Beech Tree News Network

Cold weather provides me with time to read. I enjoy finding interesting facts or pieces of advice. Some of those I’ve read recently are listed below in random order:

•    Sixty percent of employers screen candidates via social media…. Bad spelling and grammar suggest you don’t communicate well (Better Homes & Gardens, January 2017, p. 115).
•    The average desk has more bacteria than a toilet seat (http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/Your_office_desk_is_dirtier_than_a_...).
•    Researchers from Cornell University published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 2014) that found that shoppers who went to grocery stores earlier in the day, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., bought less high-calorie foods than those who shopped later in the day (https://gma.yahoo.com/best-days-buy-anything-213918273--abc-news-persona...).
•    Studies on dolphin behavior show that they have names for one another (http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/trivia-day-50-facts-we-b...).
•    Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon, wrote his daughter's initials on the surface of the moon, where it's likely to last for tens of thousands of years (http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/trivia-day-50-facts-we-b...).
•    An average human body has 60,000 miles of blood vessels; they’d stretch the entire earth if you laid them out end to end (http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/trivia-day-50-facts-we-b...).
•    What people call the family-friendly space of the house where everyone hangs out: living room – 59%; family room – 26%; great room – 5 % (Better Homes & Gardens, August 2016, p. 52).
•    What other activities you do while watching TV: texting – 70%; social media – 68%; email – 57% (Better Homes & Gardens, August 2016, p. 61).
•    The increase in calories people ate when they were stressed and in a cluttered kitchen: 171% (Better Homes & Gardens, July 2016, p. 124).
•    Unfortunately, many people have no savings at all. In fact, almost 30% report having a zero balance, and 62% have less than $1,000 in savings, according to a survey by GOBankingRates.com. An additional 21% report having no savings account whatsoever (http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2016/03/11/the-average-americans-...).
•    The human body contains trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1. Because of their small size, however, microorganisms make up only about 1 to 3 percent of the body's mass (in a 200-pound adult, that’s 2 to 6 pounds of bacteria), but play a vital role in human health (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-human-microbiome-proje...). So, a person weighing 150 pounds could expect that 1 ½ to 4 ½ pounds of his/her weight would be composed of microorganisms. 
•    Ever hear of gut bacteria? Just as we know that high cholesterol is something to be avoided, soon we may learn of bacteria counts that are markers for good health. One study suggested that repeated use of antibiotics tips the microbiota towards one that promotes obesity. Many studies have pointed to connections between the microbiota and diseases and complaints as diverse as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, type-two diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, autism, depression, cardiovascular disease and colon cancer (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/11/gut-biology-health-bacte...).
•    What can a parent do to help their child who is bullying? Get involved in your child's school and dialogue with the teachers. Also, get to know your child's friends and reinforce those relationships that are positive and inclusive to other children. 'One thing that can alter a behavior more than anything else is when a parent carves out 20 minutes a day to spend one-on-one with their child,' says Clark. If your child's bullying tendencies continue, it may be time to consider the help of a qualified professional (http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/parenting/10-warning-signs-your-child...).
•    Dark chocolate was listed with nine other foods as being one of the ten healthiest foods on the planet by www.fitnessmagazine.com. These foods were identified because they are disease fighters and energy boosters
(http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/the-10-...). Good news for dark chocolate lovers like me!
•    When is it too cold to exercise outside? According to several websites, negative-digit temperatures may be the time. One site (http://greatist.com/fitness/it-safe-exercise-cold) provides some good information, including to avoid rain and wind. (My personal temperature limit on outdoor exercise is 45 degrees. Yes, I’m a warm-weather person.)

Proverbs 1:7 (KJV) says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Abraham Lincoln said, “I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday,” and Martin H. Fischer said, “It is not hard to learn more. What is hard is to unlearn when you discover yourself wrong” (http://www.quotegarden.com/learning.html). I’m just thankful to continue learning