Science has finally answered a woman’s age old question: Why do men exist?  (Click)  Apparently, nature opted for variation rather than replication and so the “X” chromosome gained the potential to become a “Y” chromosome, introducing competition.  An amoeba, dividing end

No question about it, technology is taking us into brave new worlds, worlds that until now were the purview of science fiction. One example is a recent article by James Surowiecki who warns about the problems we can create when we use robots as stockbrokers, allowing them to respond t

I wish literary critics would say what they mean.  Being vague or abstruse hardly qualifies them to make comments about other people’s writing.  Jason Guriel’s recent praise of Clive James’ poem, “Japanese Maple,” is an example of critical opacity. (“A Final Flood of Col

When I went to a small, liberal arts college in the late 1950s, my annual expenses — tuition, room and board — came to $1,800 a year.  Working in the summer and part time on campus during the school semesters, I could pay my way without accumulating debt.  Today, attendi

Like everyone else, I worry about identify theft.  The stories I’ve read of what people have to go through to reclaim their personal information are harrowing.  Losing your identify  can happen to anyone.  Certainly, the recent stories about hackers stealing thousands of persona

Here’s a new phrase to add to your lexicon: “situational awareness.”  Situational awareness means being aware of the terrain — something I could use whenever I open my sock drawer.  The term takes on a new meaning when we’re discussing outer space, which, believe it or

Several years ago, I suffered from a chronic ailment which traditional medicine couldn’t address.  Doctors recognized the problem, but were ignorant about the cause and so, there was no treatment.  Sharing my disappointment with a friend, she suggested I see a naturopath, one she

I was having lunch by myself the other day at the retirement center when a woman sat down across the table and remarked, “You seem like a happy person.  Are you?”  Well, that’s a conversation starter, I thought.  Since I live alone, it’s true, I don’t spend much time argu

One of the lovely benefits of emails is that I can leave a message for someone to pick up at their leisure.   Phones are a gamble.  A ring might interrupt someone’s shower, or nap, or a family argument.  No matter how polite my reception, I fear I might be an intruder.  Sending

I’ve had a new doctor for the past year, a young woman in her thirties.  My first medical exam with her turned up no interesting ailments or complaints, so this year she decided to expand her search by giving me one of those crude, mental fitness tests.  Apparently, I passed becau