Vice President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius met today at the White House with small business leaders, who came to share their health insurance woes. Once again, the picture became crystal clear: we must fix the health care system in the U.S. and we must...

Maybe the front page of your newspaper is plastered this morning with photos of the late great Michael Jackson. But what you really need to know about is the huge health care...

You know the old saying that this or that GALLS me?

Well, I've finally figured where that saying comes from....as in, it comes straight out of the gut.

A few...

The news this morning shouldn't come as a shock, or even a surprise.

And it shouldn't bring tears to my eyes, or a funny tight feeling to my chest.

But...

Cherry blossom season has hit its glorious peak in DC this week, so on Monday, my husband and I decided to head downtown after work to see the pink majesty of...

Chances are, if you are reading this blog post, you are sitting in a comfortable office somewhere. Or maybe you are at your kitchen table, or on the sofa, or in bed, or at your desk. In other words, you are wired up at home.

The point is, you are...

Twice in the past week, I've heard the same bad news: two media outlets for whom I'd written articles informed me that they would not be paying me for the writing I had submitted.

One outlet is a very large and prominent city newspaper. The other is a regional...

I have a lawyer friend -- a criminal defense attorney -- who is also a Buddhist. He lives his life in a deeply mindful and respectful way. He is passionately opposed to the death penalty and he has written tomes trying to bring attention to the injustices of individual cases...

It's official, Kirsten Gillibrand, a "Blue Dog" Democrat from upstate New York, has been appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat.

Like so many others, I'd been hearing rumors that the little-known Congresswoman was on Governor Paterson's short list. But still, it comes as a bit of a...

It was way before sunrise when celebrants began to converge on the Mall to form the human quilt. How many of us were there? Two million? Three? Looking out at the sea of people, it looked like a red throbbing blur. Later, I spoke to people who despite their best...

Whether we are one of the millions converging on the Mall in DC, or we are sitting in the living room in South Dakota or Saint LouIs or Denver or Detroit glued to the TV, we are all riveted on Tuesday's inaugural events. We are a nation waiting for an...

So what if I told you that I am an Obama supporter who is praying today for Sarah Palin?

I know, I'm setting myself up for a stoning here. So I better be clear: I am voting for Barack. I am a long-time progressive. I think McCain is ridiculous on...

You know something is really really wrong when you find yourself on a first-name basis with a person in the billing department of your local hospital.

Donna is the woman I've gotten to know in the last few months. She seems to be a lovely and hard-working woman. And she...

OK, so maybe you are fed up to here with election coverage. Maybe you fell asleep during the debates the other night. Maybe, if you are like me, you cringe at the idea that we have five more...

It's a very little thing, I will admit. But I did it. I faced the fear. And I will take space here to cheer for myself. And to publicly thank my amazing doctor.

OK, so a couple...

We know all too well the ugly mess we're in: the war from hell that never goes away. Gas prices gone bananas. Millions in danger of losing their homes. Millions more without the health care they...

Oh please. Not this. Not this woman standing here, her body plastered against a tree.

Picture her, in her pale green running shorts, a sky blue tank top hugging, hands stroking the bark...

My God, is she really...

What a question, huh? Perhaps, though, it is the most important question of our lives. We all suffer heartache at one time or another. We have all lost loved ones -- mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, best friends, and...

I have a huge blue maple tree in my front yard. As I explain why it is blue, I will ask you to keep an open mind.

The story of the blue tree involves...

Maybe you've heard the words "medical intuitive."

Maybe you even know what a medical intuitive is. Some of them, like Dr. Mona Lisa Schulz, who lives in Yarmouth, Maine, are M.D.s (Schulz is actually an M.D., Ph.D.) Some, like Carolyn Myss, a popular champion of so-called "energy medicine," are...