DENA-KAY MARTIN AND RACHAEL ROSSI

SAD in Buffalo: Lack of Sunlight Contributes to Winter Depression

Those dreaded months of snowbrushes and salt rings on jeans are now officially here. But when it comes to mental health, gloomy winter days can be much more than just a nuisance.According to the Web site for the SAD Association, Seasonal Affective Disorder affects about a half million people during the colder, sunlight-lacking months of September through April, with December January and February being the most affected months."It's not an independent disorder.

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Sparring For the Fun Of It: Tae Kwon Do is On the Rise

By DENA-KAY MARTIN AND RACHAEL ROSSI | Oct. 1, 2004

It has been some time since martial arts first made its way to the Western world; today the particular practice of martial arts known as Tae Kwon Do is growing in popularity in Western New York and is said by some to be on its way to becoming something of a national pastime."We've gone from having just one location to four locations," said Samantha Scime, a second-degree black belt and instructor at Master Chong's World Class Tae Kwon Do Center in Amherst."Each of our schools has between 400 and 500 students from all different age groups," she said.A unique aspect of the sport is its unique belt system, implemented in order to recognize each student's progress."Generally it takes about three to four years for students to get a black belt," said David Kowal, a black belt instructor at Master Chong's World Class Tae Kwon Do Center in Amherst.

DENA-KAY MARTIN AND RACHAEL ROSSI

SAD in Buffalo: Lack of Sunlight Contributes to Winter Depression

Sparring For the Fun Of It: Tae Kwon Do is On the Rise

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