There is no doubt an expanding waistline is a key predictor of health problems. Visceral fat, which accumulates around the midsection and internal organs, contributes to the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Evidence also is mounting that visceral fat may contribute to increased risk of stroke and colon and breast cancer. ...more

November 29, 2008

Corn blankets eastern Nebraska in the summer. Straight roads glide over the hills, dividing the fields like measuring tape. In the 19th century the Homestead Act sectioned the land into neat plots for new settlers. ...more

July 14, 2008

Compared with this town's 625-year-old crooked church, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a model of rectitude. ...more

November 24, 2007

A successful yard sale outing depends more on planning and less on shopping, according to the folks at Fire Finance ( www.firefinance.blogspot .com), a top-rated personal finance blog written by Amalendu Haldar and his wife, Hoimonti Basu, a pair of engineers from Boston. Using maps, power tools, paper towels and ropes, they hunt down yard sale deals for their home. Here are some of their tips: ...more

October 20, 2007

David Chadwell is sure boys and girls can get through the awkward middle school years better when they're separated, in classrooms tailored to the learning styles of each gender. ...more

October 1, 2007