The following ran in abbreviated form in the Tuesday, Dec. 21, issues of The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer. It appears today and tomorrow with additional information, two additional tips and an exclusive holiday survival scenario by Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of Bravo TV’s “The Real Housewives of New York City” (and author of “Class with the Countess”).
Stress by the numbers
Today, I have a story appearing in both The News & Observer in Raleigh and Charlotte Observer dealing with holiday stress. Not basic run-of-the-mill holiday stress, but last-minute, there’s-just-four-days-left, curl-into-the-fetal-position, AHHHHHH! holiday stress. You can click on the link above to read the story or, come back tomorrow and Thursday for an expanded version, complete with extra info & tips, outtakes, a blooper reel, an interview with the director, free popcorn —
Study this: Cognition, chocolate milk, kids & caffeine
More reasons to stay active from the world of science.
Pump up … your brain. One of my favorite types of studies is the one that shows a link between an active lifestyle and an active brain. The latest comes from the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility at Vancouver Coastal Health and the University of British Columbia, where a follow-up of women 65-75 who participated in a once-a-week strength-training program showed the cognitive improvements registered during the program continued a year later. Specifically, the cognitive benefits in question are the kinds necessary for independent living. Also, the group wound up seeking health care services less often and fell less than the control group.
MST mapmaker makes us a map
The trail climbs a surprising bluff then, briefly, joins forces with an old roadbed. But I’m not aware of the “briefly” part, and it would be easy to miss where the trail darts back into the woods. Easy, but for two things. One, this new 4.2-mile stretch of trail along the Eno River is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and even freshly minted segments of the MST are hard to get lost on. The Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the non-profit volunteer group blazing this 1,000-mile foot passage across North Carolina, from Clingman’s Dome on the Tennessee border to Jockey’s Ridge on the Atlantic, are thorough in their trail construction, and that includes blazing the way with the MST’s distinctive three-inch diameter white dots. Even though the trail was essentially completed at the Friends’ November workday, some pink surveyors flags remain, further helping with directions.
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a Eurasian wigeon!
Back when William McKinley was president, a first-class postage stamp was $.02 and the champions of college football were the Yale Bulldogs, Frank Chapman thought it might be nice to go out on Christmas Day and look for birds. This was a common occurrence of the day, though the “looking” also involved shooting. Chapman’s idea was to take the gun out of the equation.