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8 HEALTH BENEFITS OF HERBAL TEA?

During the winter months, many of us often lack energy and therefore have compromised immune systems.

it’s important to prepare our bodies the best we can.

Herbal teas are some of the healthiest things you can drink. The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in many herbs have shown to provide many short and long-term health benefits.

Teas can be a great alternative to your daily sugary and caffeinated drinks, while still providing great taste and a natural boost to your day.

Despite the name, herbal teas are not actually made from the tea plant. Instead, they are made by steeping herbs, flowers, or roots.

There are hundreds of different herbal teas you can drink, all with varying tastes and benefits.

These benefits can range from treating a cold to relieving stress, to anti-aging properties. In addition, unlike other teas, herbal teas do not contain any caffeine.

6 TIPS TO A BETTER MEMORY ?

On average, humans can remember roughly 7 things at any one time in their working memory.

This means we sometimes need simple strategies either to work around this fact, or to maximise this limited capacity.

Neuroscientists suspect that there’s actually a physical process that needs to be completed to form a memory.

Some changes in cognition are normal as people get older. For people who are aging with physical disability, cognitive changes may impact their ability to cope with certain challenges.

Problems with cognition are often gradual and may not be immediately noticeable to others, but they may be noticeable to the individual.

Useful resource – TED Talks video: Want to improve your memory? Do this everyday https://tinyurl.com/y27zde8j

Useful resource – TED Talks video: How to triple your memory by using this trick –

WHERE DO MEMORIES LIVE? ?

Memory is the capability of the brain to hold onto the past or currently happening events and different pieces of information, so they can be utilised in the future, at the time of need.

Researchers have been able to trace memory down to the structural and even the molecular level in recent years.

Showing that memories are stored throughout many brain structures in the connections between neurons, and can even depend on a single molecule for their long-term stability.

The brain stores memories in two ways: -Short-term -Long-term

Short-term memories like a possible chess move, or a hotel room number are processed in the front of the brain.

Examples of long-term memory include recollection of an important day in the distant past (early birthday, graduation, wedding, etc).

Short-term recollection is translated into long-term memory in the hippocampus, an area in the deeper brain.

In a brain scan, scientists see these different regions of the brain light up when someone is recalling an episode of memory, demonstrating how memories represent an index of these different recorded sensations and thoughts.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (French; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world literature. His extant works include comedies, farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets, and more. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed at the Comédie-Française more often than those of any other playwright today. His influence is such that the French language is often referred to as the "language of Molière".

Born into a prosperous family and having studied at the Collège de Clermont (now Lycée Louis-le-Grand), Molière was well suited to begin a life in the theatre. Thirteen years as an itinerant actor helped him polish his comedic abilities while he began writing, combining Commedia dell'arte elements with the more refined French comedy.

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, dit Molière, baptisé le 15 janvier 1622 à l'église Saint-Eustache de Paris et mort le soir du 17 février 1673 à son domicile de la rue de Richelieu, est le plus célèbre des comédiens et dramaturges de la langue française.

Molière reçu par Louis XIV, scène de fiction peinte par Jean Hégésippe Vetter (1864)

Should You Refrigerate Avocados? Here's What Chefs Recommend

Here's what you need to know about when to refrigerate avocados and for how long.

By Abigail Abesamis Demarest and Victoria Spencer Published on January 30, 2026

Hard or Partially Ripe Avocado

If it needs to ripen, you should let the avocado sit on your counter so it can ripen at room temperature and you should not store it in the refrigerator.

Ripe Avocados

If you have an already ripe avocado, you have a choice: Cut into it and enjoy it, or pop it in the fridge to help keep it at peak ripeness for a few more days.

Kevin Takarada, founder of MakiMaki Sushi in New York, says that putting an avocado in the refrigerator will slow down further ripening. He says that you can hold a ripe avocado in the fridge for up to five days.

Ann Ziata, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, agrees but also recommends checking on your avocado a few days after putting it in the fridge. "The riper the avocado, the less time it will last in the fridge," she says. "If it was only slightly ripe when you put it in, it may last three to four days or even longer."

National Puzzle Day

National Puzzle Day is celebrated annually on January 29. Founded in 2002 by puzzle enthusiast Jodi Jill, the day honors all forms of brain exercises, including jigsaw puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku, word searches, and brain teasers.

Key Facts and History

Origin: Jodi Jill started the day to share her passion for puzzles. It grew from a local classroom initiative to a widely recognized observance.

Cognitive Benefits: Studies show that working on puzzles—especially jigsaws—uses both sides of the brain, helping to improve memory, cognitive function, and problem-solving skills.

National Puzzle Month: January is also recognized as National Puzzle Month, serving as an extended celebration of the hobby.

Historical Roots: While the modern day is recent, the first jigsaw puzzle was created in the 1760s by London engraver John Spilsbury, who mounted maps on mahogany boards for educational purposes. 

Ways to Celebrate

Solve a Puzzle: Dedicate time to your favorite type, whether it’s a solo jigsaw or a digital word game.

Host a Puzzle Party: Gather friends or family for a collaborative building session or a friendly competition.

Puzzle Exchange: Trade completed puzzles with friends or local community groups to refresh your collection.

Go Digital: Share your progress on social media using the hashtag #NationalPuzzleDay.

Download Activities: Educational sites often offer special printable puzzle packets for kids and classrooms during the event. 

For those looking to expand their collection, specialized retailers like White Mountain Puzzles or Solving Fun offer themed products and printable activities for the holiday. 

I Cooked Eggs Every Day for a Year — My New Trick for Frying Them Is Ridiculously Delicious

Patty Catalano Food Editor published Jan 10, 2026

I've started nearly every morning with eggs (scrambled, baked, fried, and poached!) for years. Seriously. I once spent 365 days straight cooking nothing but scrambled eggs for breakfast. Since then, I’ve moved on to adding egg bites and fried eggs to the rotation. Do I ever get bored? The honest answer is … not really! There are too many different ingredients to throw in and techniques to try.

In 2023, food writer and The Kitchn’s former Deputy Food Editor Grace Elkus tipped us off to the viral sensation of feta fried eggs, and I’ve been cooking my eggs in crispy cheese ever since. Feta was just the beginning; I upgraded fried eggs with every flavor I could think of, from sesame seeds to chili crisp to pesto (which everyone was doing in 2022). My latest experiment, influenced in tandem by our culinary producer Kelli Foster and food writer Alex Botting, might be the most unexpected yet. I tried cooking fried eggs in mozzarella cheese and hot honey, and you won’t believe the results. 

Imagine creating art so profound that it would grace royal courts, only to have your name nearly erased from history. This was a common reality for many talented women artists during the Renaissance and Baroque periods whose works were often misattributed.

Sofonisba Anguissola, born around 1532 AD, was an Italian Renaissance painter celebrated for her compelling portraits. 🎨

She was one of the first women of her era to receive formal artistic training and even served at the court of King Philip II of Spain. Yet, because her official title there was "lady-in-waiting," not "court painter," many of her incredible artworks were wrongly credited to male artists like Alonso Sánchez Coello. It wasn't until the early 20th century, around the 1910s, that art historians began to correctly attribute many of these masterpieces back to Anguissola. Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian Baroque painter born in 1593 AD, faced similar neglect. Despite becoming the first woman admitted to the prestigious Accademia delle Arti del Disegno in Florence, many of her powerful paintings were attributed to men, including her own father, for over three centuries.

Another gifted artist, Michaelina Wautier, a Flemish Baroque painter from the 17th century AD (1604–1689), also saw her diverse body of work frequently misattributed, often to her brother Charles or other male contemporaries. These accounts demonstrate how societal norms and biases of the time led to the significant contributions of female artists being systemically overlooked for many generations. The ongoing work of historians continues to uncover and restore the legacies of these remarkable women, offering a fuller and more accurate picture of art history. Sources: DailyArt Magazine, Smarthistory, Wikipedia #WomenArtists #ArtHistory #RenaissanceArt