Too many people have been stricken by obsessive materialism. ...more

January 9, 2009

On this, my Day of Days, I ask myself, What is the importance of a birthday? ...more

January 5, 2009

A local pastor devised a way for parishioners to part with some of their most treasured items, while they learn from the experience. ...more

November 14, 2008

Maybe you've seen her face. In store catalogues, on Home Shopping Network, at a Sephora makeup demonstration. ...more

September 13, 2008

"Obsessive Branding Disorder: The Illusion of Business and the Business of Illusion" by Lucas Conley; PublicAffairs, 288 pages ($22.95). ...more

July 13, 2008

Last Christmas, Donna Hoffman, an ardent environmentalist who lives in Austin, Texas, came up with an unlikely gift for each member of her family: an energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulb. ...more

December 2, 2007

Carlos Manuel Soto, a Cuban-born painter who sought political refuge in Tampa seven years ago, was found dead Monday at his home. ...more

November 7, 2007