WAITING TO EXHALE

Quit smoking and enjoy benefits quickly

Smokers who are trying to quit can take heart that successful cessation efforts pay off quickly. A University of Wisconsin-Madison study of former smokers found that they had healthier arteries within a year of quitting. The improvement, confirmed with ultrasound tests, means the quitters lowered their risk of heart disease. About one-third of the 1,500 study participants succeeded in quitting, and the quick improvement in their overall health should encourage smokers everywhere that it's worth it to keep trying.

LET THE SUN SHINE

Set your clock back, dude, or don't

Daylight Savings Time began this week with little notice in Hawaii.

As Detroit Free Press columnist Michael Rosenberg commented, Hawaii does not observe it “;on the grounds that it's Hawaii and it can do whatever it wants, dude. If you live in the middle of an ocean, you get to make the rules. This is inarguable.”;

We're not arguing with that.

TRAFFIC RELIEF

Spring break for schools is a break for drivers

Rush-hour motorists get a break this week and next — spring break.

Traffic is lighter than normal, thanks to spring recess this week for Hawaii's public school students. And no, this break wasn't due to sudden budgetary constraints; it was already on the calendar well before Furlough Fridays reared their ugly head.

The relaxed commute should continue into next week, when the University of Hawaii's 10 campuses close for their spring break.

So soak in those extra minutes, take a few more leisurely sips of coffee — because come March 29, things get back to jam-packed normal.