Posted: 15 Nov 2010 11:47 AM PST

Our pets can be our greatest friends. Every pet owner will attest that their animal friends can be the most loyal and loving companions they can have.

Aside from feeling happy with their presence, our favorite animal can make us healthy and improve the quality of our lives more than we know. Whoever said that laughter is the best medicine probably has not experienced

owning a pet.

Studies show that living with pets provides positivity to our health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America, having a pet can help decrease blood pressure and cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Pets can also lessen anxiety and loneliness.

For the heart

One of the most remarkable benefits of owning a pet is its effect on our hearts, literally. Pets not only make us happy, studies also show that people who experienced a heart attack live longer when they have cats or dogs. Also, those who have pets had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations. Pet owners have a lower risk of dying from any cardiac disease, including heart failure.

For the mind

A way to keep one's mind healthy is by engaging with other people. Having pets like dogs help initiate conversations with others. Our pets are great conversation starters. When you are walking with your pet, there is a tendency that you socialize with other pet owners.

On another light, pets are used by therapists for their patients recovering from depression. Petting our canine and feline pets gives a calming effect. Spending time and taking care of them help pet owners feel better about themselves.

For the kids

We often hear people say they refuse to own dogs or cats because they are allergic to them. Some even say that they think these animals can be harmful to the kids because they are dirty. In a research by Dr. James Gern's entitled Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, kids who grow up in a home with furry animals are less likely to have skin allergies and asthma. In addition, babies who have greater exposure to dirt and allergens brought by dogs have a stronger immune system. This is also true for children who are exposed to farm animals.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured article: Beyond Hiroshima - The Non-Reporting of Falluja's Cancer Catastrophe.

From Neopets to Teachers’ Pets - Wall Street Journal

Posted: 15 Nov 2010 04:41 PM PST

By Nick Wingfield

Doug Dohring made a bundle selling a Website called Neopets that let young kids earn make-believe money by playing online games. Now he plans to reward them for studying math and reading.

Dohring's new venture, Age of Learning Inc., plans to launch a Web site called ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy designed to teach basic reading, math, science and other subjects to children between the ages of two and six. In some ways, the site is a big departure from Neopets, which Dohring sold to Viacom Inc. in 2005 for $160 million.

For starters, he says there won't be any advertisements on ABCmouse.com, which will instead charge parents $7.95 a month or $79.95 for a year (the site will be free to public schools in the U.S. and Canada that apply, he says). Some parents and children's advocacy groups have criticized Neopets in the past for immersing them in ads for McDonald's Happy Meals, cereals and other things.

"We're an education site," says Dohring, the CEO and founder of Age of Learning. "We're not doing this to sell consumer products."

ABCmouse resembles game sites in other respects. It has a familiar cast of characters that look like they stepped out of a Disney or Nickelodeon animation, including a cartoon rodent. There's also a rewards system that gives kids tickets for completing lessons. After they accumulate enough of them, kids can redeem the tickets to buy fish for a virtual aquarium and other items on the site.

Dohring says he has raised $15 million to fund the site from a group of investors he declines to identify. He says he's confident parents will pay the subscription fee to keep the site clear of advertisements. "We feel parents want that and will pay for it," he says.

Walmart Black Friday 2010 Ads: Zhu Zhu Pets Again - Product Reviews

Posted: 15 Nov 2010 01:49 PM PST

If I were to pick out one product that took the world by storm last year, I would have to say Zhu Zhu pets. I know there were other gadgets and devices that should have been mentioned first, but how can you resist those little fury toys? I do not know how popular they are this year, but all I know is looking at the Walmart Black Friday 2010 ad, there are four of them on there.

The four of these are as follows, Zhu Zhu Pets Rock Star, Wild Bunch, Original Hamster, and Kung Zhu Ninja Warrior. Looking on the Wal-mart website we can see that they currently cost $8, and looking on the ad scan we can see that on the morning of November 26th they will cost just $4 each.

You have to love how each Zhu Zhu Pet has a background to go with it. I did not know that there was more than one Kung Zhu Ninja Warrior, and I was shocked to learn that some of them went off and created their own clans – I am so out of touch with kid's toys these days.

Do you think that Zhu Zhu Pets will be as popular this year, or is there something hotter for Black Friday and Christmas 2010? Do you think that half price is a good deal? Did you know that there was also an iPhone app for these toys last year?

Read more about Black Friday 2010, Walmart, Zhu Zhu Pete