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Lack Of Imagination In Older Adults Linked To Declining Memory ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2008) — Most children are able to imagine their future selves as astronauts, politicians or even superheroes; however, many older adults find it difficult to recollect past events, let alone generate new ones. A new Harvard University study reveals that the ability of older adults to form imaginary scenarios is linked to their ability to recall detailed memories. According to the study, episodic memory, which represents our personal memories of past experiences, "allows individuals to project themselves both backward and forward in subjective time." Therefore, in order...

(CBS) MORTON, Texas -- We've seen the image of "Jesus" on toast. Even the "Virgin Mary" on a tree. But folks in the small West Texas town of Morton say they've seen the "Holy Mother" made of ice inside a freezer at the local grocery store. It started as one drip from the ceiling of a freezer at the Morton Thrifty Food grocery store. Now it has become quite the sanctuary for a lot of Catholic believers. "I wanted to cry when I saw it," said Stephanie Santos, who was visiting the ice formation. "My mom has all saints in...

Is this a joke? No, say a bunch of physicists. One day, it may be possible for a person to create a universe! This is not going to happen tomorrow. Not even close. But according to Columbia University physics professor Brian Greene, it is theoretically not impossible (which is his way of saying the possibilities are not zero) that one day, a person could build a universe. The very idea is so startling it's hard to know what this means. Think about it this way: One day (far off, no doubt), it may be possible to go into a laboratory...

Retired Army officer Drew Dix and I met at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., in 1969. As former noncommissioned officers who had received direct commissions, we became acquainted while attending the Infantry Officer Basic Course. Staff Sergeant Dix earned the Medal of Honor (MOH) in Vietnam during the 1968 Tet Offensive, and President Lyndon Johnson had presented the medal to him in the White House shortly before we met. Dix tells his remarkable story in his book, “The Rescue of River City.” The former Special Forces soldier is one of the calmest men I’ve ever known, but he...

We all know we are fighting an enemy which Pres. Bush dubbed the “Axis of Evil.” But there is another enemy. It is the blending of reality with fantasy, truth with falsehood. Of course this is nothing new but it seems to be climbing to new heights in the ongoing media blitz of the political campaign to again place a democrat in the highest office in the land. For instance, the phrase the media immediately grabbed onto from the whole 9/11 Commission’s report: “Lack of Imagination.” This is the reason 9/11 happened? If this were true, we should have artists...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – What are the limits of organic life in planetary systems? It’s a heady question that, if answered, may reveal just how crowded the cosmos could be with alien biology. A study arm of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council (NRC), has pulled together a task group of specialists to tackle the issue of alternative life forms -- a.k.a. "weird life". To get things rolling, a workshop on the prospects for finding life on other worlds is being held here May 10-11. The meeting is a joint activity of the NRC’s Space Studies Board's Task...

<p>Sen. John Kerry refuses to provide any information to support his assertion earlier this week that he has met with foreign leaders who beseeched him to prevail over President Bush in November's election.</p> <p>The Massachusetts Democrat has made no official foreign trips since the start of last year, according to Senate records and his own published schedules. And an extensive review of Mr. Kerry's travel schedule domestically revealed only one opportunity for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee to meet with foreign leaders here.</p>

The message at a technical symposium Thursday afternoon at Livingstone College was that this country needs to work harder to get children excited about math and science. Participants discussed strategies to get this generation of young people into the math and science educational pipeline as early as possible so they'll be prepared to meet the nation's increasing need for math and science graduates. Dr. Bernard Harris, a retired astronaut who was the first African-American to walk in space, participated in the panel discussion, which was moderated by John Hairston of NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Harris told his...

Travis Souders Opinion Columnist Looks like someone's a "Star Wars" fan. And taxpayers get to spend billions of dollars because of it. President George W. Bush is making plans to redefine the nature of our space program. His biggest goals are creating a space station on the moon and using it as a sort of checkpoint to send people to other planets, most notably Mars. OK, so George likes spaceships. That would be great, if it weren't for the fact that our economy still sucks, and domestic programs like education and health care are continuously getting screwed out of money....

<p>Technically, Stephen Thaler has written more music than any composer in the world. He also invented the Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush and devices that search the Internet for messages from terrorists. He has discovered substances harder than diamonds, coined 1.5 million new English words, and trained robotic cockroaches. Technically.</p>

Born into the last great era of boys' tales, I was able to battle across Barsoom (Mars, in Martian-speak) with the Edgar Rice Burroughs character John Carter and decipher Wauxums, Delameters and other space weapons. I knew who spoke for Boskone, the mysterious force for evil in the Burroughs books. I roamed the jungle with Tarzan of the Apes and explored "hot and humid" Venus "hidden behind its clouds." That was before mamas started pushing their little darlings, teenage girls tarted up and pubescent males could concentrate on the important matters in life, like finding lost kingdoms, fighting savage tribes...

Former vice president Al Gore (news - web sites) may be supporting Howard Dean (news - web sites), but retired army general Wesley Clark (news - web sites) has support in his quest for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination from ... Madonna (news - web sites). The Material Girl on Tuesday publicly threw her support behind the retired four-star general, one of nine Democrats seeking to replace George W. Bush in the November 2004 election. "I endorse him because I think he's a great guy," the pop superstar said on CNN Tuesday. "I think he's a natural born leader." Madonna...

Last Updated: Wednesday, 24 September, 2003, 11:09 GMT 12:09 UKMadonna book sells 8,000 copies This was Madonna's first attempt at children's fiction Madonna's children's book The English Roses has sold just over 8,000 copies in its first week in the UK. The book, launched amid a blaze of publicity, made it to number 17 in the national book chart, according to data company Nielsen Bookscan. It was the second bestselling children's book of the week, behind JK Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book. This week the top-selling book in the UK, David Beckham's autobiography My Side, sold 103,508 copies. Madonna's book,...

<p>The middle-aged serial slurper came to Midtown yesterday clad in an early Halloween costume - dowdy tweed suit and bushy hair - to role-play the part of an actual mom.</p> <p>We've seen this gal tied up, beaten down, with cones protruding from her bosom, and naked so frequently, it is to yawn. But Madonna's new, prissy act, unveiled on Fifth Avenue, was downright weird.</p>

Poor Madonna (news - web sites). In her new career as a writer of children's books, lightning has not struck twice. Her first effort, The English Roses, had skeptical critics baying with praise at how effectively she examines the subtle but cruel ways girls exclude those they envy or pity. The book has been translated into 37 languages, and it has been on the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list since Sept. 22. Its highest rank was No. 7. In the second of Madonna's expected five books, Mr. Peabody's Apples, illustrated by Loren Long, the pop star and mother turns her...

LONDON: "Material Girl" Madonna is said to be gearing up for a fistfight with Warner Bros Records over differences about where her Maverick Records is heading. According to PeopleNews , a reason for the impending parting of the ways may be attributed to a rumour that Time Warner is lining up to sell off the Warner Music Group. Tension seems to be brewing, as renegotiations between the two warring parties is virtually non-existent, sources close to the disgruntled Warner executives, say. Others are even predicting "a nuclear lawsuit," with the big guns of parent company Time Warner lining up for...

Madonna's bestseller November 26, 2003 MADONNA'S second children's book Mr Peabody's Apples is on top of the New York Times best sellers list for children this week. The queen of pop has topped the book chart just eight weeks after her last number one with The English Roses. Children are loving Madonna's tales. As funny as it may sound, Madonna has kept The Cat In The Hat from going number one in the book world. The Cat In The Hat is being propelled by the movie starring Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin and Kelly Preston. Madonna's career as an author couldn't...

Nobody ever says, "Madonna who?" She's part of our culture, an American success story who's maintained a media presence for 20 years now, re-inventing herself with every prevailing wind, while never, ever giving the impression she's doing anything other than what she wants to do. We are by turns impressed, embarrassed, shocked and amazed by Madonna's antics, but we're rarely surprised anymore. Madonna, the dancer from Detroit, set out to become famous and succeeded beyond anybody's but her own wildest dreams. She's 45, and shows no signs of slowing down or relinquishing her place in the spotlight; in fact, she's...

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) --The Material Girl has stepped onto the political stage and endorsed Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark. "I think he has a good handle on foreign policy, I think he's good with people, and I think he has a heart and a consciousness," pop singer Madonna said. "He's interested in spirituality -- I mean, those things mean a lot to me." The singer and children's book author met Clark a few weeks ago for over an hour. In an interview recorded last week with CNN's Denise Quan, Madonna said they discussed his becoming president. The singer told...

<p>Today we begin a five-part series on the mysteries and meanings of dreams. The series will feature dream excerpts from local residents, as well as stories on the history of dream research; nightmares and how to confront them, strange sleep disorders that include people who walk, fight and eat while dreaming; and the controversial topic of lucid dreaming -- being able to know you're in a dream and partially control it.</p>

'Cupid' and the Archaeological Imagination In the eyes of archaeologists, the Quren Ruins of Yunyang County, Chongqing Municipality is really an enigma. It is rarely seen in China to settle an archaeological site in a county, but this time a Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 220) county proper is expected. Though the truth hasn't been fully revealed yet, surprises have come out one after another. "Cupid" unearthed An unexpected gain for archaeologists working at the Quren Ruins is a little bronze man. Its height is between three and four meters. The face of the old sculpture has been blurred,...