Now, this looks rather dangerous: the young men in this story coast down hills in a contraption they call a "street luge." Really, it doesn't sound very safe. In fact, the story describes a number of dastardly crashes. Fortunately, the occupant of the luge does not get hurt badly. But the accounts of the wipe-outs scared the dickens out of me nonetheless. Warning to young people: for heaven's sake, wear a seat belt when you do the luge.

These lugers really ought to find something harmless to do with their time. Like cartooning. It's creative and allows you to use your sense of humor, which is something I once had, when I was a youngster. If you start cartooning early, you just might be able to save yours from decay. It seems to have worked for Rand Carlson, the subject of this nice little biography. He's a funny man, full of mirth and spirit. You can also view his absolutely precious artwork in our Comics section.

One man who's not too full of mirth lately is Tom Danehy. Poor, poor, Tom Danehy. When he wrote this article about the coming-out episode of Ellen, people became miffed and wrote letters calling Tom a bigot. But Tom has written this piece to say, in no uncertain terms, "I am not a bigot!" That Tom! Really.

It's a good week to see a noteworthy play. No matter what kind of thespian experience you're looking for, there's probably a theatre company out there thesping it all over the place. Dip into these reviews of Moliere's Tartuffe, Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, Louis Malle's Pretty Baby (based on the director's 1978 film), or Rogers & Hammerstein's The King and I, starring Hayley Mills. Remember her from The Parent Trap? Looks like Hayley's still going strong, even though the critic lambasts her singing. Don't let 'em get you down, Hayley. And whatever you do, stay off those street luges. I hear they're dangerous.