MY FRIEND WHOM I’ll call BCL is a strong, beautiful and vibrant woman. I attribute this to her healthy lifestyle. She retired and works on several community projects that she is passionate about. She gets regular exercise, loves to read and has great friends. I believe that all of that adds to her current state of beauty.

In Canada you have free speech -- at least until the authorities say you don't -- and this week one such authority used his power to trample all over that fundamental freedom.

On the morning of Dec. 6, 1996, 37-year-old Dr. Jill Bolte suffered a massive stroke. Her recovery and the miraculous book that eventually emerged from her experience, A Stroke of Insight, have stunned audiences everywhere.

In this sound-bite riddled world, day in and day out, most of us race from activity to activity in hopes of completing one task only to begin another. Often we juggle or multi-task many activities at one time. This is considered a virtue we are encouraged to possess.