**1/2 Barcelona: Seix Barral, 2005 (Spanish) WASHINGTON, DC, April 16, 2013 – Gioconda Belli’s El Pergamino de la Seduccion,The Scroll of Seduction weaves together two stories: the life of Juana of Castile in sixteenth century Spain and the story of Lucía, a young girl in 1970s Madrid. Perceptive and extensively researched, Belli’s narrative reveals a […]
April
03
Greek coffee may be the key to a long healthy life
posted by lasesana
Greek scientists think that a Greek coffee is one of the reasons the residents of Ikaria live longer From my column at Communities @ Washington Times WASHINGTON, DC, March 19, 2013 – The residents of Ikaria, a Greek island on the Aegean Sea, live significantly longer than most other communities. In a study published […]
April
03
Scientists clone extinct frog embryo
posted by lasesana
Could the woolly mammoth be next? From my column at Communities @ Washington Times WASHINGTON DC, March 18, 2013- Researchers from the Lazarus Project are on their way to bringing back an extinct frog species to life. Led by paleontologist Mike Archer of the University of New South Wales, scientists successfully created early-stage embryos of […]
April
03
Bee venom may kill HIV
posted by lasesana
A toxin found in bee venom may be a new weapon against HIV infection From my column at Communities @ Washington Times WASHINGTON DC, March14, 2013 –A paper published in the current issue of Antiviral Therapy suggests that bee venom may be the next line of defense against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. While […]
March
26
The Boy in the Suitcase, Lene Kaaberbøl, Agnete Friis, New York; Soho Crime, 2011, Nina Borg #1
posted by lasesana
Original language: Danish Nina Borg is a Red Cross nurse who has trouble saying no when someone needs help- even at the expense of the people she loves most. In the first book of a series, Lene Kaaberbøl introduces Borg and hurls her into a situation where she will have to face all of her […]
March
25
Death by salami: New study finds processed meats may lead to early death
posted by lasesana
Large-scale European study reiterates link between processed meats, cancer, and heart disease. But you can still eat chicken! From my column at Communities @ Washington Times WASHINGTON DC, March 11, 2013 – Say it isn’t so! To the woe of all cold cut, bacon, bologna, and prosciutto lovers, yet another study finds that those […]
March
25
More gun laws equals less gun deaths, maybe
posted by lasesana
New study finds gun deaths may be significantly reduced by stricter gun control laws, but what is needed is more research From my column at Communities @ Washington Times This piece got over 50 comments when it was first published on the Times website. No matter what your position is, some people’s comments show that […]
March
25
Santa Muerte: Unusual saint gaining popularity in Mexico and the US
posted by lasesana
Originally the saint of drug traffickers and criminals, Santa Muerte is attracting a whole new class of converts From my column in Communities @ Washington Times WASHINGTON DC, March 04, 2013 – At a time when devotion to the Catholic Church is in decline, the cult of Santa Muerte, a Mexican folk saint, is flourishing […]
EcoScraps: New ideas in recycling
posted by lasesana
A company changing the way we view trash and waste From my column at Communities in The Washington Times WASHINGTON DC, February 26, 2013 – Waste is rampant in our society. Americans produce over 200 million tons of trash every year- enough to fill a major league football stadium twice a day. According to some […]
March
12
Mediterranean diet reduces heart disease, study confirms
posted by lasesana
Researchers in Spain find that a diet rich in olive oil and nuts and low in processed foods and red meat can reduce heart attacks and strokes From my column at Communities at The Washington Times WASHINGTON DC, February 28, 2013 – A new study released Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded […]
lasesana 