The last shuttle flight recently touched down and we assume the astronauts got together for a farewell toast–especially since all space flights are "dry runs." But when private space enterprises take the place of the shuttle, the astronauts on those missions might change the rules, because a little red wine can prevents the ill effects of prolonged weightlessness. An ingredient in red wine called resveratrol protects against the bone density loss and insulin resistance that can be side effects of flying in space.
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In 2008, the banks that had caused the financial crisis in the first place–and they bear literally 100% of the blame–did something that was spectacularly wrongheaded and stupid. But hey, they’re banks, right? Every major US bank jacked up interest on its credit card portfolio. Suddenly, in a time of such crisis, many banks abruptly doubled the interest rate on most or even all of their credit cards. This had exactly the same effect on the pocketbooks of consumers as a tax increase. But it was worse than a tax increase, because it also sent a message that credit cards are dangerous and should be used sparingly, if at all.
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