What is the safest way to drink from a soda can? (Thursday, January 27, 2005)
Through a straw, after wiping off the top. Why? Studies have shown that most unwashed soda cans are spotted with mold and bacteria. Usually, the bacteria is harmless and won't make you sick; however, other diseases could be lurking. If you don't wipe off the top, the tab will transfer bacteria into the drink when it plunges into the liquid upon opening the can. Sipping from a straw through a clean spout will keep you safe from anything that may be living on the surface of the can. (Source: Be Safe! Simple Strategies for Death-Free Living by Melissa Heckscher)

WHEN ARE WOMEN HAPPY? (Wednesday, January 26, 2005) A new study debunks the stereotype that women are happiest in their wrinkle-free twenties and shows that female boomers believe life actually gets better as they get older. The national study conducted by Frank About Women shows that women's overall wellness -- and particularly their happiness -- steadily grows after age 49 and reaches its zenith when women are in their 70s. Forty-two percent of women in their 20s are "extremely" or "very satisfied" with their overall wellness, holding at 41 percent and 40 percent for women in their 30s and 40s, respectively. That percentage jumps as women age, reaching 46 percent for women in their 50s, 50 percent for women in their 60s, and an impressive 66 percent for women in their 70s.

• The same trend holds true for women's growing satisfaction with family relationships as they age. Women rank family relationships as very important throughout life. Their satisfaction with family relationships is high at 75 percent during their 30s, satisfaction declines to 63 percent for women in their 40s, and rebounds in their 50s-jumping to 72 percent, 74 percent, and 83 percent over their 50s, 60s and 70s.