Morality, Wall Street, & Capuchin Monkeys

In Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic, Charleston Heston descends from Mount Sinai to deliver morality from God to His people. The Ten Commandments  indicates that it comes from the top down, from the deity to us. We are told what to do and that is that. But does moral behavior depend on rules from on high?

Facts You Always Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask About

Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet. Hence, "to take a crap". I can think of many ways for my name to be remembered, but that isn't one of them.

Poet Hart Crane's father invented Life Savers candy. Crane committed suicide by jumping off a cruise ship into the Gulf of Mexico. Defying all logic, there is really no connection between the two facts. Dare I say he did not have a life saver?

Famous last words:

The Curious Case of the Benjamin Button Jelly Fish

Is immortality worth it? What if you could turn off the aging clock? You see your loved ones die around you as you keep your fresh face. Or, is there another way to look at all this?

The Axe Murderess's DNA Lives On

Consider this. You are a neuroscientist with a special interest in the brains of psychopaths. Knowing your interest, your mother suggests you check your own family tree for skeletons in the closet. Some of your ancestors were strange indeed, she says. You do that and discover that, among other psychos, Lizzy Borden, the Axe Murderess, is in your family tree.  You check DNA in your immediate family and are astonished at what you find.

There I Was, Minding My Own Business When Socrates Spotted Me

To sharpen my wits, sometimes I imagine myself in ancient Athens queried by Socrates. But suppose this, I ask myself--suppose he has been asking people very tough questions so when I see him I try to duck out of sight, but it is too late. He spots me on a street corner.