They shoved Bailey Thompson against a wall. They called the thin, brown-haired boy a nerd and a freak.   FIGHTING THE BAD FIGHT - Bailey Thompson, 11, reflects on the daily suffering he endured from bullies at Rio Seco School in Santee, Calif., which prompted his mother to pull him out of the school and teach him at home. CNS Photo by Nancee E. Lewis. After bullies threw sticks and pebbles at him, the 11-year-old told his ... [full story]

Luxury hotels and resorts are going green with programs and amenities that help protect the environment. Who is "eco-friendliest" at the top-end of the hospitality industry?   GOING GREEN - Hyatt Key West hopes to become the first resort in Key West to be green-approved by The Florida Department of Environmental Protection. CNS Photo. - Le Meridien Bora Bora is stepping up to assure a vibrant future for hawksbill, leatherback and green sea turtles with its on-site ... [full story]

Q: Both my husband and I will retire in about five months. We have been encouraged by our children and grandchildren, who do not live near us, to learn how to use the computer. We talk about doing so, but have not. My husband seems to be more willing, but I am resisting because I am afraid of it. Does it really make any sense to spend the money and time to learn to do ... [full story]

My beloved wife, Kate, has gone from 0 to 70 in what seems like breakneck speed. Before you can say AARP, she will be 70 years old, a bona fide septuagenarian. But I didn't want her to crawl into senior citizenry. I wanted her to arrive at that Golden Year milestone with a little oomph. So, I gave her a birthday present two years ago- a red Mercedes-Benz 320 SLK hardtop convertible, which matches her ... [full story]

Our aging and increasingly complex society has expanded the use of the durable power of attorney as an estate planning tool.    It is, however, subject to hidden abuses and risks. For example, we learned of an instance where a daughter used a power of attorney to sell her mother’s home, thereby forcing her mother into a nursing home she did not wish to enter.  Several helpline callers have described situations where an opportunistic family member has ... [full story]

England's medieval castles lie in various states of opulence and ruin. They harbor plenty of old stories about turbulent history, family intrigues and tragedies. But many that still stand in these 21st century days offer more than leftovers from the past to lure visitors to their gates.   MEDIEVAL CHAMBERS - The Muncaster Castle, located on England's west coast, was once a vital Roman naval port. CNS Photo courtesy of England's North Country.    TINY TRAIN - Ravenglass ... [full story]

For two days, our tour group had been hearing promises of wildlife sightings in Yellowstone National Park, and so far the closest encounter I'd had with an uncaged animal was an overly friendly squirrel hungrily grabbing scraps of food from tourists on the deck of the Old Faithful Inn.   NEW HEIGHTS - The jagged, snowcapped mountains that comprise the Grand Tetons in northwestern Wyoming will take your breath away the first time you see them. ... [full story]

BERLIN - British star architect Sir Norman Foster once described Berlin's Flughafen Tempelhof as "the mother of all airports." Perhaps grandmother would be more fitting by now. But still - what a lady!   EMPTY AIRPORT - This aerial view shows the characteristic sweep of the Tempelhof Airport terminal building, one of the world's largest structures. CNS Photo courtesy of Tempelhof International Airport.    ANOTHER AIRLIFT - Passengers board DC-3 'candy bomber' at Tempelhof Airport for a spin ... [full story]

Robert Schwanhausser's life was shrouded in mystery, but this was no secret. His three wives, two sons and countless colleagues knew that "Swany" roamed the globe on vaguely-defined missions. Between 1952 and 1984, he huddled frequently with Pentagon officials, Israeli generals, Iraqi bureaucrats.   HIS AND HERS - Bobbi Swan today and, in inset, as Ryan Aeronautical vice president Robert Schwanhausser. 'What an experience to have had two' genders,' Swan said during a recent visit to ... [full story]

Q: Is it possible for dogs to have cataracts? Our 12-year-old miniature schnauzer does not seem to see as well as she did when she was younger. She used to sit in front of the window and watch the birds and rabbits in our backyard. She does not do this any more. We have also noticed that her eyes look cloudy. We wonder if there is a connection between her cloudy eyes and her lack ... [full story]

Big Brother wouldn't be anyone's first choice as a roommate. But increasingly, Big Brother, Little Brother and Cousin make it possible for aging parents to remain in their own homes longer.   KEEPING TABS - Dorothy Lerma of San Diego (upper left on video screen) and her mother, Maisie Martinez, keep connected via a video phone. CNS Photo by Scott Linnett. New technologies allow children to keep an eye and ear on their parents, ensuring their well-being ... [full story]

Pat and Sheena Wheaton, a New Zealand couple, want to name their baby "4real," but government officials are balking. Too bad the Wheatons don't live in California.   WHAT'S IN A NAME? - Some of the more unusual names celebrities have given their children include Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin) Moon Unit (Frank and Gail Zappa) and, seen here, Dweezil, Moon Unit's brother. CNS Photo by Howard Lipin. "Basically, you can name your child anything you ... [full story]

Saturday nights in Las Vegas usually last long into Sunday morning. That's certainly the case at the Hard Rock Hotel, which hosts a decadent pool party every Sunday afternoon that draws hordes of barely clad hotties.   BEATING THE HEAT - A waterfall flows onto the canal that connects the two pools at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. CNS Photo by Tom Roebuck.    SUNDAY SERVICES - The Rehab is one of the hottest parties in ... [full story]