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The faulty air conditioning system in the Galleria Borghese isn't just a burden on visitors: now it's damaging the paintings as well, including Raphael's Desposition, a priceless High Renaissance painting from 1507. The masterpiece, which was one of the highlights of the Rome museum's collection, has been severely damaged by the overwhelming heat, possibly past the point of repair. According to reports from the Independent, the extreme heat of the Italian summer warped the wood panel behind the painting. Director Anna Coliva described the air conditioning system as "completely worn out" and said there was little they could do other than open windows and use fans and dehumidifiers to encourage the painting straighten itself out. These efforts weren't enough to restore the painting ...

If you've had any experience sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen for eight hours a day, you know that the effects it has on your body are not very good. Slouching, headaches, lower back pain, carpal tunnel, etc. But did you know prolonged periods of sitting have also been associated with higher cholesterol levels and greater waist circumference, which can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic disease? Fortunately, a new study shows that there's a very simple way to combat these negative effects: taking a walk. That's right. According to researchers at Indiana University, just a 5-minute stroll for every one hour of sitting could reduce the damage to leg arteries and reduce the risk for heart disease. Researchers looked at 11 healthy men between the ages of 20 and ...

The drought in California is hitting everyone on the east coast hard, but are homeowners associations doing enough to help their residents save water? A resident of the San Ramon neighborhood in Twin Creeks is locked in a battle with her HOA for a surprising reason, given the current situation. The association is objecting to her installation of a drought-resistant yard. Fran Paxton was met with resistance when she replaced her sod lawn with a type of mint that requires much less water to stay green and healthy. She claims she's just trying to be a good citizen. Her HOA claims that she's damaging the appearance of the neighborhood. The local water district was so pleased with the landscaping job that they gave her a rebate on the lawn makeover, but the Twin Creeks Homeowners Assoc...

Anyone who has been paying attention to news regarding energy efficiency in the past decade has probably noted a recent lag in discussions pertaining to energy conservation; as one reporter notes, the everyday discussion about energy tends to be less exciting than a discussion about solar power or wind power. Perhaps the fact that eco-friendly products are so easy to find these days is another reason why interest in everyday energy-efficient products appears to be decreasing; it isn't hard to find energy-efficient light bulbs at any hardware store, or a coffeeshop that has ditched Styrofoam sleeves in favor of tree-friendly recycled cardboard sleeves. Quite simply, the opportunity to be energy efficient is everywhere, and it's lost much of its novelty. But as one Baltimore conservation ...

A cool summer treat that can help your skin look younger sounds like a dream come true, but when you find out it's a frozen collagen meat popsicle, does that still sound appealing? Tokyo eatery Zenyaren has begun serving a line of frozen collagen meat pops, and they are all the rage in Japan. Chefs prepare traditional skewers of chicken, known as yakitori, but then slowly freeze them in collagen blocks so they keep their freshly barbecued taste. The resulting treat can be licked or crunched, just like a popsicle. Collagen is the most prevalent protein in the human body, and is responsible for our skin's strength and elasticity. But as we age, collagen production slows down, and the preexisting collagen is absorbed into the skin, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles, and sagging sk...

Dutch Glow is the newest "As Seen on TV" hit, offering what promoters call "a pure and simple furniture polish from a pure and simple people." But does this miracle "Amish Wood Milk" really perform as advertised? The infomercials are tantalizing, showing intrepid cleaners spritzing Dutch Glow on wooden furniture and removing years of wax buildup and residue with one swipe of a soft cloth. And the results really do glow on TV, especially when you consider that the product is priced at about $10. Woods look brighter, warmer, and cleaner in seconds.But does Dutch Glow really bring your furniture back to life? And what exactly is "Amish Wood Milk?"No one seems to know. Ingredients aren't listed on the website, and through promoters shill a "100 year formula," there's no definitive connection t...

This past Labor Day, a Sacramento family escaped the fire consuming their house. Fire rescue crews were still inside when the inferno, whose flames shot 50 feet into the air, caused the roof to collapse. Around one o'clock in the morning, Jesse Chan heard a noise from outside. He opened the front door to find a small fire on the porch. Chan immediately ran to tell his parents, who were asleep. “My dad ran through the front door while the flames were still small," said Chan. "He ran through the front door and grabbed the hose. I went through the garage and opened the garage door." As Chan's father tried to use the hose to douse the flames, neighbors look on in disbelief. “We felt the heat from our balcony, just standing up there”, said Jocelynn Tupou. “It was scary, especially f...

The Facebook Diet is the new fad weight loss routine that's taking New York city by storm. Instead of deleting or untagging themselves from unflattering photos, people are heading to the gym, using the pictures as motivation to work out, get healthier, and lose weight. “Sometimes looking in the mirror just isn't enough,” says Lisa young, an expert in health and nutrition. “You’re seeing what you look like and not hearing it from somebody else.” Part of the reason why Facebook pictures have provided dieters with such great motivation is because of the constant comparing people do with their friends and followers. “It’s a measuring stick for people socially to say, ‘How do I stack up with my friends?’ " says Kevin Audley, a life coach. It's no secret that social media has an affe...

Drivers in New York have a new way to stay off the road when they're drunk, and it's as simple as opening an app on their smartphones. The "Have a Plan" app was designed to reduce impaired driving by providing drivers with resources to test their sobriety, report drunk drivers, and look into other ways to get home. "The most common punishment for a DUI conviction is custody with local law enforcement in the form of public work service," says George Gedulin, Attorney at Law at Gedulin and Greany Criminal Defense Attorneys. "Essentially this is an eight hour period of physical labor in the custody of a Sheriff. Public works are often a 5-15 day sentence. For multiple DUI convictions custody can be enforced with actual time in jail or home detention. It is not uncommon to see individuals s...

In New York City, members of the construction industry are petitioning the city to loosen safety regulations they claim have halted hundreds of jobs. Currently, construction sites are required to pass a safety inspection that ensures that the safety equipment they use is up to standards. However, shortages of trained safety inspectors are reportedly causing jobs to be put on hold for months as they wait for a requisite inspection. According to the Department of Buildings, there are only about 500 active inspectors working in the city. This is especially problematic as construction in the city has entered a boom cycle, putting a number of multi-million dollar projects on hold as inspectors work through several months worth of examinations. This has had a number of consequences for the co...