Why aren’t more old people leaving America?
There’s a lot of loose talk about people retiring outside the United States. It’s not as romantic a conversation as one might think, because the underlying premise is that most Americans don’t have the resources they’ll need to retire comfortably in the country they’ve helped to build. Say you have only $1,177 a month to...
Saturday mash-up: April 28, 2012
As noted earlier, ski areas are getting spooked about climate change. The latest manifestation: the Aspen Chamber Resort Association has voted to withdraw from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce due to differences with the national group’s position on climate change. “Aspen’s economy is inextricably tied to the future of the global climate,” the local chapter...
Did you have a happy National Parks Week?
Why does anyone think we need a National Parks Week? To “celebrate” these treasures? No. Bogus. You don’t “celebrate” good wine or the Sistine Chapel. Yes, you acknowledge the joy they give us, so in that sense you celebrate them. But the main idea is that you are supposed to partake of them. Consume them....
Happy National Parks Week!
A gentle reminder: in the United States, this is National Parks Week. Free admission to all 397 properties managed by the National Park Service, “84 million acres of the world’s most spectacular scenery, historic landmarks and cultural treasures.” (Note to the National Park Foundation, which penned the citation above: the parks are inarguably excellent places...
101-year-old Fauja Singh finishes London Marathon
Fauja Singh has (again) broken the record for the oldest person to finish a marathon. The BBC reports that the 101-year-old Londoner (and proponent of ginger curry) posted a time of 7 hours and 49 minutes. That’s about a half-hour faster than his time at the 2011 Toronto Marathon, where he set the previous record...
Happy John Muir Day, Happy Earth Day
So much to celebrate. In case you missed it, California Governor Jerry Brown proclaimed yesterday as John Muir Day, and he urged Californians to visit one of the state’s “public open spaces.” A bit of a catchall, that—one that would in theory include a municipal parking garage—so he quickly clarified that he meant a “national...
Happy Tax Day!
Your taxes are due. Pay them, because you must. Then ask yourself if you’re getting your money’s worth. It won’t matter. Even if you don’t like the hand you’ve been dealt here, you still have to pay. And pay. If you’re paying, it’s because you’re making money. In this economy, that’s a good problem. You...
Hiking and the spiff of health
You know the seasons are wheeling around because of all the hiking stories that are popping up online. Over the past week or so we’ve been reminded of the joys of hiking, and the toys of hiking, and the health benefits, including this simple and stunning fact, from a study by a team at the...
The Boston Marathon is thundering toward you
Patriot’s Day is coming on April 15, which means the granddaddy of marathons (well, American marathons) will be run in Boston, which means we’ll see a lot of stories about granddaddies who run marathons. Older marathoners are considered feature-bait, because they are thought to be unusual. Marathon-running preteens are also unusual but also possibly a...
Why hasn’t this man gone viral?
Before you read any more of this post, take a breath…prepare yourself for awesomeness…then go take a look at Simon Beck’s Snow Art Facebook page. Then come back here. We’ll wait. OK, that was great, right? Great because it is unexpectedly cool. And because it is so simple you can’t understand why someone hasn’t done...
North Pole marathoner thinks you could be more active
In a moment, we’ll get to North Pole marathon runner Dr. Andrew Murray. But first, consider this Easter thought: People sometimes talk about sports and competition and fitness like they are all the same thing. They are not. If you draw a Venn diagram of these three notions, you’ll see some overlap, but they are...
Booze: still bamboozling
People who exercise aren’t particularly puritanical. Often, they are the opposite: they can be dedicated (indeed, disciplined) sensualists, hedonists, in it for the endorphins, for the euphoria. So it’s no surprise that they seek the same buzz in other places, including the pub. A study by the University of Miami found that women who exercise...
