You can use it for an upset stomach, a headache or a sore throat. It has the potential to alleviate cold, flu, allergies and almost any other unnameable illness. It can wake you up as effectively as it can put you to sleep, or satisfy hunger without any caloric intake. It can prevent a variety of diseases and health problems from heart disease to ... [Read More…]

I'm finished giving away the benefits of my doubt. Verizon customers who actually look at their bills might have noticed a $1.99 fee at some point. Fees are fees. Maybe the $1.99 is some kind of maintenance charge. The two-buck fee is labeled "data" - which includes text, picture and video messaging, web browsing, daily alerts and downloads - so ... [Read More…]

Nov. 6 marked the beginning of a clash of the techies, as digital connoisseurs began to compare the features and capabilities of the newly released Droid, made by Motorola and sold by Verizon Wireless, with those of Apple's iPhone. The commercial is as epic as The Lord of the Rings and leaves the impression such an amazing piece of technology is ... [Read More…]

Relient K has come a long way from its Sadie Hawkins Dance days. Maybe it's my personal bias toward Matthew Thiessen's angelic voice, but his seventh CD - released in October - is one of the best yet. I bought the CD the day after it was released, and I began listening to it as soon as I started my truck. As I was driving down the road back to my ... [Read More…]

Like many of my peers, (at least that's what I told myself growing up), I spent much of my free time in front of a computer screen playing The Sims. Perhaps it was a need to feel I was in control of something. Maybe it was because I wanted to live vicariously through the lives of my Sims. Or maybe, it was because I wanted to see how much mayhem ... [Read More…]

Just 350 words. That's it. After working in journalism for six years, you'd think I could write 350 words about carpet texture, and certainly 350 words on a topic of my choice. But almost weekly, I am assigned to write a column. And almost weekly, I face the same challenge: writer's block, that accursed affliction stumping writers of all ages, ... [Read More…]

We are always waiting for the next big thing to happen. Whether it is a subconscious thought process or a recognized feeling, it seems almost everyone believes his life is on the verge of something. Some are looking for a new and better job; others are about to graduate and enter into adulthood. Still others are hoping to finally stumble upon true ... [Read More…]

You know you're a Church of Christ kid if you've been on the wrong end of a disfellowshipping joke. I like to consider myself well versed in the doctrinal heritage of the Church of Christ, but this practice is quite foreign to me. Growing up, I knew only two things about disfellowshipping: it wasn't something you wanted to happen to you, and you ... [Read More…]

I am the poster child for suburbia. I am a white, middle-class college student with two parents, a sister and a dog. The only thing in my favor when it came to filling college quotas was the fact I'm a woman. My life has been smooth sailing to this point. And it hasn't helped me a bit. A life without hardship is a precursor to a life without ... [Read More…]

"Sure!" Translation: "No problem!" Or, "Of course!" "Sure-" Translation: "I'll do it, but I'm not looking forward to it." Or, "Yeah, right, I know that's not what you really mean." "Sure." Translation: "Yes, I'll do it - but I don't want to." Or, "Yes, it's OK, but really I'm angry and upset." Admit it. You're familiar with texting lingo. Almost ... [Read More…]