Posts:
I think everyone knows having a “knack” for something means that you’re a lot better at doing that thing than the average person. If you have a “knack,” it’s likely that others have noticed your enhanced abilities in what ever your area or areas of expertise happen to...
My friend Jerry died this week. He was 63 years old. He was married and had one son. He died of COVID-19 after almost three weeks on a ventilator in a hospital I used to work at in Fall River, Massachusetts. He had worked in that same hospital for 32 years before...
By Ray Horsley As we keep ourselves so well informed, usually too informed, of the number of Covid-19 cases, the tests, and the deaths, maybe we should take a look at the other cost. Actually, the plural as in the other "costs" is more fitting since there are so many....
By Alex Berezow, PhD When your dog looks longingly at you as you eat breakfast, out of compassion and sympathy, do you ever find yourself pouring some orange juice into his bowl? Of course not. You might get bitten. Or, at the very least, you'll get a puzzled look. He...
By John Fund and Joel Hay Spring is in the air, and it is increasingly found in the confident step of the people of Sweden. With a death rate significantly lower than that of France, Spain, the U.K., Belgium, Italy, and other European Union countries, Swedes can enjoy...
By Josh Bloom, Ph.D It's only one trial, and we don't even know if the report is correct. But a leaked draft report indicated that remdesivir was ineffective in its first controlled trial. Let's assume that this is true and we see the same from other trials. If so,...
A former pensions minister has warned that people over the age of 70 would “rebel” and “risk going to prison” if the government mandates they must continue self-isolating even after the lockdown has lifted. Baroness Ros Altmann, a Tory peer, told Sophy Ridge on Sky...
By Giovanni Cambizaca When I drive out of the city towards home, I often think that the foothills of the Cajas look a little bit like Switzerland. If I could put bells on the cows, the effect would be almost complete. When we think about Switzerland, I suppose...
Author’s note: Fat is a controversial topic but let’s cut through the chatter and delve into fat facts. This is the first of an updated three-part series about dietary fats. I'm not writing about "diets" per se, in this column. As reported by the Harvard School of...
Researchers at a Hong Kong university say they have developed an antiviral coating which could provide 90 days of “significant” protection against bacteria and viruses such as the one causing COVID-19. The coating, called MAP-1, took 10 years to develop and can be...
By Roger Theodos As I sit here in Buenos Aires, exiled by a travel ban from my home in Ecuador, I am comforted by the words of the travel writer Paul Theroux: “The most enlightening trips I’ve taken have been the riskiest, the most crisis-ridden, in countries gripped...
By Kevin Pang What happens when an aging prizefighter, a quirky gadget, and iconic ’90s marketing combine to take over the world? In case you missed it, this is what the world’s most successful infomercial looks like: George Foreman—buff, bald, and swaggering—sports a...
I found out through Facebook. On a recent Friday evening, I was scrolling through posts and noticed one from a young friend who lives in the U.S., who wrote, “Friends, please send love and healing thoughts. My husband has a high fever, 102 degrees with aches and he’s...
By Amanda Elizabeth Kowalczyk What do naked mole rats, elephants, bats and whales have in common? They are all exceptionally long-lived mammals, and recent research suggests that studying commonalities in the ways they evolved extreme life spans may provide fresh...
By Giovanni Cambizaca This April we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Whether you think our future will be like Greta Thunberg’s nightmares or something more manageable, it is clear that the climate is changing. The closer you are to the planet’s...
The llama could become humanity's new "best friend", perhaps. An unexpected ally in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that plagues the world. It is not something new, of course. The Incas already made the most of it for its meat, its wool, and also as a pack...
Ángeles are a popular theme within the social structure of Ecuador. Catholicism reigns in this South American country. There are paintings and statuary, carvings, drawings and reliefs of ángeles everywhere. Most of these are depicted in traditional manners with...
By Ed Konderla I have been disheartened by how many expats post articles on these pages that appear to me to reflect weak, selfish characters. Characters you don’t expect mature people to have after living abundant lives full of opportunity that most of us have had...
By Stuart White and Pauline McKean “I’ve seen how in every person, every human being, a calling to care for the Earth occurs when, privately, their being tells them ‘this you must do’’, José Morquecho said in a matter-of-fact way. When he made his observation, José...
By John Keeble Hey, Daddy, what did you do in The Great Pandemic of 2020? Well, son, I stayed at home, drank a lot of wine, and thought. But, Daddy, couldn't you have done something more important than think? Actually, son, no. Thinking was the most important thing...
Week of August 23
Ecuador’s economy grew 2% during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to new Banco Central del Ecuador data.
Cuenca gets a prime view of next week’s deep partial lunar eclipse.
Ecuador’s economy grows 2% in the first half of 2026.
