Joe Donahue

From the Founding Fathers and the Second Amendment to the origins of the Klan, ironically as a gun control organization, the debate over guns has always generated controversy. And it continues following the horrific shooting in Colorado on Friday.

America's four-centuries-long political battle over gun control and the right to bear arms is the subject of Adam Winkler’s book, Gunfight. Winkler uses the landmark 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, which invalidated a law banning handguns in the nation's capital, as a springboard for a historical narrative.

In his book, The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed.

Kirk Massey is stoked to be a part of the North American Tour with Blue Man Group. Has been with Blue Man Group since 2005 and has performed in New York, Boston, Orlando and all over the world as a part of Blue Man Group’s “How to be a Megastar” World Tour. Currently performs full time in Blue Man Group’s Orlando production when not on tour. Kirk would like to thank God for His many blessings, his friends and family for all of their love and support and everyone at Blue Man Group and NETworks who made this dream possible.

A few years back, Sally Koslow was settling into an empty nest. Her two 20-something sons were launched out of the house and into the wider world. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, her sons landed back home. She was startled and depressed to learn they were part of a much larger trend.

According to the Pew Research Center, one-fifth of young adults aged 25-34 live in multigenerational households. The bad economy is the main contributing factor, but the trend also reflects shifts in social norms.

Byrdcliffe and the Woodstock Chimes Fund present Woodstock Off-Beat 2012: The Musical Life of Peter Schickele
 - A Benefit for the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild
Concert tomorrow night at 8 PM at the Maverick Concert Hall. It is a retrospective of the works of Peter Schickele and PDQ Bach and Professor Schickele will also be joined by a group of instrumentalists and vocalists.

The Spirit of Woodstock award, created by the Woodstock Film Festival, is given each year to a resident of the Hudson Valley who best exemplifies the traits that make Woodstock an iconic arts colony: arts advocacy, public service, environmental advocacy and a passion for peace. This year’s recipient is Congressman Maurice Hinchey.

Actor Aidan Quinn will present the award to Hinchey, who is retiring from politics in November.

Lets face it, a presidential election year is a very good time to see the award-winning musical satire group, Capitol Steps. Not there is a bad time. Cap Steps has returned to Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club in Lenox for their sixth consecutive summer and will play through now through September 2nd.

The 2012 Glimmerglass Festival is underway with its main-stage productions including Verdi’s Aida, The Music Man, Armide and Lost in the Stars. The productions will run in rotation through August 25 in the Alice Busch Opera Theater in Cooperstown, New York.

Over the past hundred years, average life expectancy in America has nearly doubled, due largely to scientific and medical advances, but also as a consequence of safer working conditions, a heightened awareness of the importance of diet and health, and other factors.

Yet while longevity is celebrated as an achievement in modern civilization, the longer people live, the more likely they are to succumb to chronic, terminal illnesses.