Teachable moments? Some never learn

So many "teachable moments" last week:

TM No. 1: Don't text while driving to tanning bed.

Did the two new studies last week tell us things we really didn't know?

Does anyone doubt that taking our eyes off the road to tap out messages on the small screen of a cell phone is anything other than -- to borrow a word from another teachable moment -- stupid?

Does anybody doubt that climbing into an ultraviolet coffin might give us something more terrible than a bad tan line?

The studies reported that texting while driving is the same as drinking and driving. And that tanning beds are close to arsenic and cigarettes in the cancer category.

My first …

This Beat Goes On... PERCUSSION 2010

Playing drums is relatively easy - with time and practice, pretty much anyone can do it. Making a name and a career for yourself, though, is the exact opposite. You have to hit those skins like you mean it - hit them like you want it.

Each of our panelists began their commitment to drumming at a young age, and all have stuck through the thick and thin with their sticks and skins. Their devotion to their craft has indeed paid off.

At the time of our conversations, each was keeping busy in some form, whether it was preparing to hit the road the following d waiting in the airport to fly out to their next gig, enjoying a day off on tour, or just relaxing before sound check. …

Stock futures up slightly as Bernanke speaks

Wall Street headed for a modest rebound Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reiterated that he expects the economy to improve later this year.

After the central bank's recent interest rate cuts, loans to banks and tax rebates, the second half of the year should bring "somewhat better economic conditions," Bernanke said in a speech in Spain. The economy faces headwinds, however, and the inflation picture remains uncertain, he said, indicating that the Fed still intends to keep interest rates on hold.

Light, sweet crude fell $1.37 to $126.39 a barrel in premarket electronic trading Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, giving …

[ THAT'S ENTERTAINING ]

During one of the hottest spells of summer I found myself with asmall dinner party to host. I didn't feel like eating, much lesscooking.

The thermometer was in the 90s and the humidity was so heavy I wascontinually wiping my brow. Did I mention we didn't have air-conditioning? So I asked myself which dishes would require minimaltime in a hot kitchen yet be tempting to guests.

I finally chose an icy cold soup as an opener and decided tofollow it with a main-course pasta salad served simply with a basketof crusty bread. A cheese board came next, and for dessert there wasa strawberry icebox cake, purchased at a nearby bakery. Inspired bythe unrelenting heat of summer, …

Colorful British Fest Draws Mix Of Cultures

LONDON Londoners flocking to the annual Notting Hill Carnivalthis weekend have an American Indian to thank for turning a staidEnglish street fete into a major festival.

Up to 2 million people are expected to squeeze into west Londonstreets for the two-day event, giving police crowd-controlnightmares.

"Within the black community, carnival is bigger thanChristmas," said Claire Holder, who organizes it with a small staffand shoestring budget.

The carnival's long dominance by Trinidadian immigrants whosettled in Notting Hill from the 1950s came about by surprise.

"The Notting Hill Festival was like an English village fetewith tea and cake …

Egypt says 1 shark caught, another still at large

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — A top Egyptian official said Wednesday that he believes that one of two sharks involved in attacks on tourists in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh has been caught, while the other remains at large.

Governor of South Sinai Mohammed Shousha said according to initial findings from U.S. and Egyptian experts a Mako shark caught Thursday mauled two tourists last week.

An Oceanic White Tip that mauled two Russians last week and killed a German woman on Sunday remains at large and the resort's 30-miles of beaches remain closed indefinitely.

The scientists drew their conclusions based on the pattern of bite marks on the victims and according to …

Angiotech said new stent met goals in studies

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday a stent it developed with Boston Scientific Corp. met its goals in a pair of clinical trials.

Angiotech said the Taxus Element stent worked as well as an older Boston Scientific stent called Taxus Express at treating lesions in blood vessels, and worked better than a different version of Express at preventing tissue from building up inside the stent.

Stents are mesh-metal tubes that are placed in blood vessels after they are surgically cleared of fatty plaque. Some stents, including Taxus Express, are coated with drugs to prevent scar tissue from blocking the vessel again.

Shares of the Vancouver-based …