One person8217;s hell is another8217;s high

Wow, I just went out and risked my life. How cool is that?'' So said Kristen Ulmer after flying almost 25 metres through the air, somersau...

Wow, I just went out and risked my life. How cool is that?8221; So said Kristen Ulmer after flying almost 25 metres through the air, somersaulting, landing and careering down a sheer slope on skis.

For more than 10 years, Ulmer has considered herself a full-time 8220;adrenalin sports8221; athlete. As well as being voted the craziest skier in North America, she rock climbs, paraglides and dabbles in ice climbing and mountain biking. 8220;I8217;m addicted to excitement,8221; she says. 8220;You don8217;t know what8217;s going to happen, and when you pull it off you just feel so good.8221;Extreme emotion, whether the result of skiing on thin air, conquering corporate skyscrapers or betting on risky stocks, causes a surge in adrenaline. For a selected group of thrill seekers, like Ulmer, it makes for a killer buzz. But for most of us mere mortals, that kind of excitement falls into the realm of nightmare.

While some thrive under pressure, others crumble under the strain. A pounding heart, throbbing temples, dry mouth and sweaty palms are about as far from feeling good as it gets. So what is it that makes one person8217;s high another8217;s hell?

According to David McCobb, a neurobiologist at Cornell University, our response to pressure has to do with an internal stress alarm in each of us. And just one tiny part of one protein molecule could determine when that alarm goes off. It might be the key to why some of us want to jump off buildings with a bungee cord attached, while others are content to take the stairs.

Any unusual exertion or crisis situation triggers an avalanche of hormones in the body. The cells in the adrenal glands store adrenalin in little packets and when the signals reaching them from the brain scream 8220;action8221;, the contents of the packets are released into the blood. This rush of extra adrenaline makes the heart beat faster and harder. Blood flow increases and the airways in the lungs dilate, letting more oxygen flood in. You get a rush of energy and alertness8230;.

Excerpted from New Scientist8217;, April 29Blair should take just two days off
TONY BLAIR8217;S constituents believe he should not take time off to help his wife look after their forthcoming baby.

8220;Why should be take time off work when ordinary fellas have got to go to work to bring the money in?8221; asked a woman in the Red Lion pub in Trimdon, in the heart of his Sedgefield constituency. 8220;Why should he be any different to a working class man?8221;

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In the Labour Club, where Mr Blair has a drink when in the constituency, a man said: 8220;He should do the same as the rest of us take two days off.8221;A woman in the club added: 8220;She8217;ll have a nanny. The only reason he wants some time off is to have a rest, I expect.8221;

But this was the only question on which the Red Lion and the Labour Club could agree. For while the club members remain devoted to Mr Blair, the pub has become bitterly critical. One of a group of nine drinkers, six men and three women, in the Red Lion, none of whom wanted to be named, said: 8220;At the end of the day, he8217;s done quite a bit for London and the South but nothing for us up here. I8217;ve always voted Labour all my life but I8217;m not sure I8217;m going to do it again.8221;

A bricklayer said: 8220;I think it8217;s about time he got off his arse and did something about this country. It8217;s not a white man8217;s country any more. All these people seeking political asylum we should chuck them straight back out like every other country does.8221;

Anger was repeatedly expressed about asylum seekers but no one said they intended to vote Tory because of it8230;

Excerpted from The Daily Telegraph8217;, May 20