New York Times writer, Nocholas Kristof identified an inconvenient truth, recently, about the liberal mindset. Progressives have great empathy for war victims in other countries, for the poor and even abused chickens, but show little tolerance for conservatives. (Click)   As proof,

Recently, guilt and shame were topics in a New York Times column by David Brooks (3/15/2016).  When my blog on the same issue appeared a month later, (Blog 4/25/2016), a reader emailed me a copy of those earlier remarks.  Not crucial but immediately evident was a difference in the d

Labiaplasty may be one of the saddest words I’ve ever heard and only just learned.  It refers to plastic surgery performed to alter the folds surrounding the female vulvae with the intent of giving them a clam-like appearance.  In the case of a birth deformity, the procedure has i

Guilt and shame seem to describe the same human condition. Both reactions arise from having done something wrong.  According to the experts, however, the two are different.  Guilt is a response to a specific action, an event external to an individual.  Stealing a cookie from a shop

Coloring books for adults are all the rage.  One retired acquaintance admitted she’d recently bought a book, attracted by the elaborate patterns.  She insisted a high degree of concentration was necessary to stay within the lines, a comment which made me think of the earnestness o

Memory for most of us is a window into our past and the glue that holds our personality together.  When my mother can’t remember what she ate for breakfast or if she’s been given her medication, I am filled with sadness.  But what I’m reflecting is my bias.  My mother is happ

Ticks, those tiny arachnids that feed upon blood and leave their calling card in the form of Lyme disease, arrive with the warm weather and thanks to global warming, they are extending their habitat, bringing “novel and emerging tick-related viruses with them.”  (“The Tick Pred

Medical treatments can be both miraculous and a curse.  We’ve all marveled at commercials where a drug’s side effects seem worse than the ailment.  I had a graphic experience last week.  My doctor proposed shooting dye up my arm as part of an examination.  Unfortunately, the d

Thinking makes it so.  The brain’s ability to create its world is the subject of my novel Trompe l’Oeil and that of much scientific research.   I might appear to be repeating myself unnecessarily by bringing the topic up again.  Nonetheless, new studies are giving us a greater

“…few people realize just how much information algorithms can cull from their routine activity on Facebook and Twitter.”  So writes Johannes Eichstaedt as he reveals the types of research that’s going on at social media sites.  (“Stressed, Angry, at Risk? By Johannes C. Ei