The Energy Healing Experiments

By Gary E. Schwartz, PhD

"When you were a child, did you ever play with a crystal radio? When I was around eleven years old, I spent many wonder-filled hours listening to Long Island and New York City radio stations with my toy crystal radio set."

The Great Life Diet

By Denny Waxman

"As a child, I refused to eat vegetables. Lettuce and tomatoes (in a sandwich) were the only exceptions. My mother was an excellent cook but I didn't appreciate her skills. Food was a problem for me. Once a week I was permitted to have dinner out with my friends. These were the meals I liked best. I ate all the junk food my body could handle. Whether consciously or not, throughout my childhood I refused vegetables completely. I would eat my mother's vegetable soup only if she strained out the vegetables. I was that bad! In light of this confession, it strikes me as highly ironic that I have spent most of my adult life trying to convince other people to eat their vegetables."

The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership

By Steven B. Sample

"To a greater extent than we realize, and to far greater extent than we would ever care to admit, we are what we read."

Thrive

By Brendan Brazier

"As the body carries out normal functions such as movement and digestion, it naturally becomes increasingly acidic: Acid formation is a natural by-product of a healthy metabolism. The normal biological function becomes a problem only when an inordinate amount of food is consumed. As I mentioned earlier, nutrient-dense, high net-gain food is key. The lower the net gain of the food, the more that must be consumed to obtain all the nutrients the body needs. This leads not only to an overconsumption of empty calories but also to the digestion of more food than is necessary. The more food that passes through the system, the more acidic the body will become."

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

By Rebecca Skloot

"I told her I was hoping to talk to David, and she asked who was calling. Rebecca, I said, afraid she'd hang up if I said anything more."

Just Kids

By Patti Smith

"I needed to get another job. My friend Janet Hamill had been hired at Scribner's Bookstore, and once again, as she had done in college, she found a way of giving me a helping hand by sharing her good fortune. She spoke to here superiors, and the offered me a position. It seemed like a dream job, working in the retail store of the prestigious publisher, home to writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and their books, where paintings by Maxfield Parrish hung in the stairwell."

In Defense of Food

By Michael Pollan

"So scientific eating is an old and venerable tradition in America. Here's how Harvey Levenstein sums up the quasiscientific belies that have shaped American attitudes toward food for more than a century: 'that taste is not a true guide to what should be eaten; that one should not simply eat what one enjoys; that the important components of foods cannot be seen or tasted, but are discernible only in scientific laboratories; and that experimental science has produced rules of nutrition which will prevent illness and encourage longevity.' Levenstein could be describing the main tenets of nutritionism."

Time Alive

By Alexandra Stoddard

"The rooms we occupy are not still lifes. They are living, breathing spaces where we go to celebrate every day. While there will be many different rooms in ours lives, each one we feel comforable in and enjoy living in will have a great deal of influence on our mood and outlook."

The Detox Strategy

By Brenda Watson

"While allergic reaction to mold (experienced by one in three people) is the most common health problem associated with exposure, many symptoms (either alone or in combination) may also result."

The Secret

By Rhonda Byrne

"Action is a word that can imply "work" to some people, but inspired action will not feel like work at all. The difference between inspired action and action is this: Inspired action is when you are acting to receive. If you are in action to try and make it happen, you have slipped backward. Inspired action is effortless, and it feels wonderful because you are on the frequency of receiving."

The Agenda

By Bob Woodward

"The morning of October 4, 1992, Clinton called Stephanopoulos into his suite at the Grand Hotel in Washington. Clinton was grumpy. He was scheduled to travel to North Carolina to deliver a speech on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)."

B is for Beer

By Tom Robbins

"Costa Rica is downstairs from Mexico. With your mother's help, you can locate it in Volume C of that old encyclopedia that used to provide your bedtime stories. What the map won't tell you is that Costa Rica has done more to preserve its natural environment than any country on Earth, and that it has no army. No navy. No air force. It's hard to believe, isn't it, that any modern government could be that enlightened or any modern population that civilized? Since their government also guarantees free health care, and since it's reasonable to assume they aren't tying their shoes too tight down there, Madeline's business prospects may be limited, but, hey,it's personal freedom not hundred dollar bills that lights the soul's cigar, and I hope they're teaching you that in kindergarten."

Mrs. Greenthumbs Plows Ahead

By Cassandra Danz

"His mother's flowery mead was so successful, he turned much of what was a formal English lawn into meadow as well. Instead of resting solidly on perfectly manicured greensward, a series of topiary sculptures now seem to float to a waving sea of color and undulating grass."

101 Commonsense Rules For The Office

By John R. Brinkerhoff

"There are circumstances in which it is better to do something by yourself rather than wait for help. Perhaps time pressure is intense or there is a good chance the help will be late, insincere , or inadequate. Maybe you have a great stake in the project. If you really love it and have confidence in yourself, go head. Take a chance. Don' wait for help."

The Works of Plato

Edited by Irwin Edman

"Euthyphro. I quite remember."

The Assalt on Reason

By Al Gore

"The following week, in addressing a joint session of Congress, Bush said god had foreordained the outcome of the conflict in which we were engaged because "freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."

The Curious Gardener's Almanac

By Niall Edworthy

"Pea and Mint Soup

Plain boiled or steamed peas are a simple and tasty accompaniment to many meat and fish dishes, but it is almost as easy to make a delicious soup from them. Boil about a pound of freshly podded peas in about a quart of vegetable or chicken stock along with a largish potato and an onion, both chopped roughly. When the ingredients have softened, whiz them in a blender and then return the mixture to the pan and stir in some cream and a small handful f chopped mint."

Managing By Storying Around

By David M. Armstrong

"All companies go through tough times, and Armstrong, unfortunately is no exception. In 1987, for the first time since the Depression, we put a wage freeze into effect to help us get through what looked like it would be a very difficult year."

Quest For The Best

By Stanley Marcus

"It is reported that Renoir once said to Cezanne, "How can you wear that cravat? Can't you see it's in bad taste?" to which Cezanne replied, "If it were in bad taste, I wouldn't be wearing it"."

The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health

By Michio Kushi and Alex Jack

"The roots of macrobiotics stretch back in time. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates coined the term makrobios to refer to longevity and health. To understand why he was known as the Father of Medicine, we have to go back and look at the worldview that prevailed in that era. People commonly believed that health and sickness, life and death, fortune and misfortune, were governed by the gods. The gods and goddesses including Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Hermes, Apollo, and many other, were believed to live on Mount Olympus in northern Greece. The common view was that if you went to temple, prayed, and sacrificed, the gods would bestow upon you long life (makrobios), health, wealth, prosperity, many children, and all the blessings of life. Conversely, if you didn't go to church, light incense, burn candles, or carry out the rituals of that time, the gods would send you short life (mikrobios), sickness, accident, plague, sterility, misfortune, and disaster. Throughout the ancient world, people believed that what little influence, if any, we had on health and sickness, life and destiny, was through religious faith and practice.