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Everyone Is Going ‘Pinsane’ Over Pinterest

If you've picked up a newspaper, surfed or watched TV recently, you've probably heard about Pinterest – the online photo pinboard and community. The new social media kid on the block is growing so quickly that its popularity has been touted as “Pinsanity”. The moniker for its success is well deserved; the site has more than 11 million unique visitors, and it's growing. It gets more referral traffic than YouTube, Linkedin and Google+. The demographics of the site are interesting too. Most of its users are young women. But what's the appeal? Think of it as an online scrapbook or inspiration board – minus time spent rifling through magazines and newspapers and cutting and pasting. You can share pins, re-pin from others and organize your boards by themes such as food, travel, home decor and personal style. Users can pin items from websites they like, using “Pin It” buttons on their browsers. In the wake of Pinterest’s success, many large corporations are

Three Ways to Offset the Holiday Blues

If you hate the holiday season, you’re not alone. Research shows that a significant number of people actually become downright depressed as feelings of loss or loneliness, anxiety over money, and even stressful situations like parties take a toll.    Following are three timely tips to help you survive the season: Slow Down: One of the most commonly cited reasons for hating the holidays is the combination of pace and expectations. Everything from shopping to hosting a holiday party can quickly become overwhelming. Learn how to slow down. Have It Your Way: Sometimes the traditions that we know and love are the ones that bring back the toughest memories. Experts suggest replacing them with new memories by doing something different like going to the beach, splurging on a spa visit or pursuing other unique activity distinctly your own. Budget: Financial difficulties are another cause of holiday stress. Establish realistic expectations or simply opt out of gift giving altog

Tips for Choosing the Ideal Gift This Holiday Season

With the holidays approaching, it’s time to make a list and check it twice. But after a tough economic year, everyone is trying to get the biggest bang for their buck. So how do you pick the perfect present? Planning and preparation are the keys. The following tips might also help: Personality Matters: Take the time to learn what friends are interested in, then use the information to form the foundation for your shopping list. Make the gift meaningful by giving something that enhances the person’s life or solves a problem. Dual Use: Gift ideas that fill more than one purpose are a great way to provide practical yet fun gifts, especially for college students or busy parents. Popular choices this season include MP3 players with built-in microphones, electronic reading devices like the wireless Kindle, and Portable Global Positioning System navigation devices.    A Little Luxury: Upgrade needed items by splurging on an extra-special version of common items. For example

Tasty Foods to Snack on That Won’t Make You Fat

Modern dietary wisdom recommends snacking between meals. Yet snacking on the wrong foods adds calories without providing nourishment. What we need are tasty, portable treats that satisfy without fattening.    What to Eat There are so many healthy snacks that the answer to “What do I eat?” is “Eat what you like.” Ideas are abundant online, with selections listed by food group and calorie count. Snacking information is commonly posted for students, who need constant streams of energy and have irregular habits.    You’ll find mention of fruit bars, dried apricots, popcorn cakes, celery with bean dip, pretzels dipped in mustard or chocolate syrup, baby carrots and cottage cheese, baked tortilla chips, frozen yogurt, spiced applesauce, animal crackers and dozens of others. There are brand-name snacks that get the nod, such as V8 100% Vegetable Juice, Fig Newtons and Del Monte Fruit Cups. Drying foods at home provides much scope for munching. A dehydrator costs less than $20

What holiday traditions do you enjoy the most?

Each family celebrates the holidays in a different way. Each has its own traditions and customs. Some come from the lands in which we, our parents, or grand- parents came from. Others originate in our own families, "new" traditions that we hope will continue through generations to come.  Our question this month is: How does your family celebrate the holidays, and what parts of your traditions do you enjoy most?  Stories about Christmas, New Year's, and Hanukkah celebrations are always fun and colorful to read. Tell us about your ways of celebration.  Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

UCLA on Alzheimer's Disease - young or old should read

Food for Thought "The idea that Alzheimer's is entirely genetic and unpreventable is perhaps the greatest misconception about the disease," says Gary Small, M.D., director of the UCLA Center on Aging. Researchers now know that Alzheimer's, like heart disease and cancer, develops over decades and can be influenced by lifestyle factors including cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, depression, education, nutrition, sleep and mental, physical and social activity.The big news: Mountains of research reveals that simple things you do every day might cut your odds of losing your mind to Alzheimer's.In search of scientific ways to delay and outlive Alzheimer's and other dementias, I tracked down thousands of studies and interviewed dozens of experts. The results in a new book: 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's and Age-Related Memory Loss Here are 10 strategies I found most surprising. 1.  Have coffee.  In an amazing

Healthy Holidays

Do you find your belly wiggling like a bowl full of jelly every January? It can be hard to keep from overindulging when you are faced with a December full of buffets, cookies, and holiday dinners. But there are ways to battle the holiday bulge. Exercise is an important part of anyone’s healthy lifestyle. During the holidays it is even more important to include exercise in your busy day. There is a stronger tendency to skip your daily walk, aerobics workout, or swim during winter. There are fewer daylight hours, and there are additional activities that demand your time. Taking time for yourself every day, however, will reduce stress and help you to stay fit and trim. As for the eating, remember that the key to success is moderation. You don’t have to deprive yourself of all those holiday goodies. Just keep portions reasonable and opt for some healthy substitutes. If you are invited to a holiday gathering, try to eat something healthy before you go. You won’t be starving and tempted