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Imagine this scenario: You're driving to work early one morning, and you stop at a red light. The insufficiently caffeinated driver behind you still has sleep in his eyes, and doesn't hit his brakes in time. He crashes into your back end-not too hard, but hard enough to elicit some concern, and maybe even a curse word or two. You both get out of your vehicles, and when you check your rear bumper for damage and see none-not even a scratch!- you shake hands, get back in your cars, and finish the drive to work.
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There's no doubt that your lifestyle choices can make you healthy or unhealthy. And, unsurprisingly, your environment has enormous influence over your lifestyle. We've all heard that certain nations and even states have healthier populations than others, but even your neighborhood can help to make or break your health. In fact, studies have indicated that life expectancy can differ by as many as ten years from one neighborhood to the next, even if those neighborhoods are side by side!
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If you are a business owner in Illinois who pays for your employee's health coverage and sick leave, you have good reason to motivate these employees to stay healthy. Good employee health translates to good financial health for you and your business!
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It's fitting that the month during which we celebrate Earth Day is also National Lawn & Garden Month. Spring in Illinois is finally in full force, and this is the ideal time to nurture and beautify your own small patch of earth-your yard or garden. Here are some earth-friendly ways to turn your outdoor living space into a paradise. If you live in an apartment and don't have your own patch of land, consider implementing these ideas in a community garden that you can share with neighbors!
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Hockey is a notoriously rough sport, and no part of the body is more vulnerable to injury by that cold, hard ice or that fast-flying puck (not to mention a fellow player's fist or elbow) than the head. Concussions abound in the NHL, with more and more-many of them undocumented-happening every year. Former hockey star Keith Premeau, who suffered at least four concussions during his career, told the L.A. Times in 2011 that his career was cut short by his head injuries. "[T]here isn't a day that goes by that I don't sense I've damaged my brain," he said. This is sad, but not surprising, as concussion-related symptoms can last for years.
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In many parts of the country, water abounds as winter winds down. Melting snow and rain seem to make the whole world a watery place. Slushy, icy environments are common, making roads hazardous and driving a dangerous proposition. But too much water can even create problems in what seems like the safest of all places: home. When the quantity of water in and around your home is too much for your water removal systems to deal with, you have what is known as water back up.
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Those of us in Illinois who took our Drivers' Ed classes in decades past certainly remember the oft-repeated phrase "ten and two." Ten and two is a kind of code for the positions one's hands should take on a steering wheel. If the steering wheel is a clock, we were all told that you should place your right hand at two o'clock and your left at ten o'clock. Keeping your hands thus positioned would enable you to steer effectively and retain the greatest control over your vehicle. Ten and two! It's practically gospel, right?
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Do you consume health care wisely? This is the month for Illinois resident to consider that question.
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