What makes us happy? Misery, according to the BBC. Well, not really. But pay attention now: Pursuing unrealistic goals leads to suffering… has the BBC gone Buddhist? Maybe all of Britain? That’s what years and years of a special relationship with the United States will do to you. Let go and go Buddhist. The article cites a study that recommends mindfulness and meditation as a way to cope with suffering. Hmm, interesting idea. The article is really about relationships, and is in the Health section. (Would that mean that this article pertains to my mental health, or the effect that suffering and unhappiness can have on my physical health? When you think about things that generally, every piece of news is essentially about Me and My Health. . . . ) Also, in the Louisville Courier-Journal, some notes on Thomas Merton and the new book about him. Seems we can’t enough of Merton. It’s too bad he was taken away before he could really rock the whole interfaith dialogue. Although sometimes the rock-star effect of dying young can make your message be heard even louder. . . but I think we’d still rather have had Merton for his natural span than all these book-length echoes. Words words words. – Philip Ryan, Webmaster PS – Wondering what else you can’t eat? Forget food miles, that’s old news. It’s all about ecological footprint now (the term brings Godzilla to mind.) According to the Manchester Guardian (UK): “the most eco-friendly diet excludes wine, spirits, chocolate, ice cream and most meat.” I remember a certain guy who writes about baseball blaming ice cream a while back as well. So it’s not good for you and it’s bad for the earth. Time for a P.R. push-back from the ice cream industry.