Studies on Sex, Cigarettes, and Neck Plaque, The Simpsons' Movie, and Shocking Non-Fan of Bush

Mmmmm...Cola-coffee sounds so delicious, plus black and tan bottle
doesn't make you think of black and tan's at all.

1. Today. Coca-Cola Blak. Coffee flavors + coke flavors = Oh. My. God. Run to your nearest Duane Reade now.And to prove that marketers speak just like normal people:

"Coca-Cola Blak is a uniquely invigorating beverage that is full-bodied in flavor and as refreshing as you expect Coca-Cola to be," said Katie Bayne, senior vice president, Coca-Cola Brands, Coca-Cola North America. "There is no other beverage available today quite like Coca-Cola Blak. Imagine the refreshing taste of an ice-cold Coca-Cola that finishes with a rich essence of coffee. Only Coca-Cola can deliver that distinct combination of flavors."

Right...

2. Nicotine supplements very likely impede the success of chemotherapy drugs, according to a new study that will be published in next week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When nicotine was present, it prompted the cells to increase proteins XIAP and survivin, which protects the cancer cells from self-destructing, aka prevents the chemo drugs from making the cells self-destruct. This leads me to wonder, when did protein names become so hip (hop)? (NY Sun)

3. Al Gore bashes George W. Bush in the upcoming "green" issue of Vanity Fair, attacking Bush's failure to prevent 9/11 (despite the Bin Laden threat's making the top of the President's daily briefings five weeks before the attack), failure to address global warming, and his incompetence in preparing for Hurricane Katrina. (Daily News)

4. A new study from North Carolina shows that increased exposure to today's sexually charged media encourages teens to have sex at an earlier age. Parents' reluctance to breach the "sex" topic also might aggravate this trend, as this breach allows the media to step in as the sexual educator. Friendless kids might even be more influenced as they lack the peers even to mediate against (or for?) the media's sexual norms. Naturally, the public health concerns are rises in teenage pregnancy rate, which is 3-10 times higher here than other industrialized nations, and sexually transmitted diseases. Results from the study can be found in this April's Pediatrics and probably a scary visit to your local junior high school. (Reuters)

5. Carotid stenting is awesome, suggests new data from Scared Heart Medical Center in Washington. To reduce the risk of a stroke, patients undergo carotid stenting, a new alternative to painful neck surgery, which clears the plaque from their neck arteries and have been apparently improving their memory and mental abilities as well. Some also say colors are brighter. Check with your health insurance plans first though as it probably isn't covered --hurray then for such incredible findings. (NY Times)

6. Mark your calendar for July 27th, 2007. The Simpsons go big screen. Click here for trailer.

7. And because nothing else starts off the week right but Lindsay Lohan's so-wrong moment of the week, here is her mooning children at Nick's Kids' Choice Award. What do you mean the media is oversexed?