COVER STORY  Take comfort in this, Al Gore: You can make a difference.
In the two years since An Inconvenient Truth was released, discussion of global warming has grown from a niggling gnat buzzing in the back of the public mind into a teeming swarm of magazine articles, press releases and environmental initiatives.

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FROM THE EDITOR  As the neighbors of Ed Begley Jr. can attest, once you begin paying attention to the impact of your life on the planet, it can provoke more than a little anxiety. I’ve even heard a new term for the obsessive behavior the anxiety can lead to: “carborexia.” Read More>>

GUEST COLUMN  Cheyene’s parents knew something was dangerously wrong with their little girl.
A medical helicopter whisked the gravely ill 3-year-old girl from her hometown of Lewiston, Idaho, to Spokane with a severe blood infection. Doctors administered an emergency transfusion immediately upon her arrival. The infusion of platelets and red blood cells stabilized her condition and saved her life. Read More>>

NEWS  Consider the popcorn: A simple snack, spare in its ingredients and preparation; a low-fat alternative to the candy bars, donuts and ice creams of the world; an ancient snack, developed by Native Americans and passed down to the modern consumer; a magic food that grows before your eyes — popping at first slowly, then maniacally, before petering out to signal its buttery completion. Read More>>

INNOVATION  One day, perhaps doctors will simply toss out your old, broken-down organs and exchange them with plastic pipes and pumps that do the same job. Already, there’s a mechanical heart. Soon, say researchers, the world may see artificial lungs. Read More>>

ALT MEDICINE  The cuisine of India is a colorful, flavorful delight, filled with vegetables and redolent with aromatic spices and hot chilies. Pungent curries are among the best-known dishes, and here in the United States we tend to think of curry as a single flavoring, thanks to the marketing of a rather bland (by comparison) product known as curry powder. But in India, you’d be hard pressed to find curry powder: Every good cook has her own tin filled with individual spices and herbs — coriander and fennel seed, cumin and black mustard seed, cinnamon and cardamom — and these spices are blended differently into each dish. Read More>>

HEALTH LINK  I know it’s a cliché, but where did the time go? It seemed like just a moment ago it was summer fun and school time — and now we’re talking about the holidays? Of course, with all the tough financial news, it’s nice to focus on something positive. It is a time of year that should be less about what we spend and more about spending time with those we love. So for a good stress reliever, pop in a favorite movie and gather the family. Cook a healthy meal. Read More>>

HEALTH LINK  There’s always something that’s “in” for the moment. Maybe you experienced mini-skirts in the ’60s, polyester leisure suits in the ‘70s and shoulder pads in the ’80s. If so, you may just be interested in the newest “in” thing — lasering away the signs of aging. Read More>>

LIFESTYLES  To cook “from scratch” seems to be a dying art — college kids may think the only meaning of the word relates to an itch. But Chef Jason Rex, co-owner of Scratch Restaurant, knows the true culinary meaning. After all, he learned it from his grandmother, Eve. Read More>>

LIFESTYLES  Osteoporosis is estimated to cause 1.5 million fractures annually in the United States in people 50 and older. But did you know the prevention of this bone-related disorder starts when you’re just 12 to 14 years of age? Read More>>

PARENTING  It’s like the first smile and first steps, but more terrifying — every parent of a food-allergic child remembers the first allergic reaction.
For Chris Huppin’s then 4-year old, it was a fancy fish entrée. Read More>>

PARENTING  What can I do to make my child behave? I am at my wit’s end trying to encourage, punish, and cajole my way to a well-behaved kid. Help! Read More>>

PEOPLE  When Ralph DeCristoforo was a graduate student at Washington State University, he wrote a report for a one-credit class. The report detailed the creation of a health care access project, a program to help the most vulnerable and uninsured get health care. Read More>>

SENIORS  It is rare to find a builder who wants more restrictions, regulations and red tape to encumber the construction process. But that’s what Dennis Cunningham of ActiveWest Development signed up for when he decided to build Meadow Ranch, a sustainable 55-plus community in Coeur d’Alene. Read More>>

COVER STORY  Family Home Care and Hospice makes house calls. A lot of them. They provide at-home health care services for patients in an almost 100-mile radius throughout Spokane and Whitman counties. Just driving from place to place, the employees rack up more than a million miles a year of car time. Read More>>