Birthmarks are more of the rule than the exception.

Around 80% of all babies are born with some form of birthmark, and most of them are completely harmless. In fact, the most common baby birthmarks fade away over time. Macular birthmarks, also known as “stork bites”, are just spots where blood vessels are visible through the skin that fade away as the baby gets older. Hemangiomas are raised areas where blood vessels clump together, resulting in visible discoloration. These typically fade over time. A rarer form of hemangioma (only 3 out of every 1000 babies have it) called a port-wine stain is usually permanent, but is still harmless and doesn’t require treatment.

Nevi, little brown spots also the known as moles, are also usually harmless. However, these usually appear after birth. A baby born with these, especially if they are large, is at a higher risk for skin cancer. You should have a doctor examine them.

Click here to learn more about how birthmarks work, or check out Baby Center to see whether your baby's birthmarks are a cause for concern.

A higher percentage of Alaskans walk to work than do citizens of any other state!

According to this data set from the US Census Bureau, 4.3 percent of people in Alaska walk to work, which is nearly four times the national average of 1.3 percent! The next closest state is Vermont, with 3.1 percent of its workforce choosing to hoof it. As you might expect, the District of Columbia kills both of these states at a whopping 5.8 percent, but D.C.’s definitely not a state. Even if it did count, it would kind of be cheating because it’s basically just the city of Washington, and commuting through public transportation is much more common in a large city.

Betty Rubble was not added to Flintstones vitamins for nearly 30 years!

Back in 1960, vitamin giant Miles Laboratories introduced ‘Chocks’, the first chewable multivitamin marketed directly for children. Their stop-motion commercials offered a series of fun, though unfamiliar, characters. This all changed in 1968, when Miles began producing vitamins in the shape of everyone’s favorite prehistoric family. Nearly all the characters were available at one time to be chewed up and swallowed - Fred, Wilma, Barney, Pebbles, Bamm-Bamm, Dino...even that weird green Martian, the Great Gazoo! There was one glaring omission, however - Barney’s wife, Betty!

There was a small movement to correct this injustice (including a rock band that called themselves “Betty’s Not a Vitamin”!), but they may as well have been reinventing the wheel until Rosie O’Donnell came along. Fresh off her appearance as Betty in the Flintstones feature film, Rosie brought our nation’s attention to this key civil issue during a TV interview. A marketing campaign followed in which people voted either by calling a 1-800 number or in prehistoric booths that were erected in shopping malls! Once the 20,000-plus ballots were tallied, Betty had won her vitaminship by 91% of the vote! She finally replaced the Flintmobile car in the lineup of shapes in December 1995.
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Smoking and overeating reduce your ability to hear!

As you already know, both smoking and excessive food consumption decrease the circulation of blood throughout the body. I bet you never thought about the effect that can have on your ears though! Proper bloodflow is an integral part of maintaining an equilibrium in the delicate inner ear hairs that are essential to auditory function. The cells of these fragile hairs tend to die when circulating blood does not provide them with enough oxygen or remove excess free radical molecules. Smoking also increases the production of these radicals, compounding the problem even further! If these free radicals build up they can oxidize biological molecules, thereby causing damage to the sensitive tissues of the inner ear. Whether due oxygen deprivation or free radical overload, poor circulation caused by smoking or overeating can lead to the death of inner hair cells, which leads to a decrease in hearing capacity.
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A Sperm Donor Fathered Hundreds of Children!

In college, most people just get a part-time job at Star-bucks to make some extra cash. But, University of Utah student Chase Kimball, known as 007, consistently donated his sperm at a price of $20 to infertile couples. At one point the clinic told him, “You’ve got too many kids locally and we can only use your sperm if someone orders it from outside the state.” He deduced that during 1970-1980, it is likely that he fathered “hundreds of children.” This story along with movies like “The Switch” and “The Kids are Alright” may seem funny, but they actually bring light to the shaded nature of the sperm donation industry.

Up until now, donation has mainly been a secret and often unsafe practice. In fact, some studies have shown that the children of sperm donation were more troubled and depression-prone that most young adults. There have been calls to regulate the industry by ensuring that there are no more than 10 kids from the same donor in one area, testing donors, and monitoring both donor’s and children’s medical records. Kimball is now a 56-year old lawyer in New York City. He has reunited with some of his children, and received mixed results.

While he identified with one of his teenage off-springs, the other one called him a “scam artist” and a “sleazoid.” Remembering his younger days, Kimball said; "For a long time, whenever I'd see crowds of children, I would look intently and wonder if one of these children was mine."

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