Who needs brains when you can just ask ChatGPT? I have been remiss in my blogging of late, and I can blame some of it on promoting “Mosaic Pieces,” my true crime book that is not yet a national bestseller. It has received a great reception from those who have read it, and I’m looking forward to a June 3 signing in Williamsport, PA— the city where the murder case was tried way back when. There are [...] READ MORE
Recovering from a stroke—an attack on the brain—is a tough way to run for the U.S. Senate. The most indelible story of the recent midterm election, other than what appears to be a rejection of election denial and most candidates running on that premise, might be called the Ballad of John Fetterman. It revolved around the stroke that befell him just four days before the May Primary from which he emerged with the Democratic nomination for one [...] READ MORE
Brains sometimes have storms but minds have a more stable climate. This is a revision of moldy oldie of a newspaper column I wrote well before the turn of the 21st Century in 1990 when my mind, for what it’s worth, was much sharper. You’ll likely notice that I refer to the year 2000 as if it’s in the distant future. The subject was the source of our thoughts and being— the mind and the brain— often [...] READ MORE
Don’t mind me if I pick my brain. The potential of the human mind is limitless. That’s a no-brainer. Well, without a brain, you couldn’t have a… Never mind. Anyway, I’m not talking about people who don’t have brains. Their potential for having a mind is severely limited. It has been demonstrated after years of pseudo-psychometric research and exhaustive testing of people (who don’t seem to mind) that if you still don’t have a mind once you [...] READ MORE
Is that your head or someone’s misshapen big toe? Just one letter can change meaning. The political landscape is getting crazier and crazier, but is it crazy in a good or a bad way? Are facts important to you— such as the things people actually do and say— or do we really have the option of alternate facts? How about the alternative of optional facts? My recent blog about the overwhelming evangelical support for President Trump was [...] READ MORE
Staying ignorant of the truth is literally a no-brainer. We live in an epidemic of lying. Research shows that about 60 percent of adults lie at least once in a ten-minute conversation. About 40 percent lie on their resumes, and 90 percent lie on their online dating profiles. — Dr. Amit Sood, Director of Research, Mayo Clinic’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why people lie, and why some seem incapable [...] READ MORE
I saw the movie “Concussion” about a month ago, and I left the theater wondering what it will mean for the future of my favorite sport. In the movie Will Smith portrayed Dr. Bennet Omalu, who made the scientific connection between concussions in the National Football League and a brain disease he named chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The disturbing disintegration and tragic death of Mike Webster, former All-Pro center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, belatedly brought the issue into public [...] READ MORE
