Send it Out and You'll Get it Back

Years ago, somebody made the observation that if you see someone without a smile, you should give him or her yours. Others have said that a smile is a little curve that sets a lot of things straight. You undoubtedly have noticed that when you smile at someone, in most cases -- particularly if it...

Creature Books to Inspire Awe

From a sparsely drawn, sophisticated "funny little bird" to amazingly "Weird Sea Creatures," these new picture books are wondrous and fantastically artistic, and they're worth every penny.

"Weird Sea Creatures" by Erich Hoyt; Firefly Books; 64 pages; $9.95.

With an appropriate black deep-sea ...

The Sanest Food Choices Ever -- Nuts!

Novelist Franz Kafka (maybe a little nuts himself) explained the relationship between tree nuts and good health better than anyone: "God gives the nuts, but he does not crack them." That part is up to you, and boy, is it worth the effort!

Eating nuts regularly can help cool bodywide inflammation...

House Calls: Change Price, Not Agents

I have been using the same agent for over a year to help sell my house, and the contract is up for renewal at the end of this month. I think that he has been doing every thing possible, including a couple of price reductions. We get lots of traffic but no offers. My question is, will changing ...

Romance That Lost Its Spark Is Unlikely To Catch Fire Again

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have been together a year and a half. I regret moving in with him when I did, which was after only three months of dating.

We have been through a lot, including my struggle with various health issues. Throughout this he has become an insensitive person who treats me...

Son Says He Hates Me

Question: I went into my 17-year-old’s bedroom to wake him this morning. After some urging, he eventually got up and then told me he hated me. What is the appropriate consequence for this sort of disrespect?

Answer: Actually, I don’t consider that a form of disrespect. ...

Obama and the Liberal Media's Gay Agenda Not Popular with the General Public

The annual network list of canceled primetime shows cannot be pleasing to the progressives who measure shows based on their cultural and political usefulness. "TV Will Be a Lot Less Gay Next Year," the commissars complained at Slate.com. They counted 11 canceled shows that featured regular gay ...

Grilling Wines

As Memorial Day, the official kickoff to the outdoor barbecue season, looms in the not-too-distant future, it's not too soon to ponder the wines of summer, aka grilling wines.

The caveat here is that no matter the season, no matter the cuisine, you should drink the wines that give you the most ...

Why Should You Be Honest?

"I was honest once, and it felt really good. If you're not honest, you just look bad," says Brittani, age 6.

Once?

"Honesty is important because people have to trust you to be a friend," says Natalie, 9. "You should be honest so people will always believe in you, no matter what," adds Cecile, ...

Budget tips for 20-something travelers (and vagabonds of any age)

When I was 18, I wrote a postcard to my grandmother from Austria, describing how I slept for free on the porch of a hostel in Innsbruck. While I wouldn't do that now, it's fun to reminisce about my backpacking days. Back then, bars were inundated with smoke, currency changes were required after ...