Welcome to Halloween! Safety is always on a parent’s mind as kids venture out into the confectionery abyss of the night. Let’s face it, kids are excited and often even a bit out of their minds. Can you blame them? I’m excited even in middle age! As you all go out, keep in mind the […]
Read moreOctober 2011
Halloween: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures!
By Gillian Pieper | Published:A candy barrage is about to culminate in one big salt, sugar and fat orgy next week and people around me are feeling a bit desperate… People tell me the desperation of Halloween overindulgence has two creepy culprits that are cousins: 1) Deprivation = withholding from the enjoyment of (until one loses it). I will […]
Read moreTweet, Tweet, Tweet-ah-lee-dee
By Gillian Pieper | Published:Are you on Twitter, sharing your daily goings-on? If so, you were part of some really interesting news which I’ll share in a moment. We’re exploring this wonderful and yet often maligned world of social networking to see how it could impact health. In a matter of days, following 10 different health organizations, I got […]
Read moreDo YOU Want to Live to 100?
By Gillian Pieper | Published:Who doesn’t? Actually, according to a USA Today snapshot poll, 67% of us say yes. The rest say poor health or being a burden to loved ones keeps them from wishing for the best. Party poopers! Have I got news for you… Centenarians are the fastest growing segment of our population. We do a better […]
Read moreMove Mountains Today
By Gillian Pieper | Published:This past weekend the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington D.C. was finally dedicated after an earthquake and then a hurricane wreaked havoc and delayed the much anticipated ceremony. When President Obama spoke, he said: “We are right to favor that slow but certain progress.” True words on an auspicious day; a day where […]
Read moreBeauty and Folly Are Old Companions
By Gillian Pieper | Published:So said Ben Franklin. Aristotle hailed beauty as “the gift of God” while Socrates called it “a short-lived tyranny.” On the mirror of a bathroom at the Ritual Coffee Shop in Des Moines, Iowa there rests a sign: “Warning: Reflections in this mirror may be distorted by socially constructed ideas of beauty.” Our photo expert […]
Read moreGot Your Motor Running?
By Gillian Pieper | Published:Did you know… The #1 favorite word of the day on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary website is, drum roll please… Gumption. Originally meaning intelligence or common sense, when combined with high levels of energy (English and Scottish), in the 1860’s we Yankees added ambition and tenacity to the definition. By the 1900’s Gumption became synonymous, worldwide, […]
Read moreBig or Small, Save Them All
By Gillian Pieper | Published:“Is that weird that I want to touch your scar?” “No way, go ahead, you can touch it. It’s clearly not a boob anymore. It’s the mark of a warrior, girlfriend!” “Amen, sister.” That it is. The energy, and awe, that comes from such a mark is extraordinary. I wanted, somehow by osmosis, a piece […]
Read moreA Twist To Grow On
By Gillian Pieper | Published:“Yeah round ‘n around ‘n up ‘n down we go again.” – Chubby Checker A twist in real life can be furiously difficult. We’ve seen a great deal of the unexpected these last few years in natural disasters. Certainly the great measure of a person is how one endures such twists. Our range of motion […]
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