Why It's Hard to Stop Believing In Santa Claus

The Origin of Fighting

Born to Perform

Why It’s Hard To Stop Believing In Santa Claus
When, as a child, I first encountered the idea that Santa Claus might not be real, I balked. Usually, I looked up to older, wiser kids, but they seemed naïve to suggest that my parents were actually stuffing my stocking. Why, on December 24th, would the weatherman bother using his radar to track a hefty gentleman flying around the world in a sleigh if he weren't a genuine, jolly old elf called Saint Nick? On this one, I sided with the younger kids, still enchanted with visiting Santa in the shopping mall and rattling off mile-long wish lists--it appeased my young mind. O

Born to Perform
Few events in popular music were as momentous as the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. Paul McCartney recently revisited the Ed Sullivan Theater to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman, and he recounted a story about his early appearances as a young man. As he waited to go onstage, a stage manager asked McCartney, "Are you nervous? "No, not really." "You should be, there are over 70 million people watching." How can someone be relaxed before such a tremendous occasion, a 3-minute opportunity

The Origin of Fighting
I've always sided more with the lovers than the fighters of the world, so on first look aggression perplexed me. Wouldn't the world be a better place without people vengefully cutting each other off in traffic or callously cursing at cashiers in the supermarket? Some forms of aggression seem unnecessary for the continuation of our species and therefore maladaptive and atavistic, an evolutionary leftover like male nipples.Aggression is a social behavior that intends to harm another individual, and the individual finds that harm aversive and would seek to av

How ‘Smart Drugs’ Enhance Us
The French Revolution was largely conceived in Parisian coffee houses such as Café Procope, where the radical journalist Jean-Paul Marat sipped java during his energetic diatribes and Robespierre's habitual consumption only increased his rebellious fervor. Voltaire reportedly guzzled over ten cups each day. Although they didn't know about caffeine at the time (it wasn't discovered until 1819, 30 years after the French Revolution), they certainly didn't overlook the stimulating effects of consuming a cup of perk. Some coffee-enthusiasts might suggest that imbibing the early-morning helper contributed to the monarchy's demise and the rise of the new Republic.

Flaming, Joe Wilson, and Hitler
As a PT blogger, I've been both honored by the virtual company I keep and interested to read what opinions, ideas and knowledge those peers have to impart. Apparently not everyone is so appreciative of their online community. A recent controversial event, where Congressman Joe Wilson spoke out in the middle of President Obama's nationally-televised address, captivated the attention of an international political community and sparked a flurry of media debate about the implications of Wilson's outburst. The PT blogging community offered its own take on the matter, including an intriguing question by