In a land of honking horns, chirping cell phones and drive-through attention spans, there isn't time to be patient. Pick your poison: consumerism, materialism, self-absorption. Experts say they are each an ingredient in a recipe for perpetual impatience, turning humans into hamsters racing in their wheels, getting nowhere fast.   BE PATIENT - Studies show impatience can be unhealthy, linking it to hypertension, increased anger and elevated stress. CNS Illustration.  Elizabeth Carll, a clinical psychologist in Long ... [full story]

Twenty minutes into the invasion of Iraq, Marine Sgt. Nathaniel Donnelly huddled with his men in the windowless rear of an armored vehicle as it rumbled across the Iraq-Kuwait border. The roar of artillery pounded in their ears. Anxious officers chattered over the radio.   OVER HERE - Former Marine Sgt. Nathaniel Donnelly (above and left, while serving in Iraq) is now a senior at San Diego State University, where he founded a campus veterans organization. ... [full story]

Q: We are really puzzled by our dog's strange behavior. Although we are absolutely positive that she has never been bred, she is acting like she is pregnant! Our dog's mammary glands are enlarging and she has a little discharge from her nipples. She looks like she is getting ready to nurse puppies. When our dog was in season several weeks ago we did not let her go outside without us. There is just no ... [full story]

Whenever you get so tired and exasperated that you feel you can't look after mom or dad a moment longer, you might want to think about Pam Hoye. Then, take a deep breath and march back into the fray. I met Pam through the online caregivers support group at SanDiegoEldercare.com. She adds so much to the discussion that I didn't realize she has cerebral palsy; she works very hard to stay in touch with us. ... [full story]

Politicians are certainly imaginative when it comes to their infidelities. You have your office romances (Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick), your restroom shenanigans (Idaho Sen. Larry Craig), your "Whoops! I'm really gay" flings (former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey) and your utterly inexplicable hanky-panky (Bill Clinton).   ELIOT SPITZER - Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's reputation for honesty makes the recent prostitution scandal that much more surprising. CNS Illustration.  Eliot Spitzer, the former New York governor who ... [full story]

Q: Last month we were shocked to learn that our daughter and son-in-law were considering divorce. After nearly 18 years we believed they had a successful marriage. They have raised two fine children and are financially in good shape. How can we help? A: Your adult children are going through one of our life's major transitions. Their attitudes, priorities and goals have changed. Your daughter may be a stay-at-home or career mother. Now she may ... [full story]

The bad news continues to mount: the stock market has dipped below 12,000, the lowest in several years; the employment picture is dismal for the third month in a row; unemployment has risen, not including those who, discouraged by several months of fruitless trying, aren't even applying for a new job. Older people on a fixed income may be hardest hit. So are those who depend on regular income from savings and investments. A friend ... [full story]

Long the sovereign domain of arctic explorers and hardcore adventure trekkers, Greenland abounds with the cracking sounds of calving glaciers, treks beside behemoth ice flows and visits to Inuit villages. Experiencegreenland.com recently launched an interactive educational Web site featuring two new travel packages that meld arctic authenticity with convenience and capitalize on Air Greenland's five-hour connection from Baltimore to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, that started last year. This summer Air Greenland will operate flights every Thursday from ... [full story]

"Cannery Row - is a poem, a stink - the whole street rumbles and groans and screams and rattles." - John Steinbeck, "Cannery Row" MONTEREY, Calif. - Things haven't changed all that much since the sardines left Monterey Bay in the mid-1940s and all the canneries closed down.   LONELY TREE - A lone cypress clings to the rocks on 17-Mile Drive, a private street that meanders through the coast and past the homes and golf ... [full story]

SANT'ERASMO, Italy - La Serenissima (the most serene) is the nickname for the magical city of Venice. But when I got there during high tourist season last July and joined the crowds in the Piazza San Marco, the scene was far from serene. An American couple passed by grumbling about the 10-euro prices for a Coke at the Caffe Florian. A toddler wailed as his parents struggled to set him up for a photo in ... [full story]

Q: Our veterinarian recently told us about a little boy who lost his sight in one eye because of a roundworm infection, which he might have gotten from his puppy. We were thankful that our veterinarian told us about this and that she recommended periodic stool sample checks to be sure that our dog does not have internal parasites. Are roundworms commonly diagnosed in puppies? A: Unfortunately, finding roundworms in puppies is fairly common. It ... [full story]

As if planning a funeral isn't confusing enough, there's a new option: "green" burials. Some families are forgoing formaldehyde embalming and laminated caskets in favor of eco-friendly, natural-fiber shrouds and coffins made from cardboard, recycled newspapers or bamboo, lined with unbleached cotton. I flashed on this trend while reading a new report about prepaid funeral-plan scams. A 2007 AARP survey of 1,087 Americans 50-plus found that 23 percent made prepayments on funerals, burials or both. ... [full story]

Kim Whitney is volunteering this year as the WeCare representative for La Jolla Country Day, an upscale private school in San Diego where her daughter is a student.   CHEERS AND JEERS - When cheers turn to jeers it's up to parents to step in. CNS Illustration by Jacie Landeros  The group grew out of the concerns of parents and school personnel from seven private schools who want "to promote integrity, responsibility, ethical behavior and wellness in ... [full story]