I'll admit it. I went to cover Saturday night's Second City 50th Anniversary bash in the hopes of seeing Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Jim Belushi, Bonnie Hunt, and many of the others whose names are well-known in my household.

Yet as they all headed from the red carpet...

If you're like me and love travel, you probably also love Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain No Reservations. What's not to love? There's food, there's local culture, there's wit. So when my inbox chimed at the arrival of an email from one of the show's publicists, the last thing I expected...

Universal Orlando Resort, and Warner Bros. today revealed first-ever details about the incredible scope of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Universal also announced that beginning spring 2010, its theme park will be open for all dedicated Potterphiles to make a vacation pilgrimage.

Among the tantalizing tidbits revealed, the...

When a traveler steps out into Rome's streets, there is no doubt they will carry a checklist of  must-see places. And with good reason, as every person visiting should experience its grandeur and ponder the historical significance of the great Roman monuments. But there is so much more to discover...

With the economy in the crapper, it's a bit difficult for many U.S. travelers to make it abroad anytime soon. In the meantime, it's a great time for those of us with itchy feet to explore the many places around the States that offer a unique and memorable experience.

We...

I recently got an email from a man in California who wanted ideas for the best place to take his wife for an anniversary trip. He wrote: 

If you were going to take your spouse somewhere in the USA (airline tickets in continental USA only) for a 25th wedding anniversary...

Blogger, Karoli brought to my attention the horrific nightmare experienced by a Connecticut woman named Julie Amero.

Four years ago, while pregnant, Ms. Amero went to work one day as a substitute teacher and left with felony charges against her.

Her crime?

Julie...

Coming from a very conservative background, I've heard liberals called every name in the book throughout my childhood -- especially when it comes to patriotism and support for veterans.

Now as a proud liberal and a former military spouse, I take exception to being...

With Sarah Palin's alleged lack of knowledge about whether Africa is a continent or country, some accuse the news outlets of nitpicking. You know, because it wouldn't really matter if a world leader didn't know what the world actually looked like.

Yet for me, what's just as troubling is...

So I went down to vote early today, hoping to miss Nov 4th's crowds.

No luck. The place was packed tighter than a brautwurst with people eager to cast a ballot. The problem seemed to originate with the lack-of-logic line setup. Voters stand in line for the voting counter, get...

With all the horrible decisions coming out of the McCain/Palin campaign, it's almost like shooting fish in a barrel (or wolves from a helicopter) to point out more failure.

But we shouldn't let McCain get a free-ride on his proposed government spending freeze. If for some fluke of a...

UPDATE: The video of Obama's actual interaction with Joe the Plumber below is what all the hubbub was about. Judge for yourself if you think McCain distorted their conversation...
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Okay, so it's a little ironic that Obama was on his way to the Town Hall style debate...

John McCain sure never seems to waste an opportunity to talk about of his time as a POW. In the first presidential debate against Barack Obama, he insisted veterans know he "loves them" and that he will "take care of them." McCain even went so far as to say that...

Just because he hasn't been to his Congressional office in five months doesn't mean John McCain's trying to distract anybody from his failing campaign. I mean, anyone who's ever worked in an office knows exactly what he's doing by suspending his campaign to focus on our economic crisis...

So...

There aren't many things more disturbing than watching a bunch of stodgy white Republicans mechanically bop around to the beat of Earth Wind & Fire's "Dancin' in September." But it was a necessary evil in order to be sure and hear from McCain's pick for President -- once he knocks...

After working in and writing about politics and parenting special needs children, some have asked me, "Isn't it kind of shallow to go into travel the travel writing industry?" My resounding answer is: no.

Seriously, when's the last time you knew a world leader who stayed in their corner of...

Super Tuesday is upon us. So, let's just get ready for the polls to be wrong, the media to be loud, and Rush Limbaugh to have an aneurism when McCain sweeps the Republican side.

One more thing we can count on is our sexist cultural undertones to continue. Let's take...

In Iowa, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton put a lot of time, money and effort into the women's vote, with Obama focusing on the younger crowd. It paid off for him.

Now representing more than one quarter of eligible voters, single women hold a lot of cards...

Mission accomplished: the War on Christmas is over -- for this year at least. It was a tough battle, with some of us foolishly wishing unknown strangers 'Happy Holidays' just in case they were Jewish, Muslim or otherwise. But thankfully, the suppressed voices of Christians throughout America finally got...

It is with great sadness that our organization, the Council of Women World Leaders lost a member yesterday.

In a world of tailored political messages and issue flip-flopping, Bhutto stood out as courageous.

While she was in office in 1994, Bhutto conducted a filmed interview with the Council's secretary...