British writer Chris Scott Wilson who has five of his westerns released worldwide as ebooks by Boson of North Carolina is gratified to see they now have trailers to help promote them on YouTube. Chris admits he is pleased publishers can now generate video teasers just as Hollywood always has done for movies. "I find it tremendously exciting," he enthuses. "It's a new kind of marketing for books, and any step forward in bringing books to the public's attention can't be a bad thing. And presenting them visually hauls them into the 21^st century."

"I also find it incredible that somebody on the other side of the world from the US," Chris reveals, "in Europe, India or Japan, or even Australia can turn on their computer and see a trailer for one of my books. Even more amazing, now that we're moving into a digital age, they can follow on from watching the trailer and visit their on-line retailer to buy the book and have it downloaded on their computer within minutes if not seconds. All the fences have gone."

While there are those who rigidly stick to their taste for print books, Chris says, "There's no reason print and digital can't exist side by side. There are those who want to keep books on their shelves. I do too, but there are also times when we read on the move, for example on holiday or commuting, and ebook readers enable us to carry as many as we want. Technology is advancing so fast. We should embrace, not resist those parts that are beneficial to us." He smiles. "I like to think of my ebook reader as an iPod for my books."

To see the trailers, either follow links from Chris's website www.chrisscottwilson.co.uk or search for "chris scott wilson" on Youtube where you will locate a list. His books Desperadoes, The Quantro Story, Double Mountain Crossing, The Copper City and The Fight at Hueco Tanks can all be found on leading US ebook retailers' websites, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  Appleapp.com, Books on Board, Booksamillion and many others.

The December 2011 issue of the Harvard Men's Health Watch reports on new research that says social interactions have a ripple effect that extends far beyond household and family units.

Weight: Two of every three Americans are overweight or obese. There are many explanations for our expanding waistlines, starting with lack of exercise and excessively large portions of calorie-dense prepared and processed foods. But an interesting study suggests that social interactions may also play a role.

Researchers from Harvard and the University of California investigated 12,067 people who had been evaluated medically on multiple occasions from 1971 to 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study. They found that if one sibling became obese during the study, the chance that another sibling would become obese increased by 40%.

Genetics might account for some of the parallel weight gain in siblings, but not for the fact that if a spouse became obese, the likelihood that the other spouse would follow suit jumped by 37%.  That's no surprise, since spouses share meals and may have similar exercise habits?but scientists also found that if a person had a friend who became obese, his chance of growing obese rose by 57%.

Scientists suspect a major factor is that a social network influences what its members perceive as normal and acceptable. If a man sees his friends become obese over time, he may accept weight gain as natural, even inevitable.

Mood: The Framingham Heart Study's database also served as the foundation for a study of happiness. In this case, 4,739 people who were tracked between 1983 and 2003 served as the primary study population. Together, these subjects reported a total of 53,228 social ties to family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Detailed medical and psychological information was available for many of the Framingham volunteers.

The researchers used the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale to evaluate happiness at the start of the study and at subsequent follow-up examinations. Researchers looked at changes in mood over time.

The Framingham study confirmed many earlier findings about the factors that determine a person's happiness. But it added an unexpected finding: happiness can also spread more diversely and broadly across social networks.

The scientists found that if one spouse became happy, the likelihood that the other spouse would become happy increased by 8%. Siblings who became happy increased the other sibling's chance of becoming happy by 14%. In fact, the spread of happiness seemed to reach across at least three degrees of separation, spreading, for example, from a friend to the friend of a friend and then to the friend of that friend. However, the impact diminished with each degree of separation, and even within first-degree contacts, it began to wane after six to 12 months.

If doctors learn to harness the benefits of natural social networks to spread healthful habits, positive attitudes, and wise lifestyle choices through communities, they may be able to improve public health. This new area of research is worthy of further study, so for now, call it a network in progress.

Read the full-length article:  "Social networks and health"

ROCK ISLAND, IL (11/29/2011)(readMedia)-- Augustana presents its fourth annual Christmas at Augustana holiday concert-which has nearly sold out in previous years-on Friday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.). More than 300 students in the college's choirs, brass ensemble and orchestra will join together to share music with audience members in what promises to be a warm and memorable holiday experience for all.

From your area this includes:

Hannah Barney, a Junior from Bettendorf, Iowa, majoring in Business Administration-Marketing/Communication Studies.

Elizabeth Kuster, a Sophomore from Bettendorf, Iowa, majoring in Creative Writing.

Anthony TouVelle, a First Year from Bettendorf, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Kaleigh Wall, a Junior from Eldridge, Ill., majoring in Art.

Steven Ray Trent, a Sophomore from Eldridge, Iowa, majoring in Geology.

Ashley Finley, a Sophomore from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Music Education Instrumental.

Peter Wiese, a Junior from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Neuroscience/Mathematics.

Guy Iaccarino, a Senior from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Music General/Anthropology.

Abigail Jones, a Sophomore from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Biology/Environmental Studies.

Rickey Rector, a Junior from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Nick Kendell, a Sophomore from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Ingrid Schneider, a First Year from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Benjamin Knapper, a First Year from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Adam Bengfort, a First Year from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Christine Harb, a First Year from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Undecided.

Manisha Kumar, a Junior from Davenport, Iowa, majoring in Biology/Pre-Medicine.

Anne VanSpeybroek, a Junior from Rock Island, Ill., majoring in Music Performance- Instrumental.

Timothy Murga, a Senior from Rock Island, Ill., majoring in Biology.

Monica Hill, a Sophomore from Carbon Cliff, Ill., majoring in Business Administration-Advising.

Lindsey Sikorski, a First Year from East Moline, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Samantha McGreer, a First Year from Illinois City, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Samantha Kammerman, a First Year from Milan, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Laurel Williams, a Senior from Milan, Ill., majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders/English.

Jacob McManus, a First Year from Reynolds, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Lauren Reid, a Senior from Sherrard, Ill., majoring in Business Administration- Marketing/Communication Studies.

Elyzia Powers, a First Year from Silvis, Ill., majoring in Undecided.

Jennifer Youngs, a Senior from Taylor Ridge, Ill., majoring in Psychology/Political Science.

Megan Keller, a Senior from Taylor Ridge, Ill., majoring in Communication Studies.

Christmas at Augustana is one of a series of performances planned for the Christmas season. The Handel Oratorio Society, a choir that combines the vocal talents of Augustana students and Quad-City community members, along with the professional Handel Oratorio Society Chamber Orchestra and guest soloists, will perform Handel's Messiah on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. in continuation of an annual tradition. The event will be held in Centennial Hall (3703 7th Ave.).

Tickets for both Christmas at Augustana and Messiah are available at www.augustana.edu/tickets or by calling (309) 794-7306.

The Augustana Chamber Singers and the Office of Campus Ministries will present Lessons and Carols on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. This beautiful Advent service chronicles the preparation of Christ's birth through songs and readings in Ascension Chapel (on campus at 820 38th St.). The event is free and open to the public.