Sleuthing depends on the ability of the detective to make inferences, or in other words, to look at a series of events and make a conclusion based on reason. Logic will help you to do this and to judge the validity of arguments and conclusions. Think of it as training yourself to think more rigorously. A basic argument in logic has premises and a conclusion. Premises are reasons or support for a conclusion. An argument must be both "valid" and "sound" in order to be true. "Valid" means that argument has a good structure and "sound" means that it is both valid and based on true premises. Take this famous argument: "Socrates is a man. All men are mortal. Therefore, Socrates is mortal." This is an example of a valid and sound argument. The first two statements are the premises and both are true. The third statement, the conclusion, is also true and follows fro the premises. Consider another: "Socrates is a man. Socrates is mortal. Therefore, all men eat cereal." This is an example of an invalid argument. The premises are true, but the conclusion is not related to them. One more: "All cats can fly. Socrates is a cat. Therefore, Socrates can fly." This is an example of a "valid" but unsound argument it has a good logical structure but is based on false premises. Problems arise in logic when you make mistakes these are called fallacies. You'll need to be at least somewhat aware of basic fallacies if you want to avoid making big mistakes in your cases. Don't worry, often they're quite obvious. Just for a few examples, the fallacy of "begging the question" makes an argument that just restates the point just make: "Asbestos is carcinogenic because it causes cancer." The above example is also a fallacy of "circular reasoning." These rely on incomplete or self-referential definitions. Here's another: "A good person is someone who does good things. I do good things, so I'm a good person." One big fallacy for detectives is the fallacy of the "false cause." Here, you mistake correlation for causation. "The murder happened after Halley's Comet appeared. Therefore, the comet caused the murder." You can learn more about fallacies in books on logic or in online resources. If logic sounds like pretty dry stuff to you, try to make it more enjoyable by playing logic games. Some of these might involve scenarios, while others may be word games. Varying the kind of game will give your skills a good all-around workout. Verbal logic puzzles will sometimes ask you to match a conclusion with premises in order to form an argument that is both valid and sound. Once variety of logic puzzle is called "Knights and Knaves." In it, characters are either knights (who always tell the truth) or knaves (who always lie). With these premises, you will have to solve questions. Number games like Sudoku are non-verbal logical puzzles. Chess is probably the most famous logic game of all time, forcing you to think along with your opponent, often visualizing how the game plays out several moves in advance.

Summary: Read up on logic. Learn about fallacies. Do logic puzzles.

This will tell you the amount of time the pasta should be cooked for, and this will vary depending on the brand and shape/filling of the pasta. Standard cooking times: Dried pasta: About 8 to 10 minutes. Fresh pasta: About 2 to 3 minutes. Filled pasta: About 12 minutes. Lasagna or cannelloni: About 25 to 45 minutes. Pasta needs the space to move around and will cook unevenly if in too cramped a space. Fill with a lot of water and ensure that it is boiling before adding the pasta. For each person, add about 75g or 3 ounces of pasta. A little extra can be added and if not eaten, can be reheated the next day or used to make a pasta salad. If it is long, such as spaghetti or linguine, drop one end into the boiling water, then gradually push down the rest of the pasta as it softens through cooking. This won't take long, and watch out for the hot water and your fingers! It should not be a mush. Test before it is due to be ready; it is better to be too early than too late. Drain the pasta and get it ready for serving.

Summary: Read the label accompanying the package of dried pasta or purchased fresh pasta. Use a large saucepan to cook pasta. Add the pasta. Cook until it is al dente, meaning that it has some resistance when bitten. Take the saucepan off the heat.

This easy Szechuan sauce (named for the westernized title of Sichuan province in China) is quick, easy, flavorful, and spicy. The only thing that's more difficult about this recipe than the basic recipe above is that it requires you to grate a small amount of orange zest. Don't skip out on this small but important step the orange zest gives the sauce an impeccable flavor and fragrance. To grate orange zest, simply take a ripe orange and rub the rind against a microplane grater (or an ordinary cheese grater) to shred off small flakes. Try to take the outermost layer of the rind, rather than the inner pith, as the outside is the most flavorful part of the rind. Once you've grated your orange zest, the rest of the recipe is easy. Simply add your ingredients to a bowl or jar and mix thoroughly until they are uniformly combined. It's OK if small flecks of orange peel remain these give the sauce an added tangy flavor (with the perfect hint of bitterness). Next, add your desired amount of spice. Obviously, the more you add, the hotter your sauce will be. The serving recommendation above one chopped red pepper should produce a sauce that has some "kick" but isn't completely overwhelming for those with less of a taste for spice. If you don't have red peppers handy, try adding dry red pepper flakes for the same effect. When in doubt, be conservative. You can always add more spice if your stir fry turns out too mild, but you can't take spice out once it's been added! If you don't have red pepper flakes, an Asian chili sauce like Sriracha or even American-style hot sauce like Tabasco can substitute well. This delicious Szechuan sauce is great with a huge variety of dishes (including vegetarian ones), but is especially tasty with meat and other protein sources. Below are just a few suggestions for accompanying stir fry ingredients regardless of which you choose, serve the stir fry and sauce over rice for a classic Asian combination: Chicken Beef Fish Eggs Tofu

Summary: Grate orange zest. Mix your ingredients (minus red pepper). Add pepper to taste. Pair with protein and rice.

Take a seat on the ground. Draw your heels together directly in front of yourself. Place your arms directly in front of your knees and bend forward at your waist. To increase the stretch in your lower back, extend your arms out in front of you. Repeat 4 to 5 times. Stand up straight with your feet together. Cross your right leg in front of your left leg, keeping both feet pointed forward. Bend at the waist and extend your arms to the floor. To increase the intensity of the hamstring stretch, grab your ankles and pull your rib cage closer to your thighs. Repeat with the other leg in front. Stand up straight with your feet together. Shift the weight onto your left leg as you draw your right knee into your chest. Encircle your right big toe with your right pointer and middle fingers. Extend your right leg directly in front of you at hip heightwork towards straightening this leg. Hold the leg up for 30 to 60 seconds. Drop your right leg and repeat the stretch with your left leg.
Summary: Execute a butterfly stretch. Execute a standing cross leg stretch. Execute a hand-to-big-toe stretch.