MED-Triathlete-Trains-in-Murky-Water

One of the major fears I had when I started my CNN Fit Nation triathlon journey was the viability of swimming in the Bay just 1.5 miles from my house.

TRAVEL-Outstanding-Airport-Amenities

It's inevitable these days. If you fly, you're going to have to spend a good amount of time at the airport, either waiting to take off or between flights. Thankfully, more and more airports are sympathetic to your situation and are adding unique amenities to help keep you entertained.

TECH-Predictive-Technology-Future

I know where to find the future. It will show up, I predict, on Tuesday at London's Westminster Central Hall. Don't blink. It will arrive in the shape of Le Web, Europe's illustrious two-day Internet conference which, this year, is focusing on next-generation digital products that are "faster than realtime."

TECH-An-unreasonable-organist

I'm unreasonable - as most organists will tell you. (My agent would agree). If you play the guitar or the violin, or if you're a singer - or if you play any reasonable musical instrument that can be moved from place to place without a five-figure tab and a debate-ridden crew of experts; if you play any reasonable instrument that you can mention to your friends without invoking images of "The Abominable Dr. Phibes," "Phantom of the Opera" (and "Dr. Phibes Rises Again") -- if you play any instrument that doesn't cost millions of dollars to build - then you are LUCKY. Because you sure don't play the pipe organ.

FEA-'Game-of-Thrones'-fan-art

You've heard of fanfiction. Meet fan art -- an established but less celebrated subculture of fandom. Often inspired by a favorite science fiction or fantasy franchise, fan artists gain exposure for their work on social media sites like Deviantart, Tumblr and Etsy. One of the most popular franchises permeating fan art territory today is the imaginative world of Westeros in George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" book, now an HBO TV series that recently completed it's second season. (HBO is a Time Warner network, as is CNN.)

FEA-Why-do-people-like-"Fifty-Shades-of-Grey"?

Fifty Shades of Confused: Why do people like this book?

FEA-Gay-Fathers-Lesbian-Mothers

On Father's Day our daughter's papa was at the beach. Not just any beach but that New York Mecca for wealthy, sun-tanned gay party boys called Fire Island. Luna, our daughter, was with her two mommies adoringly decorating a ceramic plate to celebrate their day. "I Love Papa and Daddy," she painted on their gift.

FEA-How-Jesus-Saved-My-Family

All I had ever known up until I was 10 years old was chaos in my home. I was the oldest of four children and the atmosphere was volatile for all of us.

FEA-Catholic-Group-Drops-Support-for-Contraception-Plan

The Obama administration's key Catholic ally on its controversial plan to require health insurers to provide free contraceptive coverage is dropping support for the plan, potentially complicating the president's relations with Catholics in an election year.

US-Education-U-Texas-book-flap

The University of Texas' prestigious Center for Middle Eastern Studies recently got a blunt taste of the turbulent region it studies. Arab authors pulled out of a planned short-story anthology honoring a late professor because it included Israeli writers, and that stance eventually led to the cancellation of the project.