Facts about poinsettias
Red accounts for three-fourths of poinsettia sales today, but there are more than 100 varieties, including colors of cream, apricot, and white, according…
Author: Rick Good
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader's money, real estate, and business coverage.
New looks for Christmas trees
The centerpiece of many homes in December, the Christmas tree is often decorated with sentimental ornaments and a style beloved by each family. If you…
Holiday weight gain? Not as bad as one would think
People gain weight during the holidays, but not as much as they think, according to dietitian Cynthia Sass. Sass points to a 2009 study from Texas Tech…
The nut that is never sold in a shell
It may never have crossed your mind: In the bags of mixed nuts in the shell, none of the nuts are cashews. In fact, cashews are never sold in the shell –…
See also page 25 for a photo
Nutcrackers have originsdeep in human history Nuts have been a staple of the human diet for millennia and where there are nuts, so there are also…
Low blood pressure can be risky for the heart
Everyone knows that high blood pressure is dangerous for the heart, but so is low pressure. A recent study in the Journal of the American College of…
Research in COPD leads to hope for new treatments
Researchers have found a link to making lung cells repair themselves, leading to hope for treatment for COPD. A recent breakthrough from the German Center…
Eye floaters are annoying, but usually harmless
Many people, especially as they age, will notice what looks like something faint floating in their field of vision. WebMD explains that these ‘floaters’…
Plant based proteins put the pulse in your diet
Pulses are in the nutritional spotlight, and we aren’t talking heart beats. Pulses — a branch of the legume or pea family — are harvested for their…
Christmas Eve tourtiere is the toast of Canadian tables
Tourtiere, or meat pie, is a traditional part of French Canadian Christmas and New Year’s Eve fare, although the dish is enjoyed throughout Canada. Like…