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To eat better in 2024, focus on your snack habits

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

If you are looking to improve your nutrition, you may want to start with your snacking habits. While snacks have the potential to improve nutrient intake and boost energy levels between meals, in reality snack choices often fall short of these goals. Before jumping on the latest diet craze, consider how your snacks may be derailing your healthy eating plans.Researchers looked at the diets of over 20,000 Americans and found that, on average, people consumed an additional 400 to 500 calories per day in snacks. Snacks contributed to about a meal’s worth of calories, or about 22% of daily calories, while providing little nutritional value. The study, which was published in PLOS Global Public Health, reported that snacks were mostly carbohydrate-rich and high-fat convenience foods, sweets, alcoholic beverages and sugar-sweetened drinks.Healthful snacks can help manage appetite and keep energy levels stable during longer time periods between meals. Some individuals may need to rely on con...

Tummy woes hamper dog’s holiday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

Dear Dr. John,I enjoy reading your column and have for many years. We just returned from the emergency hospital where our small mutt was admitted for something called HGE. Our dog did not get into anything over the holidays that we were aware of, but he may have been given a little beef tenderloin on Christmas Eve. Could that really make him sick enough to be hospitalized? We woke up yesterday to him having some vomiting and bloody diarrhea that got worse as the day went on. We were obviously concerned and tried giving him some hamburger and rice but to no avail. He was also a bit lethargic. Is this what is typically seen and what is the typical cause of HGE? We were told that he should make a full recovery after some IV fluids and antibiotics. Should we be concerned going forward into the new year? M.T.Dear M.T.,Good to hear that you got your dog in for treatment, and he will probably come home within a day or two at most. HGE is an acronym for hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, and it i...

The ‘Super Bowl Sunday’ of online dating

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

If you were thinking about joining a dating site in the new year, you’re not alone (far from it, in fact).The first Sunday of the new year happens to be the busiest day of the year, according to several dating apps and websites. Dubbed “Dating Sunday” or “Singles Sunday,” the name traces back to 2016 when the post-ball drop increase was noticed, and now it’s an unofficial holiday for those hoping to meet their match.And there’s data to back up the hype. OkCupid revealed that they historically see a stunning 70% increase in user activity on Dating Sunday, while Tinder estimates that 10% of all swipes in the month of January occur on that date, adding that 44 million matches were made on the app in 2019 — just on Dating Sunday.Why is there such a noticeable increase on this one day of the year? Julie Spira, an online dating expert, told USA Today that it was due to a variety of factors that happen to coincide.“You have people recovering from a breakup or who were down during the...

TV Q&A: Will Netflix dispatch ‘The Diplomat’ again?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

You have questions. I have some answers.Q: Will there be another season of “The Diplomat”? I watched the first season twice already hoping there will be another season soon.A: Netflix ordered a second season of the drama starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell back in May after the first season became an almost immediate hit. But as with so many other shows, production was stalled by the Hollywood strikes. I’d expect it sometime in 2024 but can’t say exactly when.Q: I am looking for a movie that I believe starred James Garner. He was captured by the Germans in World War II and was put into a fake U.S. hospital so the Germans could find out when the Allied invasion of Europe would take place. He smartly became aware of the ruse.A: That’s “36 Hours,” a movie from 1964. The cast included Garner, Eva Marie Saint and Rod Taylor. George Seaton directed and wrote the screenplay, based on a short story by Roald Dahl. It has been released on DVD and other formats, including through Amazon. (A...

Will ex be unwanted guest at the party?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

Q. I just broke up with my husband of four years. Christmas was rough, but most of my friends stood by me and made it bearable. I have been invited to a New Year’s party given by a friend who was my friend first. Her husband has become my ex’s best friend and I know my ex will be there. I don’t want to see him. Should I call him and tell him not go? What’s good ex-etiquette?A. The situation you describe is the most common question I am asked when it comes to attending parties.When friends giving a party don’t want to take sides, according to good ex-etiquette, I suggest they invite both people. Then as a courtesy, the host informs them both that the other has been invited, with the addition that if they both do attend, they not disrupt the party. If they don’t think they can act in a civil manner, they should not attend. You aren’t in charge of the guest list. Calling someone and telling them not to attend is not your job.I understand you probably feel a little betrayed by you...

A slate of new movies to heat up winter screens

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

If January ushers in a New Year, at the movies it’s still the awards season with the Golden Globes and Critics Choice honors being telecast as a run-up to the Oscar nominations on Jan.23 and then the really big show March 10.Of course winter’s slate stands out as entertainment and not awards bait. Among the notable entries:“Night Swim” (Jan. 5)Supernatural horror gets a workout as Wyatt Russell (“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”) discovers there’s something there, in the backyard swimming pool!  Writer-director Bryce McGuire, who now expands his 5-minute short, includes “Creature from the Black Lagoon” among his inspirations.“The Book of Clarence” (Jan. 12)An epic biblical comedy/drama with a formidable cast, LaKeith Stanfield stars as Clarence, who in 29 AD is a hustler who plans to get out of debt by insisting he’s a new God-sent Messiah. With Anna Diop, Omar Sy and Teyana Taylor.“Argylle” (Feb. 2)Writer-director Matthew Vaughn (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”)  is back in his fu...

Banff’s ‘low season’ deserves high praise for peak fun

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

When you look at Banff’s resume, it’s clear why the famed spot in Alberta, Canada spot draws huge crowds in the high summer season.History? Check. Banff National Park is Canada’s first national park and the third oldest national park in the world.Pedigree? Check. Banff is rich in Canadian history and is a famed UNESCO World Heritage Site.Good looks? Triple check. It’s home to soaring peaks, lush valleys and wildlife.Things to do? Check. Downtown Banff, tucked into the base of the Canadian Rockies, is filled with great restaurants, bars, shopping and all kinds of entertainment, and the surroundings offer a myriad of outdoor and indoor activities.Here’s the secret: Rather than plan a trip during that high season next summer, book for now. Because winter, Banff’s low season, may just be the best season of all.It’s not just that Banff is home to three unique ski areas (https://www.skibig3.com/), although knowing that you’ll almost never find a winding lift line at any of those spots cer...

Bright, active Chance also loves to read

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

Chance is a sweet and funny boy with a wonderful sense of humor. He is bright, talkative and outgoing. Chance loves to read but also enjoys playing outside. In the summer he loves to go to water parks or just swim in a backyard pool. He is also very happy just running in his backyard or playing video games inside.Chance had been in a therapeutic day school but this year he has transitioned into a mainstream public school. It has been a positive transition for him and his teachers report that he is doing very well both socially and in his academics. His teachers also state that Chance is very inquisitive and asks a lot of bright questions. His favorite subject is Math. Chance is a leader and does best with clear directives, structure, routine, and predictability in his daily life. He currently lives in a foster home setting where he has been for over four years. He has made great progress here.Chance would like a two-parent home, pet-free, with at least one mom where he would be the ...

Schoen: What is Kamala Harris’ role in 2024?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

One of the worst-kept secrets ahead of the 2024 election is that, albeit for different reasons, both Democrats and Republicans are strategizing how they can best use Vice President Kamala Harris to mobilize their respective bases.Indeed, given President Biden’s age, and Harris’ poor polling numbers – just 29% of registered voters have a favorable opinion of the VP according to a recent NBC News poll – Republicans are framing a vote for Biden as a vote for Harris, with considerable success. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of registered voters agree with the statement, “A vote for Joe Biden is really a vote for Kamala Harris because he will likely not serve a full second term,” per Harvard/HarrisX polling.And while it remains to be seen whether or not this attack remains effective, Harris’ role as a GOP ‘boogeyman’ means that Democrats must be incredibly strategic in how they use her on the campaign trail if they hope to retain control of the White House. Put another way, Harris will be m...

Editorial: Let NH lead the way!

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:25 GMT

On Jan. 23, New Hampshire can send a message to the country. That’s when voters cast ballots in the presidential primary.President Biden is playing games and won’t be on the ballot, but all eyes will be on the Republican ticket. Former President Donald Trump will be up against rivals itching to push him off his nearly insurmountable perch.Maine, Colorado, and possibly Massachusetts, all wanting to bump Trump off ballots, need to back off and let the people decide who should remain in the race for the White House. It’s what the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on anyway.The GOP primary in the Granite State has a long track record of choosing deserving candidates, so the meddling state courts and secretaries of state (yes, you Maine) are the ones sullying our Democracy.It seems cliche, but the 2024 race is likely the most pivotal election since the end of World War II. Ukraine is under blistering attack, Hamas terrorists are vowing to keep on slaughtering, compelling Isr...