My book reviews last year were almost all fiction–my first love. This year, probably deriving from the pragmatic issues of our time, I read some non-fiction books, one of which stood out. It is WHY SOME IDEAS SURVIVE AND OTHERS DIE: MADE TO STICK by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. What the Heathi point out […]

James Carroll, writer, former priest and outspoken commentator on the Catholic Church and its future, speaks in today’s Daily Beast. His words on the sexual abuse crisis are worth reading. As Europe is seeing fresh priest abuse scandals like here 8 years ago, Carroll points out that Bishops and other leaders within the Church, not […]

New studies using human networking theory gives a clearer idea of how infectious diseases such as the common cold, influenza, whooping cough and SARS are spread through a closed group and also through large populations. The results are published in this week’s Journal Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences. Volunteers in a school were […]

According to some reports, Facebook is now cleaning up its legal act with pending and threatened litigation, in order to set the stage for taking the company public. Presently valued in excess of 40 billion,  with infusions of funders from various quarters, the growing powerhouse could become the largest and most powerful internet phenom, exceeding […]

Why are Evidence and Reliable Sources So Important? An opinion without evidence remains just an opinion. Without evidence to support an opinion it is not open to refutation and consequently unsubstantiated and very weak. When evidence is offered it can be checked and if it passes muster the argument is greatly strengthened. It also shows […]

The Economist Magazine analysts report that global action is not going to stop climate change and that the world needs to figure ways to live with it. Even if carbon dioxide emissions were to stabilize where they are now, the world would still warm by half a defree as the ocean catches up. Sea levels […]

U.S. ARMY soldiers will soon learn to eat and exercise like professional atheletes as part of the soldier athelete initiative. Performance nutrition and injury prevention will be the focus and will include flexibility and coordination training; proper hydration; food choices and preparation for intense battle.

Researchers studying the effects of intense exercise on the aging process were themselves surprised at the results which show that with intense exercise daily, not only delays the aging process  but it also staves off or slows many chronic disorders and regenerates brain cells. Dr. Giselle Petzinger (USC) says that intense exercise changes the brain […]