Column 1
STRESS can be defined as the way you feel when you’re under abnormal pressure. All sorts of situations can cause stress. The most common involve work, money matters and relationships with partners, children or other family members. Stress may be caused either by major disturbances and life events such as divorce, unemployment, moving house and bereavement.
***
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee run on a non-profit basis by The E. W. Scripps Company, held at a hotel in the Washington, DC, area. The competition came into existence in 1925, and the first winning word was “gladiolus.” The bee is open to the winners of sponsored regional spelling bees held mostly throughout the US, and participants must be in eighth grade or below, or 15 years old or younger.
***
INSPIRED by the eagles he saw while out in the fields, Spanish inventor and aviation pioneer Diego Marín Aguilera built a flying machine from wood, iron, cloth, and feathers whose design was based on his observations of birds of prey. His attempt to fly the vehicle was somewhat successful – he reportedly reached a height of about 20 ft (6 m) and glided some distance – but he crash-landed when the device suffered a structural failure.
***
MAY 17, 1814, marks both Norway’s declaration of independence from Sweden and the day on which its constitution was signed. This day remains the great spring festival in Norway, and today it is celebrated primarily by young people. The children’s procession in Oslo, the capital city, is the largest of many school parades throughout the country. Marching behind their school bands and banners, the children pass under the balcony of the Royal Palace in salute to the king. Everyone joins in the procession, waving Norwegian flags.
***
AT 12,160 sq mi (31,494 sq km), Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in Eurasia. It is also the world’s deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 5,714 ft (1,742 m). Located in southern Siberia, the clear, oxygen-rich waters are home to a wide range of aquatic plants and creatures, including such unusual species as the world’s only freshwater seal, and can sustain animal life more than 5,200 ft (1,600 m) below the surface.
***
QUOTE of the day: “Learn to say no to demands, requests, invitations, and activities that leave you with no time for yourself. Until I learned to say no, and mean it, I was always overloaded by stress. You may feel guilty and selfish at first for guarding your down- time, but you’ll soon find that you are a much nicer, more present, more productive person in each instance you do choose to say yes.” ― Holly Mosier
***
[email protected]