Emma Zayer

I meant to start this last week, but...that clearly didn't happen. So here are a sampling of stories I've read in the past two weeks:

Americans Can Send Phones to Cuba (NYT) -- Americans will soon be allowed to activate cellphones here in the U.S., send them to Cuba and pay for their relatives' phone bills. "The White House said its own change of policy is not a softening of the decades-old American embargo on trade with Cuba...Under existing American policy, family members are allowed to send gifts to Cubans back home, and the new cell phone rules simply extend that idea, according to Dan Fisk, the National Security Council official who helped draft the new initiative." Gifts from family members outside Cuba is a huge source of income for people there. But my question is, who provides cell phone reception in Cuba?

"Miracle" Marine Loses Final Battle (AP on CBS.com) --For three years, Sgt. Merlin German defied the odds -- he lived through more than 100 surgeries and constant pain after being burned over more than 97 percent of his body in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq. He died shortly before Memorial Day at the age of 22. I just turned 22 and feel like my life hasn't even begun. Heartbreaking.

Last known WWI vet gets Memorial Day honors (AP on MSNBC.com) -- On an upbeat note...there's one known American-born veteran of World War I left - Frank Woodruff Buckles, currently of West Virginia. "I had a feeling of longevity and that I might be among those who survived, but I didn't know I'd be the No. 1," the 107-year-old veteran said at a ceremony to unveil his portrait." I want to know what he's been doing to stay healthy over the past century!

Tomato dishes 'may protect skin' (BBC) -- British researchers found that adding tomato paste to the diets of study participants had beneficial effects on their skin. "After three months, skin samples from the tomato group showed they had 33% more protection against sunburn - the equivalent of a very low factor sun cream - and much higher levels of procollagen, a molecule which gives the skin its structure and keeps its firm." It's not suggested as a substitute for sunscreen, but it probably can't hurt.

The Miracle Fruit, a Tease for the Taste Buds (NY Times) -- This African berry temporarily makes makes bitter and sour foods taste sweet, by changing how your palette perceives tastes. "The cause of the reaction is a protein called miraculin, which binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, according to a scientist who has studied the fruit, Linda Bartoshuk at the University of Florida’s Center for Smell and Taste. Dr. Bartoshuk said she did not know of any dangers associated with eating miracle fruit."

The 'Sex' Effect: Empowering to Some, Trashy to Others (WSJ) -- A style columnist asks if women are going too far when it comes to freedom of attire in the workplace by taking cues from Sex and the City. "I suspect that many women are sabotaging their own career advancement without realizing it. Dressing suitably is a social skill -- and social skills are necessary to advance up the corporate ladder." She has statistics to back it up, but "%" signs are not written out, which makes my AP-Style-obsessed-mind cringe a little bit.

Kennedy brain surgery 'successful' (CNN) -- "Sen. Edward Kennedy underwent "successful" surgery for a brain tumor at Duke University Medical Center, his doctors said Monday. Doctors said Kennedy was awake during the surgery, which lasted roughly three and a half hours." I just wanted to point out he had brain surgery while awake. "Often during such operations, surgeons ask a patient to repeat certain words or make a movement such as squeezing a hand so they can identify areas of the brain involving speech and movement. They then attempt to remove as much of the tumor as they believe they can safely, CNN chief medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta said." Seems reasonable. Still freaks me out a little bit.