SAD Resources

It's getting colder. The sun takes its time in greeting us these days and it gets dark earlier in the evenings. Trees are becoming bare, the atmosphere is turning grayer and we're stuck inside a lot of the time. All of this can add up to the winter blues, called Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) by clinicians. Experts seem to think it has something to do with light levels dwindling in the winter months.

But, there's a lot one can do about it, apparently, and almost ten percent of the population has had to learn to deal with it every year, especially in places like Chippewa Falls. Below are some links that might shed some light--no pun intended--on SAD.

Mayo Clinic--"It's a Sad Time of Year"

National Alliance on Mental Illness--A fuller picture of the problem.

Mayo Clinic--Choosing a "light box," the preferred treatment.

About.com--Light on Winter Darkness

Eastern Illinois News-Gazette--SAD: Tips to help you get up when feeling down

Agclassroom.org & Wisagclassroom.org

Ever since I arrived in Wisconsin, one thing I have noted is the high profile agriculture has in this state as an industry and employer, much higher than anywhere I've ever visited or lived. What's more, there is a fascinating and admirable diversity to the agricultural production. I've read about dairy, malting barley, wheat and even ginseng being grown not terribly far from Chippewa. The ginseng thing just amazes me, for some reason. Did you know Wisconsin produces 95% of the ginseng grown in the U.S.?

All this is bringing me to some information we just got in the mail from the USDA. They have a really interesting online resource called Agclassroom, which is chocked full of information for students and teachers seeking to learn (and teach) more about agriculture in the United States. Lesson plans, virtual tours, government publications, all online and all free. There's even a profile for every state.

And, if you want to just concentrate on our great State of Wisconsin (America's leading producer of snap beans), try the Wisconsin-centric page of Agclassroom.

Take a look.

Interplanetary Travel, In Name Only

Today is my Saturday to work and a little while ago a young lady called and asked about something she'd recently heard. Apparently, NASA is launching a probe to Mars next year and is offering anyone on Earth the chance to immortalize themselves by sending their name to NASA, who will encode the information on a microchip which will be part of the lander's payload.

If there's something in you, as there is in me, that thinks the thought of sending your name to Mars is kind of cool, then just click the link above and submit your name. Spread the word, too. Chippewa Falls represent!

ADDENDA:

AND, if you'd like your picture or your name to fly on one of the last Shuttles to the International Space Station, check out https://faceinspace.nasa.gov. (Thanks: Carl Miller)