Lead Story Edible "dirt" has recently appeared on the menus of several of the world's most renowned restaurants (e.g., the top-rated Noma in Copenhagen, Shakuf in Tel Aviv, Gilt in New York City). "People are really wowed to see dirt on their plates," said Gilt's head chef. Actually, the "dirt" only looks and feels like dirt. Each chef creates signature tastes from dried or charred powders with the appearance and consistency of sand, soil or ...

Lead Story Ingrid Paulicivic filed a lawsuit in September against Laguna Beach, Calif., gynecologist Red Alinsod over leg burns she bafflingly acquired during her 2009 hysterectomy -- a procedure that was topped off by the doctor's nearly gratuitous name-"branding" of her uterus with his electrocautery tool. Dr. Alinsod explained that he carved "Ingrid" in inch-high letters on the organ only after he had removed it and that such labeling helps in the event a woman ...

Lead Story Civilization in Decline: "Tom Tom," a 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier, was laid to rest at the Oakland Cemetery in Monticello, Ark., in March, even though he was in good health. His owner, Donald Ellis, had just passed away but had left explicit instructions that he wanted Tom Tom buried along with him, and not later on, because he felt that no one could love Tom Tom as much as he did. Ellis' reluctant ...

Lead Story More than a half-million children in the U.S. take antipsychotic medicines and (reported The New York Times in September) "(e)ven the most reluctant (doctors) encounter a marketing juggernaut that has made antipsychotics the nation's top-selling class of drugs by revenue, $14.6 billion last year, with prominent promotions aimed at treating children." In one psychiatrist's waiting room, observed the Times reporter, "(C)hildren played with Legos stamped with the word Risperdal" (an antipsychotic made by ...

Professional Training Required The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced in August that it had contract work for up to 2,100 language specialists to transcribe wiretaps, with immediate needs in the Atlanta field office for 144 Spanish experts, along with 12 for Vietnamese, and nine each for Korean, Farsi and "Ebonics." Ebonics is recognized by some linguists as the "nonstandard" form of English spoken by African-Americans. (In one example cited by the Associated Press, offered ...

Please comment on the global energy-conservation insanity surrounding the incandescent light bulb, i.e., initiatives around the world to ban it. (Some call the instigators of these measures "eco-fascists.") How good are energy-saving fluorescent or halogen light bulbs really? -Ivona, Chicago

I've been reading about the coelacanth, the fish thought to have gone extinct 65 million years ago that turned up in an Indonesian fish market. Do you know any good coelacanth recipes? Seems like this would be a nice change from a Filet-o-Fish. -- Jim, Pawhuska, Oklahoma

In your recent column on conspiracy theories about the government injecting chemicals into the atmosphere, you disparaged the idea of geoengineering, or at least using sulfur dioxide to counter global warming. But you don't defend your position. Is it a good or bad idea, and why? - Rob

I grew up in Alaska and I've heard this story forever, including when I worked on a salmon fishing boat for two summers. It's the claim of a sometimes lethal danger to fishermen posed by a large halibut landed on deck but not yet dead. According to the story, a flopping halibut broke a commercial fisherman's leg in two places, causing him to bleed to death because he was alone and couldn't crawl to the ...

Zombies have so many disturbing traits, but my question involves only two: the stench of decomposition and their tendency to congregate in large numbers. A single dead body gives off a foul odor that is overpowering, certainly enough to make a normal person vomit. Now, say you're one of those zombie apocalypse survivors, barricading yourself inside a shopping mall, faced with hundreds of undead shoppers. Putting aside the brain-eating and all that, how dangerous is ...

Best Overall Restaurant, Best Downtown Restaurant: Cha Bella 102 E Broad St (912) 790-7888     Executive Chef Matt Roher’s steadfast devotion to fresh, local ingredients makes eating here a pleasurable adventure. But, as Roher is quick to say, "the key is consistency." With their own three-acre vegetable farm, Roher’s built-in fan base from his stint at the Landings Club, and an awesome location bookending the Historic District, Cha Bella is a big ...

Best Local TV News Anchor: Sonny Dixon Former state representative and current media hot property on WTOC. Runner-up: Tina Tyus Shaw   Best Local TV Sports Anchor: Frank Sulkowski WJCL/Fox 28's go-to guy on the sports desk for the past three years. Runner-up: Rick Snow, WTOC   Best Local Meteorologist: Pat Prokop WTOC stalwart is a voice of calm and reason in a frenetically hysterical ...

Best Bed & Breakfast: Ballastone Inn 14 E. Oglethorpe Ave. 912/236-1484 Luxury in a four-story antebellum mansion that has all the modern conveniences, with all of yesteryear’s charm - that’s the Ballastone Inn. The inn was once a private house built in 1838 by a cotton factor and banker. "The original owner had 12 children," says the Ballastone’s evening manager Melissa Williams. "We have 16 rooms in all. They needed ...

Best Charitable Organization: Coastal Pet Rescue Andy the terrier mix is one lucky dog.  On May 1, the twelve pound, five month old puppy was adopted by Patricia and Curt Knight of Georgetown.  “He has learned to fetch a ball, his bathroom habits are improving daily,” says Patricia Knight. “He’s got a lot of brains.  He’s outfoxed Curt and I several times.” Knight found Andy through Coastal Pet Rescue (CPR), the all-volunteer ...

Most Eligible Bachelor: Bobby Deen After a hectic day at The Lady & Sons Restaurant, Savannah's most eligible bachelor Bobby Deen prefers to head for the dock behind his house instead of hitting the town. Deen, 39, is co-owner (with brother Jamie) of the restaurant that's put his family on Savannah's tourism map. "I spend all day around so many people in the store, on my off time I like to ...