Blog Posts by Lindsay MacAdam

In a recent U.S. court case, defendants all wore plastic thick glasses to give the impression of innocence, under the suggestion of their lawyer. Do you believe this is ethical? (Credit: Thinkstock)Thick, plastic-framed glasses are no longer reserved for hipsters, fashion editors and computer geeks. In the world of criminal law in the United States, it seems they've become the new 'it' accessory, donned by defendants in an effort to convince the jury of their innocence.

A prime example: Five men charged with a 2010 string of murders in the District of Columbia caused quite a stir when they showed up to their recent trial, each wearing a pair of non-prescription, plastic-framed glasses, reports the Washington Post.

The prosecutor drew attention to the strange coincidence, and after asking a witness if he had ever seen the defendants wearing glasses before, the answer was a resounding "No."

Related: Bringing your dog to work could make you feel less stressed

"This goes beyond shirts and ties," says Richard Waites, chief executive of jury consulting firm The Advocates, to the Washington Post. "Jurors expect to see defendants wearing those. Jurors don't expect to see defendants

An innocent kiss on the cheek may result in hearing loss, says an American doctor. (Credit: Thinkstock)What's intended as a kiss on the cheek could easily end up on the ear with an overzealous turn of the head, but what you probably don't realize is that an innocent ear kiss could result in permanent hearing loss, reports Msnbc.com.

This condition, recently coined "cochlear ear-kiss injury," occurs when an overly strong suction from a kiss pulls on the eardrum and throws off the inner-ear alignment. In addition to hearing loss, this injury can also result in hearing distortion, ringing and sound sensitivity.

Dr. Levi Reiter, professor of audiology at Hofstra University in New York, started studying this injury five years ago, after a patient told him she went deaf in one ear immediately following a kiss from her daughter.

Related: Chocolate lovers tend to weight less: study

"I thought this lady was a unique case," Reiters tells Msnbc.com. After doing a little digging, however, he found a similar story from back in the 1950s.

Then, after his first ear-kiss patient's story received

H&M's CEO announced the company will be opening a new chain of stores in 2013. (Credit: H&M)H&M's chief executive officer Karl-Johan Persson officially announced that the company will be opening a new chain of stores, beginning with Europe in 2013. What, exactly, we can expect from this chain was unfortunately not disclosed.

"We have many different projects in progress and already next year we will be launching a completely new store chain," says Persson in a statement.

Related: What to get at H&M this spring

Rumours were swirling earlier this week about the company opening a luxury brand chain, and understandably, it got people talking. H&M? Luxury? We never would have imagined, but thinking about the possibility is kind of fun -- what will the clothes look like, what will the price point be, and will they sell more designer collections?

H&M is known for its affordable, on-trend, "fast fashion," and has really led the way in this category of retailers. You might stop in there before an evening out to pick up something cute that won't break the bank and that you

Do you think it's unethical, or simply gross, to drink something made from crushed beetles? (Credit: Getty Images)If you've treated yourself to a Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino or a Strawberry Smoothie from Starbucks in the past month or so, chances are you've unknowingly ingested cochineal beetles -- yes, bugs -- reports the Globe and Mail.

The news was bound to surface sooner or later, but luckily for us, an anonymous vegan barista from the American midwest made a point to spread the word shortly after she believed the ingredient change occurred. She wanted to let like-minded people know that the formerly vegan beverages, as promoted by Starbucks beginning two years ago with its "however-you-want-it-Frappuccino" campaign, were no longer animal free, even when they were made with soy milk.

"The strawberry sauce we use contains 'cochineal extract,'" she writes to ThisDishIsVegetarian.com. "My guess would be that the recipe changed about three or four weeks ago, when our strawberry sauce got new packaging."

Related: Most expensive Starbucks drink ever: $23.60

Dried female cochineal beetles

The latest study in a string of studies on the matter is hoping to prove that red heads feel more pain than other people. (Credit: Thinkstock)A new study from the U.K. is looking into the hypothesis that red-haired people feel more pain than everyone else -- and most signs are pointing to yes, as a series of studies from around the world have indicated such.

A 2002 American study from Louisville University, for example, found that redheaded females require 19 per cent more pain medication than women with other hair colours, while a Danish study concluded that red-haired people are more sensitive to cold temperatures than others, reports the Telegraph.

Related: Psst...Keeping a secret can be a real physical burden

Another American study from 2009, published in the Journal of the American Dentistry Association, concluded that redheads are more than twice as likely as others to avoid a trip to the dentist, reports ABC News. The reason: they felt more anxious about dental treatments than people with other hair colours.

"Redheads experience more pain from a given stimulus and therefore require more anesthesia to alleviate that

Chia seeds are tiny and packed full of omega 3, protein, fiber and minerals. (Credit: Thinkstock)Ch-ch-ch-chia! Sound familiar? Anyone who grew up in the '80s or '90s surely remembers those tacky, animal-shaped dust collectors, sold strictly on informercials, that grew chia sprouts to look like animal fur. Would you be surprised to hear those same seeds, sometimes referred to as Salvia hispanica L, contain the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acid found in nature, are a complete source of protein and have the power to stabilize blood sugar, and lower cholesterol and blood pressure? All that and more, in one tiny seed.

According to holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy, chia also lowers insulin (which, in turn, combats belly fat), contains tryptophan to help boost mood and ward off cancer, and contains more fiber than wheat bran -- but since chia is gluten free, it won't cause the bloating that wheat products sometimes do.

Related: Popcorn contains more antioxidants than fruits and veggies: study

This ancient grain, grown in both South America and Mexico, was used heavily by the Aztecs

Stella McCartney shown here with two of her Great Britain Olympic team uniforms. (Credit: Adidas)The London 2012 Summer Games uniform "kit" for Great Britain's 850 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, was finally put on display at the Tower of London last week. Produced by Adidas, with British fashion designer Stella McCartney at the creative helm, the team kit took inspiration from the Union flag and broke it down in a variety of ways for different athletes and sports. The result, after more than two years of work, was 175,000 items, including performance gear, training wear, 38 varieties of footwear, accessories and a presentation suit, reports the Vancouver Sun.

"The Olympic first is that [McCartney's] designed the actual performance kit that the athletes will wear during the games," says Nick Craggs, Adidas UK marketing director, in the company's promotional video. "That has never been done before."

Also in the video, McCartney talks about her thought process when coming up with the uniform designs:

"When you start to start to work on a project like this, you sort of go, 'Oh my

A body-scanning booth that helps you find clothes that fit well. (Credit: Bodymetrics)Jean shopping can often be a daunting task -- trying on pair after pair, only to be disappointed when they're too tight in the hips, gaping in the back or just not flattering to your figure. And since sizing varies so much from store-to-store, it's nearly impossible to go into a dressing room without three sizes of every piece you're interested in. Thanks to companies like London-based Bodymetrics and Toronto-based Me-Ality, however, this particular type of shopping frustration might be a thing of the past.

Last week, the Bloomingdale's store at Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles put a Bodymetrics body-scanning booth on its store floor for a four-day trial, which in seconds, digitally determines body shape and then recommends the jeans that will fit best. According to Women's Wear Daily, Bodymetrics is already a household name in the U.K., where a smaller version of the booth has been helping people shop for jeans for the past eight years at Selfridges.

Related: Elle's pregnant