Dear EarthTalk: A friend recently told me that when her family stopped using hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes all the time, they stopped getting sick so much. Is there any research backing up this theory, or is it just a “new” wives tale?

Betsey Edger

via e-mail

The political season is in full swing. The last primary election in New York state was held on Thursday, Sept. 13, and the November general elections are just around the corner.

While New York Gov.  Andrew Cuomo’s Democratic primary win comes as no surprise — putting him that much closer to a third term in office — it does encourage us to take a closer look at how things are slowly shifting in Albany, and in Washington.

Think globally, act locally.

Next pancake breakfast is Oct. 21

On Sunday, Sept. 16, the Amenia Fire Company held its monthly pancake breakfast. We were pleased to have a nice crowd of 132 people in attendance to enjoy a hearty meal. We rely on the breakfasts to raise much-needed money for general operations and we always  appreciate the support of the community. We thank everyone who attends our meals throughout the year and we hope to see you again for the next one on Sunday, Oct. 21.

Andy Murphy, on behalf of the Breakfast Committee

Elon Musk of SpaceX talks about space travel as a “duty to maintain the light of consciousness.” Frank Drake, the astronomer, says we must search for extraterrestrial intelligence to validate the probability — note, he says not possibility, but says probability — of other observable civilizations in our galaxy. Were Nikola Tesla and quantum physicist David Bohm right in affirming that space is not empty but filled with a kind of force field, something they referred to as “cosmic plenum?”

Elon Musk of SpaceX talks about space travel as a “duty to maintain the light of consciousness.” Frank Drake, the astronomer, says we must search for extraterrestrial intelligence to validate the probability — note, he says not possibility, but says probability — of other observable civilizations in our galaxy. Were Nikola Tesla and quantum physicist David Bohm right in affirming that space is not empty but filled with a kind of force field, something they referred to as “cosmic plenum?”