Features

Photo courtesy Becca Goeckeritz
A young Becca rides a modified Big Wheel-style tricycle. Paralyzed from the waist down after being hit by a car at age 15 months, she had climbed on her big brother's Big Wheel and found that she could work the pedals with her arms.

A winner in the real game of life: Becca Goeckeritz has 'exceeded expectations' in many different types of 'races'

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:44am

Rebecca Goeckeritz lives a charmed life. She's an accomplished musician and a motivational speaker, she interviews people for documentary films, travels the world, and has a husband who loves her so much that he carried her to the top of the steep ancient ruins at Uxmal, Mexico. Her latest feat? Completing her first marathon.

"I exceeded my expectations," Goeckeritz said. "I was able to come in at 2 hours and 10 minutes, and I was expecting to do it in 3 hours, so it felt really good."

Goeckeritz, 31, who lives in Salt Lake City and works as an office manager in a Bountiful accounting business, competed in the ING Miami Marathon's hand cycle division on Jan. 29.

In spite of living life in a wheelchair, and in some ways because of it, she says she really does live a charmed life.

Features, ING Miami Marathon, Issac Goeckeritz, Paralyzed, Rebecca Goeckeritz, Featured Read more Comments

You'd think professional haters would get their hate straight

Mark Saal Standard-Examiner

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:41am

Even by Westboro Baptist Church standards -- and let's face it, these folks do manage to set the bar impressively low -- their latest antics are positively repugnant.

The tiny church that believes God hates everybody but their own little in-bred congregation has officially sunk to all-new depths.

OK, so maybe they changed their puny minds after this column was written. But as of Friday morning, Westboro Baptist Church had planned to picket this weekend's funeral for 7-year-old Charlie Powell and 5-year-old Braden Powell, the brothers who were blown up in a gasoline-fueled murder-suicide perpetrated by their father in the Graham, Wash., area.

And why would a so-called church picket the funeral of two young innocents, cruelly and violently torn from this life by the one person who should have loved them best? Why, to protest same-sex marriages, of course.

Well, of course.

Features, Braden Powell, Charlie Powell, Life at the Top, Mark Saal, Staff column, Westboro Baptist Church Read more Comments

GENE PAGE/AMC
Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh on “The Walking Dead.” The second half of the second season returns at 7 p.m. today on AMC.

Apocalyptic psycho or soldier? Actor relishes role on returning 'Walking Dead'

Yvonne Villarreal Los Angeles Times

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:39am

LOS ANGELES -- The post-apocalyptic drama "The Walking Dead," which resumes its second season tonight on AMC, prides itself on its sprawling ensemble cast: one part zombies looking for their next meal, the other part survivors trying not to become dinner. Although all the survivors have struggled to maintain a semblance of humanity and sanity, no one has struggled with it more than Shane, played by Jon Bernthal. (Spoiler alert: If you're not caught up on this season, you may want to stop reading now.)

Features, AMC, End of the world, Jon Bernthal, The Walking Dead, TV, zombies Read more Comments

CBS
Jim Parsons as Sheldon and Johnny Galecki (right) as Leonard on “The Friendship Contraction” episode of “The Big Bang Theory.”

Audiences noticing Galecki, and so are award shows

Yvonne Villarreal Los Angeles Times

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:37am

LOS ANGELES -- Johnny Galecki seeks to be average.

The star of "The Big Bang Theory" is seated outside a small Hollywood restaurant, talking about his longing to play ordinary, run-of-the mill figures rather than the larger-than-life characters that actors and audiences sometimes embrace.

Features, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Roseanne Barr, The Big Bang Theory, TV, American Idol Read more Comments

Philippe Bosse/Syfy
Kristen Hager as Nora on “Being Human.”

Writings got Pat Buchanan removed

Rich Heldenfels Akron Beacon Journal

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:36am

Q: I haven't seen Pat Buchanan, a regular on MSNBC, for some time. What has become of him?

Features, Being Human, Pat Buchanan, Q&A, Trivia, TV Read more Comments

Grammys awarded, dogs on show, hellish felines on prowl

Chuck Barney Contra Costa Times

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:34am

Don't miss

"The 54th Annual Grammy Awards" -- It's shaping up to be a huge night for Adele, who not only is expected to make off with a boatload of trophies, but also sing in public for the first time since having vocal cord surgery. As usual, the performances will undoubtedly overshadow the prizes. Among the big names taking the stage will be Paul McCartney, Bruno Mars, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Tony Bennett and more. LL Cool J hosts the festivities from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 7 p.m. Sunday, KUTV Channel 2.

Features, Around the Remote, Desperate Housewives, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, The Walking Dead, TV, Utah TV schedule Read more Comments

'Kosher Jesus' book raises furor

Mitchell Landsberg Los Angeles Times

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:32am

For an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Shmuley Boteach has a deeply unorthodox streak.

The best-selling author and TV host has written books on "Kosher Sex," "Dating Secrets of the 10 Commandments" and his relationship with the late pop star Michael Jackson.

Features, Books, Jews, Kosher Jesus, Kosher Sex, Religion, Shmuley Boteach Read more Comments

Liked 'Presumed Innocent'? Love 'Defending Jacob'

Oline H. Cogdill Sun Sentinel

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:31am

"DEFENDING JACOB." By William Landay. Delacorte Press. $26.

Scott Turow's 1987 "Presumed Innocent" was a watershed for the legal thriller, delivering what started out as a typical plot that evolved into a tense look at the law, ethics and revenge, as it moved to a jaw-dropping finale.

Features, Books, Defending Jacob, legal thriller, Scott Turow, William Landay Read more Comments

Genealogy of the West's landscape examined

Bettina Boxall Los Angeles Times

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:30am

"ROUGH-HEWN LAND: A GEOLOGIC JOURNEY FROM CALIFORNIA TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS." By Keith Heyer Meldahl. University of California Press. $34.95.

Think of the West and what comes to mind are vertiginous peaks, sculpted tablelands and the infinite vistas of basin and range country. In other words, geology.

Westerners live in the shadow of mountains that are still rising, on the edge of a continent on the move, over fault systems that can unleash the power of nuclear bombs. More so than any other region of the country, we are defined by geology.

In "Rough-Hewn Land," Keith Heyer Meldahl takes us on a field trip from San Francisco to the Rocky Mountains, tracing the genealogy of the landscape. He seasons the story with historical accounts and a synthesis of evolving geologic theory, providing a fascinating guide to the formation of the West.

Features, Books, California, earthquakes, Geology, Keith Heyer Meldahl, Landscape, Rocky Mountains, Rough-Hewn Land Read more Comments

Bookmarks

Staff Standard-Examiner

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:27am

* Received an e-book reader for Christmas and don't know how to use it? Maybe you know how, but don't know where to access free e-books -- including the latest hot reads? Librarians can help.

"Technology Answers @ Your Library: Introduction to E-Books" is a class on downloading free e-books from popular sources including OverDrive and OneClickDigital, available through the Weber County Library.

Features, Amiri Baraka, Books, e-books, Ghost stories, Hastings, King's English Bookshop, Poetry, Tales from H.E.L., Technology, Weber State University Read more Comments

Best-sellers

Staff Standard-Examiner

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:26am

The Mountains and Plains Indie Bestseller List, provided by IndieBound and MPIBA, for the week ended Sunday, Feb. 5. Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the MPIBA and IndieBound.

Features, Books, Utah best-sellers Read more Comments

Lots to consider if you'll be renewing your wireless contract

Leslie Meredith Standard-Examiner

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:24am

If you're one of the millions of Americans whose wireless contract will be up for renewal this year, you will have new options to consider.

A lot has changed in two years. We've seen the spread of 4G service. We've seen wireless carriers expand their offerings to include tablets, laptops and USB broadband devices. AT&T lost its exclusive on the iPhone, which is now available at Verizon and Sprint.

More changes are on their way.

Features, 4G, AT&T, Smartphones, Sprint, T-Mobile, Technology, Top Ten Reviews, Verizon Wireless Read more Comments

JOSE M. OSORIO/Chicago Tribune
A bicyclist maneuvers the sports section at Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Milwaukee.

Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park has a trail for every level of bicyclist

Julie Deardorff Chicago Tribune

Last updated Sunday, February 12, 2012 - 7:21am

MILWAUKEE -- If you can ride a two-wheeler, you're qualified to hit the timber and rock "trails" at Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Milwaukee. But don't be fooled: Ray's isn't your average family entertainment venue.

Located inside a shuttered 110,000-square-foot home-improvement store, Ray's does not feature inflatable slides, kid-friendly padded walls, video games or ball pits. Instead, as the company stresses, the indoor mountain bike playground is built of wood, nails and concrete, and it involves some risk. And that's exactly why this plywood-scented bike park is so much fun.

Features, Bicycle track, BMX, Mountain biking, Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park, Travel, Wisconsin Read more Comments

In this Jan. 30, 2012 photo, April Lawrence, owner of Bone-A-Patreat, gives her dog Spencer a treat in her store in Des Moines, Iowa. Many pet owners want the best for their four-legged family members. That means high-quality, safe and eco-friendly products, from organic food and treats to BPA-free toys and water dishes. And they don't mind paying extra for it. Pet health has been getting more attention as a result of recalls, social media sites and general concern over environmental dangers. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Vets say more than half of dogs, cats are overweight

Marla Dickerson Los Angeles Times

Last updated Friday, February 10, 2012 - 9:28am

America's obesity crisis is spreading -- to our pets.

About 53 percent of the nation's cats and 55 percent of dogs are overweight. And more than one in five of those fat animals is clinically obese, meaning at least 30 percent above normal weight.

Features, Cats, Dogs, Obese pets, Pets, Vetrinarians Read more Comments

Cesarean section, induced labor not always best choice

Shari Roan Los Angeles Times

Last updated Thursday, February 9, 2012 - 2:37pm

Cesarean sections are often performed when a baby is going to be born early. Likewise, sometimes labor is induced when a woman's water breaks too early in the pregnancy. However, two new studies suggest that these common practices may, in fact, not benefit babies.

Features, Babies, Births, Cesarean sections, Induced labor, Medical research, Studies Read more Comments