1. I am pedaling home at sunset, a cold wind aching in my throat, pangs in my unaccustomed legs. Already the purples of November are becoming prominent in some of the far-turned oaks, the sumac, the cranberry leaves. As I ride the bike across the marsh, things begin whispering to me: the soft rustle-whispers of the tawny marsh grass and cattails; the feather-whispers of the tall, dust-grey phragmites seed heads; the clatter-whispers of the drooping clusters of bleached canoe-paddle seeds as I pedal beneath the ash trees; and the dry whispers of the crumpled grape leaves in the viburnum, faded and closed for the season. Even the silent cranberry bog beside the road seems to whisper.

2. Stunning sets, gorgeous costumes, intoxicating action, dancing to make you tap your feet, and music to stir your senses: 42nd Street is the musical every New Yorker should see. Award-winning 42nd Street is back, and it’s a blockbuster of a show.

3. Newspapers, radio, and television are essential for a democracy. They are a vital link between the people and their public officials. They provide information and analysis about policy issues; they also sensitize those in government to public opinion, enabling policy makers to respond to the needs and desires of the population. Moreover, the news media play an important role in reporting and evaluating the decisions of government, a role that is critical for holding those in power accountable for their decisions and actions.

4. I pull up the line that had tied me to my friend, my hope for food and water and clothing. The rope is in one piece. Perhaps the loop I had tied in the mainsheet broke during the last shock. Or the knot; perhaps it was the knot. The vibration and surging might have shaken it loose. Or I may have made a mistake in tying it. I have tied thousands of bowlines; it is a process as familiar as turning a key. Still . . . No matter now. No regrets. I simply wonder if this has saved me. Did my tiny rubber home escape just before it was torn to pieces? Will being set adrift kill me in the end?

5. Like clinical psychologists, psychiatrists also study the causes, treatment, and prevention of psychological disorders. How are clinical psychologists and psychiatrists different? A clinical psychologist typically has a doctorate in psychology, which includes intensive training in treating people with psychological disorders. In contrast, a psychiatrist has a medical degree plus years of specialized training in the treatment of psychological disorders. While both clinical psychologists and psychiatrists can treat patients with psychological disorders, only psychiatrists can prescribe medications and order medical procedures, such as electroshock treatments. Finally, a psychoanalyst is a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional with extensive training in Freud’s psychoanalytic method of psychotherapy.

6. For years, researchers have pointed to America’s fast food diet and our love affair with television to explain why we’re becoming an obese nation. But a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may finger a new culprit: the suburbs. As James Langton reports in the London Telegraph, researchers at the agency suspect Americans don’t walk enough. To prove their thesis, they plan to equip 800 people in the Atlanta area with satellite tracking devices to see how much they walk each day. While most adults consume only about 100 calories a day more (and less fat) than they did 20 years ago, Langton writes, they’re less and less likely to get out of their cars. “The problem now seems to be a way of life so sedentary that it involves little more than a few steps between the home, driveway, and office,” Langton observes.