Tens of thousands of volunteers across the U.S. and Europe passed out free books to celebrate World Book Night. For a struggling industry World Book Night may have seemed like an ingenious marketing ploy.  But to the volunteers and the readers, these books were a lovely gift. For one special day, volunteers gave out books [...]

I did indeed fit the ADHD profile, or perhaps you could call it an ADHD stereotype: the student who had a lot of potential, if only I would apply myself.

The law of attraction. Create your own reality. Manifest the life of your dreams. The buzz sucks us in—who wouldn’t want to achieve the ideal life simply by thinking the “right thoughts?” But what are the facts? This recurring column for skeptics explores the scientific research on the mind-body connection and the power of thought [...]

I’m facing a moral and environmental dilemma and I’m not sure what to do. Earlier today I was ready to march up to my landlord’s door, (let’s call him Russell) and  um, and, yes I would…well, and my plan  got stuck there at inception  because what would I do? Berate him for cutting squares of [...]

Last Tuesday was the monthly letter-writing meeting for my city’s Amnesty International chapter. We wrote to Cuba, to Columbia, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates. We joked of how we’ve written so many times to Myanmar, that we no longer need to look up the spelling or the pronunciation of Senior General Than Shwe and [...]

Jimi closes his eyes with raised eyebrows that arch with heaven and steeples. His left arm reaching for breath and guidance from the angel; a purpled wing. My eyes now close with the aromas of someplace, of exploration and eruptions. From sleepy dreams and wisps of smoke that curl my hands, Purple Haze finds its way [...]

Butterflies add delicate beauty to any garden, especially so the monarch with its brightly colored, stained glass window wings. Attracting these wonderful creatures to your garden simply involves offering butterflies a rotating array of colorful annual and perennial flowers that supply these delicate beauties with nectar all season long. Who doesn’t smile at the sight of butterflies dancing joyfully from [...]

Comic artists are the coal miners of the industry: working insanely long hours and creating the raw material that the rest of the industry is built on, but not always sharing an equal part in the wealth it produces.

Last Thursday, twenty-four-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates mascot, Andrew Kurtz, lost his job due to an overly critical statement posted on his Facebook page. The baseball team was on the heels of an eleven game losing streak when Kurtz used his Facebook account to reveal his discontent with the team’s management.

Let me just say this up front.  I have no love of BP.  I am not an apologist for the energy industry or for the environmental havoc wreaked in the ocean.  Any negative consequence that comes to a company that creates such devastation is deserved. But, in a very real way, it is not BP’s fault.  It is [...]

The uncapped BP well head continues to spew crude oil, gas and icy slush into the Gulf of Mexico. Various efforts, both commercial and homegrown, have failed to contain the problem. As each day passes without a solution, the impending catastrophe casts a longer shadow of gloom over the residents of the affected area. Fishermen [...]

Dr. Devi is a holistic practitioner residing in the countryside of Northern Malaysia. He and his wife cooked up a delicious meal during my visit to their home last October, and I had a chance to talk with him as part of my independent volunteer trip. A woman I’d been helping out asked me to [...]

It’s something you’ve heard far too many times by any northerner who’s either on vacation, or has recently come back from vacation. Or, if you live in the southern U.S. (or in any warm climate around the world), you’ve more than likely heard people say it right to you. “Why don’t I live here?” “Why [...]

On Monday, both “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” ran segments on Arizona’s new immigration law. The emphasis in both bits was on the idea that police in Arizona will stop Latino “looking” people on the street and demand proof of citizenship.  What does the new law really say?*  Here is the full text [...]

The age at which men first marry (among those who do marry) has always been greater than the age at which women first marry. We can see this dating all the way back to 1890, the earliest year for which the Census Bureau provides data. (See the table below.) Perhaps even more interesting is another [...]

  The collaboration of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp is nothing new. They’ve been together a total of nine times, and they’ve brought in some good money from the theaters. However, when Burton works with Depp, he has a tendency to remake a text, such as “Alice in Wonderland”, which is currently in theaters. At [...]

Assemblyman Félix Ortiz has never been one to shy away from unpopular issues. Earlier this month, however, he went out on a dangerous limb. In an effort to save New York State from supposed health risks involving the common food ingredient known as salt, he brought into doubt his entire career.

I am no fan of pantyhose.  The mere sound of the term “pantyhose” is just not appealing.  Who named them anyway?  To make a long story short, a guy by the name of Allen Gant invented them back in 1959.  They were quite revolutionary in that they eliminated the need for multiple “foundation” garments (thank [...]