Short Japanese men more likely to get last laugh

When he was writing the novelty hit "Short People" in 1977, Randy Newman got it exactly wrong. "Short people got no reason to live," went the satirical lyric … except, one study shows, they really do.

That’s because there’s a genetic predisposition to long life among at least shorter Japanese men, according to a new study by Kuakini Medical Center, the University of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Kuakini had access to records of more than 8,000 men of Japanese ancestry going back to 1965. Among other attributes, their smaller stature is paired with reduced blood insulin levels and less cancer.

What does this mean for short men or women of whatever ancestry? Only more research will tell. But for now: Small is beautiful. Less is more.

Don’t roll back airfare disclosure rule

Don’t let it fly. Congress is being pressed by the airline industry to roll back a federal airfare disclosure rule.

As it is now, consumers pricing flights are told upfront the total cost of what they’d be paying, including taxes and fees. That’s helpful to consumers, in terms of time-efficiency and actual cost-to-be-paid, when comparing flights across websites.

But now comes the "Transparent Airfares Act," speeding through the U.S. House. It would allow airlines to return to the old way of doing things, emphasizing in ads the base airfare but revealing the full price including taxes and fees separately. The airline might like that, but it’s hardly helpful to consumers. Give us the bottom line up front.