Table Mountain – A Wonder of the Natural World

This writer is ecstatically proud to have but an infinitesimal connection to one of the provisional New Seven Wonders of the Natural World: Table Mountain, Cape Town’s magnificent proscenium. I was born on the Oranjezicht slopes of Mother Mountain at the Booth Memorial Hospital, before suburbia crept up the cypress-shaded hillsides. Table Mountain was voted a first-count provisional winner as New 7 Wonder of the Natural World on 11.11.11, by way of a global phone/SMS campaign. Results will be verified by New 7 Wonders in early 2012. The finalists are: Amazon River, South America; Halong Bay, Vietnam; Iguaza Falls, Argentina; Jeju ...

Weight Loss: Trade In Your “Magical Thinking” for a Solid Strategy

Ever hear yourself saying, "I know I shouldn't eat all these salty chips right now, but tomorrow I'll 'eat light' so I don't gain weight"? Or this one: "I'm too tired to exercise today, but I'll walk an extra half-mile tomorrow." Or this tried-and-true excuse, "I worked hard today and deserve to relax in front of the TV and eat this ice cream with a few cookies—after all, tomorrow's another day." Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. I don't know about you, but in my world tomorrow is never today. Unfortunately, procrastinating and wishing we were thinner won't lead us to lose any excess ...

Stamps in My Passport – Galapagos

We inhabitants of this delicate world are in a constant struggle with our environment. Let’s face it – we occupy a flimsy planet which circles an average star in a minor galaxy of this gigantic universe. We need to take care of it. An ex-Vice President beats a drum on global warming, and Congress struggles with clean air acts. Often when we stop at scenic turnoffs, we find the view littered with cans, bottles, and used sandwich bags. It appears to me at times that we are losing the battle – that sometime in the future our world will be ...

2012 Honda Civic: The Next Generation!

In 1973 Honda introduced a tiny little car called the Civic. Thirty-nine years later, Honda launches the ninth generation of one of the company’s most popular vehicles in the all-new 2012 Civic. The 2012 Civic was originally scheduled to grow in length, but with fuel prices on the rise, Honda decided to keep this generation to a similar size as the past version. This decision delayed the launch of the ninth generation which was not helped by the devastating earthquake and tsunami occurrences. Consumer Reports for the first time did not place the Civic on its Recommended List sighting cheap interior ...

IN THIS ISSUE...

Danville’s Tribute to Phil Hill

December 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment

“Cool Cars for a Cause” is the slogan for the Danville Concours d’Elegance and it’s an apt description for a gathering of classic, vintage racing and contemporary cars, along with a few restored racing boats that are carefully parked along Danville’s charming downtown streets. The event has raised more than a million dollars for Parkinson’s research and patient care and this year honored Phil Hill, who succumbed to the disease after his legendary international career in racing and classic car restoration. Hill became an early fan of the Danville Concours because of its relaxed atmosphere... [Read the full story]

HOME and GARDEN

Dirt Gardener – Roses and Yellow Flowering Oxalis

December 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Q. I have rose planted in an extremely heavy stone pot that is impractical to move and drains very slowly. The cause of the drainage problem is that the roots are blocking the drainage holes. Is there such a thing as a drainage helper that can be worked into the holes to unplug them? A. I’m not aware of any commercial product that would unplug the drainage hole of a container. You’re going to have to employ some type of manual solution to solve this problem. One option is to tip the pot on its side, and unblock the drainage holes with a screwdriver or electric drill. Once the holes are... [Read the full story]

ARTS

The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner

December 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment

The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner is a stand-out film on several levels. The story line could be described as simplistic but the richness of its characters and clean cinematography, as directed by Stephan Komandarev, give this movie an attractive warmth—a simplicity that works. The film stars Carlo Ljubek as Alexander (Sashko) and Miki Manojlovic as Alex’s grandfather, Bai Dan. The opening scene is Sashko’s birth in 1975, followed by a flash forward to today, where Sashko is a young man, riding in a car with his parents. He sustains a life-altering injury as the automobile... [Read the full story]

SPORTS and WELLNESS

Tiger Talk

December 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Everyone has an opinion and most have, in one way or another, followed the career of Tiger Woods. He has climbed to the top, fallen from grace and is making his way back. Will it ever be what it was or will he even compete with the up and coming sensations that are apparently dominating the spot light on the world stage of championship golf? The coming year will prove to the skeptics and harsh critics that he is still Tiger Woods, the man on the verge of becoming the greatest golfer ever. Fourteen major championships and only four more to tie Jack’s record of 18, Tiger is not finished. More... [Read the full story]

FEATURE

Table Mountain – A Wonder of the Natural World

December 31, 2011 · 1 Comment

COLUMNS

2012 – Will the Tug of War Continue?

December 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I don’t believe we can think about what 2012 might hold for us without first reviewing what took place during 2011. It seems we have been caught in a tug of war of sorts between positive and negative forces over the last several months and it is likely that this tug of war is not over and will continue well into 2012. First let’s look at the positive side. Despite all the negative sentiment out there, it is not all bad news when it comes to the economy and the financial markets. I would consider some of the following as positives to keep in mind: The U.S. economy has been fairly resilient... [Read the full story]

FEATURE

Table Mountain – A Wonder of the Natural World

Weight Loss: Trade In Your “Magical Thinking” for a Solid Strategy

Ever hear yourself saying, “I know I shouldn’t eat all these salty chips right now, but tomorrow I’ll ‘eat light’ so I don’t gain weight”? Or this one: “I’m too tired to exercise today, but I’ll walk an extra half-mile tomorrow.” Or this tried-and-true excuse, “I worked hard today... Read more of this article