Handful of holiday party missteps prompt thoughts of resignation

This holiday season, don't let karaoke come between you and your paycheque.

A new survey of single Canadians finds one in 10 people would consider quitting their job if they embarrassed themselves singing at the company Christmas party. Eighteen per cent said they'd hit the help-wanted ads if they kissed their boss at the bash, while a similar proportion (19 per cent) said alcohol-induced vomiting would signal the end of their employment.

There was even a handful — four per cent — who said they couldn't face their co-workers again if they indulged in some bad dancing.

"I thought at a Christmas party all bets would be off and everyone would forgive (misdeeds) the next day. But it seems it depends on one's own internalization of things," said Jane Barrett, marketing director for dating site Zoosk.com, which conducted the poll. READ MORE HERE

Eighth Annual Farmers Insurance Study Ranks the Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S.

Pittsburgh rated country's most secure large metropolitan area

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080605/LATH062)

The Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Wash., area is the most secure mid-size U.S. city (population between 150,000 and 500,000), while Ithaca, N.Y., ranks as the most secure small town (population less than 150,000).

The rankings, compiled by database experts at www.bestplaces.net, took into consideration crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, terrorist threats, environmental hazards, life expectancy, mortality rates from cancer and motor vehicle accidents, and job loss numbers in 379 U.S. municipalities. The study divided the communities into three groups: large metropolitan areas, mid-size cities and small towns.

"Farmers congratulates all of the communities represented in the Farmers Secure Places to Live Survey," stated Jeff Dailey, President and Chief Operating Officer of Farmers Insurance Group. READ MORE HERE

Woman's breast implant disappears during Pilates

By Melissa Dahl 

There's really no other way to put this: During a Pilates stretching exercise, a 59-year-old woman said her body "swallowed" one of her breast implants. Sounds like something we just made up, but the woman's case is the subject of an unbelievable report, just published online in the latest New England Journal of Medicine. 

The woman was a breast cancer survivor who'd had a double mastectomy, and afterward had gotten breast implants. During a Pilates routine, she was doing a Valsalva maneuver, a breathing technique in which a person takes a deep breath and holds it while bearing down. (In other words, you're going through the motions of exhaling forcibly, but without letting any air escaping through the mouth or nose.) READ MORE HERE

Hairy limbs keep bed bugs at bay

Hungry bugs placed on shaved arms were more likely to try to feed compared with those on unshaved arms, the journal Biology Letters reported.

Researchers say the hair slows down the bed bugs and warns the victim.

Pest controllers say the UK is currently experiencing a steep rise in the number of bed bug infestations.

Prof Michael Siva-Jothy, from Sheffield University's Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, recruited 29 brave volunteers to test the theory further, watching the bedbugs as they found a place to feed and removing them only as they were about to bite.

He found that more layers of both longer visible hairs and finer, "vellus" hairs near the surface appeared to work as a deterrent to the insects, with the finer hairs also acting as an early warning system. READ MORE HERE

Colombian man tries to smuggle in illegals disguised as cheerleading squad

At least one Colombian man has nothing to cheer about today.

Duastin Salazar, 28, pleaded guilty to visa fraud charges after trying to smuggle 16 people into the U.S. posing as a cheerleading squad, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced Thursday.