Gardening Offers Health Benefits

Gardening has long been associated with relaxation, fresh air, and spending more time outdoors, but new research suggests it may also provide meaningful physical and emotional benefits for older adults. As more people search for lower-impact ways to stay active later in life, gardening is increasingly being viewed as more than just a seasonal hobby.

A new study from the Mather Institute explored how older adults view gardening and the role it can play in supporting long-term wellness. According to the research, many participants said gardening helps them stay physically active while also improving their mood and reducing stress.

The findings arrive as interest in gardening continues growing among older adults who want hobbies that combine movement, routine, and time outside without the intensity of more structured exercise programs. Consistent gardening can become an important routine and a way to stay physically engaged and mentally sharp.

According to research from the Mather Institute, nearly 90 percent of respondents said gardening has a positive impact on their physical health. Many participants also viewed gardening as a form of exercise because it naturally incorporates movement into everyday routines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that older adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. According to the study, many who participate in regular gardening exceed those recommendations.

Tasks like digging, planting, pulling weeds, watering, bending and carrying gardening supplies can all contribute to regular physical activity. Unlike traditional workouts, garden work often feels more purposeful and relaxing, and that sense of accomplishment tends to make people more likely to stick with it over time.

Researchers and health organizations, such as the CDC, have increasingly pointed to low-impact physical activity as an important factor in supporting mobility and overall wellness as people age. For older adults who may not enjoy gyms or formal exercise programs, gardening can offer a more approachable alternative.

The research study also highlighted the broader lifestyle habits of adults who garden. According to the study, gardeners were more likely to report healthier eating habits and higher overall fruit and vegetable consumption.

"Older adults are interested in ways to improve their wellness, and gardening is a secret way to achieve this goal," said Jennifer Smith, vice president of Mather Institute. "From our research, we also found gardeners tended to consume significantly more fruit and vegetables and engage in other healthy eating habits more often, and the rewards of this simple hobby can be truly meaningful. We hope this research offers accessible steps older adults can take to nurture their gardening journey so they can age well."

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Can World Cup Grass Hold Up?

The 2026 World Cup kicks off in just a few weeks and everyone is excited. The grass on which the tournament's 104 matches will be played has a vital but often overlooked role. Scientists have fed, mowed and stamped on miles of turf to get it right.

It happened just eight minutes into the match. Ángel Di María stole the ball from a Canadian defender and took off toward his opponent's goal. One of Argentina's greatest footballers of all time had only the keeper to beat in a decisive moment in the group stages of the 2024 Copa America football tournament.

But as he dribbled the ball towards the goal, he seemed to struggle to control it. Confronted by the Canadian goalkeeper at the edge of the penalty area, all Di Maria could muster was a relatively weak toe poke. The keeper blocked it easily.

After the match, the Argentinean coach and players offered an explanation for what might have gone wrong. The reigning World Cup champions claimed the quality of the grass on the pitch in Atlanta, Georgia, in the US, affected their performance.

The stadium where the match was being played – normally home to NFL side the Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer team Atlanta United – usually has an artificial pitch, but it had been replaced with a temporary grass surface just days before the tournament.

Players complained that the ball jumped like "a springboard", describing the pitch as a "disaster". Concerns about the quality of the pitches continued to dog the tournament as games were played in other stadiums around the US.

With the 2026 World Cup approaching, it is criticism that co-hosts US, Canada and Mexico will be eager to avoid. And they have brought in a team of specialists to make sure there are no complaints.

Over the past eight years researchers have bounced balls, stomped boots and abused patches of grass in the search for the perfect turf. They've fed, watered and nurtured different mixes of grass species to see how they'll cope. And they've measured blades of grass millimetre by millimetre to find their perfect length.

"It's a lot of pressure," says John Sorochan, a professor at the University of Tennessee, who has been contracted by Fifa to help oversee the growth, installation and care of the grass pitches at all 16 World Cup stadiums, including five that are covered by domes.

"Those are the ones that really have me worried," Sorochan says, "Because the Sun's gonna come up, but it's not going to come up inside. Plants need light, ideally sunlight, to grow."

With the 2026 men's World Cup now just weeks away, the cumulative result of more than 170 different experiments conducted by Sorochan and his fellow researchers is about to be put to the test. They have built on decades of research on the science of cultivating and installing turfgrass on sports pitches.

Yet the grass pitches they have developed for the different stadiums across the US, Canada and Mexico will be trampled by 21 players at a time for more than 90 minutes per game, across 104 matches. The ambitions of the world's top football players and billions of fans around the world will rest on how the grass holds up.

The researchers tested the turf for not only how the ball interacts with the surface but also the traction it gives players. They looked for ways to minimise divots during matches and avoiding wet spots that might interrupt the flow of a game. Worst still, a poor surface could have catastrophic consequences – leading to career ending injuries for players worth millions.

The geographic spread of stadiums also means the pitches have to flourish in dramatically distinct climatic zones – from the humid heat of Mexico City and Miami to the cool of Toronto and Boston.

To cope with this, the researchers have developed root systems, irrigation methods and maintenance schedules that are specific to each location. They have also tested different grass species to find the ideal type for the conditions. In warmer climates the turf will consist of Bermuda grass while cooler climates will have a mix of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass.

Sorochan and his team determined that Bermuda grass pitches should be cut slightly shorter, because they're denser and dry more quickly than pitches of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass.

To help make the pitches more uniform and durable, plastic fibres similar to those used in artificial turf, have been woven into the sod.

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Kars4Kids Ad Misled Donors

The state of California is pulling the plug on the wildly recognizable Kars4Kids jingle after a judge ruled the charity’s ads misled donors about who actually benefits from their money.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian found that the organization violated California false advertising and unfair competition laws by failing to disclose that donations primarily fund Orthodox Jewish programs tied to Oorah Inc., a New York- and New Jersey-based outreach organization.

The ruling was published 8 May 2026 and comes after California resident Bruce Puterbaugh sued the charity in 2021, claiming he donated his car after repeatedly hearing the famous ad and believed the proceeds would help underprivileged children in California.

Instead, Puterbaugh learned the US$ 250 generated from his donated vehicle went to programs connected to Oorah, which focuses on Jewish heritage camps and religious outreach.

According to the ruling, Kars4Kids chief operating officer Esti Landau testified that the charity’s "primary function"is funding Oorah’s programs.

Landau also testified that although about 25 percent of Kars4Kids’ revenue comes from California, the organization has virtually no meaningful programs benefiting children in the state beyond a backpack drive described in court as a "branding exercise."

The court further heard that Kars4Kids funding was not primarily directed toward young children in need.

Instead, money supported older teens, including 17- and 18-year-olds participating in gap-year trips to Israel and related family programming.

Testimony also revealed that US$ 16.5 million was spent in 2022 on a building purchase in Israel, while another US$ 437,000 went toward "Middle East outreach."

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More Than Half Of The HIV Infected Are Gay Men Because ...

About 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV as of 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 13 percent of them didn’t know.

HIV is more common than average in men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2022, 67 percent of new HIV diagnoses were in gay men, bisexual men, or other MSM.

There only one reason why MSM have a higher risk of contracting HIV.

HIV can be transmitted through sex without a condom or other barrier method. However, the risk of transmission is higher during anal sex without a condom or other barrier method than vaginal sex without a condom or other barrier method.

And all gay men loves anal sex. They worship it.

Anal gay sex is is risky because the skin around the anus is thinner than the skin around the vagina, so small tears are more likely to occur during anal sex.

Someone without HIV is more likely to contract the virus during anal sex if they are the receptive partner — the partner whose anus is being penetrated by the penis.

The CDC recommends that MSM get tested for HIV at least once per year. People at higher risk of HIV may benefit from more frequent testing, such as every 3 to 6 months.

Not all MSM follow these recommendations. As a result, some may have HIV without realizing it. This can lead to delays in treatment and increase the risk of transmission.

As of 2022, approximately 14 out of 100 MSM with HIV in the United States didn’t know they had the virus, reports the CDCTrusted Source. In that same year, per the CDC, only 78 out of 100 gay and bisexual men with HIV in the United States received some HIV care.

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For Health Providers, Fat People Will Cost More

Obesity is a complex chronic disease. Too much body fat can cause inflammation and other long-lasting metabolic changes in the body. These changes increase the risk of many serious health problems. Risks increase with the more excess weight a person carries and the longer a person carries that weight.

Studies show that obesity in adulthood increases the risk for the following conditions:

1. High blood pressure (hypertension).
2. High cholesterol, high triglycerides, and other abnormal lipids.
3. Type 2 diabetes.
4. Heart disease and stroke.
5. Many types of cancer.
6. Chronic kidney disease.
7. Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.910 Mental health conditions, such as depression.
8. Joint problems, such as osteoarthritis.
9. Respiratory conditions, such as asthma and obstructive sleep apnea.
10. Severe illness from COVID-19 and flu.
11. Pregnancy problems, such as gestational diabetes.
12. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension18, a neurologic condition.
13. Weight stigma19 and weight bias internalization.
14. All-cause mortality.
15. Impaired immune function.

Obesity care is costly for patients, providers, and the health care system. Costs can be direct or indirect. Direct medical costs include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services paid by patients or insurers. Indirect costs include reduced work productivity, absenteeism from work, or other aspects related to sickness and death.

For adults, obesity accounted for US$ 173 billion in direct annual medical costs in 2019. Obesity led to US$ 1,861 excess medical costs per person (US$ 3,097 for severe obesity), compared to adults with healthy weight.

For children and adolescents, obesity accounted for US$ 1.3 billion in direct annual medical costs in 2019. Medical costs for children with obesity were US$ 116 higher per person (US$ 310 for severe obesity) than children with healthy weight.

Annual nationwide productivity loss due to obesity ranged from US$ 271 to US$ 542 per employee with obesity, with national productivity losses ranging from US$ 13.4 to US$ 26.8 billion in 2016.

US workers with obesity were absent from their jobs due to injury or illness an average of 3 days more per year than workers with a healthy weight.

Also, approximately 1 in 3 people ages 17 to 24 are too heavy to serve in the U.S. military. Among the young adults who meet weight requirements, only 3 in 4 report physical activity levels that prepare them for challenges in basic training. Consequently, only 2 in 5 young adults are both weight-eligible and adequately active for military service.

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Women's Tennis Icon Criticizes California Trans Policy

Women’s tennis great Martina Navratilova weighed in on the sudden trans athlete controversy in Gavin Newsom’s California, with the girls’ high school track and field championships coming up.

A trans athlete is set to compete in the girls’ tournament this year, after winning multiple state finals last year. California is continuing to let biological males compete in girls’ sports under Newsom’s leadership, prompting criticism from many activists.

Navratilova cheered on two gold-medal-winning women’s Olympians who spoke out against Newsom.

The tennis legend shared a Fox News Digital article of women’s Olympic gold medalists Nancy Hogshead and Kaillie Humphries addressing the track and field controversy.

"Right on Nancy!!! We are just built different!!!" Navratilova wrote in an X post sharing the article.

In a response to the post, Navratilova argued to another user that Newsom could take action to protect girls’ sports in California.

"Newsom could overturn this in a second. No excuse," Navratilova wrote.

In a later post, Navratilova re-shared news that the trans athlete, representing Jurupa Valley High School, is seeded first in the upcoming tournament.

"Cheating ... which at the moment the rules allow. Thanks for nothing [Gavin Newsom]," Navratilova wrote.

Navratilova, like Hogshead, is a vocal advocate for protecting women’s sports despite supporting Democrats on other issues.

Hogshead responded to a statement from a source within Newsom’s office on the issue that stated, "The Governor has said discussions on this issue should be guided by fairness, dignity, and respect," regarding the upcoming track meet and a planned protest against the trans athlete at the meet.

"Governor Newsom seems to exclude girls from his own standard of 'fairness, dignity and respect.' It is impossible to include a male — however they identify — into girl's sports and have a fair competition, respecting and dignifying the unique biology of females. Females aren’t weakened males; males and females are built from different molds, so different that it justifies formal, government-sanctioned sex segregation," Hogshead told Fox News Digital.

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Harvard President Stressed Students' Ignorance About Israel Conflict

The president of Harvard says he is "disappointed" by the Ivy League student body's ignorance and divide over the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as well as what he described as apathy toward understanding it.

"If you’re going to have strong views about an issue, I would hope that at a university you would have the curiosity to learn the facts," Harvard President Alan M. Garber said at an event in Manhattan, The Harvard Crimson reported.

The student newspaper reported that his remarks "mark a shift in emphasis for Garber, who has spent much of the past year warning about deteriorating conditions for free expression on campus." Garber previously said Harvard "went wrong" with faculty speaking out on political opinions in the classroom.

The Harvard Crimson reported that Garber said he believes the issue goes beyond faculty, calling some student attitudes "disturbing" and "ignorant."

He said he was particularly concerned that some students lack a full understanding of the issue and are unwilling to engage in debate.

"What I really felt was most disturbing as a Jewish president, but also somebody who cares personally a lot about the issues that were being discussed, is the level of ignorance among people on all sides of this issue," Garber said.

He added, "The lack of knowledge and this unwillingness to have open dialogue pain me even more."

Harvard has faced criticism following the university’s messaging regarding Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack on Israel. The Department of Justice in March filed a lawsuit against the school "for race and national origin discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students."

The lawsuit alleges that the university did not protect its Jewish and Israeli students by being "deliberately indifferent to a level of hostility on its campus so well-known across the nation that members of Congress were writing about it" and refusing "to enforce its campus rules against students who harass their Jewish and Israeli peers."

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"Looskmaxxing" Influencer Stunned The Interviewer

Braden Peters, also known by his "looskmaxxing" persona Clavicular, had an amazing comeback in his interview with "60 Minutes Australia" correspondent Adam Hegarty after he was asked if he identifies with the incel community.

"Do I identify as an incel?" Peters said. "I mean, how could you ask me that question as a follow-up after you asked me about my relationships to women. I mean, that’s quite literally the worst sequence of questions I think I’ve ever heard."

Hegarty pressed on, "Let me rephrase then. Looksmaxxing was obviously a term created by the incel community. How do you feel about being linked to that group?"

"I’m not linked to that group in any way," Peters replied. "Looksmaxxing is self improvement, right? So it’s about potentially even ascending out of that category. So that would be kind of one of the goals is to disassociate from being an incel and overcome that. So that doesn’t make sense."

Hegarty then shifted gears to Peters’ relationship with the highly controversial "manosphere" influencer Andrew Tate, who is currently facing charges of rape, assault and human trafficking in the U.K. He asked Peters, "Why do you spend time with people like that?"

"I see you want to make this political," Peters answered. "Too bad I didn’t have time to look into, you know, anything about potentially, you know, who your wife cheated with, but don’t try to go down that line of questioning with me."

Hegarty then said, "I’m not married." Peters then slammed him with a comeback before walking off, "So I could teach you about looksmaxxing, and then maybe you could switch that up. Thanks for the time, appreciate the interview."

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Rory McIlroy Makes It Back-To-Back At Augusta

Rory McIlroy made history last 12 April at the Masters, becoming just the fourth player ever to win back-to-back green jackets.

A year ago at this time, McIlory had only heartbreak at Augusta National. Now he has two green jackets, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the only players ever to win twice in a row in the tournament’s 90-year history.

This one wasn’t handed to him. After taking a record-setting six-shot lead into the weekend, McIlroy completely coughed it up, setting up an immortal-vs.-infamy, either/or scenario heading into Sunday’s final round.

Either he’d join the elite foursome or become the record-setter for the largest 36-hole lead lost at a Masters.

Midway though Sunday’s final round, it looked like it could be the latter, as Cameron Young had wrestled the lead away. And by the time he made the turn at the back, it was Justin Rose who’d vaulted to the top of the leaderboard.

But when McIlroy walked to the 12th tee, he’d regained a one-shot lead, but faced the most daunting shot at Augusta National — the thin strip of green guarded by Rae’s Creek in front. And all McIlroy did was stick it to inside seven feet, the closest all day.

One birdie putt later and all that remained was for McIlroy not to implode.

He didn’t ... barely.

Despite putting his tee shot at 18 into the woods, he hung on to finish 12-under for the tournament, one shot clear of a hard-charging Scottie Scheffler, who entered the weekend trailing McIlroy by a dozen strokes.

Now, after 17 years of waiting, Rory McIlroy has won at Augusta for the second straight year and the sixth major championship of his career, which puts him in a tie with Lee Trevino, Faldo and Phil Mickelson for 12th all time.

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