[In Overdosed America, Dr. Abramson cites CDC data indicating that over the course of the past 100 years, life expectancy read more

[In Overdosed America, Dr. Abramson cites CDC data indicating that over the course of the past 100 years, life expectancy has increased by a remarkable 30 years. Yet according to the CDC report quoted by Abramson,] 25 years of this gain are attributable to advances in public health. ... These include improvements such as sanitation, clean food and water, decent housing, good nutrition, higher standards of living, and widespread vaccinations.

If anything, we did overkill,

If anything, we did overkill,

People are neither dismissive nor cynical, ... They believe that the changes will matter and some of the early evidence, read more

People are neither dismissive nor cynical, ... They believe that the changes will matter and some of the early evidence, such as the rate of goal-scoring, bears out their expectations.

At middle age the soul should be opening up like a rose, not closing up like a cabbage

At middle age the soul should be opening up like a rose, not closing up like a cabbage

We just don't really like each other.

We just don't really like each other.

Small projects need much more help than great.

Small projects need much more help than great.

Finding parts for these old tractors is a challenge. Many steam engines were scrapped during World War II for scrap read more

Finding parts for these old tractors is a challenge. Many steam engines were scrapped during World War II for scrap metal,

Will the animated avatars come out on the market? Yes. Will people buy them? Yes. They're fun and entertaining. But read more

Will the animated avatars come out on the market? Yes. Will people buy them? Yes. They're fun and entertaining. But there's a limit to what consumers will spend -- they're already buying games, ring tones, videos, and music. The average cell-phone bill is already around $50. And consumers have shown [a willingness] to spend an extra 5% to 10% a month for data services. But they're not going to spend an unlimited amount for more and more services.

In general, it (the study) appeared to have succeeded in gathering and combining a lot of different points of view. read more

In general, it (the study) appeared to have succeeded in gathering and combining a lot of different points of view. It's clear that there isn't a silver bullet to deal with some these issues, but there's potential for looking further into the viability of some of the ideas presented.