Simply Lefty – All About Left Handedness

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Left-handed underwear for men

May 20th, 2010 · Articles

While left-handed people have been catered to by a number of manufacturers, producing everything from left-handed video cameras, wallets, scissors and pencil sharpeners, this is the first time the underwear needs of southpaws have been considered.

Hom, the company behind the pants, claim the underwear will “save left handed men up to three, often vital, seconds when visiting the loo”, potentially helping a raft of left-handed men, from American presidents George Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to Uri Geller and Paul McCartney.

Left-handed underpants by Hom

Rob Faucherand, the head of men’s accessories buying at Debenhams, the department store that is stocking the pants, said: “In our view this is a vital step toward equality for left handed men.

“We see no reason why an accident of birth should dictate the type of underpants you can wear for the rest of your life.”

While boxer shorts usually have an central opening, Y-fronts and trunks traditionally have a right-handed opening, making it potentially more tricky for left-handed men when they are standing at a urinal.

The Hom underwear has an opening slit made horizontally underneath the waistband. Mr Faucherand said: “Switching the opening from vertical to horizontal may sound like a small step, but it’s the major breakthrough that many have been waiting for.”

The Hom H1 Original Maxi Trunk is £22, while the Hipster version is £16.

Source: Telegraph

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The Top 10 Left-Handed Hotties

April 9th, 2010 · Uncategorized

Sexy left-handed women are part of a rare group of people to grace this earth. Only approximately seven percent of the population is born as southpaw and the majority of this group is male. While lefties were once shunned by society, today they are beloved and considered high achievers. After all, three of the last four United States Presidents have been left-handed. Can you guess which one wasn’t? Left-handed women may be rare, but like a precious metal they are prized and adored.

Source: OJO Images / Getty Images

10. Nicole Kidman

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Source: Ralph Orlowski / Getty Images

Nicole Kidman won the Academy Award for her performance in The Hours, where she portrayed right-handed author Virginia Woolf. For the role, Kidman betrayed her left-handed brothers and sisters and learned to write with her right hand. She stated in an interview, “I learned to write with my right hand for it [The Hours]. People look at me, like, that’s crazy, and I’m like, no, it was necessary.” Her hard work, authenticity, and lack of a hand double culminated in numerous accolades.

9. Kate Hudson

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Source: Pierre Verdy /AFP /Getty Images

Kate Hudson has many things in common with her mother Goldie Hawn. Both are blonde, both are movie stars, and both are left-handed. This is rare. Research has shown that left-handedness is partly genetic and partly environmental. High testosterone levels during pregnancy may be a key reason why people are born left-handed. The theory goes that higher testosterone levels suppress growth in the left side of the brain, causing more neurons to migrate to the right side. The ride side of the brain controls the left side of the body. This is how science made both Kate and Goldie unique.

8. Rebecca Romijn

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Source: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Sexy Rebecca Romijn likes to tell everyone that her last name is pronounced “Romaine,” like the lettuce. The blonde bombshell recently married Stand By Me star Jerry O’Connell and gave birth to twins. While it’s unknown what dexterity her children will be, they have a higher chance of being left-handed because they are twins.

7. Angie Harmon

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Source: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Both Angie Harmon’s parents were models. The stunning brunette started her career as a model, then transitioned into acting after being discovered on an airplane by David Hasselhoff. Soon Angie was on Baywatch and the rest is history. Angie is the only left-handed out-and-proud Republican to make this list, making her one of the hottest left-handed Republicans in the world.

6. Amy Smart

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Source: Michael Tran / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Amy Smart was once named one of Organic Style magazine’s “Women with Organic Style,” making her one of the leading left-handed women with organic style in the world. Whatever that means. The star of Road Trip, Varsity Blue and Crank is a hippy at heart. She was until recently a vegetarian. When she’s not acting, she is an ardent activist for the environment.

5. Jessica Alba

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Source: Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Like many young left-handed people, Jessica Alba was stigmatized and made to feel inadequate. She says she was forced to use her right hand when she was young. This had a great impact on her life, stating “From a very early age, I remember thinking that adults were always acting like a**holes. I couldn’t understand why I had to respect them. My pre-school teacher forced me to write right-handed when I was left-handed. I didn’t get why I had to change. Nobody could give me a reason. I have had a big problem with authority ever since.” Alba’s story is one of grit and left-handed determination.

4. Scarlett Johansson

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Source: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images

Scarlett Johannsson is one of the youngest left-handed actresses in Hollywood. The fact that Scarlett has a twin brother might help explain why she’s southpaw. Research has shown that left-handedness, in comparison to the general population, appears to occur more frequently in both identical and fraternal twins. Her twin brother Hunter used to work for another famous leftie, the current President of the United States.

3. Angelina Jolie

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Source: Kevin Mazur / WireImage / Getty Images

Angelina Jolie is one of the most photographed women in the world. This makes the high profile actress a poster child for all left-handed women. Angelina is specifically a pioneer for left-handed actresses. While performing in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider she had special guns made so that she could easily reload them. She also designed a special floral tattoo for her left hand in the film Wanted.

2. Milla Jovovich

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Source: Jason LaVeris / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Model/actress Milla Jovovich has appeared on the cover of more than 100 magazines. She found movie stardom in The Fifth Element and the Resident Evil films. Milla’s left-handedness makes her a rarity among models. This is something she shares and talks often about with fellow model Kathy Ireland (who narrowly missed making this list). On occasion, Milla likes to flirt with her right side, her website states that she “plays guitar and shoots right-handed.” Oh the betrayal!

1. Michelle Monaghan

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Source: Alexandra Wyman / WireImage / Getty Images

Michelle Monaghan has a thing for sticking with her own. The young actress has made a career appearing opposite left-handed male actors. She got her break in Mission Impossible 3 with leftie Tom Cruise. She appeared in Constantine in an uncredited role alongside southpaw Keanu Reeves. Recently she played the adorable Miranda in The Heartbreak Kid with left-handed funny man Ben Stiller. Michelle also teamed up with Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. With Michelle, you really have to squeeze her left hand to get her to consider working with a rightie.

Source: Spike

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Why left-handed men earn five per cent more every HOUR than right-handers

April 4th, 2010 · Articles, Uncategorized

Left-handed boys underperform at school but enjoy greater financial success in later life than right-handers, studies suggest.

They appear to adapt well to life in a right-handed world and end up earning around 5 per cent more per hour.

Researchers from Bristol University and Imperial College London tracked 12,000 children from birth to 14 and found that left-handers were behind when they started school and in tests at 11 and 14.

And academics at University College Dublin, who studied 18,000 men and women in their thirties, found that left-handers earn £1,112 more per year, 5 per cent extra.

Around 10 per cent of people are left-handed, a phenomenon more common among men than women.

Until quite recently, left-handedness was seen as sinister, the Latin word for left. Some children were even forced to switch to their right side by their teachers or parents.

Robert Redford, for example, started life as a left-hander but now writes with his right hand.

Professor Carol Propper, who co-authored the Bristol study, said her research suggested that the idea that left-handers were more often highly intelligent was wrong.

The study also found that any difference in the attainment of right and left-handed boys at school by the age of 14 was probably explained by some trauma early in life.

The researchers found no pure ‘left-handed effect’  -  either positive or negative  -  although the study said ‘a minority of left-handers may have brain advantages that have positive pay-offs in later life’.

Left-handed boys were found to be slightly behind at the start of school before beginning to catch up. The findings from both studies were not so positive for left-handed women. Researchers found that they were not only behind at school at 14 but go on to earn 4 per cent less than right-handed female colleagues.

‘Our findings might provide a possible answer to the paradox that at early ages left-handed boys suffer, while in terms of earnings as adults, they do better than their right-handed counterparts,’ the Bristol study said.

‘It may be the case that non righthanded children experience problems early in life, because they have not fully adapted to being in a right-handed world but that once they adapt  -  at least if they are male  -  they do better.’

Dr Kevin Denny, who worked on the Dublin study, theorised that a section of the brain which divides the left hemisphere from the right appears to be larger in left-handed men and could point to improved communication.

‘We cannot be exactly sure why these differences occur but one explanation is that the corpus callosum  -  the information superhighway which helps the two hemispheres of the brain communicate  -  is significantly larger in left-handed men, compared to their right-handed colleagues and women,’ he said.

‘However, it is a long way to go from the structure of the brain to the labour market.

‘Other explanations for why male left-handers seem to earn more could be the fact they appear to be more creative than right-handed counterparts, something which is not distinguished in women.’

Source: Daily Mail

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Barack Obama is the 7th Left-Handed President and the 4th Since Reagan!!

March 11th, 2010 · Articles

After Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush & Bill Clinton, the defeated candidate in the 2008 Presidental elections – John McCain is a ‘lefty’ as well! – would also have been the 4th left-handed US president in only 20 years!

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

The photos below show that Barack Obama (who is the 44th US president), Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald Ford are left handed ‘presidential-writers’. So, there is little doubt that these four US president are ‘true’ lefties.

The photos below include the US presidents from 1974 to 2010 – including 5 ‘lefties’:

Gerald Ford - a LEFT handed US president. Jimmy Carter - a RIGHT handed US president. Ronald Reagan - a LEFT handed US president. George H.W. Bush - a LEFT handed US president. Bill Clinton - a LEFT handed US president. George W. Bush - a RIGHT handed US president. Barack Obama - a LEFT handed US president.


The story behind Ronald Reagan’s left-handedness is far more complicated. For, Reagan usually wrote with his right hand! However, in his movie ‘The Killers’ (1964), Reagan slaps Angie Dickinson with his left hand, something that most left-handers would do. Interestingly, Reagan’s biographer (Edmund Morris) has pointed out that in his movies Ronald Reagan usually twirled and shot pistols with his left-hand! Reagan also showed the inclination to wave with his left-hand. Why does Ronald Reagan write with his right hand? This can likely be explained by the fact that in his earlier years teachers usually learned (forced) children to write with the right hand.

Although Herbert Hoover and Harry S. Truman are included in most left-handed lists, there is film evidence of Herbert Hoover and pictures of Harry S. Truman writing with their right hands. It is said that Truman first wrote left-handed as a child, but his parents made him write with his right.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE US PRESIDENTS OF THE PAST 80 YEARS:

President Term Handedness
Herbert Hoover 1929 1933 Left-handed
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 1945 Right-handed
Harry S. Truman 1945 1953 Left-handed
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 1961 Right-handed
John F. Kennedy 1961 1963 Right-handed
Lyndon B. Johnson 1963 1969 Right-handed
Richard Nixon 1969 1974 Right-handed
Gerald Ford 1974 1977 Left-handed
Jimmy Carter 1977 1981 Right-handed
Ronald Reagan 1981 1989 Left-handed
George H. W. Bush 1989 1993 Left-handed
Bill Clinton 1993 2001 Left-handed
George W. Bush 2001 2009 Right-handed
Barack Obama 2009 - Left-handed

THE 19TH CENTURY:

Going further back in time, another interesting annecdote can be told about James Garfield, who became the 20th US president in 1881 (he was murdered only 4 months later). Garfield is known as an ‘ambidextrous’ US president because he could write proficiently with both his right and left hand. Even more interesting is the report about Garfield that he could write simultaneously with one hand in Greek language, and with the other in Latin language. By the way, Garfield has also been reported as the only US president in history that has been employed as a writing master (writing masters taught students penmanship and were not uncommon during the 19th century).

By the way, in these days “left-handedness” used to be considered as ‘not right’, merely because the word ‘left’ had a negative connotation in language. Some examples: In French, it’s the word ‘gauche’, which also means awkward or improper. And in Latin, it’s the word ’sinister’, which we take to mean evil or unlucky.

THE 20TH CENTURY:

During the presidential debates in 2008, you may have noticed that both Barack Obama and John McCain are left-handed. But in 1992 situatation was year more remarkable, when George H.W. Bush (Republican party), Bill Clinton (Democratic party) and Ross Perot (independent party), made a trio of ‘lefties’ who ran for the US presidency.

WHY … ARE SO MANY US PRESIDENTS LEFT-HANDED?

Firstly, it might be interesting to take notice of the fact that in the history of science quite a few of the high-performers were ‘lefties’, famous examples are: Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo.

Second, it is also interesting to take notice of the fact that officials in Mensa (the high-performers IQ club) believe that as many as 20% of their members are left handed – while in general population usually only about 10% of people is left handed.

Third, the long-suspected genetic component was found. Scientists at Oxford University have linked left-handedness with the LRRTM1 gene, which appears to increase the odds of being left-handed.

TESTOSTERONE & FINGER LENGTH?? In early 2009, scientists from the University of Melbourne have reported that there is another hand-feature which appears to be linked with ‘left-handedness’: John T. Manning’s 2D:4D digit ratio (the ratio between the length of your index- and ring finger). Left handed subjects appeared to have a more masculine pattern : they had a lower 2D:4D ratio compared to right-handed subjects.This finding is especially interesting in the perspective of the theory published in 2004 (New Scientist) which describes that ‘left-handedness’ may be related to an overabundance of testosterone in the womb. For, Manning has presented some evidence that a low 2D:4D digit ratio is related to an overabundance of testosterone in the womb as well! How to measure digit ratio.

The photos of the US presidents below indicate that at least some of the left handed presidents have a rather remarkable ‘low digit ratio’. The science of ‘digit ratio’ can learn us that this low 2D:4D digit ratio might explain a significant aspect of their aptitude and assertiveness to become a presidential high-performer.

The last 5 US presidents all have a low 2D:4D digit ratio (lower than: 0.96), especially take notice of the ‘lefties’: Barack Obama & Ronald Reagan.

Barack Obama: his left hand.
George W. Bush: his left hand.Bill Clinton: his left hand.
George H.W. Bush: his right hand.Ronald Reagan: his right hand.

Special thanks to www.handsearch.com

Source: Voize

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Why Are So Many Hocky Players Lefty?

March 9th, 2010 · Articles

In many sports, being left-handed can be an advantage. But is it an advantage when playing hockey? It is perhaps preferable depending on the position you play, but all players of all handedness play all positions, and there are no unspoken rules in hockey about handedness as there are in baseball (such as you’ll never see a lefty play the infield anywhere except first base).

Why, then, are the vast majority of NHL players left-handed? Or more accurately, why do most NHL players choose to shoot left-handed? It’s a question that I’ve often wondered about, and I can’t find any scientific analysis about why this is the case. However, I did find this article, and it makes the case that because kids begin playing hockey at such a young age, they grab the stick at the top with their right hand, and apparently keep holding it that way even though their control hand should be lower on the stick.  So does that mean that the 30% who shoot right-handed are actually lefty in their daily lives?  That is still a high percentage.

I’d love to see some more research done on this topic.  I certainly am grateful most shooters are lefty, as it made my stick-buying into a fairly easy process (though the right sticks dominated about 3 to 1).

Source: Lefties Blog

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Get a free product just by blogging!

March 9th, 2010 · Pens, Promotion, Scissors

We at Simply Lefty listen to what our customers say. Are you a left-hander living in a right-handed world? Now, here is your chance to try out one of the left-handed item listed below and feel for yourself the difference it makes!

We are giving away free items to our customers at zero cost. Yes, shipping charge is on us too! All you need is to select an item below, are proud to be a lefty and have a blog with good traffic, that’s it! Simple? We think so too.

STEP 1

Refer to the list of items below and select one. Send an email to promotion@simplylefty.com, including the following details:

1. Your name
2. Blog URL
3. Shipping address (for delivery)
4. Your selected item
5. Your funny left-handed photo (optional) =)

STEP 2

Due to the possibility of overwhelming responses, we will need to filter and select from all emails. Please be patient! We will send you a confirmation email with some simple instructions if you are selected.

Once you receive this email, you will need to blog your view about Simply Lefty with a link to us. Keep it short, keep it sweet, and most importantly, keep it truthful. We appreciate that greatly!

We check your blog url periodically, but to ensure a quicker response, please send another email to promotion@simplylefty.com informing us that the blog entry is done. Once verified, we will ship out your item using airmail.

STEP 3

Depending on your location, it may take a while for your free gift to arrive. Sit back, relax and wait. Once you receive your package, use and feel the difference! Let your children use, let your friends use, let left-handers in your life try and see for themselves why we don’t have to compromise anymore.

STEP 4

Finally, add a review of the product in your blog. Same rules apply here; be truthful. If you like it, blog. If you don’t, stop… i mean blog too! Every comments, be it positive or negative will help us improve and serve you better.

That’s all!

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