Great song, but people suffering from asthma probably hate it. Breathing isn't easy if you have asthma and according to a new study, the asthma rate is rising 0.5% every three years. That may not sound like much but the current rate in America is almost 8%. The number of people expected to have asthma by the year 2025 is a staggering 100,000,000. Scientists admit they don't know why the rate is rising but now are exploring something called the "Hygiene Hypothisis." Basically, we're too clean and our bored immune system decides it has to fight an invader it doesn't need to fight.

The current cost of asthma is about 20 million dollars a year. If you think that's expensive, wait another 15 years.

Some doctors now believe that chewing gum, yes, chewing gum, may cause wrinkles on the lips and around the mouth. It's official, EVERYTHING is bad for you, not that wrinkles will kill you, but who wants unnecessary wrinkles? I talked to a couple of young women who chew gum all day and they will continue to chew gum. According to a Dallas plastic surgeon, that's just fine. Dr. Gregg Anigain says chewing gum has no impact on facial lines. He says sun damage and getting older are the key reasons why we all eventually get lines on our faces.

So there you go, gum may very well be the last thing on earth that doesn't have a negative impact on your body. But then again, maybe not.

It is always a terrific day when I can get to be face-to-face with America's future and today was one of those days.

I spent a little time this morning at Highland Meadow Montessori Academy in Southlake, talking to elementary students about life as a TV Anchor-Reporter. They had so many questions, especially a young man who may be interested in a career in sports. He wanted to know if I knew any sports celebrities. I told him that I met Tony Romo just a couple of weeks ago.

It is so energizing to see young people who are eager to learn and want to hear about possible career choices. I shared with them some of my news encounters. Near Fort Worth, I had to hit the ditch when there was a tornado right in front of me and during Hurricane Ike, I told them how we stowed away on the highest point on Galveston Island.

I hope these youngsters got as much out of our 45 minutes together as I did. I like sharing my TV tales and it seemed like they enjoyed hearing some of the behind the scenes fun that goes on. Who knows maybe I met the next Edward R Murrow. Thanks for being a great  audience, HMMA.  

Could it be?

Girls and guys, listen up!!

It's estimated as few as 1% of people are involved in "open marriages".  It is an umbrella term that covers a lot of different practices, but most simply put--couples are allowed to have sex outside of their committed relationship. 

In a world where half of the US marriages end in divorce and affairs are common, often breaking up families, open marriages get a lot of heat.

Jenny Block is a Dallas wife, mother and the author of Open: Love, Sex and Life in an Open Marriage.

She talks openly with me about open marriages.   

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-open-marriages-story,0,5852423.story

I have been hearing about "chatroulette', but until today it was just a popular new chat site. Who knew that within seconds you can see graphic sexual images. It only took a few moments, for some man to expose himself to me on live web cam.

That is what the site allows you to do, chat with random strangers via web cam, around the world. The trouble is many people want more than a conversation. The Texas Attorney General says the site is too dangerous for young children and is advising parents to keep kids off. The AG says it opens the door for sexual predators. Be sure to weigh in and tell me what you think of "chatroulette". 

I am blessed. I will sleep like a rock tonight, but many Americans won't. According to a new study released by the National Sleep Foundation there are different reasons why some racial groups aren't getting enough sleep.

Asians sleep better than most and use sleep aids less.

African Americans have the highest rate of sleep apnea.

Hispanics are likely to be kept awake by financial and personal concerns.

Whites have the highest rate of insomnia.

We talked to a sleep expert who told us that even though there are different reasons why people can't sleep, the unhealthy results are the same. Not enough sleep is to blame for everything from obesity and diabetes to anxiety and depression.

I think the study on racial sleep issues shines a light on something even more important than sleep. Our conditions and issues may be different, but we are all the same.

For years, Americans have been saving their tax refunds or using the free cash to pay off debt. But, not this year. It seems that more people are willing to open their wallets and splurge using their refunds.

According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, people feel a little more at easy spending their refunds this year. An Irving real estate agent told us he will use his 3-grand to buy his son a new truck. Another woman told us she will use her housing credit to furnish her new house. 

All of that is welcome news to retailers who are hoping to see a leap of tax refund money coming in the doors. We'll see!  

You can not take your eyes off the image of a UP Railroad agent arresting a young man in a watery tunnel near downtown Dallas. The agent uses foul language and at one point grabs the suspect and threatens to kill him.

There is no dobut that law enforcement officers have a difficult and scray job and have to take every precaution. But, did this officer go too far in making the arrest. He is on administrative leave and is under investigation. UP says he will be disciplined if he violated policy.

Watch the video at the33tv.com and tell me what you think.  

After getting a scolding from Kay Bailey Hutchison's press secretary not to ask a question, of course I did. After her concession speedh, I asked her what her plans are now that she has lost the republican primary. Senator Hutchison refused to answer the question. Even when a supporter asked her what her next step was. She refused to say.

That is the question now. Will KBH stay in the senate or resign as she promised when she started the campaign for governor. Some, no doubt, would like to see the senior senator stay in Washington, but I'm sure she has family and friends who would like to see her retire and take it easy. 

Stay tuned because only one person can answer this: will she stay or will she go?

Some believe that it will be a court ruling for the ages. The US Supreme Court will take up a controversial Chicago gun ban tomorrow and it could have sweeping implications, even in Texas. 

Do cities and states have the right to make law regarding the Second Amendment? That is the heart of the issue and one the court will likely decide.

You can bet that many, many gun owners will be watching this one.

Here is a great article I found from CNET News about how to protect not only your children, but youself when it comes to identity theft. I know I learned a few tips:

Enjoy Adults are increasingly aware of the risks of identity theft, but how many of us think about protecting our children's identities? This is an issue that we should be thinking about from birth, when baby registries, online birth announcements, and even the "Stork News" sign in the front yard expose kids' personal information--name gender, date of birth, and home address--to the wider world.

Children who get their identities stolen may not know for years, until they grow up and go to apply for a job, student loan, or credit card themselves. You can imagine what a mess that would be. It is important to periodically monitor our kids' credit reports to make sure there is not any strange activity going on.

The South Carolina Now website has a good article on this topic, with links to many resources.

One of the experts in the article points out that parents often use their child's identity because of their own bad credit. Strangers pilfer identifying information through mail, trash, and poorly secured forms (say, at a school or doctor's office).

Some basic precautions start with the idea of paying attention, investigating unusual occurrences such as a young child receiving loan or credit card offers in the mail, and building in precautions like investing in a home office shredder.

Everybody should review their credit reports with the three major credit bureaus, which you can do free once year.

We need to watch what others are saying about us online, and what information we are giving out. Many websites, even legitimate ones, are not in compliance with COPPA, the law that requires verifiable parental consent to collect personal information from kids under age 13. I am researching this topic in greater depth for a separate post, but in the meantime, it makes sense for us require our kids to ask permission before registering for any web site. If you feel uncomfortable sharing the information, don't. The extent of data mining, and how that information is used, is not fully known yet.

Identity theft creates yet another issue for parents to add to their list of important tasks, but this is definitely a case where an ounce of prevention is well worth the effort.

Move over Angelina Jolie, now everyone can have lips like yours. They're called PermaLip and they're made of silicone. Think breast stuff for the lips. Doctors numb the mouth, then make tiny incisions in the corners and slide the fillers through. They come in small, medium and large. If you go small and want big, they can be removed. If you don't like them at all, they can be removed. The doctors who invented PermaLip practice in Plano. The device is FDA approved as a facial filler and will soon likely gain approval as a permanent lip filler. I'm told it will be the only one of it's kind.

The device is already approved in Europe as a permanent lip filler and you just watch, when it gets final approval here, it will get big. Big as Angelina Jolie's lips.