The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies that protect global and individual health, produces the Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests.

Organic fruits and vegetables are by definition grown without the use of pesticides. But some find the expense of organic foods prohibitive. Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume:

• Broccoli
• Eggplant
• Cabbage
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Sweet corn (frozen)
• Avocado
• Onion

Women who want to lose weight and keep it off need to exercise for almost an hour, five days a week, according to a new study.

Researchers found that a the 55-minute regime was the minimum needed to maintain a 10 percent drop in weight. Only a quarter of the 200 women involved in the study managed to lose this amount.

Research points to a combination of exercise and calorie control as having the best chance of success in weight loss. This latest research once again confirms that plenty of exercise is a key ingredient.

An appealing voice is a turn-on for many. But now there is strong evidence that an “attractive” voice serves a purpose: to draw people to the most genetically fit potential mates.

In a recent study, researchers showed that the human voice is an indicator of desirable yet difficult to perceive physiological and mental strengths.

Scientists measured the hands, elbows, wrists and fingers of 76 men and women between the ages of 18 to 34 to take stock of their “bilateral body symmetry.” Research has already demonstrated that those with more symmetrical bodies are often more fertile, less susceptible to illness and less likely to carry genetic anomalies.

The volunteers were asked to count from one to 10 into a voice recorder, and over 100 undergraduates listened to the recordings and rated the voices on a scale from 1 to 7. The people with greater “bilateral body symmetry” also had the highest-rated voices.

By Mark Wineka mwineka@salisburypost.com A petition sent to Salisbury City Council in recent days has raised concerns about the condition of a longt …

Governor David Paterson said he and his staff will meet with school districts about where they can cut spending. Rochester City School Board President Malik Evans said it is too early to tell what kind of impact that would have.