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Last week, I posted a Mad Lib to play with my neighborhood. I got a relatively positive response, so I'll try it again this week! You may contribute as many or as few words as you'd like. If more than one word is submitted for a blank, I will choose the one I think will produce the most giggles. You...

Artificial sweeteners make it harder for people to control how much they eat and their weight, according to a new study.

Hi there Neighborhood! Wanna play Mad Libs with me? You can answer as many or as few blanks as you want. If more than one person answers a blank, I will choose the response that sounds funniest in my story. When you reply, just put the space number and your word (e.g., 1-apple juice, 2-fork, etc.)

Researchers seeking new treatments for heart disease said they've grown a rat heart in a lab and started it beating.Video: Cells Make New Beating HeartThe director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota said it may sound like science fiction, but she and her research team still have a long way to go.The long-term goal is that scientists could use this type of process with either human hearts from cadavers or pig hearts, with cells stripped off and replaced with cells from someone needing a heart transplant."The idea would be to develop transplantable blood vessels or whole organs that are made from your own cells," said Doris Taylor, who led the work.She said one of the hurdles in creating so-called bio-artificial organs has been getting the complex structures. The process her team used keeps those structures in place.After the living cells were implanted onto the framework, contractions began in four days. Eight days later, the hearts the scientists created were beating, according to a news release.An estimated five million people live with heart failure, and about 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States.Approximately 50,000 die annually waiting for a heart donor.And the research could go beyond one organ."it opens a door to this notion that you can make any organ: kidney, liver, lung, pancreas ... You name it, and we hope we can make it," Taylor said.The study appears in today's online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Depression affects people's ability to smell, according to new research from Tel Aviv University."Our scientific findings suggest that women who are depressed are also losing their sense of smell, and may overcompensate by using more perfume," said Dr. Yehuda Shoenfeld. "We also believe that depression has biological roots and may be an immune system response to certain physiological cues."Women who are depressed are also more likely to lose weight. With a reduced sense of smell, they are less likely to have a healthy appetite, he said.Shoenfeld's research focuses on people who have both depression and lupus. He found that people with lupus or other immune system diseases develop a particle called an autoantibody that weakens the olfactory system and makes people feel depressed.He said the results can be used for more than just lupus patients."People who are depressed seem to respond well to aromatherapy. Certain smells seem to help them overcome the effects of the biological factors, suggesting that depression may have a biological cause," he said.Also, a smell test could be designed to test for depression.Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Welcome to the "Christmas Edition" of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Change all the answers so they apply to you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING ...

Parents who don't show affection, ignore sick children or leave them home alone are more likely to raise obese kids, a new study said.Dr. Robert Whitaker of Temple University looked at nearly 2,500 children born between 1998 and 2000.At age 3, they were weighed and measured. Mothers answered a survey on how they treated their children. Questions looked at supervision, spanking and other factors.Eighteen percent of the children were obese, but the chances of being obese were 50 percent higher in those who had suffered neglect.Neither the frequency of corporal punishment nor psychological aggression -- such as yelling or threats of violence -- were associated with an increased risk of obesity, Whatker said."Corporal punishment and psychological aggression are common discipline techniques resulting from a child's misbehavior, and the child may come to anticipate them as consequences of their misbehavior," Whitaker said. "In contrast, the child may not understand the cause of the neglect and the child might mistakenly feel at fault."The study appears in the November issue of Child Abuse and Neglect. Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

How to play: Click on the answer that best defines the word. If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word.For each word you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.WARNING: This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance...

Topic: If you were trapped in your house for a long time and couldn't buy anything more, photograph the food item in your kitchen that would be the absolute LAST thing to be consumed before starvation set in.

USPS via APThe Jedi master’s stamp was originally part of a multi-stamp Star Wars set and is now available as an individual stamp following a public vote on which of that set should receive special attention.

This Geeklabel.com t-shirt can be customized for shirt style and color. Click the link to get yours today - show your monkey love!

The supermarket may provide something that can help surgical wounds heal, according to a new review.Researchers from the North West Whales National Health Service Trust say that patients should ask their doctors about putting honey on wounds to speed healing and fight infection.Dr. Fasal Rauf Khan said honey was an ancient treatment for wound healing, and that it never spoils. But when effective antibiotics came into use in the 1940s, honey was dropped."Honey has a number of properties that make it effective against bacterial growth, including its high sugar content, low moisture content, gluconic acid -- which creates an acidic environment -- and hydrogen peroxide. It has also been shown to reduce inflammation and swelling," he said.Researchers have also reported that applying honey can be used to reduce amputation rates among diabetes patients.Studies have suggested that honey should be applied at regular intervals, from hourly to twice daily and that wounds can become sterile in three to 10 days."It is probably even more useful for healing the wounds left by laparoscopic surgery to remove cancers," Khan said.He also said honey could gain favor because of concerns about pathogens gaining resistance to antibiotics. Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NEW YORK -- It angered Catholics before an April exhibit was canceled, but a chocolate Jesus is being resurrected at a New York Art Gallery. The six-foot milk chocolate sculpture titled "My Sweet Lord" depicts a nude, anatomically correct Jesus Christ hanging from an invisible cross. It will be flanked by a set of chocolate Catholic icons, including the Virgin Mary and half a dozen saints when the exhibit opens later this month. The original exhibit had been scheduled to open four days before Good Friday, when Christians mark Christ's crucifixion. That prompted an outcry and even death threats directed at the artist who created it. But Cosimo Cavallaro said he also got a lot of positive mail from Catholics and theologians, and even people in monasteries. Saying "there is nothing offensive about this," Cavallaro predicted a better reception this time around. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ST. LOUIS -- The latest breakfast burrito from Hardee's brings some big numbers with it. Today, the fast-food chain rolled out its new Country Breakfast Burrito, which consists of a two-egg omelet filled with bacon, sausage, diced ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy. The well-packed flour tortilla contains 920 calories and 60 grams of fat. A representative from a Washington-based advocate for nutrition and health calls the burrito "another lousy invention by a fast-food company." In 2003, Hardee's introduced a line of big sandwiches, including the more than 1,400-calorie Monster Thickburger. One Hardee's official said the new burrito will keep people from feeling they need to buy two breakfast sandwiches or burritos to fill up.Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Promise knows that true friendship means making real promises to love, support, and care for others in good times and bad. That's what makes her such a perfect friend to those lucky enough to know her.

Sometimes a friend is just what you need to brighten your day. A visit from a good friend is better than the most expensive present! Just ask Cherish, who belives that performing small acts of kindness makes a big difference.

When you're on the road again, nothing passes the time faster than traveling with friends and listening to good tunes. No one knows the positive influence of music better than Faith. With a twinkle in her eye and a song on her lips, you just can't help but feel good when she's around! She's the friend you want by your side when you have a long journey ahead of you and you need someone to keep you in tune! Faith knows how important a good friend is, it's a lesson she learned from her best friend and big sister, Hope.

Sometimes the roads you travel are bumpy, full of potholes, or so steep that it seems you won't make it to the top. Sometimes there are no helpful street signs, which can leave you feeling confused. At times like these you can always count on Hope to guide you through the toughest of journeys!

"There's no better feeling than making another car smile. In fact, you could say that's what drives me." Hope doesn't just look out for her close friends either. She realizes there are millions of cars who need support, and she's always trying to find ways to help them. "After all, you don't have to know someone to show her you care."