My puppy-niece Jane (is she not the cutest?!) is having her “lady surgery” today–at 6 months old, she’s being spayed.  There is no question that this is the right thing to do to protect her from cancer as well as from future puppy generations that my sister would not want to or be able to…

In some ways, today is about a man who guided a team of explorers across the ocean in search of new lands.  But in another way, today is about the idea of exploration, the notion of discovery.  In that spirit, our colleague pulled together a fabulous gallery of inspiring quotes about discovery and exploration, which…

The world is still buzzing with this morning’s news that Barack Obama has won a Nobel Peace Prize. The first reactions, including the President’s, were of surprise. Then, of course, opinions: “he deserves it,” “he doesn’t deserve it,” “this cheapens the prize,” “this is an enlightened decision,” “this is the tolling of the apocalypse,” and so on. In the midst…

It’s strange, but often in the fall, I cook not based on what I want to taste, but what I want to smell.  Granted, the scents I want wafting from my kitchen at this time of year are conveniently in line with the season’s best, like cooked squash and baked apples.  Oh, and cinnamon mixed…

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