Since London will be the focus for the Summer Olympics, we thought we'd explore the British Museum Shop's offerings and, yes, there's no end of the intriguing and unusual.  

The Harvard team examined whether disease risk prediction would improve for breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis if they included the effect of synergy in their statistical models. They found no significant effect by doing so. “Statistical models of synergy among genetic markers are not ‘game changers’ in terms of risk prediction in the general population.”

Advertisers turned to images of feminine mystique to which consumers could aspire (and hopefully emulate) through the purchase of goods and services. Men were also charmed by these images and magazine publishers used the attraction of pretty faces on their covers to boost impulse buying for their all-important newsstand sales.

Julia Sneden writes: For me, the problem with the Olympic jackets and shirts boils down to this: Couldn’t our athletes just be resplendent young folk in well-designed red, white and blue outfits? Must they be walking billboards for Ralph Lauren’s company? They are supposed to be representing all of America, not just a single corporation.

Elaine Soloway writes: Just a few months after our first hellos and a sweet romance, little by little, Tommy moved in with me. Dozens of T-shirts, imprinted with running event logos, scooted my Gap T’s along the closet rod. I relinquished one dresser drawer, then two and when his well-worn running shoes jumbled onto the closet floor, my high heels and sandals adjusted.

Julia Sneden writes: I have never stopped loving fireflies. On evenings after a rain, or when the grass has been freshly cut, we can count on a large number of winking lights, and the woods in the hollow behind our house are often like a fairyland of tiny stars moving lazily about among the trees. I've gotten over being afraid when I hear the first rumbles of thunder, although I still don't enjoy it when there are strikes so near that you can hear the fizz-snap simultaneously with the bang.

Jill Norgren and Julia Sneden Reviews: If you respect well-researched history, and crave an account of the footwork, persistent digging, and serendipity required, Carla Peterson's Black Gotham should be one of the next books that you read. Trying to keep up with the characters and periods in Gods Without Men is more than a little daunting, but the pure quality of Kunzru’s writing is brilliant. Judge John Deed, another addictive BBC series continues on DVD.

The Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act argues for a refresher on some of the bill's key tax provisions. We've included the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit planned to help small businesses and small tax-exempt organizations afford the cost of covering their employees.