Odds and Ends

Latisse is the eye cream that is supposed to thicken eye lashes without the use of mascara.  The commercial plays a lot during one of the shows that I watch on line and it always amazes me that someone might risk the side effects of discolored and I would guess unattractive eyes, in order to possibly have fuller lashes.  The website offers the warning below which begs another thought.  Is the language used in the warned something that the average consumer can understand?
Possible side effects.

The most common side effects after using LATISSE^® are an itching sensation in the eyes and/or eye redness, which were reported in approximately 4% of clinical trial patients. LATISSE^® solution may cause other less common side effects which typically occur close to where LATISSE^® is applied. These include skin darkening, eye irritation, dryness of the eyes and redness of the eyelids.

If you develop a new ocular condition (e.g., trauma or infection), experience a sudden decrease in visual acuity, have ocular surgery, or develop any ocular reactions, particularly conjunctivitis and eyelid reactions, you should immediately seek your physician’s advice concerning the continued use of LATISSE^® solution.

Texting  while driving is considered to be very dangerous and against the law in some states.  The other day I saw persons texting while driving while I was engaged in three different modes of transportation.  This happened within five hours.   The first occurred while I was riding my bike and waiting to cross the rode (a driver went by me looking into his phone and not the lane), second while I was driving to a meeting and third, while I was walking across the street at campus (that driver was turning left and pushing buttons on his phone).  The one that I saw while I was driving was a girl that was coming to a four way stop.  She looked up from her phone to check the intersection and then went forward and back to her phone tasks.

Aggression - I read the below referenced research article a few days ago and to be honest, the statistical analysis was  complex enough to leave me with only a partial understanding of the process by which the authors came to their conclusions.  It was very interesting however which is why it ended up on the O&E list.  Basically then, researchers looked at students in grades 3-5 interviewing (survey) them twice a year until they were in 7th grade.  Students were measured on group membership (and whether the persons in that had an average level of aggression or a higher or lower than average level of aggression. The scientists used that group to predict the students adaptation with these measures; self worth, victimization, social preference and aggression.  What was very cool was how the researchers looked at this outcome based on the students typical group membership, past group membership or current group membership.  The most interesting finding was the difference between boys and girls.  Girls who were associated with more aggressive groups, at any time, were less well adjusted (more victimization, less social preference) and boys who were associated with more aggressive groups at any time, had better adjustment - were more popular, less victimized, etc.

Rulison, K. L., Gest, S.D., Loken, E., & Welsh, J.A. (2010). Rejection, feeling bad, and being
hurt: Using multilevel modeling to clarify the link between peer group aggression and
adjustment Journal of Adolescence.

OPRAH is an mnemonic or a word whose letters come from other words that will help us to remember things.  You are probably more familiar with the one that we learned in school in the US in order to remember the names of the Great Lakes, HOMES.  But OPRAH is to help people remember the correct way to use a condom :)  It stands for Open, Pinch, Roll, Action, Hold.