went to the Symphony last night

We had a work event at the St Louis Symphony last night. What a night! They did Beethoven's opera Fidelio. They invited in several opera stars through a grant, and it was amazing. I wish I wasnt sick - caught my son's cold and have been miserable throughout the last few days of this week and last night was no exception. I think I was coughing more than anyone. Its a good thing they give out free Halls Menthol coughdrops at each performance, else I'd have been worse I am sure. They did a tremendous job with the production, it wasnt really a true production of an opera with staging, etc, however, it was still a great evening. .

I have to deal w/all three at work!!!! What do I do???

Steer Clear: 3 Coworkers to Avoid

by Caroline Potter, Yahoo! HotJobs

Coworkers are the people who can make a so-so job spectacular. The great ones offer up a helping hand, a sympathetic ear, and a strong opinion on last night's "American Idol." But there are some folks wandering the same halls who could harm your career rather than help it -- just by getting in the way every day.

Below are three types of coworkers you should try to sidestep during the workday.

The Chronic Complainer

You'll hear the Chronic Complainer (C.C.) before you actually see her. She's the one making a mountain out of a molehill, throwing a major fit over a minor infraction, or stirring the pot in general. You'll also catch her complaining about -- gasp! -- being asked to do her job. If you've had to work with her on even the most pleasant project, you probably found yourself counting the days until it was complete, as she pointed out every problem with the project and shortcoming of the company.

Employees like this help create a toxic work environment and make those of us who like our jobs feel silly for it. Even if your job is far from perfect, you should always look on the bright side of things (while looking for another job).

The best way to handle C.C. is total avoidance. If that's not possible, do not indulge her grousing. That will only fuel the fire. Remain as silent or neutral as possible and see your supervisor about working independently or alongside others in the future.

The Shoulder Rubber

You would think that sexual harassment awareness training would have rendered the Shoulder Rubber (S.R.) extinct, but he's apparently a hardy creature who thinks he's being supportive.

S.R. will find you if you're down and out, or if you're at the top of your game. If you're looking particularly dejected, watch out. S.R. will try to comfort you with an unsolicited and uncomfortable back rub.

Despite vigilance on the part of human resources departments to deter this behavior in the workplace, S.R. may not know he's violating your personal space. If it's merely annoying, try to avoid sitting anywhere near him during meetings. Don't brush by him in the hallway. Do not linger at his favorite water cooler. If S.R. catches you off guard and goes in for a massage, you can say something like, "Please stop. I have dry skin (or another condition) and that's just making it worse."

Remember, if you feel uncomfortable, harassed, or threatened, see your supervisor and your representative in the human resources department. That should put an end to S.R.'s career as an amateur masseur.

The Chatterbox

Between attending meetings, returning emails, responding to phone messages, and instant-messaging with key associates, the amount of time professionals have to actually generate work is shrinking. To really knuckle down, some folks have to come in early or stay late.

So, the last thing you need is the Chatterbox eating up your time with endless chit chat. Whether it's at your office door, the spare chair in your cube, or at the shared printer, the Chatterbox will engage you in inane, meandering conversations that serve no purpose other than to avoid work.

Stop letting this coworker suck up your precious time. If you can't totally avoid the offender, say, "I'm sorry I have to keep our talks brief, but it just takes me a bit more time to get through my work and I really want to do a good job." The Chatterbox will get the message.

like the Travelocity gnome said - am I going to die...

America's Surprisingly Unhealthy Jobs

by Heather Boerner, for Yahoo! HotJobs

Forget stuntmen. Some of the country's least healthy jobs are in cubicles, hospitals, and restaurants. Are you at risk?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), it's not just farm laborers or police officers who have high rates of workplace injuries and illnesses. In fact, some common -- and seemingly benign -- professions have high rates of injury and illnesses that were severe enough to cause workers to miss at least one day of work in 2006.

Danger in Some Workplaces

The following eight professions are among the highest in terms of injuries and illnesses, listed in descending order based on the number of incidents reported to BLS (in parentheses).

Construction Worker (125,120)

"Falls and problems from repeated hammering are the biggest problems," says Garrett Brown, an industrial hygienist at the California Occupational and Health Administration.

Office/Administrative Staff (83,320)

The biggest risk is repetitive strain injuries from typing, as well as illnesses from inhaling toxic printing inks and other substances.

Sales Staff (76,210)

These jobs may seem innocent, but Brown says salespeople fall from ladders while gathering merchandise, strain themselves carrying it to customers, get repetitive strain from typing reports, and even suffer injuries from malfunctioning displays.

Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants (49,480)

These workers can be exposed to everything from toxic chemicals in hospitals and nursing homes to strains from lifting heavy patients.

Janitors and Housekeepers (46,540)

The heavy carts many housekeepers push can injure their backs and potent cleaning supplies can cause illnesses, says Brown.

Registered Nurses (20,500)

Lifting heavy patients, getting hit by gurneys, or attacked by family members can cause injuries.

Waiters (9,520)

"Those heavy trays don't carry themselves," says Dr. Davis Liu, author of "Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely: Making Intelligent Choices in America's Healthcare System." He continues, "Everything is supersized, and waiters are carrying 5- to 10-pound trays repeatedly, sometimes up on a shoulder with one hand."

Computer Specialists (2,720)

"The ergonomic problem here is not only typing, but also workplace design," says Brown. "Sometimes they squeeze tall people into small spaces."

What You Can Do

Experts offer four simple suggestions for preventing illness and injury that apply to most professions.

1. Work it out.

Even if you sit at a desk all day, treat yourself like an athlete, suggests Liu.

"When you get overuse injuries, your body is saying, 'If you want me to do this, you've got to make me really strong to keep doing it,'" he notes. "Or it will start hurting."

Work with a physical therapist, get regular exercise, and work on strengthening the muscles your job uses most.

2. Take breaks.

A lot of injuries result from not stretching or relaxing. Set a timer to go off every hour and take a break. Stretch shoulders, legs -- any body part that's constrained by your work, suggests Liu. Then do deep breathing to de-stress before returning to work.

3. Double up.

If your work requires protective gear, keep spares with you always. Store extra gloves, goggles, and other supplies in your bag, pocket, or car just in case.

4. Know your rights.

Follow your office's safety program. "If it doesn't have one, report your employer to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)," urges Brown.

"No one should sit on their hands and hope for the best," he says. "Even though it can be difficult financially, say something. If you get killed, it's you that's dead, not your boss."

one of the peep favorites...

"Presidential Peeps" by Emily, St. Louis. Obama and Clinton debate in front of an audience of peeps.

post dispatch peeps competition...absolutely cute...and disturbing in some fashion...

The peeple have spoken

POST-DISPATCH STAFF

03/25/2008

Mary Peepins. Peeperoni pizza. A one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple Peeple... Oh, get the idea.

The Peeple have spoken in our second annual Post-Dispatch Peeps contest. We received 70 entries in four categories: Presidential Peeps, Traveling Peeps, Movie or TV Peeps and Potpourri Peeps.

Many of this year's entries weren't so sweet, displaying a disturbing penchant for destruction. (Maybe it's just cabin fever, or the artistic frustration of sculpting in marshmallow. Maybe they watched too many YouTube videos of peeps in the microwave.) But bad behavior was offset by carefree PlayStation Peeps and stylish Peep Divas, whose outfits are sure to attract the Peeparazzi.

The judges poked around the entries, and their impressions were mixed with the readers' votes to come up with the winners. The winner of each category receives a DVD set as a prize.

http://stltoday.upickem.net/engine/Votes.aspx?contestid=894 to see the rest of the peeps in all their glory…

10 questions..

So here's how you play:
Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random things, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 10 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. Don't forget to leave them a comment ("You're It") and to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you. Since you can't tag me back, let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your answers

1. I share the same birthday with several celebrities that are either neurotic like me or just plain lead unusual or much more exciting lives than I do. Such as James Taylor, Liza Minelli, and Ron Jeremy.

2. I am obsessed with Cottage Cheese for some reason. It must be slightly cooler than room temperature and it must be large curd.

3. I am obessed with Springfield Missouri style Cashew Chicken. No onions, no onions..I love it love it love it!!! Crispy and delicious...

4. I love airports and airplanes but I am deathly afraid of heights and flying...I actually cried when we hit turblence coming back from our honeymoon while landing at STL once.

5. I tend to get emotional (crying) at movies sometimes. Even when I was a projectionist and saw films over and over and over again, I still sobbed in the control room.

6. I love my wife and family, even though we've been through a lot and my wife, especially, has placed our relationship under a lot of stress with certain actions she did. I still love and swear by my wife and our child. And our three pet cats and two pet turtles.

7. I love to travel but I never have the money to properly do it. Someday I will be able to go back to Canada - and I will definitely be visiting Arizona again. And I would love to see California and the west coast someday. And the east coast, and the Kennedy Space Center and a shuttle launch. And europe and china and austrailia and new zeland and Patagonia in South America and the fields of pagodas in SE Asia, all that...

8. Someday I want to go back to college and finish my degree. I want to, but will I ever have the ability to financially and otherwise, that is the question.

9. I love my job - its some of the people I work with I find frustrating to deal with. But I am getting better doing so I think.

10. I am so boring its downright pitiful...

10 People I Tag:

1. Zfrog because she doesnt like being tagged sometimes...

2. Zfrog's hubby because he never seems to blog anymore...

3. My brother, even though I think I will know the answers...

4. Susu because she needs to let off steam.

5. Yardy because she loves being tagged sometimes...

6. Ramblin Rose because her name reminds me of a movie I saw once...

7. Eliot Spitzer because I would like to ask him why - when you have so much promise and run for office and do something so utterly and completly stupid like that after so many people believed in you, you're not just cheating on your wife and family, you're cheating on everybody. And most importantly, you're cheating yourself.

8. And

9. no one else

10. in particular...

I hear my Mary Ann walkin' away....more than a feelin'...

Gilligan himself (well actually the actor who played him) was caught enough times with it, and frankly it does offer explainations for all those wacky antics on the island, I would imagine…perhaps he got ahold of a lil ‘o dat wacky weedus…a lil Maui Wowie perhaps…his own personal patch perhaps?

'Gilligan's' Mary Ann caught with dope

Tue Mar 11 2008 3:42PM EDT

DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) - Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.

She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.

Under a plea agreement, three misdemeanor counts — driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance — were dropped.

On Oct. 18, Teton County sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez arrested Wells as she was driving home from a surprise birthday party that was held for her. According to the sheriff's office report, Gutierrez pulled Wells over after noticing her swerve and repeatedly speed up and slow down. When Gutierrez asked about a marijuana smell, Wells said she'd just given a ride to three hitchhikers and had dropped them off when they began smoking something. Gutierrez found half-smoked joints and two small cases used to store marijuana.

The 69-year-old Wells, founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and organizer of the region's annual family movie festival called the Spud Fest, then failed a sobriety test.

Wells' lawyer, Ron Swafford, said that a friend of Wells' testified that he'd left a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle after using it that day, and that Wells was unaware of it. Swafford also said several witnesses were prepared to testify that Wells had very little to drink at the party and was not intoxicated when she left. He said she was swerving on the road because she was trying to find the heater controls in her new car.

threes for Dave

Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Customer service agent
2. movie theatre projectionist
3. Parking Garage attendant

Three movies I would watch over and over:
1. Brazil
2. 2001 a space odyessy
3. Time Bandits

3 Three places I have lived:
1. Joplin, Missouri
2. Springfield, MO
3. St Louis, MO

3 TV Shows that I watch:
1. Mythbusters
2. Dirty Jobs
3. Travel in Europe w/Rick Steves

3 places I have been:
1. Chicago, Illinois
2. Dayton, OH/Cincinnati, OH/Wright-PattersonAFB, OH
3. Galveston, TX

3 of my favorite foods (cuisine):
1. Chinese
2. Italian
3. Mexican

3 places I'd rather be right now: (in no order)
1. I want to see China
2. I want to see France (Bordeaux and Normandy)
3. I want to travel in Italy (Pompeii, Naples, etc.)

3 friends I think will respond:
1. My Brother (he already did)
2. I don't know
3. I don't know

3 Things I am looking forward to this year:
1. A new president of USA (preferably either Hillary or Barack)
2. A new governor of MO (preferably Jay Nixon)
3. My vacation coming up next week

Now, here's what you're supposed to do... and please do not spoil the fun. Copy and Paste this on your page. Delete my answers and type in yours. Give it the same title I did on my page.
The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you.

Think next time you throw that cup or cigarette butt out the window...

Vatican lists "new sins," including pollution

By Philip Pullella - Reuters News Service

Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:00am PDT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing environmental blight.

The guidance came at the weekend when Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, the Vatican's number two man in the sometimes murky area of sins and penance, spoke of modern evils.

Asked what he believed were today's "new sins," he told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that the greatest danger zone for the modern soul was the largely uncharted world of bioethics.

"(Within bioethics) there are areas where we absolutely must denounce some violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through experiments and genetic manipulation whose outcome is difficult to predict and control," he said.

The Vatican opposes stem cell research that involves destruction of embryos and has warned against the prospect of human cloning.

Girotti, in an interview headlined "New Forms of Social Sin," also listed "ecological" offences as modern evils.

In recent months, Pope Benedict has made several strong appeals for the protection of the environment, saying issues such as climate change had become gravely important for the entire human race.

Under Benedict and his predecessor John Paul, the Vatican has become progressively "green."

It has installed photovoltaic cells on buildings to produce electricity and hosted a scientific conference to discuss the ramifications of global warming and climate change, widely blamed on human use of fossil fuels.

Girotti, who is number two in the Vatican "Apostolic Penitentiary," which deals with matter of conscience, also listed drug trafficking and social and economic injustices as modern sins.

But Girotti also bemoaned that fewer and fewer Catholics go to confession at all.

He pointed to a study by Milan's Catholic University that showed that up to 60 percent of Catholic faithful in Italy stopped going to confession.

In the sacrament of Penance, Catholics confess their sins to a priest who absolves them in God's name.

But the same study by the Catholic University showed that 30 percent of Italian Catholics believed that there was no need for a priest to be God's intermediary and 20 percent felt uncomfortable talking about their sins to another person.

(Editing by Keith Weir) Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

I wasnt tagged, but decided to share...

What's worse: a one night stand or a bad relationship?
One night stands end, bad relationships dont. However, most one night stands end up being bad relationships.

Is it easier to forgive or forget?

forgive

Do boys make good friends?
being one I should hope so.

Who's car were you in last?
mine

All expenses paid vacation to where?
a world tour, everywhere...

On the way to the electric chair - what's your last meal?
Springfield style Cashew Chicken from Bamboo Inn on S. Glenstone in Springfield, MO, Kraft MacNCheese and Large Curd Cottage cheese washed down with a pepsi.

Do you like the rain?
yes

Where was the last place you slept (other than your bed)?
the couch

Is flirting cheating?
depends on where it goes. Just talking, no. Anything else yes

Would you rather have 1 great friend or 5 pals?
1 great friend

If someone called you a bitch would you be offended?
since I have been called just about everything imaginable I am not easily offended...

Would you live with someone without being married to them?
if you are referring to the biblical sense, no.

Favorite sport?
hockey, then baseball, then football then basketball

Would you rather shower or bath?
shower

Best friend of the same sex?
my brother and my son

Any enemies?
too many to mention here.

What are you listening to?
weird al yankovic off the internet

Pick one, cell phone, iPod,computer.
computer

Have you ever flirted with someone you had no interest in?
yes

Kissing or Hugging?
kissing, I am not as touchy feely as I used to be.

Is it ever ok to ask out your ex's best friend?
no

Ever break up with someone and regret it?
yes

Would you ever have plastic surgery?
no

Are you a beach, country or city person?
city, lived in the country and visited the beach and, frankly there's too many hurricanes and I like having services like libraries, close-by supermarkets, and public transportation and such.

Where do you spend most of your money?

Target

Do you like Fall?
yes - if you are asking if I like TO fall, no

Have you and your friends ever gotten a piercing at a piercing party?
i refuse to be pierced

Who was the last person you wrote a letter to?
my mom

Can you change a car tire?
yes

Would you consider yourself adventurous?

sometimes, it really depends. You could call it more spontaneous.

Can you shoot pool?
yes, though I am not really that good at it

Would you sing karaoke in front of friends?
maybe sorta well no...

Ever skipped school and spent the day at the beach?
no

Even gone skinny dipping?
no

Who's most important in your life?
my son and wife.

Who do you think is like you the most?
my brother, but he doesnt believe it...

Have you ever been confused?
all the time. I was born that way

Who was the last person that texted you?
I no longer utilize a celphone so, no one...

Who was the last person to make you laugh?
my son a couple of minutes ago.

Where do you want to get married?
I already did that...

Where is your favorite place to be?
home with my family

Future kids names?
if I ever have a girl Geneivieve, if another boy, he's gonna be a junior, but I dont plan on having any further children...

Who was your last kiss?
my wife this morning....long slow wet kiss that lasted about an hour....

If you could have one person with you right now who would it be?
my wife and son, and they're both with me right now, so I am totally happy

THAT'S the secret...why didnt I realise this earlier??

Men who do housework may get more sex

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

Thu Mar 6, 1:51 PM ET

NEW YORK (AP) - American men still don't pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, but collectively they're not the slackers they used to be. The average dad has gradually been getting better about picking himself up off the sofa and pitching in, according to a new report in which a psychologist suggests the payoff for doing more chores could be more sex.

The report, released Thursday by the Council on Contemporary Families, summarizes several recent studies on family dynamics. One found that men's contribution to housework had doubled over the past four decades; another found they tripled the time spent on child care over that span.

"More couples are sharing family tasks than ever before, and the movement toward sharing has been especially significant for full-time dual-earner couples," the report says. "Men and women may not be fully equal yet, but the rules of the game have been profoundly and irreversibly changed."

Some couples have forged partnerships they consider fully equitable.

"We'll both talk about how we're so lucky to have someone who does more than their share," said Mary Melchoir, a Washington-based fundraiser for the National Organization for Women, who — like her lawyer husband — works full-time while raising 6-year-old triplets.

"He's the one who makes breakfast and folds the laundry," said Melchoir, 47. "I'm the one who fixes things around the house."

Joshua Coleman, a San Francisco-area psychologist and author of "The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework," said equitable sharing of housework can lead to a happier marriage and more frequent sex.

"If a guy does housework, it looks to the woman like he really cares about her — he's not treating her like a servant," said Coleman, who is affiliated with the Council on Contemporary Families. "And if a woman feels stressed out because the house is a mess and the guy's sitting on the couch while she's vacuuming, that's not going to put her in the mood."

The report's co-authors, sociologists Scott Coltrane of the University of California, Riverside and Oriel Sullivan of Ben Gurion University, said they were addressing a perception that women's gains in the workplace were not being matched by gains at home.

"The typical punch line of many news stories has been that even though women are working longer hours on the job and cutting back their own housework, men are not picking up the slack," Coltrane and Sullivan wrote.

They said this perception was based on unrealistic expectations and underestimated the degree of change "going on behind the scenes" since the 1960s. The change, they said, "is too great a break from the past to be dismissed as a slow and grudging evolution."

Among the findings they cited:

* In the U.S., time-use diary studies show that since the '60s, men's contribution to housework doubled from about 15 percent to more than 30 percent of the total. Over the same period, the average working mother reduced her weekly housework load by two hours.

* Between 1965 and 2003, men tripled the amount of time they spent on child care. During the same period, women also increased the time spent with their children, suggesting mutual interest in a more hands-on approach to child-raising.

Sullivan and Coltrane predict men's contributions will increase further as more women take jobs.

"Men share more family work if their female partners are employed more hours, earn more money and have spent more years in education," they said.

Pamela Smock, a University of Michigan sociologist who also works with the council, said a persistent gender gap remains for what she called "invisible" household work -- scheduling children's medical appointments, buying the gifts they take to birthday parties, arranging holiday gatherings, for example.

Marriage equality is more elusive among blacks than whites, with black women shouldering a relatively higher burden in terms of child care and housework, said council collaborator Shirley Hill, a sociology professor at the University of Kansas.

The report's overall findings meshed with what Carol Evans, founder and CEO of Working Mother magazine, has been observing as she tracks America's two-income couples.

"There's a generational shift that's quite strong," she said. "The younger set of dads have their own expectations about themselves as to being helpful and participatory. They haven't quite gotten to equality in any sense that a women would say, 'Wow, that's equal,' but they've gotten so much farther down the road."

Guess he missed his savings throw...

Dungeons & Dragons co-creator dies at 69
By EMILY FREDRIX, Associated Press Writer
Tue Mar 4, 3:42 PM ET
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.
He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.
Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.
Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.
"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."
Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.
Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax's father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.
Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.
But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.
Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.
Gary Sandelin, 32, a Manhattan attorney, said his weekly Dungeons & Dragons game will be a bit sadder on Wednesday night because of Gygax's passing. The beauty of the game is that it's never quite the same, he said.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

this only reaffirms why I havent died of a major coronary by now...course I could die tomorrow...

Study finds health benefits to owning cats

MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

02/22/2008

MINNEAPOLIS — Here, kitty kitty. …

A new study suggests cat owners are less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than people who, well, don't own cats.

And no, dogs don't do the same trick.

The study, by researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that feline-less people were 30 to 40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats.

Yet dog owners had the same rate as nonowners. "No protective effect of dogs as domestic pets was observed," said the study, which was presented Thursday at the International Stroke Conference in New Orleans.

Dr. Adnan Qureshi, a stroke expert at the university, said he decided to raise the question because other studies have suggested pets can help reduce stress.

He and his team analyzed a group of 4,435 people who had answered questionnaires about pet ownership and other risk factors.

But the cat-dog differential came as a surprise. "We don't understand this completely," he said, but "it's probably not a coincidence."

Asked if he owns a cat, Qureshi replied: "No. Maybe I should get one, though. With this new research, I think the time has come to change."