http://www.thedailystar.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:49:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_327040104.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_327040104.html They painted with brushes and bubbles and string. They blew paint through a straw and squirted it from plastic bottles. They painted to music and by themselves and with a friend. Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:57:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_285040020.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_285040020.html It's more than three weeks until Election Day, and my internal hard drive is already just about maxed out. In this Too-Much-Information Age, we have 24/7 access to news _ and opinion _ on every step (and misstep) the presidential candidates take, every questionable association they ever had, every exaggeration, every innuendo, every fact taken out of context. Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:59:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_264040007.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_264040007.html The sunflower was a surprise. It grew up tall and fast in the perennial patch in our front yard; too confident to be a weed, so I let it grow even though I had no idea how it got there or what it would become. Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_243040043.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_243040043.html Ah, summer vacation. Trips to the pool and the park and the lake, leisurely dinners and late bedtimes, barbecues and ice cream cones, camping trips, amusement park rides and days at the beach. Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_222040040.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_222040040.html This summer, my family traded waves for water slides and lobster for casserole cooked in foil over a campfire. And, like many other families who decided to "staycation" this year, we gained more than just a little extra cash. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:11:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_201040010.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_201040010.html Green is definitely in. Turn on the TV news or open the local paper and you'll see stories on the latest climate-change issues, letters to the editor debating the merits of wind power, and ads for fuel-efficient cars. Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:12:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_180040007.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_180040007.html I was planning to wait until harvest time to report on the results of my vegetable-gardening experiment. Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:13:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_159040012.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_159040012.html This summer, I'll be testing the theory that you don't have to be a gardening expert to grow a few vegetables. Sat, 17 May 2008 16:14:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_138040125.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_138040125.html For the good of the blue-collar workers, the soccer moms, the Latinos and every other constituency she claims to support, Hillary Clinton should drop out of the presidential race. Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:15:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_117040045.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_117040045.html Finally, there's some good news about aging. A study published in the April issue of the American Sociological Review reports that the oldest Americans are the happiest. Researchers at the University of Chicago analyzed data gathered during interviews conducted from 1972 to 2004 with a cross-section of Americans ages 18 to 88. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:16:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_098151214.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_098151214.html It’s a happy coincidence that tax time and Earth Day occur during the same month. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 12:10:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_075040203.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_075040203.html We got an amazing new toy last week. It's about 21/2 feet tall and 3 feet deep, and it's made entirely of cardboard. It doesn't make noise or require batteries; it has no microchips or paint or small moving parts. It is not associated with a Disney character. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:29:00 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_054040157.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_054040157.html So now there's a new study that says obesity doesn't really cost society as much as we've been led to believe. Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:00:59 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_033040008.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_033040008.html NetSummary Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:00:59 +0000 http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_012040129.html http://www.thedailystar.com/lisacolumn/local_story_012040129.html I've resolved to walk more this year for all the obvious reasons: I want to reduce my carbon footprint, my waistline and my fuel budget.