So after last week's aborted mission to discuss the finer points of reading a book from your handheld (which, let's face it, hasn't become anymore exciting in the last seven days) I thought this week we would take an adventure trip down to the rainforests of Brazil to meet some tribal Indians. These natives were recently photographed trying to shoot down the airplane that photographed them with bows and arrows, courtesy of Survival International. [ Read The Rest ]

I'm not usually a huge fan of bandwagon trends but the latest "go green" nonsense spouted by bands and banks and Tyra (Banks) has me a little ambivalent. While I can concede that environmental health is a topical issue that probably is due some loving, I have a hard time believing that all these superstars who are supposedly pushing green initiatives really give even one tiny llama turd. [ Read The Rest ]

With gas prices soaring over $3.50 for most of us and the cost of milk, eggs and wheat on the rise, the real sign that things have gone too far south may be that Starbucks is reporting that people just aren't giving in to their coffee jones anymore. [ Read The Rest ]

I was friends with a chemistry student who insisted there was nothing inherently poisonous about substituting aspartame for sugar in your soda and coffee drinks. He told me that the lab tests that showed evidence of cancer in lab rats were at doses so high that it would take a person a lifetime or two to consume that much.

I thought it was wonderful that he had any practical knowledge on the subject, but despite his insistence that using Splenda, et al. was perfectly safe, I couldn't help but thinking, aren't we getting there pretty fast? [ Read The Rest ]

by Jeremy Goodman

I spent the last week reading The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander for the first time in years. About every other year, I get the urge to reread the Chronicles of Narnia. Harry Potter will remain a favorite series throughout my lifetime, I'm sure. Many of these much-abused books still barely hold to their bindings. In my closet is a rather large box filled entirely with books of my childhood that suffer from lack of available shelf space. Sometimes I wonder why I hold on to these books, why I continue to read them, and why I buy new children's books from time to time. [ Read The Rest ]

by Jeremy Goodman

Since November 18, 2003, residents of Massachusetts have been inundated with the news and opinions talking about "gay marriage," both from supporters and detractors of extending this right to same-sex couples in the Commonwealth. Six months after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its ruling in Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, committed couples from across the state flocked to their town halls to obtain marriage licenses. The initial days may have appeared to be a goldrush for activist couples, but same-sex couples across the state continue to seek marriage licenses steadily since. [ Read The Rest ]

It is an indelible part of being a sports fan, particularly at the pro level, that some athletes simply make me seethe. At the top of my list these days is Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, and Michael Vick. If you follow any of the three major pro team sports (I think we can finally drop the argument about hockey, right?) chances are you can understand where I'm coming from with these guys. Giambi and Bonds are both embroiled in a mess of their own creation, big mouths, bad decisions, and most important to the fans, some serious doubt cast on the accomplishments of their respective careers. [ Read The Rest ]

by Jeremy Goodman

Today, May 10, 2007, would have been my grandmother's 87th birthday. Appropriate enough with Mother's Day just around the corner, since Gram was officially mother of ten, but in practice, the mother of a whole clan and its friends. My grandmother was a woman very deep in faith. Through her faith in us, her fellow mankind, and her religion, she touched a lot of lives, right up through the very last moments of her life, a few months past. [ Read The Rest ]

by Caryn F. Kelly

"I should have thought of this sooner. I feel wonderful!" said 72-year-old Florence after attending her first yoga class at Wasatch Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I teach yoga part-time. My students range in age from early 30's to mid 70's, and Florence is one example of someone who was skeptical about yoga before she actually tried it. Yoga is for everyone and it's never too late to get started. Once you experience its relaxing and energizing effects, you will never understand why you waited so long. [ Read The Rest ]

by Jeremy Goodman

I talked to my friends a lot. Our relationships were practically 24/7. We voraciously exchanged news on our personal lives, our jobs, our current reads, the latest bit of celebrity gossip. All the minutiae that friends talk about, not to mention instant availability for any crisis, major or minor. Even at work, we couldn't help ourselves but to sneak in conversation here and there, hoping our coworkers and bosses didn't notice.

Then one day, it all just stopped. Nothing. Nada. Zip, zilch, and zero. No contact. [ Read The Rest ]