zurich Financial Services.
Black Friday Preview 23 Nov 2009
CNBC's Jane Wells looks at Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the official kickoff of this holiday season.
Holiday Price Fight 23 Nov 2009
With 32 days to go before Christmas, the batttle for buyers has un-officially begun, with CNBC's Jane Wells.

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Jul.17

4:12 PM ET

Thursday, 17 Jul 2008

Global Warming Will Cause Increase In Kidney Stones?

Posted By:Jane Wells

Topics:Weather

Sectors:Health Care

AP
They're at it again. Scientists. The stuff they fill their days with researching.

From the National Academy of Sciences comes this breaking news: climate change will lead to more kidney stones.

Logically, I'm thinking, ok, you get kidney stones when you're not hydrated and the hotter the planet becomes, the more you'll sweat, the less hydrated you'll be.

So this is news? (By the way, I had a kidney stone once. Yes, it hurts more than labor pains).

But the folks at the University of Texas' Dept. of Geosciences have really gotten into this topic. They say kidney stones cases could jump 30 percent in some regions. "In addition," the press release says, "they calculate that the direct and indirect costs of treating approximately 2 million new kidney stone cases annually could increase by $1 billion by 2050." !!!! They say that's 25 percent more than "current expenditures." WHO is tracking kidney stone expenditures?

Finally, the researchers say the most vulnerable region to kidney stone outbreaks will probably be in the ever-hotter Southeast. "If, however, the risk suddenly climbs steeply at some threshold temperature, a band stretching from Kentucky to northern California would likely see the most new cases."

Time to go have another glass of water from a melting ice cap.

THE MIND OF THE AUSTRIAN MALE
There's a new web site in Austria which reminds men of important dates, like anniversaries, free of charge. The site is being sponsored in part by Pfizer! (Does this mean forgetfulness is a side effect of Viagra?) The site warns men, "When was Playboy first published in German? 1972. When did you first meet your wife? When was the first kiss? Be sure, SHE knows all those things!" Wait, Austrian wives know when Playboy was first published in Germany?

The site tries to make the case that men and women are different. "One thing's for sure: a woman's brain has a reliable reminder-service for important dates in a relationship," it says. (Um, I call it the "brain" part of the brain.) "A man's memory, on the other hand, is more geared towards sports, historic or political events, or is at least more likely to fail due to everyday stress." Austrian men get more stressed out than women? And their memories are "geared" towards to sports and politics but not sex? Is that why the men can't remember when Playboy was first published in Germany, but their wives can?

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