Around the world, Mardi Gras celebrations are in full swing. Revellers everywhere are getting into the holiday spirit by eating too much, drinking too much, partying too much. Of course?historically, at least?It’s all in anticipation of the much leaner season of Lent, during which fasting and other penitential acts were (and still are) encouraged. A… Read more »
We’ve all heard about toxic friendships?relationships in which one party is always taking, always dumping, always using the other. Where that other party is underappreciated, or even scorned or mocked. Or where one party is so consistently offensive or has such a negative attitude that it actually affects the life outlook of the other person… Read more »
With February 14th just around the corner, the card companies, chocolate manufacturers, and florists are out in full force. With all that comes the inevitable barrage of Valentine?s-related media, ranging from romantic classics marathons on the old movies channel to pop psychology articles encouraging us to use the holiday as a springboard to improve relationships… Read more »
Childhood obesity: few will deny that It’s a serious problem facing North America today. But there’s significant disagreement over the cause of the trend, and even more debate over possible solutions. Last week, we looked at the movements targeting fast food manufacturers who use kid-friendly marketing. Although well-intentioned, these campaigns are missing the point: before… Read more »
Out of sight, out of mind, the old saying goes. And on paper, it makes sense: when your two-year-old spots a plate of cookies sitting on the counter, you simply relocate it. Soon enough, She’s forgotten all about it and goes on her merry way. Outside of the toddler world, the old adage doesn’t apply… Read more »
What happens when what will someday happen exists parallel to what could have happened? When what didn’t happen is interspersed with what still could be? Existentially confused? Oddly enough, that can be a good thing. In Mr. Nobody, Belgian filmmaker Jaco van Dormael takes on heavy questions of existence, choice, and consequence, and weaves them… Read more »
So, have you broken them yet? I’m not talking about the ugly vases gifted to you by your easily-offended mother-in-law, but points to you if you managed to pull it off (talk about a great start to the year!). I’m talking about the much-hyped, much-desired, and frequently much-maligned New Year’s resolutions. Equal parts serious, self-building… Read more »
This selection originally appeared August 27, 2010, in issue 1834. Sustained triple-digit temperatures, no rain, and the resulting death of my azaleas and tomato plants have led me to appreciate water a little more this summer. That’s why, when I came across National Geographic‘s Water Footprint Calculator, I was intrigued. I’d had to break out… Read more »
?Like a kid at Christmas.? The popular saying conjures up a romanticized image: a couple of sweet children dancing excitedly around the Christmas tree, eyes wide at the pile of presents from Santa, faces alive with the magic and wonder of the season. But what is a kid at Christmas really like? As parents?whether in… Read more »
Who wants to live forever? Throughout the centuries, the human race has hungered after immortality, all the while struggling to make sense of its various manifestations. Many thousands of years BC, Gilgamesh set out on an epic quest to learn the secret of immortality. Yet his searching was fruitless; he returned home with nothing more… Read more »