That's Fit

Are you one of the 1/3 of Americans who live in a smoggy city? Smog -- a heavy, dark fog primarily composed of ozone -- can trigger asthma symptoms, cause coughing, chest pain, wheezing, or even premature death. The top 10 smoggiest cities are:

• Los Angeles, CA. The air quality is slowing improving in LA, but, on average, it still has 90 days per year with unhealthy ozone levels.
• Bakersfield, CA. Bakersfield has an average of 83 days with unhealthy ozone levels each year, as well as other air quality issues.
• Visalia, CA. Lying near Sequoia National Forest, Visalia has an average of 68 high ozone days per year.
• Houston, TX. Nearly 400,000 Houston residents have asthma -- a condition that can be exacerbated by the city's average of 36 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Fresno, CA. In 2000, Fresno had 87 unhealthy ozone days. Now, the city is averaging only 34 unhealthy ozone days per year -- still high enough to land it in the top 10, but amazing progress.
• Sacramento, CA. The fifth city from California's Central Valley to make the list, Sacramento has an average of 25 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Dallas, TX. Dallas has an average of 22 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• New York, NY. With such a constant flow of traffic, it's almost surprising that New York doesn't have more than an average of 12 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Washington DC/Baltimore. Our capitol region has an average of 11 unhealthy ozone days per year.
• Baton Rouge, LA. Baton Rouge averages 11 unhealthy ozone days per year.
  

We're all told day in, day out, to drink more water. But what we're not often told is that too much water can be harmful, even fatal. Water may be healthy but you CAN overdose on it. And sadly, a 28-year-old mother of three has -- as part of a radio contest to win a Nintendo Wii for her children.

The contest, called 'Hold Your Wee for a Wii', had participants drink water bottle after water bottle, with the person drinking the most without going to the bathroom being declared the winner. Jennifer Lea Strange, the woman who lost her life, did not win -- she came in second place.

Perhaps the most infuriating aspect of the story is that a nurse called in during the show to warn the DJs and participants about the dangers of drinking too much water. Her call was obviously ignored. 10 employees at the radio station in question have lost their jobs over the incident, but that does little to alleviate the devastation of losing a mother. No criminal charges are pending, as Strange entered the contest of her own free will. Nonetheless, my heart goes out to the Strange family.