Oscar-winning actor Heath Ledger died this week, at 28. With "sleeping pills" in the headline, I assumed suicide. The latest speculation after an inconclusive autopsy includes a possible overdose.This much is known: Like a lot of us, he couldn't sleep. Between work and worry, Ledger was averaging two hours a night. He took a variation of the popular Ambien.I stick to the generic "PM" version near the Tylenol, but I too now succumb. More and more I hear how common not just OTC, but the prescription level habit is becoming. We are too busy, too stressed, and too into quick fixes. We are becoming a sleeping-pill nation. For Heath, it probably killed him.Sleep is as important to survival as food and water. Without it, we fumble, falter and literally go crazy. So if it's a chronic problem, perhaps it's better to trash the bottle and look at why.

Wong Maye-e

And, barely 20 meters away, I had one in my binocular sights, half hauled out on the muddy swamp bank, jaws slightly agape but enough to display an impressive array of dentistry, and absolutely motionless. It looked primeval, and it might be, as crocodile design has been largely unchanged for hundreds of millions of years. It also seemed sluggish, as if weighed down with armor plate, but this is deceptive: On land a saltie can match a man in a short sprint and in the water it swims sublimely. But this one was going nowhere, basking in the early morning sun and in my admiration.

Back up those words with cash

But nothing would prove how much the Bears believe that doubts about their aging star are misplaced like a new contract for Urlacher, a possibility that is on Angelo's radar.

Forget about showing us the MRIs: Show him the money.

Unless the Bears take action to back up their hopeful words, many will wonder about Urlacher's ability to return to normal. And many will wonder if the Bears really wonder too.

Now that the Rex Grossman deal is done, is it a crazy idea for the Bears to extend the contract of an arthritic thirtysomething linebacker coming off neck surgery?

Not if they want to keep their franchise player happy before he starts grumbling about being unappreciated and underpaid with a contract that is as outdated as a dial-up modem.

Should we buy Michael Pollan's nutritional Darwinism?

Adam and Eve must have been a healthy pair. They got some exercise, ate lots of locally grown fruits and vegetables, and while they may not have been thin by today's fashion standards, they certainly weren't ashamed of their bodies. Now look what's happened: In just 6,000 years, we've abandoned their sensible eating habits for a high-fat, sugar-loaded diet, and turned ourselves into a nation of lard-asses. Goodbye Garden of Eden; hello Olive Garden.

Whence our fall from grace? According to Michael Pollan's essay in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine, the serpent wears a lab coat. For decades scientists have been analyzing the food we eat, breaking it down into component parts, and studying how each nutrient affects our health in controlled conditions. More often than not, the "expert advice" that emerged from this work did more harm than good, it seems.

After 3 wins, Obama wins Maine, too

When i was in grade school the class stood up and faced the flag and put our hand over our heart and said the Pledge of Allegiance, and at very game we sang the National Anthem. But Burning the American Flag is soooooo Wrong, and Obama voted for it. That is an insult to very American.

Moderator says anti-English bigotry is 'like sectarianism'

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland also claims in an Address for Lent on race relations in the UK that anti-English "banter" during sporting occasions could be harmful as it might lead to more sinister behaviour. The Rt Rev Sheilagh Kesting warns that anti-English attitudes are stoking growing anti-Scottish resentment south of the Border. In perhaps the most controversial passage of her address, the Moderator urged people to think twice before making racially tinged remarks during sporting events."There is a thin line between banter and something which is more sinister," she said. "In Scotland, we have got used to football as a context for perpetrating sectarianism so I don't think we can pass off lightly anti-English remarks which are made during matches. It is too easy to dismiss this as healthy rivalry.

Announcing Calcium Lift, a New Natural Supplement for Osteoporosis ...

Nutrition Breakthroughs of Glendale, CA. has announced their newest product - Calcium Lift. This news comes at a time when 10 million people in the U.S. today already have osteoporosis and 34 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk .

Ex- Times Reporter Charlie LeDuff Joins Detroit News

He's going to be roving around the region, very similar to what he's been writing." Mr. Blair wanted to make an important point about his cohort. "He won't be chasing wire stories."

DuPont Names Connelly To Lead Biotech Integration

DuPont Co. (DD) said Wednesday it made several leadership changes to strengthen its biotechnology position, including naming Thomas M. Connelly to lead the its integration of biotechnology across the company's business segments.

The company also appointed James C. Borel, 52 and senior vice president of DuPont Human Resources, to the role of group vice president, leading the company's production agriculture businesses. Group Vice President of DuPont Agriculture and Nutrition J. Erik Fyrwald, 48, resigned from the company to pursue other interests.