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...
Inner Nature: The nature of instinct
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
One of the unexpected sights driving around my neighborhood in Chester county is seeing an adult male peacock with a magnificent tail walking about the streets. Peacocks are native to the tropics, and are the national bird of India. This peacock was probably bought as a pet, maybe as a pair, maybe alone. He’s since become feral, and has no partner. He has a big...
Becoming the Best U : Fining summertime memories
By Nancy Plummer, Columnist, The Times
Question: Summer is my favorite season and yet I never seem to make the most of it. I feel like every year I turn around and it’s September and I’ve done nothing exciting or memorable. Any advice to make this summer a great one?
Rochelle – Philadelphia
Answer: I understand Rochelle. I think most of us would say they let summer slip away. In the blink...
Inner Nature: Sentience
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
Two books released over the last two years: Lars Chittka’s “Mind of a Bee” and Stephen Buchmann’s “What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories and Personalities of Bees” have thrown into turmoil the question of sentience – the capacity for feelings – of honeybees, and whether we humans truly understand the capabilities of minds that operate...
ReFirement at Any Age : Be the change you want to see
By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
Living in this world can be challenging and hard to understand but it can also be inspiring.
How is that possible, you may ask?
Well, if we can’t change the way something looks, maybe we can change the way we see it.
How we do that is by clearing our minds of judgment and just look at a person or situation and make the effort to fully understand what we’re...
Inner Nature: Rock honeybee encounter in Chennai, India
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
I am currently in India. My father lives in Chennai, a city on the southeast Bay of Bengal coast, in a flat (apartment) in a tower block. Recently a swarm of honeybees showed up and settled on a large waterpipe that ran above a public stairwell. Anxious that passersby would get stung, a decision was made by the maintenance crew to call in pest control. A previous...
Becoming the Best U: Your questions about Mothers’ Day
By Nancy Plummer, Columnist, The Times
Question: Mother’s Day is coming up and I need advice. My daughter, who lives nearby, just had her second child and I have no idea how to help her celebrate this wonderful holiday. My daughter isn’t one for chocolate or flowers. Any ideas?
Sue – Philadelphia
Answer: I agree with you, Sue, Mother’s Day is a wonderful holiday and its origin is based in Philadelphia!...
ReFirement at Any Age: The season of renewal
By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times
Did the warm winds ever leave? In our area, if felt like the season of winter never showed up, at least weather-wise.
Regardless of the lack of snow and consecutive cold days, there were more hours of darkness to contend with, which affects our mood. Gloomy days lead to gloomy ways of thinking, so in spite of the mild weather, we had to work extra hard to...
Inner Nature: Shapes of animal bodies
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
The study of animal form and function is both illuminating and fascinating, panning from simple to complex forms. The morphing started 750-odd million years ago. At this time, the Earth was not young by any means! It was already about 3.5 billion years old (80% of its age today, which is about 4.3 billion years old) and populated by cyanobacterial mats, and single-celled...
Inner Nature: Inosculation
By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times
I was taking a walk the other day (in a tropical country) and came across limbs from two trees that had twisted around each other and had actually grown into each other, presumably sharing their vasculature at the point of contact. These kisses are termed inosculation. It happens when the bark between the abutted limbs wears away due to friction and the vascular...
