Our Times: July 2006

Free TV

The town of Clark in Texas has changed its name to DISH in exchange for 10 years of free satellite television. All of DISH's 125 residents will get basic service and a free DISH Network digital video recorder and satellite TV receiver.

Mamma's boy

Earlier this year in Toronto, Canada, at the third International Congress on Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, it was reported that the children of women who put on a lot of weight during pregnancy were particularly prone to obesity.

Battling noise with noise

A Welsh inventor claims to have found the perfect solution to rowdy youngsters. This device, the “Mosquito,” emits an uncomfortable highpitched ultrasonic sound that can be heard by children and teenagers but almost no one over 30. This is because as a person gets older the ability to hear high frequencies deteriorates.

First-ever face transplant

Surgeons in France have performed the world's first face transplant. The transplant consisted of a triangular graft of the chin, lips and nose from a dead woman donor. The operation was to repair the face of a 38-year-old woman who was severely disfigured by a dog attack.