|
REFUGEE, BEING A
Another one for the "duh" file: refugees have a higher than normal incidence of tuberculosis, hepatitis B, intestinal parasites, nutritional deficiencies, and depression. |
RENTER, BEING A
If you're renting your home, you're 50 percent more likely to be a victim of property crimes than people who own the place where they live. (The criminals can't be all that bright, considering that people who can afford to own houses probably have a lot more stuff worth stealing.) |
RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS
For the One-Damn-Thing-After-Another file: having a chronic respiratory infection can lead to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. |
RESPIRATORY THERAPIST, BEING A
Irony of the Day: respiratory therapists have an unusually high risk of dying from asthma. |
RICE
Rice paddies emit significant quantities of the hydrocarbons that result in global warming and damage to the ozone layer. Of course, this entry must be imaginary anyway, since Global Warming is a myth. So don't worry. |
RICHMOND
Over a ten-year period, Richmond, Virginia, was described as having the fourth highest murder rate in the U.S., two-and-a-half times the average for major American cities. If you have ever read anything by Patricia Cornwell, this won't surprise you one little bit. |
RING FINGERS, SHORT
Men whose ring fingers are the same length as or shorter than their index fingers have a greatly increased risk of heart attacks in their thirties and forties. Sawing off the ends of your index fingers is not the answer, but we like the way you think. |
RUBBER BANDS
Rubber bands injured 402 office workers in the U.K. during the year 2000. We leave the rest to your imagination. |
RUNNING
If you run marathons, you could develop breathing difficulties such as asthma or tightening of the airways in the presence of pollen or cold weather, along with changes in blood chemistry that could give you heart attacks. Find a nice safe sport instead, like Formula One racing. |
RURAL AREAS
The more remote the rural area in which you live, the more likely you are to suffer from premature Limiting Long-Term Illness (no, we don't know what it is either). |
