Marshmallow and Yam won't be the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving spread this year. The two 35 pound turkeys from Henning, Minnesota were granted Presidential pardons as part of the 50-year annual tradition. Usually no more than a soft and cuddly photo oppotunity for the leader of the free world, this year's act of mercy marked one welcomed break from the script.

Just as the National Hurricane Center has run out names for storms this year, it seems the media is also having trouble describing the unprecedented magnitude and size of this season's hurricanes. With each new uber-storm the same label hits the headlines: MONSTER. That got me thinking – is this truly the best term to describe the ferocity and wrath of global-warming angered storms, or just like their differing names, should each storm get its own cataclysmic noun?

pic•a•yune (pik-ah-yoon) adj. 1. Of little value or importance; paltry. 2. Petty; mean. n. 1. A Spanish-American half-real piece formerly used in parts of the southern United States. 2. A five-cent piece. 3. Something of very little value; a trifle.

It seems while we have all been living our lives someone has come up with a new way of explaining how everything came into being. It is all the rage in certain groups and even the President wants all of America's children to know about it. How and when did this happen?

From the New York Times. Arts Briefly, April 29, 2005.

A guerrilla artists' group called Heavy Trash, making a statement against gated communities, has erected "viewing platforms" outside three well-off Los Angeles neighborhoods, including Laughlin Park.