The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization has disclosed that, when grown conventionally, strawberries are contaminated with more types of pesticides and in higher concentrations than any other produce tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. EWG analyzed test results of more than 35,000 samples […]

How can you describe America? Ronald Reagan famously called our country a “shining city on a hill.” Ralph Waldo Emerson opined that “America is another name for opportunity.” What do I think? I think America is a seriously weird-ass place. Here, I’ll prove it to you. The Creation Museum, located in Petersburg, Kentucky, displays the skeleton […]

There have been studies conducted to determine if happy people live longer.  In a study from the UK, one of the longest-running studies on aging,  older people who said they were happy, were less likely to die over a five-year period. And the happier they were, the longer they lived. The study results showed that older […]

Every week before I see the movie I end up reviewing, I talk to my kid about it. He’s 8 years old, bright, and possesses a goofy sense of humor. Sometimes he’s interested in what I’m going to see. Other times, his attention is captured by more lofty subjects.* I mentioned offhandedly to him that […]

When I was young, my mother went to the beauty salon to get a wash and set every week.  In between salon visits, my mother did not wash her hair.  These days, Americans seem to be almost obsessed with being clean, showering one or more times per day and washing their hair daily or almost […]

Hardcore Henry is not a good movie. Hardcore Henry is an awesome movie. Let me explain.  Some films, like Spotlight, exist to illuminate an injustice. Other films, like United 93, are made to create an intense emotional reaction, to imagine ourselves in an unimaginable situation. Still other films, like The Shawshank Redemption, are inspirational fodder, designed to make us feel that we can […]

Not to sound like a drug commercial, but are you experiencing hormonal fluctuations, weight gain, sleep problems?  If you are having these symptoms, yoga might be the answer! There is no doubt that yoga makes you feel better. Practicing the postures, breathing exercises and meditation makes you healthier in body, mind and spirit. Research shows […]

In December of 2013, a wedding was scheduled in Yemen. This was not unusual and, with the exception of those participating, not particularly noteworthy. On December 13, the day of the wedding, a convoy consisting of approximately 60 people traveled from the home of the groom to a neighboring village where the bride lived. According […]