Daily Inbox

The latest cosmetic trend across the country -- and even in countries across the globe -- is to achieve the absolute whitest teeth that a little bit of money, hydrogen peroxide, and some DIY creativity can buy. In fact, Americans alone spend about $1.4 billion annually on teeth whitening products and treatments, which is 300% more than what the country spent on teeth whitening products in 1996. This trend, dubbed "bleachorexia" by dentists today, isn't just becoming extremely expensive; it's actually causing some serious dental problems for countless patients who have become obsessed with whitening their teeth. Similar to other obsessions about one's physical appearance, "bleachorexia" appears to be more of a psychological obsessive disorder, sometimes requiring invention by a dental pr...

Interior decorating is a field in which both professional designers and homeowners can let their imaginations take flight. By taking cues from classic architecture, couture, art, and more, it is possible to incorporate one's personal style into everything from the furniture to bay window treatments. Recently, however, designers have noticed decorating trends focusing on one thing in particular: feathers. Feathers are known for their natural beauty and wide variety, making them a quirky but appealing home decorating choice. The trend began appearing in fashion and home design in the fall, but is now shaping a number of spring collections as well. “In recent years, we've seen a big resurgence of nature influencing design, feathers definitely being part of it,” Christina McCombs, an interio...

The cost of shipping large items may be more affordable than ever before, thanks to plummeting oil and gas prices across the world, but there's another major factor that is stalling the shipping industry in the U.S.: weather. According to recent reports, the Great Lakes -- which provide affordable water transportation options for countless shipping and travel services -- experienced such freezing temperatures during the winter of 2013-2014, that the U.S. shipping industry was forced into a standstill. Overall, experts note, the industry experienced over $705 million worth of economic losses, as well as 4,000 individual jobs lost, due to the frozen lakes. This season, the Lake Carriers' Association (LCA) is working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard to avoid such trouble during the current...

Watch out, California commuters: Google has received approval to test its "fully functional" self-driving car prototype on Bay Area public roads at the start of 2015. The tiny two-seat vehicle resembles a Smart Car and follows routes according to Google Maps, mainly in suburban office parks and downtown streets. Yet experts are divided on whether or not this innovation will be a good thing in the long run. Ratna Amin, director of transportation policy at San Francisco-based urban advocacy group SPUR, predicts that the cars could mean good things for consumers and city transportation systems alike. "I can imagine these cars starting in closed, campus environments, or cordoned-off test areas with low-speed roads where the risk of collision, injury or death is much lower," Amin said, but ...

One and a half billion people around the world suffer from chronic pain, but an alarming trend is that more and more of them are children. In the United States alone, the number of children who were admitted to a hospital due to chronic pain grew by over 830% in just six years. The good news is that pediatric pain rehabilitation centers, like the one at Boston Children's Hospital, are helping kids find peace with their pain. According to the Boston Globe, there are now more than 30 pediatric pain centers in the United States, which all help children manage pain. They offer treatments and services like acupuncture, biofeedback training, sleep specialists, and exercise facilities. Boston Children's Hospital is the first to offer a day-treatment program. Among children ages seven to 18,...

Senior housing was making headlines in 2014 for all the right reasons. With the retiring Baby Boomer generation flocking en masse to these senior communities, the year saw a market climate that was highly favorable to both buyers and sellers. According to a January 3 Senior Housing News article, interest rates for both assisted and independent senior living communities fell to all-time lows in 2014, which was good news for the owners of these communities. Lower interest rates allowed them to diversify their assets, offering a wider variety of unique living solutions for their residents. On the buyers’ end of the market, rising housing prices gave many seniors a good reason to finally sell their homes and make the transition into a retirement community, according to the Wall Street Journa...

We've all heard the stereotype of the sleazy car salesman who cons you into buying a junker for an exorbitant price. There's a lot of distrust when it comes to car salespeople, but as it turns out, people trust Congress members even less. In a new poll released by Gallup, members of Congress were listed as the least honest and ethical out of 11 different professions. Fully 61% of respondents listed Congress members as having low or very low honesty and ethical standards, 30% gave them an average rating, and only 7% rated them as having high or very high honesty and ethical standards. The numbers for car salespeople were more favorable. Only 45% of respondents answered that car salespeople had low or very low honesty and ethical standards, while 46% rated them as average. They only had a ...

A new report by the Montpellier Panel warns that if more is not done to aid Africa's ailing soils, the continent's current food insecurities will plunge into a vicious cycle for generations to come. The panel is made up of experts from the agricultural, ecological and trade industries from both Africa and Europe, whose recommendations include making land degradation a bigger priority for governments around the world. They noted that restoring and preserving the soil can greatly improve the economy, public health and the environment of the continent. The severe damage to the African landscape has caused less fertile soils, which in turn means fewer successful crops and greater amounts of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. Food scarcity is already a huge problem acros...

When construction workers were called to the Massachusetts State House in Boston this past January to assess and fix a water leak in the building’s foundation, the very last thing they probably expected to find was a time capsule in the foundation cornerstone. But that’s exactly what they uncovered when they began working, and it wasn’t just any old time capsule planted a few years ago -- it was a box, dating back to 1795, likely buried by Sam Adams and Paul Revere. According to Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, the box was probably placed in the building’s foundation during 1795, when Adams was serving as the Governor and had commissioned the State House to be renovated; Revere, being a renowned metalsmith and engraver during his time (in addition to his superior horse ri...

When Spencer Skinner of Seymour, TN needed to find a new place for his family and for the foster dog program he heads, he naturally turned to Craigslist, as many people do these days. He found a four-bedroom home and paid the robust down payment, but a few days after moving in there was a knock on the door. The man standing there was the actual homeowner, not the person Skinner had dealt with via Craigslist. To make matters worse, four other families, who also fell for the scam, were pulling up, expecting to move in. "The homeowner, when he got there, was just as freaked out and stressed out as we were about it," said Skinner. According to a report from the Blount County Sheriff's Office, the con artist was a former tenant. Deputies say that she scammed people out of thousands. But she...