Inner Nature: Cannibalism – proscribed or protein?
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
Expose a young mouse mother to a stressful stimulus – say a sudden loud noise – and she may eat her own pups. Rough for the young. But what turns a mother from nurture to cannibalism in an instant? Bees will also eat their young – younger larvae first – under some circumstances ([1]). And humans too. Why do they do it?
Cannibalism, which is the consumption...
Inner Nature: Virgin Births
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
December seems a good time of year to bring up the topic of virgin births. Religion aside, this is actually an interesting and significant biological topic. Curiously, virgin births have been documented in all vertebrates with jaws with the exception of mammals. To be clear, the majority of organisms on this planet – single celled bacteria and protists – normally...
ReFirement at Any Age: ‘Tis the Season to….
By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
Fill in the blank…
The holiday season is in full swing! The beauty of sparkling lights and festive decorations in homes and lining the streets reminds us of all that is grand during this time. The scents of fresh evergreen trees and homemade baked goods add to the aroma surrounding homes everywhere. Families gather, creating memories encircled with laughter...
Becoming the Best U: Sharing excerpts of my new book about my fight against cancer
By Nancy Plummer, Columnist, The Times
Hi! I wanted to share with you a few excerpts from my new book “Becoming the Best U: The Lessons Cancer Taught Me” since November is National Caregivers Month! I’m fortunate to be one of the lone survivors of ovarian cancer stage 4 and metastatic brain cancer, and my son was one of my fiercest advocates and caregivers. Together, we wrote this book to let...
Inner Nature: Enduring Aging
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
This week, a Penn’s oak tree fell over in my neighborhood. It was on the grounds of the London Grove Meetinghouse, and we were all familiar with this venerable tree. It’s falling was a sad passing. Word spread on the grapevine, and we all went to pay our respects. A Penn’s oak is an oak which was presumed to have been alive when William Penn landed in Penn’s...
ReFirement At Any Age: Individuation
By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
Individuation. I had not heard of this principle until recently. It intrigued me to learn more and eager to share it with you.
My interpretation is that it’s a recipe for an amazing blessed-filled life if you understand it and practice it.
Here are my findings…
Individuation is a profound psychological concept that was first introduced by Swiss psychiatrist...
Inner Nature: The need for sleep
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
The death-like appearance of sleepers has fascinated people for millennia; death is even euphemistically called “eternal sleep”. But why do we and other animals need sleep? A good night’s sleep is considered a key to a clear head, and most of us sleep between 6 and 8 hours. But some notoriously high achievers, including Leonardo da Vinci Nikola Tesla, and...
Becoming The Best U: Improving your resiliency
By Nancy Plummer, Columnist, The Times
Question: I lost my job during Covid and since then I can’t seem to pull myself out of my funk. Other friends of mine lost their job too, but they seem to have dealt with it just fine. Heck, one of my friends decided to start her own company after getting fired from her last job. She’s loving life! What’s wrong with me? What do they have that I don’t?
Bess...
Inner Nature: Wasps, ants and bees
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
Summer. A time to kick back, relax and read, or listen to podcasts.
I enjoy podcasts, especially science podcasts. Two of my favorites are The Infinite Monkey Cage from the BBC and Ologies with Alie Ward. Both are erudite but also light-hearted and don’t take themselves too seriously – which is one of the failings of politicians, economists and some scientists,...
ReFirement at Any Age: Ubuntu
By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
Ubuntu is translated as, “I Am Because You Are, You Are Because I Am”
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reading about how we humans are all connected. We are different, but by the same token, we are the same. It seemed only natural that I share this concept of Ubuntu with you so that you may experience what this could mean in your life.
The...
