Blog Posts by Sarah B. Weir, Yahoo! blogger

Gray and glamThere is one thing most presidents have in common at the end of their first terms: more gray hairs. The graying of the Commander-in-Chief is symbolic of the stress associated with being top dog in the world's most powerful nation. However, research shows that psychological stress does not, in fact, impact the color of one's locks.

Photo: President Obama, Going Gray

For both presidents and the rest of us, gray hair is simply a part of the normal aging process, and the rate you go silver is genetically predetermined. Going gray is not associated with earlier mortality, and premature graying is not, generally speaking, a sign of a illness or ill health in younger adults. There are, however, some specific health conditions, such as vitiligo (an autoimmune disorder that causes uneven pigmentation) associated with gray or white hair, but for most of us, going gray is just a fact of life.

Related: Gray Hair's in Fashion, but What About at Work?

Hair color comes from the pigment

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Hege Jeanette OksnesThe old saying is "third time's a charm," but for Hege Jeanette Oksnes, who works selling hot dogs at a gas station, numbers one and two were pretty lucky too. So far, every time this 29-year-old mom of three has a baby, a family member hits the Norwegian lotto jackpot.

Also on Yahoo: Mass. Man's "Wrong Ticket" Wins $1M

In 2006, Oksnes's father Leif, 58, won 4.2 million kroner ($718,000) betting on the national lottery the day before Oksnes gave birth to her first child. Three years later, she herself won 8.2 million kroner ($1.4 million)--again on the day before she had her second baby. On Saturday, her 19-year-old brother, Tord, nailed the triple win by landing a whopping 12.2 million kroner ($2.1 million) shortly after her third baby was born. "I was shocked," Tord told Shine in an interview. "I didn't believe it." The teenager, who was informed by telephone, asked the lottery representative to send him a photograph of the computer readout of the winning number.

Read

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While slightly more subtle than their Vogue Italia compatriot's "slave earrings" from 2011, the "Blackamoor" motifs that rolled down the runway at Dolce and Gabbana's Spring 2013 show on Sunday are sparking controversy and accusations of racism. Art historically, "Blackamoor" describes sculptures or decorative motifs of dark skinned African servants, usually wearing a turban. Although nowadays the images are generally considered to be offensive evocations of slavery (akin to lawn jockeys or "Mammy" dolls), the super-luxe brand splashed them across the front of their dresses-which were made of burlap, no less. Ebony faces topped with head wraps also dangled from the models' earlobes. The blog Madame Noir points out that what makes the images particularly jarring is that all those earlobes were white-D&G didn't feature one woman of color on its catwalk. "For whatever reason, a black woman wasn't fit to be in the show; but she could certainly be used-exploited- as a form of decoration

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Dave Engledow tells Shine that the first picture he snapped in his "World's Best Father" series featuring his daughter, Alice Bee, was supposed to be a single shot. "When Alice was about eight weeks old, I wanted to portray what I felt like at the time: a clueless, sleep-deprived dad." He posted the image on Facebook and received such a positive response he decided to create a series of images that parodied the distracted narcissism that characterizes some parents today. "I wanted to appeal to my friends who are parents, but also make something funny for people without kids who are sick of seeing baby photos." He combines multiple images and uses digital retouching to create the humorously perilous scenarios.

He now has more than 50 images all of which feature a kitchy "Worlds Best Father" mug-something he says he bought "on a whim." A couple of weeks ago, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to self-publish a calendar of the best pictures. He says he would love to

Read More »from World’s Best Father: Photographer Pokes Fun at Distracted Dads

As long as there are no allergy issues, a simple peanut butter sandwich seems like one of the safest and most wholesome foods one could eat or feed to a child. However, the recent Trader Joe's peanut butter recall (which has now been expanded to include 100 different products that contain nuts and seeds made by supplier Sunland) highlights how food poisoning can come from our favorite, most nutritious foods. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that about 48 million Americans per year are infected with bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens from contaminated food. Nearly 150,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die. Some sources say that the numbers could be as much as double the CDC estimates. Germs spread from meat and poultry account for 30-40 percent of infections, and according to Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), 10 other items cause another 40 percent of cases. Safe handling, washing and cooking are highly recommended to reduce the risks.

Read More »from 11 Foods Most Likely to Cause Sickness

Couric talks to Lovato (photo by: ABC/IDA MAE ASTUTE)Katie Couric appears to be a golden girl moving from one award and success to the next, but on Monday's episode of Katie she reveals how she struggled with bulimia as a young woman. Speaking with eating disorders expert Dr. Cynthia Bulik, the news-anchor-turned-talk-show-host says, “I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that. And I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that’s wrong, you’re full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself, whether it’s one cookie or a stick of gum that isn’t sugarless, that I would sometimes beat myself up for that.” She adds, "How do you have a healthy relationship with food and and say, 'I can have one cookie and its OK.' That is such a huge thing for people who wrestle with this."

[Related: Demi Lovato: I Still Struggle With Cutting, Bulimia]

For Couric, getting the message out is part of a personal mission. “As the mother of two daughters, it's an incredibly important topic to Katie,” Couric’s

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Tomato braised chickenAlice Waters is often knocked for being elitist, but her incredibly useful book The Art of Simple Food is about as basic as they come. It's the perfect cookbook to give any twenty-something just setting up her or his first kitchen, but experienced cooks will also find a wealth of tips and recipes.

One of my favorites is Water's easy weeknight recipe for chicken legs braised with onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs. All summer, my go-to chicken dish is grilled boneless skinless thighs-they can be seasoned 100 different ways and make excellent leftovers tossed into a salad on a steamy night. But as the days get a little cooler, at least here in Brooklyn, I'm starting to think about gently cooked meat, succulent and falling off the bone. Thank you Alice Waters for inspiring this easy, cozy dish to contribute to the Shine Supper Club.

4 chicken legs or 8 bone-in thighs

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced thin or diced

3-4 cloves

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Wayne Watson, courtesy ABC News"I probably look like a fairly healthy guy, but I only have, on a good day, about 53 percent lung capacity," Wayne Watson tells ABC News. On Wednesday, a jury awarded the 59-year-old Denver native $7.2 million in damages against Gilster-Mary Lee Corporation, The Kroger Company, and Dillon Companies Incorporated because of a disease he allegedly contracted from his favorite snack, microwave popcorn.

Read more: Scariest Food Additives

'Popcorn lung' is the informal name for bronchiolitis obliterans, an ailment usually associated with factory workers who inhale high levels of diacetyl, the chemical used in artificial butter flavorings. Symptoms include wheezing, dry cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. The condition can require a lung transplant or even be fatal. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that lung biopsies of sick workers from plants that produce microwave popcorn show scarring of the bronchioles, the smallest airways in the lung, which restricts

Read More »from Popcorn Lung: Could a Favorite Snack Be Dangerous?