NEW RELEASES   'RATATOUILLE' - In 'Ratatouille,' a young rat, Remy, living within the walls of a famous Paris bistro, wishes to become a chef. CNS Photo courtesy of Disney and Pixar Animation.  RATATOUILLE - Only one letter separates pet from pest, and that "s" attaches to the tiny hero of "Ratatouille" like a stigma. After all, Remy is a rat. And he is in Paris, a great rats' city but also the capital of French cuisine. ... [full story]

John Cusack is not just a fine film actor, he is also one of the few to make the transition from teen sensation to grown-up star. Lots of Cusack fans have stuck with the 6-foot-3 Chicagoan since his earliest films, which remain popular rentals on video.   JOHN CUSACK - John Cusack stars in '1408,' a fright film based on one of Stephen King's short stories. CNS Photo courtesy of David Appleby. He first made waves starring ... [full story]

Anytime you commune with nature and hordes of hot, sweaty humans, you have to keep your wits about you. The beach is no exception. Parents brave heatstroke just loading the cooler, Boogie boards, chairs and kids into the car. Finding parking requires a ruthlessness usually reserved for the mall in December. And hauling all the gear across the sand can leave you feeling like you've been stranded in the Mojave. Don't let any of that ... [full story]

So you're planning a vacation, trying to decide how many Hawaiian shirts you'll need, when a chilling thought arises. What about your phone? You never go anywhere without your phone. What if you need to arrange an elephant ride in Thailand? Or reserve a table at a Paris restaurant? Or seek medical advice in case of Montezuma's revenge? Will your phone work outside the country? And if it does, will calls be outrageously expensive? The ... [full story]

What Majur Malou endured was ghastly, worse than can be imagined. He was beaten. He was made to stand for hours with his arms straight up, like a referee signaling a touchdown. If he dropped his arms - or even let them sag - look out. A punch to the side. Then a punch to the face. For two months Malou, a college student leader from Sudan, was tortured for speaking out against his government ... [full story]

Standing in front of the large Alli display, Mary Chase read aloud from the box of the over-the-counter weight-loss drug. "It says it can help you lose 50 percent more weight than dieting alone," said Chase, 66, of Oceanside, Calif. Other shoppers in earshot drew closer to Chase and the display. "It says it can block 25 percent of the fat you eat," she continued, glancing with raised eyebrows at her sister, Leanna Willis, 68. ... [full story]

On May 4, a massive tornado, estimated at 1 3/4 miles wide, roared through Greensburg, Kan. It obliterated the town and killed a dozen people. Unfortunately, that twister was not an isolated incident this year. Tornadoes have already killed 73 people in the United States, well above the annual average of 55 fatalities. The 2007 toll is the highest since 1999. The spike in death and destruction, as with many extreme weather events recently, inevitably ... [full story]

It won't be long now before the entire world stops what it is doing to catch the newest episode in the "Harry Potter" series - well, that would be the fifth movie and the seventh and final book, both of which come out this month.   'DRIVING LESSONS' - Rupert Grint tries to keep his eyes on the road in the funny coming-of-age film 'Driving Lessons.' CNS Photo courtesy of Jain Maidmont.  Perhaps this is why the ... [full story]

The following news may freak you out, but try not to forget it: People who are often stressed or depressed are much more likely to develop memory problems than those with sunnier dispositions. Following a 12-year study of 1,256 people, researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago said that the chronically anxious or morose were 40 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment - a form of memory loss that is often a ... [full story]

Gabrielle Ladage soaps up her hands, rubs her slick palms together, looks at them and smiles while a steady trickle of warm water flows from a faucet into her tub.   HANDLE WITH CARE - Heather Ladage, 24, hugs her daughter, Gabrielle, after finishing a two-hour bathing and bandaging process to protect the girl's skin. Gabbie has a rare skin disorder called epidermolysis bullosa, which makes her skin susceptible to blisters and bruises. CNS Photo by ... [full story]