This was my first attempt at gardening, and so went at it as had my father in his 12- by 15-foot garden in suburban Philadelphia. I even planted a few tomatoes and watched as they worried themselves into not growing because of the shade of those weeds and grass. At about that time, our chemical-gardening, realtor neighbor, who took a kind of fatherly interest in us because he had sold us the lot on part of the farm he had inherited and the modular house that was identical to his, showed me...

But by far my favorite selection was the corn poll: CornCam fans can vote whether they would rather watch corn grow or paint dry. The Web site's name is clever, successfully drawing in the unaware viewer to a much more substantial experience than expected. There it was -- a live video of corn growing in a field in northeast Iowa. We could place the camera by the tree before it leafed out, so folks could watch the buds form, the sprays applied and the apples form. There seems to be no limit...

The food is stellar and the seating cozy, but the lady (I'll call her Thai Waitress) has officially written me off as a medium-spice wimp. We pulled into the Campbell Road strip mall, entered the smallish storefront and were greeted with the Thai greeting/restaurant name by an incredibly friendly, sprightly woman. We took in the contemporary bistro setting and found celebri-chef Bobby Flay challenging some civilian cupcake champ to inflate his ego on the two televisions above the bar....

usDiggRedditYahooMyWebGoogle What's this? Boardwalk at 100-year milestone By Jeff Thomas/MediaNews Staff Article Launched:05/27/2007 07:31:55 AM PDT There are perfectly logical reasons why the Santa Cruz Beach boardwalk is thriving while similar seaside parks across the country are dying. usDiggRedditYahooMyWebGoogle What's this? Boardwalk at 100-year milestone By Jeff Thomas/MediaNews Staff Article Launched:05/27/2007 07:31:55 AM PDT There are perfectly logical reasons why the Santa Cruz...

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures finished mostlyhigher in choppy trading, shrugging off earlier weakness as participants evenedup their positions ahead of the long weekend at the close. Near the close, prices firmed as participants who had sold corn earlier inthe day bought it back with prices making new highs for the session. Bull spread unwinding was a major feature in the session with the lack offollow through from Thursday leading participants to liquidate some of theirJuly/December...

Opinion Headlines In memoriam Unlike old soldiers, heroes' deeds never fade away Yesterday's Headlines That brave and fallen few Protect Social Security numbers Fighting a new war on poverty We Were Both Doing Our Duty BIBLE Chrysler on promising road THROUGH A CENTURY How to contact legislators. Opinion Headlines In memoriam Unlike old soldiers, heroes' deeds never fade away Yesterday's Headlines That brave and fallen few Protect Social Security numbers Fighting a new war on poverty We...