As Francis Collins is a renowned scientist and (I'll wager) a fairly sensible researcher, it's a bit sad to read that he doesn't appear to realize he most likely chose Christianity as his religious explanation simply because that's the primary religion to which he was introduced when he was a child. Had he been born of Muslim parents, I've no doubt he would be heralding the Koran as the definitive religious compilation. Had his folks been Buddhist, he would surely be crediting the achievement of Nirvana as his main belief.

History proves that it was violence and oppression that lifted Christianity to the lofty heights it currently occupies, even though its humble beginnings revolved around the creation legends of a mid-eastern desert tribe. As Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith observes, "Imagine a future in which millions of our descendants murder each other over rival interpretations of Star Wars or Windows 98."

In imagining that some future earthly catastrophe destroyed each and every reference to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and the only 'idols' remaining were those of jolly, bearded men in a red, fur-trimmed suits, I’ve no doubt that Santa Claus would soon be credited as the creator of the universe. And perhaps the claim of an elfin baby, born of a virgin reindeer, would soon follow.

Unfortunately, Collins only seems to prove (again) that humans are the least evolved creatures on the planet, for what else explains their massive fear of death, so strong a fear that they must invent a spiritual being that promises to ultimately save them from it?

I believe that the majority of people use the term 'friend' too loosely, mistaking as friends those who are actually acquaintances.

"...we are nonetheless asked to queue for absurd lengths of time, subject to embarrassing pat-downs and confiscation of our belongings, lest anybody make it onto an aircraft with a pair of pointy scissors or a screwdriver."

Having recently reviewed TSA carry-on guidelines, imagine my surprise that the following items are permitted in carry-on baggage.

7" screwdrivers

Corkscrews

Knitting and crochet needles

Scissors - metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than four inches in length

Don't believe me? Check for yourself. http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

Lotion, lipstick, and hair gel are now the most dreaded terrorist weapons. Dang, where's Rod Serling when you need him?

It's a fairly well-known fact that JFK's Pulitzer Prize-winning Profiles in Courage was both researched and ghostwritten by others, many of them from Joe Kennedy's personal staff.

While I learned of this in the Joe Kennedy biography, The Sins of the Father, readers may search Cecil Adam's site, The Straight Dope, for the history in brief.

I'm curious as to why Cary didn't question whether or not Scatterbrain receives a certain socio-emotional solace from her Information Adventures, because I could have written Scatterbrain's letter.

In my own case, I have come to realize that I use the Internet as a way of connecting to while disconnecting from society in general. I've analyzed, reanalyzed, and re-reanalyzed my own Internet Information Obsession, and my being painfully shy and socially timid has a lot to do with it – at least, the trivia I discover gives me something to talk about...

The key to never becoming overweight is really quite simple. When clothing feels a bit snug, immediately cut down on food intake and never buy the next size up in clothes. Constant body awareness prevents out-of-control weight gain.

My still slim and trim elderly father has lived his entire life by the above mantra, and he also eschews the use of scales, declaring that he doesn't need a machine to alert him that his clothes feel tight.

When I overlooked his mantra while married and slowly ballooned from a size 10 to a size 16, it was during the era of tracksuit fashion - for years, I was allowed to wear the suits to work, and big did I become as a result. It took me 1.5 years of slow dieting to get back to a size 10 - a body puts on weight slowly, and it needs to come off slowly. Constantly wearing pants with elastic waistbands means snugness can't be detected until too many pounds have been added to one's frame.

Wansink gets an A+ for noting both plate size and the over-portioning problem arising when eating from large containers. I eat every meal at home off a salad plate, and when I have a craving for snack crackers, candy, or potato chips, I never eat directly from the box or bag. I have a few ramekins I use for snack portions, and the small size of the dishes keeps me from pigging out.

Great article.

Fiercely quirky, post-menopausal, virtual hermit seeks Lewis Blackesque sugar daddy with sharp wit and dull expectations. Must prefer wine tasting over squirrel hunting. British accent and easy way to UK citizenship a plus. Woman, two score and ten. Box unused since 1997.

Try Reese White Cheddar Cheesoning for your popcorn. Mmm, mmm, good.

Of all the reviews I've read about 23, this is the first to mention the alleged 'top secrets' this movie apparently doesn't deliver. Thanks for saving me the time and the money.

Having recently read an allusion to this, then the current publicity is very con venient indeed.

Okay all you Neocon Grover Norquist fans, this redeployment of injured troops (and the recent Walter Reed fiasco) is what it looks like getting government "down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

Happy now? Well, continue your rejoicing: BushCo now has all the reason in the world to justify hiring more $1,000 a day Blackwater 'soldiers' to fight in Iraq. Wait - I meant 'contractors'...