Watercooler Stories

TURKEYS LIKE THE BIG APPLE

New York City's Urban Park Rangers hope to reintroduce wild turkeys into city green areas as part of a Wildlife Management Program.

"Just because we live in New York City doesn't mean we're not entitled to be living side-by-side with wildlife," UPR Director Sara Hobel told the New York Post.

A "large portion" of New York City's 28,000 acres of parks are "suitable habitats for native species," according to Hobel.

Two native populations of wild turkey have been living in the Big Apple for decades -- one group in Pelham Bay Park and another on the grounds of the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Staten Island.

GOVERNMENT'S NET ACCESS GOAL 100 PERCENT

Many governments have made getting Internet access to 100 percent of the population a goal.

The slogan "Net access for everyone" is the kind of idea governments gravitate to because it is relatively easy to measure, the BBC reports.

Some suggest Net access will occur easily enough without government intervention, but others point out that once the goal is achieved, government itself will have to change.

The lure to get everyone online requires everything a person needs or does must be online as well, including government -- and most governments have been tardy putting tax bills, appraisals and other service information online.

DRIVING IN SCENIC AREAS LESS STRESSFUL

An Ohio State University study published in the journal Environment and Behavior suggests nature can have a calming effect on commuters.

"Researchers have long found that nature can be an antidote to stress," says Jack Nasar, co-author of the study and professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University.

"We found that roadways with views of vegetation and trees rather than more urban scenes can make drivers feel a little less frustrated."

It is clear from the study the natural environment has a psychological affect on people, even when doing something mundane as driving a car, researchers said.

SUICIDAL TEENS LACK CONFIDANTS

Low-income black and Latino teens who report suicidal thoughts or attempts have few adults in which to confide, says a study in the American Journal of Health Behavior.

Those who attempted suicide were more than twice as likely as those who did not "to feel that they had no one to count on," says Lydia O'Donnell of the Education Development Center Inc. in Boston.

"Clearly, adults who may be able to help or intervene in potentially life-threatening situations are not necessarily recognizing or responding to the needs of many of the most vulnerable youth," O'Donnell says.

Students who did discuss their problems with adults were more likely to turn to parents and friends rather than psychologists, counselors or teachers, the researchers find.