The shade of near black that is New England’s Atlantic Ocean sure looks a lot different in Bermuda. In fact, once you land — either by plane or cruise ship aside the endless ocean a shade reminiscent of Paul Newman’s eyes pairing perfectly with its pink sand beaches -- you become instantly hypnotized by the romance that unfurls before you on this island paradise.

It feels like a bit of undead overload to be reviewing “Zombieland” so soon after writing about the zombie flick “Pontypool” in this space, but while “Pontypool” is a nasty little thriller, “Zombieland” — despite the occasional burst of violence — is definitely a comedy.

Weekly health rail, with items on an "In case of emergency" app, how to recognize a brain injury, a study on sleep and aging, and more.

President Barack Obama, in his budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year, is putting off a trip to the moon. In 2004, President George W. Bush had outlined a strategy to return Americans to the lunar soil, which was set to take place as soon as 2020.

Dog Lady offers advice on posing with your dog in a personal ad, and preparing your pooch for air travel.

One can’t help but wonder how the chickadee, a bird the size of a Tater Tot, doesn’t freeze just as solid during the frigid winter months. When the weather turns cold, animals — like people — can either adopt a strategy to deal with the change or flee to warmer temperatures elsewhere. Some, like groundhogs, simply choose not to deal with winter and sleep through the whole thing.

A mixture of education carrots and sticks might be the right medicine to help end America’s shortage of primary care physicians, a doctor and writer says.

Charlie Louvin and Those Darlins couldn't be more different. He's a country music legend, half of the classic duo the Louvin Brothers; they're a trio that describe their music as punk-country-pop. They perform together next week at the Bedrock 66 Live! series at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

How’s this for school spirit? Researchers at Western Illinois University have developed organic popcorn in purple and gold, the school’s colors. And if that weren’t enough, they’re also working on purple and gold sweet potatoes, carrots and dried beans.

It’s not just the number of origami cranes. It’s that each means the same thing. More than 2,000 paper cranes hang from the hallway ceilings of St. Agnes School. Each is folded precisely for Evan Hoffman, a St. Agnes seventh-grader who is fighting a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma.

To soothe what ails his aching psyche, Barry Kerch needs no antidepressant pill or psychiatrist's couch - just a drum kit and concert stage. The prescription of live rock also aids other members of Shinedown. Their emotion-roiling songs not only please fans but serve as a catharsis for the quartet, whose personal foibles often serve as inspiration for lyrics. For them, a live concert functions as a massive support group that helps Shinedown shed angst.

Twinny Peach snapdragon is a bedding plant winner, meaning it’s a shorter plant characteristic of mass plantings to make an effect. You could tuck a plant here and there in a container, but if you really want to make a statement, stick at least four to six together.

Weekly religion rail, with items on making friends at church, a group passing out thousands of
Bible CDs, getting to know missionary Ida Scudder, and more.

Some parents accept their child’s negotiating and label them as strong willed. I’ve heard parents talk right in front of their child, saying “He’s just so strong willed, I don’t know what to do!” They’ve just empowered their child.

Daniel Menaker, author and editor, has been thinking a lot about the qualities of good conversation. His new book, “A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation,” is an entertaining, thought-provoking, at times irritating compendium that considers the history, the structure, the process, the value of conversation.