Letters to the Editor: Not all news is bad. Newspapers can still bring joy, inspire
To the editor: Thank you for two uplifting stories in the places where we usually expect to see bad news. The first article was on the front page! Reporter Corinne Purtill wrote about Lindsay Brant, a nurse who took it upon herself to start Community, a group that honors death with love, palliative care and even the soothing music of a live choir ('Show up and share': How one UCLA ICU helps patients and staff live with dying," March 20).
Second, in the opinion section, Susan Straight gives us, 'A Defining Look at Southern California," honoring the memory of Douglas McCulloh, whose photographs complete her piece.
What a joy to read the newspaper and come away feeling inspired. As the Indian poet Mirabai wrote: "God has a special interest in women for they can lift this world to their breast and help Him comfort."
Alicia Rowe, Riverside
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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12 hours ago
- Yahoo
I Was Today Years Old When I Learned That These 23 Things Can Kill You
Listen — we all know the internet can be a horrific, dark place, but it can also be an incredible resource that teaches you things you're shocked you had no idea about. You know — those things that you feel like there should've been a high school "how to be an adult" class on? Well, this post is exactly what I'm talking about here. Both Redditors and members of the BuzzFeed Community shared the simple — and sometimes seemingly harmless things — that, believe it or not, can actually kill you. I'll be honest, I had no idea about half of these, and these people have probably saved my butt a time or two. Here are 23 unexpectedly deadly things they shared: 1."Leaving food out on the counter." —u/Ok_Application7142 "I made garlic-infused olive oil once. Left it out because that's how I always saw it on people's counters. Used it a few weeks later. I got botulism. I was out for four whole days, writhing in pain with nothing left to expel. Turns out, I could have died." —u/Zabroccoli The USDA advises not to leave food out for more than two hours in cool weather and one hour if it's 90° or higher. Temperatures of 40 to 140° are the "danger zone" for bacterial growth, with the amount of bacteria doubling in as little as 20 minutes. 2."Garage door springs." —u/TheDarkRabbit "My father-in-law drunkenly pulled the emergency release red cord on our very old, SOLID wood garage door. The door fell down with such force that it dislodged the spring, and that thing shot right through the wooden garage door, shattering it into a million pieces! It was the most terrifying moment. Had that spring shot in the other direction, there would have been multiple fatalities, I'm sure of it." —u/Ambrosia0201 3."Cat and dog bites. My cat bit me, and I ended up in surgery because the infection was anaerobic. I could have lost my thumb or gotten sepsis. Go to a doctor to get an animal bite cleaned." —sdk "Cat scratches, too, especially for people with compromised immune systems." —jcorey1513 Contrary to the name, both cat scratches and bites can lead to Cat Scratch Fever — a bacterial infection your cat can give you if they've been bitten by a flea. 4."Giving infants water to drink. It doesn't have to be much; water intoxication can kill them very easily." —u/19Thanatos83 5."For adults: Drinking lots of water while also trying to be 'healthy' by going low-sodium can mess you up badly if your potassium levels go too low. I did that and spent a week in a coma." "Now I have to take supplements, drink lots of Gatorade, and put lots of salt in/on my foods, or my blood pressure plunges, and I have to worry about falling in the shower because my compression socks are off." —shelleye "Water toxicity isn't limited to babies, BTW. Once I got a migraine on a hot day. I called the doctor, and he told me to drink more water. So I did. It got worse, and I started to get nauseated. He said, again, to drink more water. So I did. He failed to ask, at the beginning, how much water I had already been drinking. Which was A LOT. More than most people. Cut to later that day. I came to in my sister's living room. I had made it there on the bus, but I didn't remember how. I was confused and acting really weird. I had thrown up several times, then I fell asleep. She thought I was just really sick. I realized later that I had water toxicity. I could've died, all because the doctor didn't bother to ask how much water I was drinking and assumed my migraine (which I got ALL the time) had been from dehydration. There is too much of a good thing." —pandamama710 When things like overconsuming water affect the sodium levels in your blood (like the latter story), it's called hyponatremia. When this, like in the former case, affects your potassium levels specifically (as potassium is an electrolyte), it's called hypokalemia. 6."Rags covered in linseed oil can spontaneously combust when left in a pile. I randomly discovered this fact in a Reddit post titled, "The new guy burned down our workshop." A carpenter I know confirmed that this is a real thing. I've been getting into refinishing old furniture, so I'm glad I learned this now. You'd think it'd be more common knowledge!" —u/doctor_x "I'm sure most people know this, but it doesn't have to be linseed oil; basically any type of combustible liquid can have the same reaction. Oil, gasoline, kerosene, paint thinner, etc. Always store your dirty rags in a metal, fireproof canister designed for that purpose. Bonus items that can, under the right circumstances, burst into flames: grains, animal manure, hay, woodchips. While some people just want to see the world burn, some seemingly benign items do, too." —srandlett25 "My cousin nearly died in a house fire from this. My aunt's dog saved his life. And yes, they both survived." —kelseyc48a791d61 According to NASA, this is a reaction known as auto-oxidation. Essentially, linseed oil — which is a "self-ignition combustible" — reacts with the oxygen in the air and can spontaneously heat, thus causing a fire. 7."A dental infection. I went to grief support meetings, and a woman there lost her son to an impacted tooth that spread infection to his brain." —u/jefuchs "I worked in a dental office for a good while, and we had a patient with chronic periodontal disease and a small tooth abscess that wasn't coming in for treatments as directed, and wasn't taking prescribed antibiotics as directed. Next thing we heard, she was in the ICU with endocarditis, among other things that they linked directly to the infection in her mouth. She survived and got some of it treated in the hospital, but as soon as she could, she was in our office like clockwork for the rest of her treatments." —s45b9ebeb9 8."If potatoes are not stored properly and become rotten, they produce a toxic gas called solanine and can make a person unconscious if they've inhaled enough, and result in death in some cases. There was a news article back in 2013 of an entire family in Russia that was killed by it." —u/Moon_Jewel90 "I about died from this as a kid. My grandma had a potato box in her kitchen, which is exactly what it sounds like. It was a wooden box about the size of a trash can and had a lid on top that she stored potatoes in. When I was 10 or so, I was playing in the kitchen, and I got curious about it. I was never especially interested because, like, it was a potato box. What do I wanna look at some potatoes for? But for whatever reason, I got curious, opened the lid, and woke up on the floor sometime later with my chest burning so badly that I could barely draw breath to cry for what felt like ages. I didn't find out why exactly that happened until I was an adult and saw a comment like this on Reddit, but I was scared to even go NEAR that damn potato box for the rest of my childhood." —u/Zazulio 9."Flowing water that is only inches deep can still have the strength to sweep you away if you're not careful." —u/akumamatata8080 "When I was a kid, one of my friends died this way. The family was crossing a shallow river in a Landcruiser Troopcarrier with lifted suspension, and the undercurrent swept the car away immediately. The mom, dad, and sister escaped in time, but my mate (around 7 years old) couldn't undo his seatbelt fast enough and drowned." —u/Mike9601 and u/commiecomrade 10."Mixing bleach and ammonia when you clean produces a toxic gas that will make you REALLY sick. " —u/Any_Assumption_2023 "This is why you don't use bleach to clean litter boxes!" —j458091739 Bleach + ammonia = chloramine gas, which — when inhaled — can cause coughing, nausea, shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, pneumonia, and fluid in the lungs. 11."Pressure washers are quite lethal." —u/floydie1962 "Can confirm: pressure washers are dangerous. Mine stripped a layer of my sandal sole off when I accidentally blasted my foot with it, and it stung for about a day. It wasn't a super duper ultra-powerful pressure washer, either." —u/swithinboy59 "I was just using one about a month ago, and like a dummy, I stuck my hand out and it sliced my finger wide open. It was just like getting cut with a dull knife, it hurt like a MF." —zmyersmyers" 12."Going to sleep while drunk and choking on your own vomit. Always lay your drunk friends on their side and lift their chin to open their airways. DO NOT lay them on their backs. My friend died from this at age 32." —u/K8syk8 13."Slipping down the stairs. Yes, some people know stairs can be dangerous, but many don't realize how deadly residential stairs can be." —u/Parking_War_4100 "Did that. Got a concussion and five staples in my head." —u/thebeamingbean 14."Ladders. People think you have to fall far to get hurt or die. Eight feet is plenty." —u/Ancient-Valuables "I was always told falling your own height can kill you." —u/Quality_Street_1 15."Tylenol. The dangerous dosage is only about four times the therapeutic dosage." —u/Waltzing_With_Bears Taking Tylenol as intended can provide pain relief, but taking more than the advised dosage can have serious medical consequences, such as permanent liver damage, seizures, coma, and death. 16."A lot of medication interactions. Mucinex DM with antidepressants, Tylenol for a hangover. Always look up the potential drug interactions of medications. Every time. I've had doctors give me some deadly cocktails because they neglected to check them against the meds I was already taking. It happens more than you'd think." —u/otterboviously "My grandfather nearly died a few months ago because his doctor prescribed him a medication that interacted with one he was already taking, because he couldn't be bothered to check. I've also had medications prescribed that would interact with ones I was already taking. Always ask your doctor about interactions, because they won't always check." —anonynasty There are tons of handy drug interaction checkers online; however, always make sure to ask your pharmacist or doctor if you're uncertain. This is also true for over-the-counter medications and supplements, not just prescription medication. 17."Party buses. My wife's cousin was on one a couple of years ago. They were all dancing on the bus while it was driving on the 101 freeway in LA. She slipped and fell against the door, which gave way. She fell out of the bus and was immediately run over by a car. There wasn't much left of her, closed casket for sure. She was celebrating her 30th birthday, but instead, she died and left behind 5 kids, all under 10." —u/bowlskioctavekitten 18."Cheerleading. I had an accident and almost died because one of my teammates lost their balance while I was on top, and I fell. I broke my neck and I haven't been able to walk or move most of my body again since." —u/Glum_Benefit3704 19."Other people mowing the lawn. My stepdad was cutting the grass 300-400 ft from the house. He hit a rock and it flew all the way to the house, through two panes of glass, and between me and my mom sitting by the window It shattered the glass on the oven door." "I had always heard about the dangers of being around running lawnmowers, but didn't think much about it. That rock could have blinded or killed someone. Now I know, but people think I am nuts when I tell them to put their kids in the house when cutting the grass." —luckyangel30 20."Playing in a deep hole at the beach. Everyone forgets how heavy dirt actually is." —u/GuiltyLawyer and u/Is_Unable "When I was a little kid, there was a construction project at my school, and there were trenches. They did a demonstration where they took the strongest kid in the school of 1,000 students and had him lie down on the stage. Someone placed a bucket of soil on his chest, and then he tried to stand up. He couldn't move it. They even supported the bucket to make sure he wouldn't get hurt from it being too much weight. That was educational." —u/St_Kevin_ 21."Hitting your head. r/TBI is full of stories about simple slips and falls that resulted in death and lasting effects. I simply fell on ice at work once. Bam! Unconscious. I woke up saying I was OK but got talked into getting in an ambulance. I started dying in the ambulance from a severe brain bleed. I was in a coma and was expected to die, but I survived. I lost most of my memory, emotional stability, the ability to easily make new memories, and a ton of IQ. Still…in all, I'm not dead!" —u/cbelt3 "Always protect your head! I worked in a mental hospital with a Neurology Department. We had SO MANY kids and grown folks who had serious brain damage from a head blow that didn't seem that serious at first. In particular, I remember a little boy who was climbing a fence and fell, hitting the concrete below. He ended up in a wheelchair with a mental age of 2-3 years for life. In addition, you would be shocked at how many women ended up having seizures and brain damage from being whacked in the head by their men." —luckyangel30 22."A grape. My wife had a friend/coworker whose young daughter choked to death in front of her and her mother. They tried to dislodge the grape, but nothing worked. By the time an ambulance got there, the girl was brain dead. It's about the worst thing I can imagine as a parent. We were cutting our kids' grapes in half until they were 10 after that happened." —u/jpiro finally, "Confined spaces. If it only has one way in and out, especially if it is below ground, there is a very real possibility that there isn't enough oxygen in there to support life. Even something as simple as rusting metal can remove the oxygen from the air, and if there isn't airflow going through the space, the oxygen-depleted air won't be replaced. Other processes can remove oxygen or produce actively toxic gases. This sort of thing often kills more than one person, as the first person to find the victim goes in to rescue them and becomes the second victim." —u/SuspiciouslyMoist Do you know of a simple thing like these that can accidentally kill people? If so, tell us about it in the comments below. Note: Submissions have been edited for length, clarity, and factual accuracy.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Non-traditional sports like pickleball and bouldering are helping Canadians get active this summer
On a warm summer Canadian evening, you might hear the pop-pop of a pickleball game, spot someone scaling a climbing wall at a community centre or catch players rallying on a padel court — a fast-growing racquet sport that looks like a mix between tennis and squash. What may once have seemed like fringe hobbies are now part of a growing movement. Canadians are seeking alternative ways to stay physically active, connect socially and improve their mental and physical well-being. While gym memberships and traditional sports will always have their place, more people are choosing leisure activities that are fun, flexible and social. Activities like pickleball, climbing, padel, disc golf, cricket, ultimate frisbee and stand-up paddleboarding are gaining momentum, offering a fresh approach to fitness that suits all ages, skill levels and motivations. The COVID-19 pandemic played a big role in reshaping how people get physically active. With gyms closed and organized sports on hold, people turned to parks, driveways and community spaces for movement. What began as temporary adjustments soon evolved into permanent shifts for some. Many people realized that being active didn't have to be rigid or repetitive; it could be more social and genuinely enjoyable. TikTok videos and Instagram reels showcasing everything from 'how to videos' to 'beginner fails' have also helped pique curiosity and increase participation in these activities. According to Pickleball Canada, 1.54 million Canadians are playing the sport in 2025 — a 57 per cent increase in participation over the past three years. Meanwhile, Padel, which is already popular in Europe and Latin America, is gaining ground in major Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver because of how accessible and easy to learn it is. Sales increases in paddleboards, the debut of sport climbing at the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics and the increase in popularity of spikeball (also known as roundnet) all signal a broader shift toward fun, accessible and social forms of physical activity. The physical and mental health benefits of being physically active are well established, and yet many Canadians are still not active enough to meet the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. The guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity per week, perform muscle-strengthening activities twice a week, limit sedentary time and aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night. Alternative sports may help address this gap by offering new routes into physical activity. Beyond the well-known physical health benefits, such as cardiovascular health, strength, agility and co-ordination, these activities are equally effective at supporting mental health and social well-being. For example, a recent study by Canadian researchers looked at 28 studies that investigated health and/or well-being of adult pickleball players. The results suggested positive social and psychological effects — in addition to health and fitness benefits — were evident, particularly for older adults. Read more: Sports like pickleball, padel and ultimate frisbee thrive on social connection, as players and partners often chat, laugh, build relationships and have potlucks or social time afterwards, all which help build community and foster a sense of belonging. Other activities, such as bouldering and climbing, encourage mental concentration, resilience and problem-solving, as routes are often designed to be attempted several times before being successful. This helps get people stronger and more confident, as they learn to keep trying even when something feels hard at first. This sense of progress and enjoyment keeps people motivated. When an activity is fun, social and rewarding, people are more likely to stick with it over time. When people want to be active, rather than feeling like they have to, they're more likely to reap the long-term benefits of being active. This is known as intrinsic motivation, a key factor for maintaining long-term physical activity because people are more likely to do something they genuinely like. Because these alternative sports are fun, low-pressure and easy to try at any level, they offer a great starting point for anyone, regardless of age, experience or ability. Across Canada, cities are increasingly investing in these growing recreational activities. Municipal parks and empty buildings are rapidly being repurposed for new pickleball and padel courts. According to an industry journal, the number of climbing gyms across Canada increased from 136 in 2021 to 169 in 2024. Part of the appeal lies in accessibility. These types of activities are beginner-friendly. Unlike many traditional sports where skills and speed are expected upfront, there is no need to be in peak physical shape or have the best gear. Most people can try these activities with little more than a pair of shoes and a rental. These activities are also adaptable and low-impact, making them accessible to a wide range of participants. They're often intergenerational and focused more on enjoyment than competition. Just as importantly, they support physical literacy — the confidence and competence to stay active throughout one's life. Building physical literacy early and sustaining it throughout adulthood is a cornerstone of long-term health promotion and chronic disease prevention. If you've been meaning to try one of these activities, this summer might be your chance. After all, fitness doesn't have to be a chore; sometimes it starts with just showing up and saying yes to something different. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organisation bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Sarah Woodruff, University of Windsor Read more: Pickleball's uphill climb to mainstream success Esports, pickleball and obstacle course racing are surging in popularity – what are their health benefits and challenges? Could flag football one day leapfrog tackle football in popularity? Sarah Woodruff receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and We Spark Health Institute.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boil water advisory lifted in Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T.
A boil water advisory issued two weeks ago for Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T., has been lifted. In a news release on Friday afternoon, health officials said residents in the community can again use their tap water as normal, as turbidity levels have dropped to acceptable levels. The boil water advisory was issued as a precaution on June 12 because of higher-than-normal turbidity, or muddiness, in the tap water. The territory's health department says there have been no reported illnesses associated with drinking water in the community. Officials recommend that residents flush their water supplies by running faucets for at least a minute before using, and to change any point-of-use filters such as Brita filters. They also recommend cleaning and flushing coffee machines, ice machines, hot water heaters and any water-holding tanks.
