Christmas Express in Stradbally 
Choo choo!
With the Christmas holidays fast-approaching, how does a magical train ride through a festive forest sound? On offer from December 1–9, is ‘The Christmas Express’ at Laois’ Stradbally Woodlands Railway – the first volunteer-run heritage railway in Ireland, having been established in 1969.
The whole family will get the chance to embark on the ride, visit Santa Claus, and join mischievous elves on a journey through a winter wonderland. Alongside this unforgettable experience, every child will receive a wrapped present, a scrumptious cookie and some delicious hot chocolate.
This is a great gift for a child who has never been on a train or wants to experience the journey in festive-filled atmosphere. It’s also ideal for those who have only heard of Santa through word of mouth and have never seen Father Christmas.
Weighing in on depression
Obesity and depression are serious global health problems, but medical science has always been unsure about their relationship to each other – does one cause the other? To gain a better understanding of this complex relationship, researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK joined forces with scientists from the University of South Australia.
The researchers used genetic and medical data from 48,000 people with depression and compared it with in excess of 290,000 controls, making it the largest study to address this question to date. Overall, as expected, a higher BMI was associated with higher odds of depression. This association was stronger in women than men, confirming earlier findings. Women with a high BMI had a 21% increase in risk, compared with 8% in men.
The study concluded that the psychological impact of being obese is likely to cause depression.
Polar protection
Although the winter season has many benefits, one of its shortfalls is how cold it can become – from early morning to late at night. This can be off-putting for sportspeople like cyclists and joggers who don’t feel comfortable or confident exercising in such threatening weather. It wouldn’t be appropriate to put on a coat for this type of exercise so winter activities like these call for special clothes that provide insulation from the cold.
The POLAR SEAL aims to deliver on this mission. Designed with integrated heating elements – for the upper and lower back – this sleek, ultra-thin smartwear is ideal for joggers, cyclists, and just about any sports enthusiast out there. It only takes 10 seconds for it to heat up, and has about 14 hours of charge to keep you warm throughout the full day.
And if it’s too warm or cold, you can adjust the temperature to your liking.
