10 Years Ago – In May 2002

Many years ago I started collecting headlines/news blurbs as a way of honing my reading of news. Over the years, the headline collection has been warped by the sources of news I was reading…increasingly online. Reviewing the May 2002 headline gleanings - I forced myself to pick 10.    

1. The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 6 percent in April, the highest in nearly eight years
2. The 165-pound titan arum, the rotten-smelling giant of the plant kingdom, unfurled its single stinky flower after beginning a dramatic growth spurt last week
3. An abandoned South Dakota gold mine may become a new inner sanctum for physicists working to unravel the inner workings of atoms by isolating subatomic particles.
4. The lifespans of people in developed nations are increasing at a remarkably constant rate, suggesting that there is no natural limit on life expectancy
5. Famed biologist, author Stephen Jay Gould dies at 60
6. China to Launch Moon Mission in 2010
7. Yosemite Falls restoration project set to begin in June
8. Chandra Levy's remains found in D.C. park
9. The discovery of 11 small moons orbiting Jupiter brings the number of that planet's moons to 39
10. British archaeologists think that a gold earring-clad archer, found in a 4,300-year-old burial site in Amesbury, England, may have been a king during the heyday of Stonehenge. 

My interests in science is reflected in the mix (botany in item 2, physics in item 3, physiology in item 4, space in item 9 and archaeology in item 10). The other fit into a people/places/politics category.

Living to 100

My favorite longevity calculator is one offered at the Living to 100 website. The reason I like it is that, if you answer honestly, it can guide you to making lifestyle changes that will help you stay healthier and probably live longer too.  If you have recent blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, etc. information for yourself, let the model help you interpret it all.

The first time I used the calculator, I considered it a good baseline and help me prioritize the lifestyle changes I was making. Two years later, I used the calculator again. Although much was the same - two key measurements things had changed: I had lost 20 pounds and the amount of exercise I was getting every week had gone up. The calculator not only calculated more years for me…but also that the quality of those years had a higher probability of being healthy.

I encourage you to use the calculator and decide if some lifestyle tweaks may be worthwhile for you too!