Superpower Fantasies

The top single superpower adults would most like to have:

To read minds: 28 percent To fly: 15 percent To be invisible: 11 percent To possess super ...

Displaced Ruler a Prisoner of His Own Appetite

Thomas Costain's book The Three Edwards describes the life of Raynald III, a 14th-century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald ...

New Religion Based on No Authority

A new religion invented by a Massachusetts psychologist has been gaining popularity over recent years. Called "Yoism," this system of beliefs ...

Woman Healed of Wounds from Sexual Abuse

When Marion Duckworth was in first grade, the Depression had just ended, and talking about anything related to sex—especially sexual abuse—was ...

Air Purifiers Can Pollute Houses

In May of 2006, the Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association published a study conducted by the National Science Foundation on the side effects ...

Children Who Can Delay Gratification Become More Successful

Around 1970, Walter Mischel launched a classic experiment. He left a succession of 4-year-olds in a room with a bell and a marshmallow. If they rang the ...

Warnings for Fools

The following warnings were found on consumer products:

On a Duraflame fireplace log: "Caution—Risk of Fire."

On a Batman costume: "Warning: ...

Only God Is Great

In 1717, King Louis XIV of France died. Preferring to be called "Louis the Great," he was the monarch who declared, "I am the State!" ...

Benjamin Franklin's Moral System Leads to Pride

Even the best of humanists devise systems of ungrace to replace those rejected in religion. Benjamin Franklin settled on 13 virtues, including:

Silence: ...

Augustine on Death

It is necessary to die, but nobody wants to. You don't want to, but you are going to, willy-nilly. A hard necessity that is: not to want something that ...