The age of the superhero arguably began in 1938,  when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman. Slightly less than a year later, Bob Kane and Bill Finger devised Batman.  Both characters have passed their 75th anniversaries, and both of them have appeared in pretty much every entertainment medium. They have changed a great deal over the years. We’ve seen iterations of Superman as a paternal authority figure, a socialist crusader, and a Soviet hero. We’ve seen Batman as a revenge-driven psychopath, a bloodthirsty vampire, and a pop art goofball. Like any timeless character,... Read More

Coloradoans love their coffee.  Our state has been identified as one of the top places to live if good coffee is important to you.  According to a July 2015 Gallup Poll, coffee consumption habits of Americans have remained relatively unchanged since 1999, with most people consuming slightly less than 3 cups per day.  Over the years, coffee has been touted as a healthy beverage and demonized as bad for you, but drinking plain coffee in moderation can benefit your health in both the long term and short term. Studies suggest that caffeinated drinks like coffee can improve motor and cognitive... Read More

I was recently talking to someone close to me who is participating in a weight loss challenge at work.  The company hired a personal trainer to give each participant a plan to follow.  Apparently, there were some participants who didn’t like the calorie count of their food plan.  They were certain they needed only 1200 calories per day and the trainer had recommended 1400-1600 depending on whom you ask. Let me oversimplify dieting for just a minute by summarizing some basic principles of dieting. All diets work. If you eat few enough calories, you can be on the Gummy Bear Diet and will... Read More

One of the most annoying movie cliches is that of the Wise Elder. Like Chuck Norris, they exist in a constant state of alertness, waiting for the perfect moment to impart the wisdom of their years to some callow whippersnapper in need of a good old-fashioned life lesson. The Wise Elder has no inner life, no desires, and no possibility of evolving. I hate the Wise Elder role so much that my dream part for Morgan Freeman is to see him play an idiotic loudmouth whose terrible advice ruins the life of a promising young person. It does my heart good when I see an actor over the age of 50 not only reject... Read More

Being physically fit may impact your brain’s health and functionality.  A  recent study in Japan found that fitter, older men perform better mentally than less fit, older men.  The study revealed that the brains of fitter men solved problems the way younger brains do.  The prefontal cortex (PFC) is the part of the brain that governs memory, intelligence, language and vision.  The left side of the PFC  is used by younger people to understand word meaning and recognize familiar people, events and things.  In contrast, older adults use the both sides of the PFC for most mental tasks. ... Read More

All you really need to know about 10 Cloverfield Lane is that it’s an efficient and intelligent thriller. It works best if you just go into the theater cold. In fact, you should stop reading my review immediately, trust me, and go see it. Still here? If you’re hoping for a spoiler-riffic review, sorry, Sparky, it ain’t gonna happen. However, we can go into detail without going into detail. Let’s clear up a couple of things first. You can be forgiven for wondering if this film is a sequel to 2008’s Cloverfield. To refresh your memory, that was the J.J. Abrams-produced... Read More

Our genes are arranged along twisted, double-stranded molecules of DNA called chromosomes. At the ends of the chromosomes are stretches of DNA called telomeres, which protect our genetic data, make it possible for cells to divide, and hold some keys to how we age and get cancer. Telomeres keep chromosome ends from fraying and sticking to each other, which would destroy or scramble an organism’s genetic information. Each time your cells divide, the telomeres get shorter. When they get too short, the cell can no longer divide and it dies. This shortening process is associated with aging, cancer,... Read More

Movies get made for two reasons, to make money and as a passion project. But here’s the thing, a movie made to turn a profit can be made with wit, intelligence and pride. Just look at Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Casino Royale, or The Lego Movie. On the flip side of that coin, films like The Passion of the Christ, JFK, or Do The Right Thing were all made by filmmakers burning to tell a story, and they were all financially successful. But certain topics seem to be audience resistant these days. War movies might do okay, providing they’re set during World War II. However,... Read More

So, you  eat a bowl of cereal during the Late Show.  No harm in that, right?  The answer may depend on how much of a habit late night eating is for you. Research says that eating snacks and meals late in the evening can lead to acid reflux, weight gain and even impaired memory and learning ability. In 2014, the New York Times reported that as many as 40% of Americans have acid reflux.  In addition to heartburn and indigestion, reflux symptoms may include postnasal drip, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, chronic throat clearing, coughing and asthma. The high incidence of acid reflux is significant... Read More