The word of the year is pragmatic. You know, as in being practical, as opposed to idealistic. As in being logical. As in capturing the current American mood of encouraging practicality over frivolity. And now it has been named word of the year by Merriam-Webster. Here are the top 10 words of 2011 and their meaning:

1. Pragmatic: practical as opposed to idealistic
2. Ambivalence: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings, such as attraction and repulsion
3. Insidious: treacherous
4. Didactic: designed or intended to teach
5. Austerity: enforced or extreme economy
6. Diversity: variety, especially the inclusion of people of different races or cultures
7. Capitalism: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision and by prices, production and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market
8. Socialism: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
9. Vitriol: something felt to resemble vitriol especially in caustic quality; especially, virulence of feeling or of speech
10. Apres moi le deluge: French term that means "after me the deluge," attributed to King Louis XV
 

For something we spend half our life doing, a lot of us are pretty awful at sleeping. Here are our top 10 tips for falling asleep faster, getting quality rest, and waking up easier in the morning.
 

10. Prepare a Worthy Bed
 

while your bed probably isn't the primary cause of insomnia, snoring, or other sleep problems, it can certainly contribute to your comfort at night. Make sure you're using the right pillow based on your sleep type, and when it comes time to buy a new mattress, make sure you shop smart (and don't get fleeced). Once you know it isn't your bed, you can start getting to the bottom of your sleep issues.
 

9. Eat Better
 

What you eat can greatly affect how you sleep, even during the early half of the day. Eat breakfast first thing in the morning to sleep better at night, and make sure it's a big one. After eating well throughout the day, avoid eating spicy or junk foods at night, and instead choose something that will help you drift off. And remember: no booze! Not only will it not help you get to sleep, it'll cause you to snore all night, too.
 

8. Wake Up Pleasantly, Not Roughly
 

The days of the ever-annoying *bzzt*-*bzzt*-*bzzt* alarms are over. Instead of being jerked awake by an old clock, consider getting a smart alarm app for your phone, like our favorites for iPhone and Android. Then, try waking yourself up more comfortably. If you need a bit more of a push, of course, we've got more methods for manipulating yourself to wake up. And, whenever possible, do it without stimulants -- caffeine can wreak havoc with your brain and body.
 

7. Exercise in the Morning
 

Exercising in the morning or afternoon -- not at night -- can help deepen your sleep and make sure you fall asleep quicker, according to a study by the National Sleep Foundation. If you aren't much of an exerciser, there's no better time than now to upgrade your health and fitness routine than now.
 

6. Fix Your Sleeping Position
 

You may not realize it over the course of the night, but your sleeping position could not be great for your body -- or the quality of shuteye you get. Find out which sleeping style is best for you, and make a conscious effort to fix it when you go to bed, and you'll wake up feeling more refreshed in the morning.
 

5. Cool Yourself Off at Night
 

Cooling down your body temperature makes a huge difference in how easy it is to fall asleep, but that can be hard to do when it's hot outside (or when your significant other has body temperature nearing the surface of the sun). From DIY air conditioners to cooling pillows to more extreme methods, we've got the lowdown on staying cool while you sleep. Just make sure you don't wake up freezing in the morning -- that's never a fun way to start the day.
 

4. Get the Perfect Amount of Sleep
 

Not everyone needs the same exact amount of sleep, but with a little trial and error, you should find your sweet spot pretty easily. Count back 7.5 hours from when you need to wake up, and make sure you get to bed at that time -- then adjust accordingly. Of course, you could also try a webapp like Sleepytime to help you calculate the perfect number of hours, too.
 

3. Learn to Nap Like a Pro
 

if you feel yourself getting drowsy during the day, you might be tempted to nap -- but that can be disastrous for your sleep schedule if done incorrectly. Learn to master the power nap, then calculate the best time to nap and crank one out then (if you have a hammock, all the better). And, if you really want to make the most of your naps, try a caffeine nap to reboot your brain in the middle of the day.
 

2. Cultivate the Perfect Evening Routine
 

As the end of the day rolls around, you should be winding yourself down for bed to get the best sleep possible. If you really want to fall asleep easily, take some time to cultivate the perfect evening routine -- some light reading, a nice bubble bath, and something that doesn't involve a backlit screen -- to fall asleep quickly and keep your energy up the next day.
 

1. Get Some Help From Technology
 

if your sleep cycle seems beyond repair, you might need to get some outside help...from our favorite therapist, technology. From cheap methods like sleep tracking apps to full-on sleep tracking gadgets like the Wakemate, we've tested a number of technological sleep aids and found them to be rather helpful. If you're really motivated, you can reboot your entire sleep cycle and get the rest you deserve, and your midday self will thank you for it.
 

It’s funny how this winter has been one of the mildest with very little snowfall yet we still end up with an endless number of incidents on the 401 and 403 through Oxford County. 3 to 6 on Friday and another 9 car pile up on Saturday a day in which weather conditions were good. It essentially boils down to slowing down, giving yourself enough stopping distance and playing it safe. All of these situations (over the past few days) could and should have been avoided.

This video below was shot in New Hampshire during a storm last February. One of the cars defies the laws of physics. The result seems quite humorous in hind site by my hope is that none of us ever have to test that law in a real life situation.

January is Alzheimer Awareness month and the Alzheimer Society of Oxford will be hosting 3 Walks for Memories to help raise funds for people living and supporting those with Alzheimer’s and other dementia. Something that is often talked about in delaying or avoiding different types of dementia is to give your brain a work out. I found this story on Sympatico that will give you 5 ways to exercise your brain. Click here to see them.

I found this story on line yesterday. I'm not saying it's good or bad or funny or weird, it's just plain interesting. Our society seems to be so over sexualized to the point where it's in your face everywhere you go. It's actually somewhat refreshing to hear that people have actually avoided all the pressure and stayed virgins into their 40's. To read the story click here.

This is an intersting list. I don't think it's gospel but causes you to think a little at the start of a new year.

01…Stop spending time with the wrong people
02…Stop running from your problems
03…Stop lying to yourself
04…Stop putting your own needs on the back burner
05…Stop trying to be someone you’re not
06…Stop trying to hold onto the past
07…Stop being scared to make a mistake
08…Stop berating yourself for old mistakes
09…Stop trying to buy happiness
10…Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness
11…Stop being idle
12…Stop thinking you’re not ready
13…Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reason
14…Stop rejecting new relationships because old ones didn’t work
15…Stop trying to compete against everyone else
16…Stop being jealous of others
17…Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself
18…Stop holding grudges
19…Stop letting others bring you down to their level
20…Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others
21…Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break
22…Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments
23…Stop trying to make things perfect
24…Stop following the path of least resistance
25…Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t
26…Stop blaming others for your troubles
27…Stop trying to be everything to everyone
28…Stop worrying so much
29…Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen
30…Stop being ungrateful
 

TOP: According to E Online these are the ten biggest celebrity stories of 2011:

10…Demi Moore Ashton Kutcher split
09…51 year old actor Doug Hutchinson marrying a 16 year old girl
08…Amy Winehouse dies at 27
07…Kim Kardashian Kris Humphries wedding and implosion
06…Hackers raiding the phones of Scarlett Johansson and Mila Kunis
05…Dr. Conrad Murray convicted in the death of Michael Jackson
04…Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals he had a child with the housekeeper
03…the Harry Potter series ends
02…Charlie Sheen’s Winning Meltdown
01…Prince William marries Kate
 

There are many things you can do to live longer and healthier. Here are a few simple things you can do right away.

Eating less calories and eating proper foods will significantly reduce your risk of some cancers, heart disease, and diabetes.

Sleep well: Getting good nights sleep can do wonders for your mood and over all health.

Exercise: Get out and have some fun. In Oxford you can get exercise at the Woodstock Badminton Club. Join the Woodstock Volleyball League. Woodstock Minor Footballs Coed Recreation League or many other clubs and sports organizations.

To see 15 things you can do to help you live a long healthy life visit MSN's Lifestyle article by clicking here.

Men, if you want your online dating site photo to catch a woman's eye, don't smile. Instead, do your best to look proud and powerful. And if that doesn't work, just pout so you look moody or even ashamed. When it comes to raw sex appeal, women are not initially attracted to smiling, happy men. This is especially prescient advice for men who are posting their photos on online dating sites. Women, if you want a man to do a double-take when he sees you, smile. Give it all you've got. And if that doesn't work, then adopt a look of shame. That's the word from a study led by Jessica Tracy at the University of British Columbia in Canada, which shows how non-verbal cues, such as posture and expression, affect initial sexual attraction in both genders. The study: Just over 1,000 heterosexual men and women participated in four different experiments where they were asked to view photographs of the opposite sex and rate their sexual attractiveness. Each of the photos of male and female models featured one of four facial expressions:

• Happy with a wide smile
• Proud with a lifted chin and a puffed up chest
• Ashamed with downcast eyes and a lowered head
• Neutral
 

Each photo was rated on a nine-point scale, with one being unattractive and nine being extremely attractive. Women gave the highest sex appeal rating to the men who were puffed up with pride, followed next by a neutral expression and those who were shame-faced. Men who smiled were given the lowest rating. Men found women who were smiling or shame-faced to have the greatest sex appeal, while prideful and neutral expressions were found to be the least desirable.
 

When it comes to treating colds and flu’s we all have our own home remedies. Do they actually work? MSN has done some research and they say there are 25 foods/drinks that can indeed help you over come the ache’s, pains, sneezing and sniffling. Click here for a closer look.