HAL’S HEADLINES: Winter tourism growing fast

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I’ve said for a long time we need to embrace our winter weather and use it to attract more tourists who want to experience activities and attractions in snow, ice and cold. Don’t get me wrong, we do a pretty good job already but more would be better. Or as Travel Manitoba CEO and president Colin Ferguson puts it, there’s great momentum. Winnipeg hosted the Winter Cities Shakeup Conference this week. Delegates came here from across the country and around the world to share ideas. Ferguson says winter is our province’s fastest-growing tourism product. He told me he’s inspired by some of the brilliant stuff that’s being talked about locally. I opened the phones on my radio show to see what new winter attractions my listeners would like to see. Yes, an indoor waterpark came up. Of course, it did. But there were some other interesting ideas too, like groomed trails for electric snowmobiles on Winnipeg’s frozen rivers. And we’re not just attracting people from elsewhere anymore. As pandemic lockdowns started to lift, Manitobans chose to spend more time exploring their own province, a trend that continues.

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FEELING YOUNGER

The key to feeling younger is acting younger. Researchers in the UK polled adults on the effects of nostalgia and youthful behaviour on mental and physical health. And nearly three-quarters of them said forgetting you’re an adult occasionally was important to their health. So watch an old cartoon, pull a prank on a friend or play a classic board game — it might make you feel younger.

GOOD VIBRATIONS

A Beach Boys hit makes people happier than any other song. Good Vibrations, according to a university professor’s scientific formula, checks all the boxes. Dr. Michael Bonshor who’s a music psychologist says a couple other happy tunes are I Got You by James Brown and Pink’s Get The Party Started. They all have a number of things in common including a major key, a strong beat and a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure.

TRUE CRIME OBSESSION

There may be a reason for our obsession with true crime. And it could go back 300,000 years. Research scientist Coltan Scrivner says the morbid curiosity might have a learning component to it, or at least a perceived learning component. “We feel like we’re more prepared in these kinds of situations.” And many fans of the genre agree.  Learning about these crimes helps them avoid similar situations, said 76% of true crime fans surveyed.

WD40 COLOGNE

MSCHF, an art collective specializing in unique products, has announced a new cologne inspired by WD40. Please don’t just squirt WD40 on your neck, the makers of the world’s most popular lubricant spray advise against applying it to your skin. The cologne, however, is made exactly for that. Smells Like WD40 is available on Instagram for $48.

— Hal has written columns for years. He’s also the host of Connecting Winnipeg weekday mornings from 10 to noon on 680 CJOB. You can email him at Hal@HalAnderson.ca.