Have just recently been finalizing page proofs for Success Made Simple. If you’re wondering, this is the part where the text of the book is placed in the proper font and style and fitted to the page, so it actually looks like the page of a book, as opposed to a Word document, which is what we’ve been using up til now. You work from…
The health plan which passed the Senate on Christmas Eve provides for substantial fines for individuals who do not purchase health insurance. A recent Daily Item article examines how the Amish, who do not use insurance outside of some forms of church coverage, may negotiate an eventual purchase requirement. A religious exemption exists, and Donald Kraybill explains that a probable requirement for opting out will be…
A week back I wrote about how Amish celebrate Christmas, with a mention of the holiday program that takes place in many Amish schools. Rick shares a photo from a recent visit to the New Wilmington, PA Amish community, taken during the Christmas Eve program at a local one-room school.
The qualities of being a closed population, as well as good genealogical records, make the Amish an attractive group for genetic and health-related studies. In a recently-reported Ohio State study, researchers theorized about higher rates of cancer, but found the opposite. They discovered that Amish in Holmes County, Ohio exhibit cancer rates only 56% of the national average. The researchers explain that low cancer rates…
A bit of good news lost in the mix over the holidays, and maybe appropriate to share here on New Year's Day. About a week ago I received word that my friend Abe, whom I've mentioned in the past on the blog, has just become a father for the third time, this one a boy like the previous two. Abe, who is a produce grower…