http://www.howstuffworks.com HowStuffWorks - Explore your world and learn how everything works. Informative and fun! en-us Wed, 25 November 2009 09:00:00 GMT 140 20 http://www.howstuffworks.com http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/hsw-logo-120x90.gif http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/online-shopping.htm Analysts are saying that Cyber Monday saw an 11% boost in U.S. online sales this year. You can buy anything you want with a mouse click, but you have to be careful on the Internet. http://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/home-staging.htm The National Association of Realtors just reported that existing home sales jumped by 10.1 percent last month. What can you do to make your house more attractive to prospective buyers? http://health.howstuffworks.com/bmi.htm A new CDC survey shows that there are more obese Americans in the Southeast and Appalachia than anywhere else in the country. How do experts determine if a person's obese, and what does body mass index have to do with it? http://health.howstuffworks.com/ptsd.htm Shootings in Fort Hood, Texas, earlier this month put the spotlight back on post-traumatic stress disorder, and researchers now say that powerful brain scans may help them to diagnose the condition. Why are soldiers prone to developing PTSD? http://science.howstuffworks.com/blackout.htm A new study published in the journal Neurology shows that even mildly autistic children have trouble with handwriting, a problem that may point to more widespread motor skill deficiencies. What are some other signs that your child may have autism? http://health.howstuffworks.com/autism.htm At least nine Brazilian states experienced a widespread power outage this week, sparking some security concerns in the future Olympic host country. What factors can lead to total blackout, and how can you prepare yourself for these situations? http://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-lab-technique.htm Forensic analysis of crime scene details helped to convict "D.C. Sniper" John Allen Muhammad, who killed 10 people in 2002 and was executed by lethal injection yesterday. How do forensic techniques turn tiny clues into hard evidence? http://money.howstuffworks.com/labor-union.htm The Philadelphia Transport Workers Union went on strike yesterday, shutting down bus and subway services and forcing nearly a million commuters to find other transportation. What are a labor union's goals, and why do they sometimes bring work to a halt? http://science.howstuffworks.com/bridge.htm This week, the collapse of 5,000 pounds of metal on the San Francisco Bay Bridge stopped traffic and sparked renewed concern over the condition of U.S. bridges. How were these structures built, and what forces are wearing them down? http://science.howstuffworks.com/cev.htm This week, NASA launched its Ares I-X test rocket, a prototype that uses some existing technology but will eventually replace the space shuttle. What does this new development mean for the future of space exploration? http://www.howstuffworks.com/play-dead-shark-attack.htm A 20 ft. great white shark is suspected to have bitten another great white shark almost in half off of an Australian coast. Can playing dead help save you from a shark attack? http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/sweat-lodge.htm Three people died and several others were hospitalized after participating in a sweat lodge ceremony in Sedona, Ariz. What is a sweat lodge, and how does it work? http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/stun-gun.htm Taser International has cautioned police agencies nationwide against shooting its stun guns directly at a suspect's chest. This is the first time the company has indicated that there's any risk associated with using its stun guns. http://money.howstuffworks.com/youtube.htm According to a video blog post from YouTube CEO and co-founder Chad Hurley, the Web site registers more than 1 billion hits per day. What is YouTube, and how can you submit a video? http://computer.howstuffworks.com/phishing.htm In a recent phishing scam, cybercriminals broke into more than 30,000 e-mail accounts from services such as Hotmail, Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, Comcast and EarthLink. What does a typical phishing e-mail look like? http://health.howstuffworks.com/autism.htm Experts used to think that one out of every 150 American children had autism, but a new government study estimates it's more like one out of every 91 children. What symptoms characterize this neurological condition? http://science.howstuffworks.com/evolution/10-early-hominid-finds.htm A new human-linked fossil has been found and it's even older than Lucy, bringing humankind back another million or so years. "Ardi" lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. Learn about other early hominid finds and where their skeletons were found. http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-care-reform.htm Last weekend, Dr. Mehmet Oz hosted a free clinic in Houston, providing health care to thousands of the city's uninsured. As the U.S. tries to redefine health care and offer benefits to the uninsured, what exactly should you know? http://science.howstuffworks.com/diamond.htm The Associated Press has reported that Petra Diamonds Ltd. has uncovered a diamond the size of a chicken egg at a South African mine. Believe it or not, this priceless jewel began as an ordinary lump of coal. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/metal-detector.htm Britain's Sky News is reporting that one very lucky Briton has made his life's fortune by scanning for metal. A 55-year-old, unemployed man has found more than 1,500 pieces of treasure -- including gold and silver -- with his metal detector. http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/banking/bank.htm As of Oct. 19, Bank of America will loosen its policies on overdraft fees for account holders. Aside from these new, more forgiving policies, why should you put your money in a bank? http://health.howstuffworks.com/heart.htm According to findings from two separate medical studies, cities that have instituted smoking bans have shown a 17 percent decrease in heart attacks, on average. How does an organ as complex as your heart really work? http://money.howstuffworks.com/recession.htm Economic indicators such as stock market gains, a stronger housing market and an increase in consumer spending suggest that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke predicted correctly: The recession is over. But how do you know for sure? http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-care-reform.htm Last Friday, first lady Michelle Obama joined her husband in his quest for health care reform. She gave several speeches and urged that this "is very much a women's issue." Has the current debate on health care reform left you feeling confused?