#winter

A new study suggests seasonal changes have a much bigger impact on mental health than previously thought.

Do you like shoveling snow? Then stop reading this and go back to your pushups and granola because you are not someone that I want to talk to.

In aggressively clearing them from the park, Bloomberg spared them that fate. Zuccotti Park wasn’t emptied by weather, or the insufficient commitment of protesters. It was cleared by pepper spray and tear gas. It was cleared by police and authority. It was cleared by a billionaire mayor from Wall Street and a request by one of America’s largest commercial real estate developers. It was cleared, in other words, in a way that will temporarily reinvigorate the protesters and give Occupy Wall Street the best possible chance to become whatever it will become next.

Winter Warmer ales are like gingerbread and cognac wrapped up in a beer. Start with a good-tasting beer foundation, add some spice on top, and finish with some alcoholic warmth. This recipe clocks in at around 8.7% ABV.

"Last year’s Winter Spiced ale was a big success. Not only did the Irish Ale yeast surprise and amaze me by creating a beer around 15%abv, but they also survived some harsh treatment in a nutrient-poor environment, to produce a great beer for me and my friends! This year I refined the recipe a bit, made some changes, and will produce a beer that is hopefully a bit more herbal, slightly lighter in flavor but also will have more depth of flavor, versus last year’s smack-you-in-the-face winter warmer!"

"SERIOUS cold, Justen Ladda said, is when the sponge in the kitchen sink feels like wood or the toothpaste freezes or the refrigerator turns itself off, as it did one particularly frigid day last winter. Not that Mr. Ladda, a 56-year-old sculptor who has lived heat-free in his Lower East Side loft for three decades, is bothered by such extremes. “Winter comes and goes,” he’ll tell you blithely, adjusting his black wool scarf and watch cap. (Along with fingerless gloves, long underwear and felt slippers, they are part of Mr. Ladda’s at-home uniform when the mercury dips.) "

"Realtime results for pipes frozen"

"If Nintendo doesn't have this sculpture at their next big event, with chilled Tanqueray pouring from his sword, I'm going to be deeply disappointed."