In a world of mass communication, where technologies range from social networking to ubiquitous internet forums and product feedback technologies, books are one of the few uninterrupted links between you and one other person. A book gives you several hours of unadulterated prose from another person's mind, whether that prose is little more than a good yarn, or a detailed investigation into current events, history, business or technology. The book is the antithesis of sound bite culture, and a fine respite from the banalities of the masses often found on the Internet.

I hated history while in school, yet on a lark pulled a history book of the shelf one day and have been hooked ever since. Some of my favorite books have been outside what I normally would read, and have introduced me to new thoughts, perspectives, insights and even more pragmatic subjects like food, good drink and new places to travel. Even muscling through one of those "classics" a past teacher recommended, whether it be the 1200 page leviathan of Atlas Shrugged or a Hemmingway novel gives a sense of accomplishment that other sources of media simply cannot match. With a few months of summer left, grab that dusty tome you have been meaning to read for years, and give it a try.

Healthcare has morphed from a point of debate to a "you're either with us or against us" argument, with each side drawing battle lines, calling names, pointing fingers and refusing to budge an inch. Detractors of either side have been called everything from political pawns and stooges, to Nazis. As in politics, holy wars can arise in a corporate environment, and are occasionally effective. If you can bring enough pressure to bear on the opposing viewpoint and ostracize its supporters, you can often steamroll a policy through an organization more quickly than might have been possible with polite debate and long consideration. While this may be quick, like any war there are a raft of casualties in its wake, and perhaps more insidious, once a holy war begins, it is difficult to declare détente before the issue is resolved, since the question at hand is no longer one of pros and cons or rational analysis, but one with quasi-religious significance.

Watch for the outbreak of a holy war around a contentious issue. When debate over the question turns into name calling and the tenor of communications about an issue turn from attempts to convince the skeptical to attempts to shame and ridicule the non-believers, the debate may be turning into a holy war and immediate remedial action is called for if you do not intend to launch a holy war. Finally, if you do decide to launch a holy war around an issue, make sure you can win, and have a plan to pick up the metaphorical bodies after the smoke has cleared.