Lennon letter to Clapton up for auction. New album in 2013 for Van Halen?  Roger Waters inspired by a John Travolta movie from 1996? Watching TV reduces your lifespan. Why some people hate doing math. A cure for color-blindness. Humans can sometimes communicate through scent. Cuddling doesn't usually lead to sex. How stress can affect you later in life.  Why you love your pet.

JOHN LENNON/ERIC CLAPTON

A letter John Lennon wrote to Eric Clapton on September 29th, 1971 is expected to fetch up to $30,000 at auction next month. The letter, which Lennon -- who had recently moved to New York City -- wrote the guitarist, who was in the pits of heroin addiction at the time, suggests the pair form a new band. The letter reads in part: "Eric, I know I can bring out something great, in fact greater in you that had been so far evident in your music. I hope to bring out the same kind of greatness in all of us, which I know will happen if/when we get together."

In the letter, Lennon urges Clapton to fly out to Manhattan, saying, "All expenses paid, of course, at least think about it. Please don't be frightened, I understand paranoia only to(o) well, I think it could only do good for you, to work with people who love and respect you."

The auction takes place on December 18th in Los Angeles at the Profiles in History sale.

Lennon's 1971 letter to Clapton

VAN HALEN

Does Van Halen have a new album prepped and ready to go for 2013? Melodicrock.com reported a rumor that when the band recorded this year's A Different Kind Of Truth album they actually recorded enough material for its followup. The rumored album could feasibly see release during the first quarter of next year as a tie-in for the next leg in Van Halen's tour. Van Halen has been sidelined following Eddie Van Halen's intestinal surgery in September. The band came off the tour midway through their summer tour and is expected back on the road sometime in 2013.

ROGER WATERS

Roger Waters revealed that his first mainstream solo album in 20 years was inspired by a 1996 John Travolta movie. Waters, who recently wrapped his mammoth sold out world tour revival of Pink Floyd's The Wall, told Rolling Stone that the album is tentatively titled, Heartland, and explained, "I'm not sure what it will be called. I'll tell you what the first line is -- I haven't told anyone else, and I may be sticking my head too far above the parapet -- but the first line is, 'If I had been God. . . '"

He went on to say: "The Heartland idea sort of came from another song I wrote maybe 15 years ago, or longer even, which was a song that I wrote for a movie -- a really, really bad movie called Michael that was about an angel. I'm absolutely determined to make another album. And I think this new song may give me the chance to do that. It provides a cornerstone and a core idea for me to write a new album about. You know, it's just one of my obsessions, which is, I'm sort of obsessed with the idea that religious extremism is a maligned factor in most of our lives."

Waters will perform on Thursday (November 8th) with Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer at the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefit at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre.

Roger Waters gets his inspiration from a wide range of places -- from politics, the movies, and especially history. He said that even fan feedback on his own website (Roger-Waters.com) finds its way into his work: "I've got reams and reams of stuff that's come in that I wade through, and I am hoping that some of what's coming in from people who've seen my stuff on this website will prove useful raw material as the new studio album develops. I like the idea of people who connect with me and my ideas reconnecting back to me and helping me write a new record."

No release date has been announced for the new Waters album.

WATCHING TV REDUCES YOUR LIFESPAN, STUDY SAYS

Australian researchers say ever hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer's life expectancy by about 22-minutes. For the study, researchers surveyed 12-thousand Australian adults. Participants were asked about general health, disease status, how many hours of TV they watch per day, and more. They found that compared with people who watched no TV, those who spent a lifetime average of six-hours-per-day watching TV could expect to live about five-years less. (United Press)

 

WHY SOME PEOPLE HATE DOING MATH

New research from the University of Chicago has found that "mathematic anxiety" can trigger a response in the brain similar to experiencing physical pain. Researchers scanned the brains of participants as they solved problems, some which involved math. They found that the anticipation of having to do math, and the act of doing math activated pain sensor regions of the brain. (Women's Health Magazine)

A CURE FOR COLOR-BLINDNESS COULD BE COMING SOON

An estimated 32-million Americans have some degree of color-blindness, and there are different degrees of it. Most color-blind people have trouble seeing red or green. This is due to a genetic defect in the color-sensing cells at the back of the eye, called "cones." Vision scientist Jay Neitz and his team found in 2009 that inserting the missing gene into a virus and injecting it into the retinas of colorblind squirrel-monkeys has restored their red-green vision. Neitz is working on a similar therapy for humans. (Fox News)

 RESEARCH FINDS HUMANS CAN SOMETIMES COMMUNICATE THROUGH SCENT

Researchers say experiment results suggest humans can communicate some emotions through smell. For the experiment, scientists collected sweat from men while they watched either a fear-inducing or a disgust-inducing movie. Women were then exposed to the sweat samples while performing a visual search task. The women's facial expressions and eye movements were tracked as they completed the task, and it was found that women exposed to fear-sweat samples made fearful facial expressions and those exposed to disgust-sweat samples made disgusted facial expressions. Scientists say this could explain the type of "emotional contagion" that often happens in dense crowds. (Daily Mail)

CUDDLING DOESN'T USUALLY LEAD TO SEX, STUDY SAYS

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found that the chances of a cuddle session leading to sex are only one in six. For the study, over 500 men and women in relationships were asked about the nature of their cuddling, defined as "intimate, physical and loving contact that does not involve sexual behavior and that involves some degree of whole body touching." Researchers found that the average cuddle session is just under 48-minutes long, most couples do it 8-times-per-week, and women like it more than men. (Your Tango)

HOW STRESS CAN AFFECT YOU LATER IN LIFE

Pennsylvania State University researchers have conducted a study, and find that people who were more stressed out and anxious about everyday-life-stresses were more likely to have chronic health conditions ten-years later, compared with more relaxed people. For the study, researched interviews participants eight-days in a row and took saliva samples from them to measure cortisol, the stress hormone. Scientists then repeated the process ten-years later and found those who stressed-out more were more likely to have developed chronic health-conditions like heart problems or arthritis. (Huffington Post)

WHY YOU LOVE YOUR PET(MSN):

1) They relax you. Petting your cat or dog may be noticeably enjoyable for them, but the act can relax you as well. Animal expert, Arden Moore suggests petting with a purpose to increase the release of feel-good hormones in animals and humans. "Give your dog or cat a head-to-tail therapeutic massage by running hand over hand through the body," she says. Your touch relaxes the animal and releases feel-good endorphins in you, reducing your heart rate.

2) They reduce blood pressure. Communicating with animals may lower your blood pressure and improve your overall health. Moore suggests engaging animals in "happy talk," or speaking in an upbeat tone. "Happy talk or laughter around animals releases hormones in humans that lower blood pressure, and make animals feel better too," she says.

3) They're therapeutic. Animals from dogs to rabbits are often used for therapy in hospitals and nursing homes. "I've taken my dog to a few hospitals and schools, and it's amazing how people are reluctant to talk to people but will open up to an animal," Moore says. There's something rejuvenating, renewing about coming home to a friendly animal that greets you like a rock star, she says.

4) They can improve human nutrition. Eat alongside bad company and you may lose your appetite, but eating in the company of an animal may improve your eating habits. For example, Moore says, research has shown that recipients of the Meals on Wheels program who were allowed to eat near their pets improved some of their eating patterns.

5) They improve your relationships. According to a 1997 study at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, observing animals in nature can teach valuable characteristics like patience, and help restore mental energy. Taking care of an animal can also teach responsibility, and stimulate feelings of trust, openness, and companionship.

Thanks for listening to The Eagle while you work. Keep it fabulous, Houston!

xoxo,

Jennifer Tyler

Fabulous Mid-Day Diva