‘Downton Abbey’: Nothing Succeeds Like Excess
'Downton Abbey,' the movie, is bigger, if not exactly better, than ever.
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Osteoporosis Prevention
The greatest bone loss occurs is in the first 5 years after menopause. This is what every woman in her 40s should do to optimize lifelong bone health.
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Poetry Sunday:
“Before the Killing Frost,” by Diana Whitney
“Before the Killing Frost” is suffused with longing for the natural world—an almost physical grief at summer’s end—and the longing for a beloved.
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Untouchable: Weinstein’s Victims On Camera
A new contribution to the vast reporting on the Harvey Weinstein scandal is a documentary film, 'Untouchable,' by Ursula Macfarlane now streaming on Hulu. While it is by no means complete, it offers an in depth account of the personal stories of several of his victims.
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Vita & Virginia: Literary Love Story Lacks Spark
'Vita & Virginia' is lovely to look at, and the content is interesting from both historical and literary perspectives. But, the relationship at its center is never quite as all-consuming as it should be.
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Memory, Aging and Dementia
The symptoms of dementia vary depending on type, but all of them are characterized by nerve cell death that results in loss of memory, language, and other cortical functions, including the ability to communicate, reason and participate in daily activities.
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Poetry Sunday: “Ink on Paper,” by Judy Halebsky
“Ink on Paper” seems to prioritize unarticulated feeling over rational thought and movement and communication over holding things tightly and trying to preserve their physical manifestations.
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“Three Women:” An Intimate Portrait of Intimacy
Maggie, Lina and Sloane are their names. In 'Three Women,' writer Lisa Taddeo takes a close, extremely detailed, and graphic look at their sex lives.
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Fall’s Network Line-Up:
Where to Find TV’s Latest Heroines
The broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC (and I'll add CW and Fox to that list), announce their new series every fall. This year, there are several featuring strong women, many in rather unexpected roles.
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Rebellious Women: A Labor Day Toast
The bravery of our foremothers is too often unsung. On this, our national day off, won for us in 1894, we toast the heroines who took to the ramparts to help end the era of starvation wages and 60-hour workweeks.
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Poetry Sunday: “Getting Close,” by Victoria Redel
In the end, we are left not just with a sense of the speaker’s relationship with her mother, both before and after her death, but also with a sense of the history that made her mother the person she was.
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How was Your Vacation? Mistakes to Avoid Next Year
Summer is at an end and many of us are finishing up our last vacation days this year. Now is a good time to note the challenges that can be spoilers.
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One Child Nation, a Powerful, Personal View of China’s Extreme Policy
Nanfu Wang was aware that she might face resistance and actual danger as she uncovered the truth about China's one-child policy — 35 brutal years of the country's history that it now seems determined to forget.
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Can Nutritional Supplements Prevent Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Summer’s end is the time to get that annual skin cancer check.
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Poetry Sunday:
Three poems from ‘Blood Dazzler’ by Patricia Smith
The poems in 'Blood Dazzler' present voices never heard on the news during the coverage of Hurricane Katrina, voices not usually part of such reports but which reflect the human side of tragedy.
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Losing a Beloved Pet
When we lose a pet, we often feel as if we have lost our best friend, or even a part of ourselves.
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Gurinder Chadha’s New Movie
Will Have You Dancing in the Dark
Today, the United States is facing renewed divisiveness and hate as it grapples with issues of immigration, racism, nationalism, and xenophobia. With this in mind, Blinded by the Light, Chadha's exuberant new film, provides a most welcome respite.
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Psoriasis:
A Common Skin Disease That Is Often Misunderstood
Psoriasis is one of the most common skin diseases afflicting about 2 percent to 3 percent of the population.
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Poetry Sunday: “In Late Summer,” by Tess Taylor
“In Late Summer” opens with a vivid image that, for me, captures the essence of August in New England. Almost immediately, there is a sense of endings.
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Toni Morrison:
The Power of Fiction in the Arc of Progress
Her legacy remains in her great books, and her life will be remembered for her vision and courageous honesty.
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Four Weddings, A Funeral, and Two Streaming Duds
Over the last several years, we've had the opportunity to promote a number of smart, mature, and women-centric originals on streaming services Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.
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Fit At Forty and Forever
Age forty is the right time for women to develop injury prevention strategies to both maintain and continue to advance a personal exercise program.
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Poetry Sunday:
“Scuppernong Grapes,” by Susan Williamson
I love poems like this one that help me retrieve memories of my childhood in Pennsylvania.
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Dr. Ford: 7 Ways to Make Your Summer Even Better
Vacation should be different from our regular lives — not just another day whose only difference is that you are not on the job. To get the most from your time off, try to avoid passively going through your usual routines.
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