the buzz log

Here's one for the record books. Britain has found its loudest snorer. Given that her noisy sleep sounds move the dial to an ear-shattering 111 decibels — louder than a low-flying jet — we've decided we'll take her word for it, and turn down any invites for a sleepover.

The British woman is 60 and has had the problem her entire life. One of her earliest memories, according to the Telegraph, is bring awakened at age five to her sister pinching her nose closed to make the noxious sound stop.

Except for invasive surgery, Jenny Campbell has tried every late-night TV gizmo to make her a silent sleeper, but nothing has worked. And no wonder: Her sounds can drown out a washing machine, a diesel truck, and a speeding train. You gotta feel for the British woman's long-suffering husband, who sleeps in another room five nights a week.

For the record, the snoring wonder was discovered because she attended a sleep seminar that recommends holistic remedies. Save keeping the retired banker in a sound-proof room, her snoring won't go away any time soon. (That's something many annoyed women already know, since the affliction tends to be a trait of middle-aged men that keep many a mate awake.)

One suggestion from the seminar: Cut out the alcohol. Campbell says she's willing to try anything else. Anything. But giving up the drink, that's too much to ask. We hear you, Jenny Campbell. And so does everyone else.

Filed under: Health

The hot days of August became days of mourning for political leaders (Cory Aquino, Kim Dae-Jung, Ted Kennedy). Health conversations took on an unhealthy tone, and reality TV dominated real-life crime headlines. Below, a look at searches and buzzy stories on Yahoo! this month.

The Last Days of Camelot
While June's celebrity departures seemed a turning point for Generation X, the loss of two political paladins marked an era's passing. The legacy of America's most well-known political family came under review twice with the deaths of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics, and brother Edward Kennedy. Dogged by the Chappaquidick incident, the Massachusetts senator abandoned presidential ambition but still shaped everyday American life by helping to create nearly 1,000 laws on health, civil rights, disability, immigration, education, and more. 

Health Check-Up's Negative Results
High decibel levels and superheated rhetoric complicated the already unwieldy mission to reform health care. Rifle-toting protesters and outright falsehoods made town-hall meetings look like a Jerry Springer episode. Still, online outreach—including details from the White House—and research into "obama health plan details" persisted. Meanwhile, more immediate health concerns pushed up queries for flu shots.

Reality Checks
The normally escapist fare of reality TV took an awful turn with a murder-suicide. The VH1 series "Megan Wants a Millionaire" had finished filming and aired only two episodes when news came out that a finalist, Ryan Jenkins, had allegedly killed his wife and swimsuit model, Jasmine Fiore. His suicide three days later led VH1 to cancel that show, as well as celebreality show "I Love Money 3," which Jenkins had competed and won.

Filed under: Health, Reality TV, Politics, Monthly Wrapup, Crime, Recaps, Death, Wrap Up

Baby market—bullish or bearish?

Among the many trends attributed to (or blamed on) the recession, people have been trying to figure out if baby bundles are on the rise. Are bad times contributing to some good times, borne out 9 months later in a population boomlet?

One USA Today blogger is seeing babies all around her, not only on reality TV but also from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS): 2007 fertility rates were a wee bit higher than 2006 (2.12 vs 2.1). However, earlier this year, The New York Times threw cold water on many stork deliveries and adoptions. Slate recently cited a medical group's neonatal slump as proof of less "fruitful reproductive activity." While NPR found a lady or two taking advantage of the downturn, it said "no solid statistics" existed since birth rates are what number-crunchers call a "lagging indicator."

Well, there could be another way figure this out: the Web. Moms-to-be (and impending dads as well) often head to Yahoo! Search to look up fertility tools like:

• "ovulation calendar" (maximizing hit rates)
• "how to get pregnancy fast" (grammar-challenged seeking tips)
• "signs of pregnancy" (checking success)
• "chinese birth chart" (divining personality traits)
• "baby gender predictor" (sonogram alternatives)
• "baby shower invitations" (successful endeavors)
• "birth announcements" (done deal)

Adding these all up should give a bouncing-baby clue. Will there be more boys? And girls? The possible answer:

Gloomy Family Forecast
Search numbers do echo the NCHS facts, that pregnancy-related research peaked in July-December 2007. Look-ups for "baby announcements," "baby shoes" and "baby toys" had a high during that same time period.

The recession officially started December 2007. Since then, baby-friendly searches haven't just dropped (a 15% drop in January-June 2009 versus July-December 2007)—they're at an all-time low since 2005.

Chance of Baby Showers
Here's one quirk: Baby shower-related queries are at an all-time high. How could that be? Well, normally, U.S. birth rates are higher in the August through October months, so people could be gearing up for a fresh batch...but that doesn't explain everything.

Another theory: People might be making a bigger baby shower fuss, since they're scrimping on everything else. Americans splurged for a homey Fourth of July. Plus, a shower's the big chance to get good gifts—and save mom and dad some out-of-pocket expenses.

Pregnant Pause
So, nearly all Search signs point to a pregnant pause...but that doesn't mean ladies aren't thinking about it. Lookups for ovulation calendars and calculators are pretty steady. Gotta keep an eye on that biological clock.

Filed under: Health, Pregnancy, Predictions, Babies, Economics