society

New study links all soda to an early death

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soda

There are specific well-defined and also well-known steps that you can take to promote a healthy lifestyle. A new study appears to suggest that an additional one is “don’t drink soda”. You might perhaps be tempted to think that this is about sugar and that diet soda will be just fine. Apparently not. That also … Read more

Should you Trust the Wisdom of Malcolm Gladwell?

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Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell has a new book coming out this month (Sept 2019 – Talking to Strangers). If you are not familiar with who he is or his books, then perhaps a quick summary is appropriate. If you are also into behavioral economics, then the news of yet another of his books just might be motivating … Read more

Belief: What do we really believe?

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catholic

This is not really a posting about religious belief. It starts out that way, but hang in there because I’m going somewhere with this. Buckle up, it is going to be a ride with a few surprising twists and turns. What do Catholics believe? If somebody told you that they were Catholic, you would quite … Read more

Freedom of Speech vs Quackery

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Freedom of Speech

Is the legal banning of quackery a Freedom of Speech issue? It seems like a question with an obvious answer. It is also of interest because it was recently tested by a federal court. The specific case concerned Nutritionist Heather Del Castillo. The whisper was that she practising without a license and so the state … Read more

Do Violent Video Games cause Gun Violence?

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Do Violent Video Games cause Gun Violence?

In has become tiresomely predictable that instead of actually addressing the issue of gun control, yet another incident results is the easy targets being attacked. “He was disturbed” and so mental illness gets the blame. “Violent video games instil a bloodlust within our society” is yet another familiar trope. One thing is more or less … Read more