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Most of us could benefit from getting more exercise and, with spring weather here, this is a perfect time to get started. You can meet minimum health recommendations with a 30-minute brisk walk five days per week. You can get even greater fitness benefits by exercising for longer or by doing…

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It was a book I’d brought home with me from clearing out my parents’ house ages ago, but I’d never read it. It was one of many books I’d confiscated from their shelves, one of the older ones.

Q. On a coastal ecotour in South Carolina, our guide pointed out brown pelicans and white ones. A bird map on the internet shows brown pelicans in the region but not white pelicans. How many kinds of pelicans are there, where do they live and how do they differ in behavior and geographic range?

It is so hard on them. Pets surrendered to the Aiken County Animal Shelter by their owners desperately struggle to understand their situation. Suddenly finding themselves in a strange place with strangers and other scared and confused animals is a shock to their system. One minute they are s…

Imagine a plucky heroine named Ava, who has just reached her 13th year on an island off the coast of Florida. Now imagine that said island is the home of the family’s alligator-wrestling theme park, a business that now faces bankruptcy due to the death of the star attraction, Ava’s mother Hi…

Jade Garrett is the events and fundraising manager for the SPCA Albrecht Center. She is a seasoned marketing professional who found her way to the shelter in the fall of 2023. With a lifelong passion for animal welfare, she is excited to continue making a difference in the lives of homeless animals in our community for many years to come.

Italians know that the texture of pasta matters. Thus the emphasis on cooking it until just barely al dente, or until tender, but with a pleasant chew. But that’s not where the lesson stops. Christopher Kimball's Milk Street discovered a dish in Lecce, in southern Italy, that mixes pasta textures. Some is perfectly al dente, while some is fried in olive oil until lightly browned, nutty and crisp. The recipe for Crispy Pasta with Chickpeas, Lemon and Parsley comes from a restaurant called Le Zie Trattoria and chef/owner Anna Carmela Perrone. Lemon zest and juice, as well as fresh parsley add brightness to balance the starches.

The arrival of spring in our area has brought warmer weather, blooming flowers, green grass and, for many, seasonal allergies. Seasonal allergies are caused by pollen produced by plants. Tree pollen is the most common culprit in the spring, with grass and ragweed in the summer and fall, resp…

“If you want to love what you do, abandon the passion mindset (‘what can the world offer me?’) and instead, adopt the craftsman mindset (‘what can I offer the world?’).” — Cal Newport

On Saturday, Feb. 24, my son and I were allowed to borrow a dog from the Aiken County Animal Shelter for a couple of hours. It’s a program called Doggie Day Out. We have enough pets at home that we were not looking to adopt, but wanted to give a shelter dog a great experience (who doesn’t li…

How long has recycling been in vogue? A long, long time. I was personally involved in a recycling program so long ago that General Eisenhower had just been elected president. In those days Coca-Cola and other soft drink companies would pay 2 cents for every bottle returned. I was one of many…

Over the years, I have observed the federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a variety of ways. Sometimes I have helped organize activities, such as the years I served as chair of the USCA English Department and organized an annual essay contest in Dr. King’s memory. Other …

It has been 10 years now this month since Mark Bittman's opinion column titled "Butter Is Back" appeared in the 3-25-2014 issue of the New York Times. You will probably remember that butter, which is a saturated fat, has for years been considered unhealthy and linked to heart disease.

When cutie-pie Boogie arrived at the Aiken County Animal Shelter as a hungry stray, it didn’t take him long to win the hearts of the FOTAS volunteers and shelter staff. The white, 2-year-old, 40-pound mixed breed made everyone smile with his goofy grin and outgoing personality. A true social…

“Everything starts with a dot,” Russian expressionist Wassily Kandinsky once wrote, referring, of course, to the fact that the painter must first touch the canvas with his brush. What happens next is the product of design or intuition or perhaps a little of both.

This column began with a rub of the wrist. Every time I press a key, I’m in pain thanks to a wrist injury I apparently sustained yesterday. I don’t know if it was the rapid movements required to see me through long sets of rapids or the emptying of a kayak full of water that did it. Likely, …

Q. I was with friends in a restaurant that had a stuffed swordfish on the wall. Someone said they are the fastest fish in the world. Someone also mentioned a sawfish, which I had never heard of. Are there different kinds of swordfish, are they really that fast and is there such a thing as a …

It was unusual to say the least. A commercial space built, owned and operated by Blacks that leased space to white-owned businesses during the Jim Crow days. A Black-owned drugstore with a soda fountain that served both Blacks and whites despite segregation elsewhere. This was the McGhee blo…

You have checked the maple blooms to see that they are developing, so the next project is to locate an American Holly and look down into its leaves for that small white dot. The small white dot will turn into a small white fragrant flower; however, a sharp decline will turn it black as they …

If you exercise, especially if you lift weights, you have probably heard the adage, “No pain, no gain.” This may serve as motivation for some people, but the belief that exercise results in pain might be a good reason not to work out for others. If you are one of those people, you should kno…

Every dog has a story, and for most of my pals here at the Aiken County Animal Shelter, those stories are sad. Take me — Whitney. My last humans dumped me. I thought we were going for a ride (I’m a sucker for car rides), but then they stopped and opened the door. I thought, “Oh boy, a car ri…

I was pleased recently to find supporting evidence of the assertion that, regardless of time and place, people have a deep connection with wildlife and the natural world. After I saw my first cobra of the day, within minutes I spotted a dozen more. A short while later I observed a baboon and…

“Discipline isn't a dirty word. Far from it. Discipline is the one thing that separates us from chaos and anarchy. Discipline implies timing. It's the precursor to good behavior, and it never comes from bad behavior. People who associate discipline with punishment are wrong: with discipline,…

When they first formalized linear perspective as an artistic technique, the 16th-century Italian masters could never have anticipated David Yaghjian’s twist on the subject. In essence, the painters of the Renaissance came to view the canvas as an “open window” through which they could create…

Did you know that the way you squeeze your toothpaste tube may reflect some insight into your personality? Some say that 40% of our actions are not really conscious decisions but more often based on habits. Therefore how you squeeze the toothpaste tube depends mostly on personal habits and m…

February is American Heart Month, with a focus on encouraging all of us to make heart-healthy choices to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. I thought that sharing some information about the heart, how it works, and how to keep it healthy would be an appropriate way to celebrate.

I don’t remember when I started wrapping gifts in scarves. But, for a very long time now, instead of using gift bags or wrapping paper, I much prefer to find interesting or pretty scarves in which to wrap and deliver my gifts.

It’s a now-familiar story. After five years of fruitless searching, British archaeologist Howard Carter finally in November 1922 made the discovery of the ages. Beneath the debris of the tomb of Ramses VI was spotted the corner of a shaft leading to the final burial place of the boy-king Tut…

Q. Mobile, Charleston and New Orleans are noted for their magnificent live oak trees, many of which have Spanish moss hanging from their limbs. I have several questions about this gray plant. (1) How does the moss get to the top of the trees? (2) Why do I see it mostly on oak trees and not s…

Get ready to tee off for tails. The SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare is thrilled to announce its upcoming Playing for Paws Golf Tournament. A day where every swing, putt and drive contributes to a truly great cause. By joining us on the greens, you're not just playing a game — you're …

Valentine’s Day is this week, so you may be the lucky recipient of a box of chocolates. Hopefully you enjoyed it! Of course, eating too many sweets, including chocolate, isn’t good for you. But eating certain types of chocolate has been linked to some health benefits.