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Coconut oil has recently received a ton of praise for its supposed health benefits. Therefore, it's been embraced by a number of Americans looking to make better nutritional choices. But as it turns out, this oil might not be nearly as beneficial to your physical well-being as you thought. In fact, it could end up being seriously bad for you. Coconut oil has been used for, among other things, the improvement of dental health. Since approximately 99.7% of adults believe a healthy smile is socially important, it's no surprise that the practice of oil pulling became overwhelmingly popular a few years back. Swishing coconut oil through your mouth for a prolonged period will purportedly get rid of unwanted bacteria, alleviate bad breath, or even whiten your teeth. Some dentists agree that wh...

On Monday, May 20, the former manager of the CBS Employees Federal Credit Union pleaded guilty to bank fraud. There are many different forms of bank fraud, but this case deals with the embezzlement of $40 million from the Studio City-based entertainment giant. Although women are more likely to embezzle, committing 51% of embezzlement crimes, Edward Martin Rostohar of Studio City is the guilty party in this case. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Rostohar could receive a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison for his crime. Rostohar was arrested on March 12 and has been in federal custody since, as the court considered him a flight risk and economic danger to the community at the time of his arrest. According to his plea, Rostohar admitted to embezzling this staggering amount...

Spring is here, which means it's a great time to get outside, dig in the dirt, and make your property look pretty. Between the spring of 2013 and 2014, nearly 113.5 million people participated in gardening, so it stands to reason that millions of others would want to do the same in 2019. While there are many methods to use when gardening, there's one idea that can provide beauty while doing even more to help the planet. A rain garden can make use of all available resources while adding value to your home. Let's talk more about what sets these types of gardens apart and how you can create one for yourself. What Is a Rain Garden? Nearly 51% of homeowners who upgrade their outdoor spaces spend six or more hours there a week -- mainly relaxing entertaining, and gardening. While you can certa...

You aren't imagining it: flooding all across the U.S. is getting worse. Since 2010, floods have cost the nation nearly $40 billion. What's more, people in states that never used to experience these issues are now struggling to keep their heads above water. And, like many other problems we're currently facing, climate change may very well be to blame. Although 95% of Americans live within an hour's drive of a navigable body of water, that doesn't mean every American home is well-prepared for a flood. The people of Louisiana might expect heavy flooding due to infrastructure issues and rainy seasons, but the issue has become much more widespread. People in states like Texas, Mississippi, and even Nebraska have recently been caught off-guard due to rapidly rising water levels. And even thou...

There are over 16,000 publicly-owned treatment works in the United States, serving 75% of the total population. Although these facilities aren't responsible for the drinking water flowing through our water pipes, they nonetheless play an extremely important role in our society. Wastewater describes all the water that has been used, either in residential, business, or industrial settings. If this water was not treated before being released back into the environment, we'd be facing serious health issues (such as typhoid outbreaks and gastrointestinal illnesses). As lucky as we are to have access to such facilities, they don't necessarily enforce the most environmentally-friendly practices. One wastewater treatment plant in Medina County, Ohio, decided to break this habit; by choosing to i...

Solar energy is becoming more and more prevalent every year, and nowadays almost everyone is at least vaguely familiar with the concept. As of mid-2017, the U.S. has a total solar power capacity of 47.1 gigawatts, which is enough to power 9.1 million homes, and that number has only grown since then. Solar panels have known to last more than 30 years of continuous renewable production. Clearly solar energy is more popular than ever as people continue to make the switch to renewable energy sources. But how does solar energy work? What goes into making solar panels, and what other forms of renewable technology are there? Solar Energy: The Basics Simply put, solar panels and solar energy systems convert the sun's light into usable electrical energy. This form of renewable energy creates no b...

As you're wrapping up your spring cleaning, you might have found a surprising number of old family photos sitting around your house. You could put them in an album and forget about them again until next year when you're cleaning your home. Instead, use these tips to store them the right way and keep them well-preserved so you can treasure them for years to come. Watch the temperature: Just like pharmaceutical products, which can be damaged by even a two degree Celcius variation in temperature, photographs are sensitive to heat as well. When picking a place to store your photos, keep the average temperature in mind. The lower the temperature the longer your items will last because cooler temperatures slow the rate of chemical decay and reduce insect activity. Keep the temperature below ...

There are more vehicles on the roads today than there ever have been, and approximately 77% of those vehicles are in need of maintenance and repairs. And with Americans driving their cars and trucks an average of 10,000 miles every year, there has been a heavy focus on making vehicles more eco-friendly. The past few years have seen vast improvements in increasing efficiency and reducing pollution. And now, MIT researchers have introduced a way to power heavy-duty trucks, like 18-wheelers, that would further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Research scientist Daniel Cohn and principal research engineer Leslie Bromberg have developed a new concept that could potentially power large trucks solely with batteries. Their research found that a plug-in hybrid engine system, primarily powered by b...

We love a good hissy fit. They're usually expected from overtired children and sometimes hangry adults, but this guy in Malaysia has restructured the foundation of what a hissy fit is. The unnamed man, who a few news outlets have humorously dubbed Uncle Unhinged, didn't like the new apartment he'd recently purchased. The real estate company -- Tropicana Corporation Berhad -- has many such apartments on the market. Labeling them luxury homes with a price tag to match, you'd expect an understandable amount of quality and pomp. The apartment cost around $500,000 and when our hissy fit hero saw the state of the place, he unleashed hell. About 20% of insurance claims involve some sort of water damage, but the rampage that this man went on was more of the red spray paint and sledgehammer v...

Although many seniors are able to gain additional healthcare coverage once they qualify for Medicare, it's not all good news -- especially for their teeth. Despite the fact that the U.S. dental industry has grown by 2.5% during the last five years, the majority of Medicare recipients do not gain dental care coverage through their insurance policies. In fact, 65% of all Medicare beneficiaries (equal to 37 million people throughout the nation) have no dental coverage at all. Since Medicare does not pay for cleanings, fillings, dentures, or crowns -- the preventative and restorative treatments seniors are likely to need most -- many older Americans are forced to pay for these services out of pocket. Medicare members who visited a dentist during 2016 paid $922 on average for these services,...