I stopped by the Dollar Store to purchase housecleaning supplies the other day and, as always, I was drawn to the book offerings. Some of the works on sale for $1 I wouldn’t take home for free. But, if I’m persistent, I usually find nuggets among the fool’s gold, like Larry McMu

A couple of studies have shown that creativity is a key ingredient to a long, happy and mentally agile life. One reason may be that in the act of creating, the brain draws on a variety of networks and, in doing so, builds new neural connections. Studies also show that creative people

Like everyone else, I try to be a good person. Above all, I resist the urge to make snap judgments about my fellowman. But, I confess, the smug attitude of the tech savvy can set my teeth on edge. David Wolman is tech savvy person. In his book, The End of Money, he writes about the ye

As I approach my 76th year, I’ve observed that there is far more trust in the world than distrust. This may sound crazy, given the state of the planet, but trust is actually commonplace. Most of our knowledge depends on it. That the earth’s diameter at the equator is 24,901.55 mil

Normally, this blog is dedicated to ideas that spring from writers whether they be authors, essayist, poets or columnists. Today, I digress to the spoken word instead. This is the political season, after all, where rhetoric takes center stage. In the race for president, much of the de

I e-mailed a friend, a former student of mine, the other day as we hadn’t communicated for a while. Naturally, I asked how he was and the answer came back just as I had hoped. He was fine. His family was fine. His job was fine. He added that he was reacquainting himself with the pia

A number of people on my Facebook page continue to express their distrust of government and their despair over the pervasive violence on the planet. Sometimes it appears that the number of countries at peace can be counted on one hand. The truth is quite different, however. A 2005 stu

Someone on my Facebook page shared a quote by Leo Tolstoy that got my brain churning: Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. I agree with Tolstoy’s observation. Change begins when individuals look within themselves. (My blog: 7/26/ 12) Blaming

A while ago, I picked up some magazines a neighbor had left in his garden for people to enjoy. Some of them were several years old. In a 2009 edition of Yes, I found a story about a writing project for juvenile boys at the Detention Center in Seattle. The program had an uneven start.

According to the Journal of Neuropsychiatry, and Clinical Neurosciences Research people who read for pleasure are 52% less likely than non-readers to develop dementia. As yet the scientists aren’t sure why but the theory is that “reading activates neural pathways that would otherw