With the news that Huntington, W. Va., has been named America's unhealthiest and fattest city, this is a good time to emit a collective: "Phew!"
Dr. Laura Berman has taught female anatomy 101 on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and got under the skin of real-life couples on the Showtime documentary series "Sexual Healing."
Sure, President-elect Barack Obama has gotten more than his share of headlines recently. But there's another history-making icon that just might end up stealing his thunder:
Paige Wiser: Mike Ruggles doesn't quite fit the child-care stereotype. He doesn't have an English accent, for one thing. And then there's the fact that he's a man. A 6-foot-2, 220-pound bald man with a husky voice. Some clients take one look at him and think "biker." Others think "teddy bear." Either way, the Elmwood Park developmental therapist likes to call ahead to families to prepare them for his appearance.
Paige Wiser: Betsy Storm is elated -- and yet somehow at loose ends. The Chicago volunteer worked on Barack Obama's campaign for 18 months, hosting college kids for "Camp Obama," making lunches for campaign staff, phone banking, traveling to Iowa. She even designed a "Mamas for Obama Know the Power of Voting" T-shirt that raised $1,000 for the campaign. So what is she supposed to do now?
Can we pause for a moment? I know that we all just witnessed real history, and that it feels like we're on the brink of something even greater.
The people have spoken, and they are decisively behind President-elect Barack Obama.
Paige Wiser: Metrosexuals may have fought the good fight for men's fashion rights, and yet the stereotype is alive and well: women who dress their men. Researchers think it has something to do with our prehistoric prototypes. Women gather; men hunt. A study from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School found that women enjoy the entire shopping experience -- browsing for shoes, trying on perfume. But men are on a mission -- find a shirt, buy it, leave.
Paige Wiser: To use life-coach-speak, these are challenging times. Partisan passions are running high -- and not everybody will be happy when today's elections are over. The economy is on the precipice, and every day brings news of layoffs. We need a little guidance. The Sun-Times consulted a panel of life coaches for advice on how to muddle through.
'But Paige," you ask, "how do you fill your time when you aren't illuminating world events for your readership?"
All right, we suspected that the economy was in trouble. But you know things are bad when even the Lipstick Theory doesn't hold up.