Stretchin' it out

A recall previously issued on several BMWs has led to a second one due to some of the repairs stemming from the initial recall not working.

According to the regulator, there may be problems with the starter on just under 15,000 BMWs that were taken in for repairs that were ultimately deemed ineffective. Using the starter on impacted vehicles could present a fire hazard, according to the recall statement.

“On certain vehicles, if you try to start the engine repeatedly, the starter could overheat,” the notice says. “If this happens, and nearby components contact the starter, it could cause a fire.”

BMW says it will inform its customers via mail if they own a car that may be affected by the second recall. The following are the BMW models named in the recall statement:

• 3 Series 2020

• X5 2019 and 2020

• X6 2020

• X7 2019 and 2020

Mental health is taken more seriously today than ever before, and there are many different avenues one can take in maintaining wellbeing.

Among those avenues is the country of Sweden, and a new video for its tourism authority touches on that.

"Did you know that Sweden is the first country in the world that doctors can prescribe?" asks a woman in a white lab coat standing in front of a mountain. "Because Sweden is filled with activities that make you feel good," she adds with a deadpan delivery. As an icy gust howls, the camera zooms out to reveal she's half-submerged in a frozen lake.

"A classic sauna activates your parasympathetic nervous system for profound relaxation," the woman continues, still fully clad in her lab coat, while sharing a steaming sauna with half-naked patrons. "Or maybe, you prefer nightlife?" she asks. "Here in Sweden, the sun won't go down for 100 days. Just imagine what 24-7 light therapy could do for you."

While doctors can’t literally prescribe a country, the fact is Swedish culture, landscapes, and its relationship with sunlight can all help point one’s mental health compass north. In fact, a study by the World Health Organization suggests heightened exposure to nature really can be a panacea for stress.

Sweden may not be the only place such dreams can come true, but it’s certainly one of them. You can read on here for more.

Yet another study was published recently, this time by researchers at the University of Florida, adding to the body of evidence suggesting positive habits can contribute to slower brain aging.

The researchers tracked 128 adults, many of whom suffered from chronic pain, and assessed their lifestyle choices and actual health indicators after two years. They found those who chose to see things optimistically, slept well, were well-educated, financially secure, and had a good social support system tended to have higher chronological ages than brain ages.

“These are things that people have some level of control over,” said Jared Tanner, Ph.D., a research associate professor of clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida who helped lead the new study.

“You can learn how to perceive stress differently. Poor sleep is very treatable. Optimism can be practiced.” 

Those who weren’t as optimistic, felt negative about their chronic pain, had less education, less money, less social support, and slept less more often than not had brains that looked older than the participant’s actual chronological age.

“The message is consistent across our studies,  health promoting behaviors are not only associated with lower pain and better physical functioning, they appear to actually bolster health in an additive fashion at a meaningful level,” said Kimberly Sibille, Ph.D., an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at UF and senior author of the report.

Like a ripple on a pond, there’s a wave passing through the Milky Way that was just detected in data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope, which was retired just earlier this year.

Its last gifts include the revelation of a strange and mysterious wave passing through the galaxy, and a 2020 determination that the Milky Way disc is spinning like a top on a counter.

The wave is reportedly affecting stars between 30,000 light years and 65,000 from the centre of the galaxy—practically impacting the entirety of the 100,000-light-year-wide Milky Way.

"Because young giant stars and Cepheids move with the wave, the scientists think that gas in the disc might also be taking part in this large-scale ripple," ESA officials wrote in the statement. "It is possible that young stars retain the memory of the wave information from the gas itself, from which they were born."

Interestingly enough, astronomers familiar with the discovery have compared this particular wave to that of one started by fans in a stadium, rather than a ripple on a pond or the ocean.

"This observed behaviour is consistent with what we would expect from a wave," lead author Eloisa Poggio, an astronomer at the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy, said in the statement.

In case you took the weekend off, the Toronto Blue Jays are on the cusp of sweeping the New York Yankees tonight after hanging 23 runs on the Bronx Bombers in Toronto on Saturday and Sunday.

While their 10-1 victory on Saturday was impressive, the top stories of the series so far have been Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finding his swing and the magic of boy wonder, Trey Yesavage.

Vladdy has six hits in nine at-bats through the first two games of the series. The first of those six hits was a solo homerun; the sixth was the first post-season grand slam in the history of the Toronto Blue Jays. The no-doubt, 415-foot bomb put the Jays up 9-0 on Sunday, and the team didn’t look back.

On the other side of the ball, 22-year-old Trey Yesavage was pitching a no-hitter in just his 4th big league start, and his first career playoff start. He struck out 11 batters through 5.1 innings, while only allowing two base-runners, neither of whom actually recorded a hit.

The Yankees will send Carlos Rodon to the hill for game three tonight at Yankee Stadium in an effort to extend the season for the Pinstripes. Shane Bieber will take the mound for the Blue Jays in an effort to spoil Rodon’s party and send the Jays to their first American League Championship Series in nine years.

Groundbreaking TV

TV broke a lot of new ground in the ’70s and ’80s and even if you weren’t glued to your set, you probably heard about the big shows that made big moves. Today’s trivia pays homage to them.

Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)