Five Surprising Things That Can Cause a Headache

Obviously things like your kids and your job can give you a headache . . . because ANY kind of stress can.  But here are a few headache triggers you might NOT know about.

#1.)  Warm Weather. And not just because of allergies.  One recent study found that for every nine degrees warmer it gets, your chance of having a severe headache increases by 7.5%.

#2.)  Cheese. It's a major migraine trigger for some people, and the culprit is a compound called tyramine.  The longer a food ages, the more tyramine it has.

--Some of the WORST cheeses for people with migraines are cheddar, parmesan, blue cheese, and Swiss.

#3.)  Cold Cuts. Processed meats have tyramine too, plus additives like nitrates, which can ALSO cause headaches.  But not usually migraines.

--Most migraines are only felt on one side of your head at a time.  But headaches caused by food additives tend to affect BOTH sides.

#4.)  Strong Smells. I'm not sure how "surprising" this one is.  But even NICE smells can trigger migraines.  The most common causes are paint, perfume, and certain types of flowers.

#5.)  Working Out. Strenuous exercise . . . including sex . . . can cause exertion headaches that can keep coming back for MONTHS.  It's also referred to as a "jogger's headache."

A Convenience Store Clerk in Georgia Accidentally Sells a Woman a Ticket to the Wrong Lottery . . . and She Wins $25 Million

This story is a DOUBLE SHOT of "this will never happen to you."  Not only will you NEVER win the lottery . . . you'll never ACCIDENTALLY win the lottery either.

--Last month, 44-year-old Kathy Scruggs of Lithonia, Georgia went into a Shell gas station Food Mart in Decatur, Georgia and tried to buy a ticket to the Mega Millions lottery.

--But the clerk accidentally sold her a ticket to the Powerball lottery instead.

--And you can see where this is going.  Kathy's Powerball ticket . . . that she got by accident . . . hit all five numbers AND the Powerball in the September 14th drawing.  And she won . . . $25 MILLION.

--She decided to take the lump sum . . . you ALWAYS take the lump sum . . . and will get a little over $15 MILLION before taxes.

--On Monday, she was at the Georgia Lottery headquarters in Atlanta where she claimed her prize.  The odds of winning the Powerball are one in 195,249,054.  They don't calculate the odds for winning it ACCIDENTALLY.

--Kathy is unemployed, so clearly, getting a quick $15 mil is PROBABLY going to help things out.  She says she plans to buy a car, travel, and help out her family.

(Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Here Are the Fifteen TV Dads People Want as Their Father

Just in time for Father's Day, the people at Harris Interactive surveyed more than 2,000 American adults and asked them which TV dads they would have wanted as THEIR dad growing up.

--And the winner in a landslide was . . . BILL COSBY as Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show".  It's gotta be the sweaters.  He was number one for both men and women, and across all age groups, all races, and all political affiliations.

--This is the second time that Harris has run this survey.  The first time was in 2009 and the result was the exact same:  Two years ago we still envied Theo and Rudy.

--Here's the full top 15:

#1.)  Cliff Huxtable, "The Cosby Show"

#2.)  Ward Cleaver from "Leave it to Beaver"

#3.)  Jim Anderson from "Father Knows Best"

#4.)  Howard Cunningham from "Happy Days"

#5.)  Andy Taylor from "The Andy Griffith Show"

#6.)  Mike Brady from "The Brady Bunch"

#7.)  Ozzie Nelson from "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"

#8.)  Charles Ingalls from "Little House on the Prairie"

#9.)  Tim Taylor from "Home Improvement"

#10.)  Ben Cartwright from "Bonanza"

#11.)  Danny Tanner from "Full House"

#12.)  Peter Griffin from "Family Guy"

#13.)  Steve Douglas from "My Three Sons"

#14.)  Dan Conner from "Roseanne"

#15.)  Archie Bunker from "All in the Family"

--Peter Griffin and Dan Conner are new additions this year.

--They bumped out Homer Simpson from "The Simpsons" and Al Bundy from "Married with Children", who tied for 14th place in 2009.

Three Surprising Things That Can Hurt Your Credit Score

You probably know that once you pay your credit cards off, you're supposed to keep them open.  Because closing them lowers your credit score.  So you should keep them active . . . just don't use them.

 --But here are three more things that can damage your credit score.  And these three might surprise you.

 #1.)  Using Your Debit Card When You Rent a Car. It seems more responsible to use your debit card when you've got the cash to cover it.  But if you do, a lot of rental companies do a soft credit check, which can lower your score.

 --It's in the fine print on the rental agreement, and they won't even mention it.  It happened to a writer for WalletPop.com, and her FICO credit score dropped by 14 points.

#2.)  Saying Yes to a Department Store Credit Card. They usually offer ten or 20% off when you sign up for a store credit card.  But to sign you up, they have to do a HARD credit check, which will definitely lower your credit score.

 --And as you know, store credit cards have much higher interest rates.  So there's no good reason to sign up for one.

#3.)  Buying Furniture and Using the In-Store Financing. If you buy a couch from a furniture store, they'll offer to finance it.  And they'll usually give you some deal so you don't have to make the first payment for a year.

 --But when it comes to your credit score, a furniture store loan is seen as a last resort.  And just signing up for one can lower your score.

(WalletPop.com)