If you’re a resident of Manila and planning to visit Robinsons Ermita today, July 15, or tomorrow, July 16, you may want to combine malling with registering for next year’s elections.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will accept registration of residents of Districts 1 to 6—new voters and those who need IDs with biometrics information such as digital photos and signatures and thumbprints.

On Aug. 12, voters in district 4, Quezon City, may register at Robinsons Magnolia. Residents of other places should check the Comelec registration schedule with Robinsons Malls nearest them.

Frederick D. Go, Robinsons Land Corporation president, said the mall chain wanted to find ways to bring government services closer to the people.

Irving Wu, senior operations director for Robinsons Malls-Luzon, added that clients appreciated being able to transact their business with government agencies when they visited a Robinsons branch, which had set up the one-stop Lingkod Pinoy for the agencies’ satellite offices.

Comelec chair Andres Bautista noted that Robinsons wanted to help make it easier for voters to register, as part of the chain’s efforts to enhance the shopping experience for its customers.

Registration may also be done in barangay or housing villages with unregistered voters of at least 200.

Narciso M. Arabe, Comelec officer for Manila’s district 5, said barangay or housing village officials may ask their local Comelec office to conduct registration in their own areas.

On the contrary

Many people have been avoiding monosodium glutamate (MSG or vetsin), a flavor enhancer, because it is associated with numbness at the base of the neck or a feeling of fatigue. But Erin Brodwin, in the Science section of Business Insider online, says, “Eating too much” may be the problem and not MSG itself, which is completely safe to ingest.”

When someone sneezes or coughs without covering his/her mouth or nose, some people hold their breath, thinking it will protect them from harmful bacteria.

But Brodwin says holding your breath will not do much good in preventing bacteria from landing in your mouth, nose or eyes. It will probably just stop you from pulling in any bacteria hanging directly in front of your face.

Cracking the knuckles, believed in the past to be bad for the joints, has been found by new studies to be helpful in checking if a joint is well lubricated.

As for the “detox” diet, Brodwin says, “Unless you’ve been poisoned, you already have a super-efficient system for filtering out most of the harmful substances you eat… the liver and the kidneys.”

Brodwin is also not so keen on a low-fat diet. “An eight-year trial involving almost 50,000 women, roughly half of whom went on a low-fat diet, found that those on the low-fat plan didn’t lower their risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer or heart disease. Plus, they didn’t lose much weight, if any. New recommendations show that healthy fats, like those from nuts, fish and avocados, are actually good for you in moderation!”

Using a recumbent bike, instead of a regular one, is also unnecessary, says Brodwin, “unless you have a specific injury, though, like a shoulder, knee or hip injury…”

There is also no need to get rid of your microwave, she says. Rumors about how “nuking” robs food of nutrients are “entirely false,” Brodwin says. Since microwave cooking time is fast, it “often does a better job of keeping vitamins intact than other cooking methods,” she says.

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