About the house News Letter

Researchers at Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital report that moderate amounts of exercise are associated with as much as a 41 percent reduction in cardiovascular risk. While their study was done entirely on women, men can assume they have a similar benefit.

In various study subjects, Body Mass Index changes accounted for just 10 percent of the reduction. Blood biomarker improvements accounted for about one-third of the risk reduction, and blood pressure changes were accountable for 27 percent of the improvements. Reduced cholesterol accounts for a 20 percent improvement.

The benefits of regular moderate exercise outweigh what the scale will tell you. The researchers found that the more study subjects exercised, the greater their cardiovascular health improved.

Speaking of Safety, Protecting Tweens, Teens

       Parents want to protect their kids from injuries, including those that are fatal. They have their work cut out for them, says Alan Korn, director of Safe Kids USA. Areas of concern:
     * Back-seat rides: Kids up to age 13 should ride in the back seat, because front-seat air bags could seriously injure them.
     * Booster seats: Young children and those up to age 10 who are small in stature should ride in booster seats, even though they object. Don't give in. Let them know what physical milestones they must achieve in order to move from a car seat to a booster seat to an adult seat belt.
     * Bike helmets: Start early. Give them helmets to wear from the first time they are on a two-wheeler, including little-kids' plastic bikes. Always be firm about helmet use in order to prevent a fatal head injury.
     Alan Korn says it's normal for tweens and teens to underestimate danger and balk at rules. Parents must initiate safety rules early in a child's life and stick to them as they become tweens and teens.
     * Seat belts: This requirement covers kids and adults of all ages, whether they are riding or driving. Provide a good example by buckling up. It can be a challenge to enforce the seat belt rule with kids riding in the back seat of a car, but parents should check on them during any excursion.
     The seat belt habit should be firmly ingrained by the time kids become drivers.

Comming: A Really Thin TV

LED TV sets are making their way into stores around the world. They are about one inch thick and weigh up to 25 percent less than today's liquid-crystal-display (LCD) and plasma TVs.

Engineers say there may be a tradeoff between picture quality and the thinness of a set. Samsung, however, says the picture quality of its new (light-emitting diode) LED set is higher than LCDs of just a year or two ago. Samsung charges $2,199 for its new 46-inch LED TV.

LCD sets use a thin layer of liquid in front of slim fluorescent bulbs. The bulbs are much thicker than the diodes used in the new LEDs, which are about as flat as a computer chip.
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Tom Thumb and the Great 1830 Horse and Train Race

China's CRH2, Japan's Shinkanzen, and France's TGV are among today's fastest trains. The CRH2 topped 230 mph in tests during 2008 and the TGV reaches an average speed of 279 mph. In the United States, the Acela can exceed 150 mph as it rushes along the East Coast.

Quite an advance from 1830, when one of America's first steam locomotives, the Tom Thumb, was beaten in a race against a horse.

Baltimore businessmen were losing business to canal systems such as the Erie Canal, which gave New York City access to the Great Lakes. Another way had to be found to move cargo inland. They founded the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. They would haul passengers and freight along tracks using carriages pulled by horses.

Engineer Peter Cooper thought he could impress the B&O executives with his tiny steam locomotive, the Tom Thumb.

The B&O arranged a demonstration on 13 miles of track. Hauling a car full of dignitaries, the Tom Thumb made the trip from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills in an hour, reaching a speed of 18 mph.

On the return trip, the Tom Thumb found itself beside another open-air car on an adjacent track. The draft horse of a local stagecoach company pulled that car. Cooper accepted the challenge to race.

The horse-drawn carriage took the lead as the Tom Thumb built up steam. Slowly the Tom Thumb gained on the horse and then pulled ahead. But the Tom Thumb was not to have a lucky day. A drive band slipped. The Tom Thumb slowed to a crawl.

Cooper's repairs were too late. The horse won, but the locomotive chugged into modern history.

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David Andres
Accuinspect Home Inspections