Leisure and learning

Today, Essex County Newspapers presents the second part of a three-part series: Pulse 2000.

This effort, which has involved about 100 people, is designed to focus on business trends -- trends that affect all our daily lives, now and in the future.

The first section was about manufacturing; today's is about health and leisure activities; and the third is about wealth. All illustrate the varied and vibrant North Shore economy.

Pulse II covers a wide swath of life on the North Shore, from the Vegas Express casino ship to community colleges to the area's beautiful natural resources.

The first half of the section focuses on tourism and leisure, or how people spend their non-working hours. Tourism has become a booming business. In Salem, the Essex National Heritage Area is busily developing creative ways to market the North Shore's historic sites. Others throughout the region are promoting the arts, whether through paintings or theater or music, or the region's nature preserves.

While some are working to promote the North Shore to visitors, others, such as Mark Whiting, general manager of the Northshore Mall, are devoting themselves to improving services for residents.

Also in today's section is a segment on health and education. Reporter Julie Manganis explains the challenges and opportunities facing today's health-care leaders. Meanwhile, non-traditional health practitioners, including yoga teacher Janet Green Garrison, are tapping into a growing market.

Another growing market is education. Today's workers need to continually update their skills to keep up with changing technology and on the North Shore, there are numerous opportunities for adult learners, from the traditional classroom to Internet classes that can be taken right at work.

We hope that this section is informative, entertaining and thought-provoking. If you have comments you'd like to share, please e-mail them to mfine@ecnnews.com, mail them to Meredith Fine, Gloucester Daily Times, 36 Whittemore St., Gloucester, Mass., 01930, or call 978-283-7000.

Finally, the Pulse series would not have been possible without the ideas and support of local businesspeople who took the time to attend three focus groups and the extraordinary efforts of our staff.

In particular, thanks to Monique Burns, Jane Enos and Merrily Buchs for their editing assistance; graphic artists PJ Ryan and Dan Ryan; and the dozens of reporters, photographers, page designers and advertising staff who made the section a reality.

_Meredith Fine, editor