Stress is associated with a number of physical conditions including back-pain, susceptibility to viruses, chronic fatigue syndrome and autoimmune disease. Richard O'Connor. author of the book Undoing Perpetual Stress : The Missing Connection Between Depression, Anxiety and 21st Century Illness, argues that our bodies are not designed to cope with the stresses of the modern world. More at:  Stress in the 21st Century.

Being Dead by Jim Crace and The Flood by Maggie Gee are two original and unputdownable reads that gracefully incorporate death as a motive. Being Dead starts with a double murder but isn't a detective novel, The Flood ends with a drowning that isn't sad. Read  Beginning and Ending with Death.

There are a number of useful, practical texts to support work with angry adolescents that build on these ideas of increasing self control, improving self-esteem and seeing situations from the point of view of others. More at:  Adolescent Anger Management

Jerry Newman, a college professor who has taught business courses for nearly 30 years, went undercover as a bottom-rung worker for the biggest names in fast food, including McDonald's and Burger King. Newman found that fast-food chains were the perfect petri dishes for covert research: High-pressure, high-volume businesses with high-employee turnover. The pecking order was also crystal clear, from fry cook all the way up to store manager. Details at Fast-Food Management

An excellent way for people from other countries to gain insight into US culture is to reflect on the meaning of our sayings. writes Gary Wederspahn. More at:  American Sayings: Foreigners' Windows Into US Culture.

Closing the Distance: Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy - Every kid wants to grow up to be like his father, and Jeff Bukantz was no different - but unfortunately for Jeff, his father was a four-time Olympian and one of the greatest fencers ever! Read an excerpt from this new memoir at  Closing the Distance.