O, The Oprah Magazine articles from May 2005

O, The Oprah Magazine archives from May 2005

The aging eye.
May 1, 2005... The saying goes that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Much to the dismay of women everywhere, they also tend to reveal the signs of aging. During the aging process, the skin under the surface of the eye goes through several changes...

We hear you! Gloria Steinem writes us a few words about fish and bicycles; other readers set us straight on tantric sex, find financial serenity with Anne Lamott, thank us for Lisa Kogan's health warning, and more.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Many sources wrongly give me credit for the witty quote "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle," so it's not surprising that your introduction before Sara Davidson's article about me ["Her Change of Heart," February] did, too. But...

Happy birthday to us!(here we go)(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... HOW DO YOU USE YOUR LIFE TO BEST serve yourself and then extend that to the world? Exactly five springtimes ago, when we unveiled O, we used that question to create this magazine. Every article and image in our pages flows from our guiding...

The making of an O cover: after being photographed for 60 O covers, OPRAH recalls the good, the bad, the less-than-flattering, hats and dresses she's loved, the miracle of fake snow, and the shoot that changed her life.(behind the scenes)
May 1, 2005... MAY 2005 "When I first saw this dress, it brought tears to my eyes. It's all metal--little teeny-tiny metal threads handcrafted especially for this anniversary cover. Narciso Rodriguez designed it to fit my body, and as soon as I put it on I...

This month we're changing one thing.(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... MAY [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] "When you're stuck in a spiral, to change all aspects of the spin you need only to change one thing." --CHRISTINA BALDWIN "I change myself, I change the...

Dr. Phil: "you need to discover what kind of job will have you charging out of the gates each morning"; Phillip C. McGraw, PhD, on leaving a dead-end job, taking the first steps toward finding love in the middle years, and getting closure after an unhappy marriage.(tell it like it is)
May 1, 2005... Q How do I find a decent job? I got my bachelor's degree ten years ago, and since then I've held a series of go-nowhere administrative positions. Now I'm taking classes toward my MBA and working at a nonprofit for a salary that just about...

What's going on: noteworthy events & happenings.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... Aveda Free Gift When You Pledge for the Planet It is up to all of us to plant the seeds of preservation for our future! Join Aveda and O, The Oprah Magazine for a special Earth Month event. Come in and make a pledge to preserve our...

Suze Orman: "when someone tells me she doesn't have time to keep track of her money, my alarm bells start ringing"; A go-getter learns to manage her money, a young couple hopes to buy a home, and a woman rethinks her finances during tough times.(financial freedom)(advice)(House Rules)(related article)
May 1, 2005... Q I am a 35-year-old single professional woman. My credit score is high, I contribute to my 401(k), and I have balanced investments. I own a home and have tenants who help me pay my mortgage. I know I'm doing well, but I'd like to do better. I...

Live your best life.(Brief Article)(Poem)
May 1, 2005... I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day....

James Blake's aha! moment: the accident could have paralyzed him. The shingles almost did. Then an unending parade of friends (and their jokes) reconnected the tennis player to the simple pleasures of his life.(LYBL)
May 1, 2005... FOR A GUY WHO'S 25 YEARS OLD. I think I've lived a lot. As a pro tennis player and a model, I've had more real-life experience than most people my age. I've been able to travel the world and compete at the highest level. I know I've led a...

Lords of the ring: the wildly beautiful stallions of Cavalia leave audiences with their hearts galloping.(THEATER)(horse circus)(Circus Review)
May 1, 2005... A horse is a horse, sure, unless the animal in question is performing in Cavalia, a new show from one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil. The breathtaking spectacle employs majestic Lusitanos with braided manes that reach down to their legs;...

Toot, toot, tootsie!(WHAT A CONCEPT!)(Brag! Connections)(art of self-promotion)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... TO COMMUNICATION COACH PEGGY Klaus, whose clients include American Express and Disney, the complaint is like a refrain. "Women always say they wish they had learned how to sell themselves when they were younger," says the author of Brag! The...

When worlds collide: cultures clash, and sometimes crash, in a dazzling debut film.(MOVIES)(Fender Bender)(Movie Review)
May 1, 2005... CAN A FENDER BENDER BE A blessing in disguise? Set in L.A., the Balkanized metropolis that gave birth to our nation's car obsession, Crash, the stunning film by first-time director Paul Haggis, sees random collisions as metaphors for our blind...

Hey, gang, let's put on a cookbook!(SITE TO SEE)(recipe publishing website)(heritagecookbook.com)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... Last winter the Afro-Caribbean cookbook A Legacy of Love was such a hit that a second printing was ordered. The book's author isn't some hot celebrity chef but Andrea Ramsey, a New York art therapist who used heritagecookbook.com to assemble...

The insiders: indigenous filmmakers from the Norwegian tundra to the Australian outback star in an eye-opening showcase.(ART)(First Nations/First Features: A Showcase of World Indigenous Film and Media)(Museum of Modern Art in New York)(Smithsonian in Washington)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... We know that stories about indigenous cultures can capture the American imagination--and fill the cineplex--thanks to films like 2002's Rabbit-Proof Fence, about an Aboriginal family ripped apart by English colonizers, and Whale Rider, in which...

Very specials: struggling stunt women, scandalized churches, and the rise and demise of a cult cable channel--not your usual made-for-TV fare.(TELEVISION)(Double Dare)(Our Fathers)(A Magnificent Obsession)(Television Program Review)
May 1, 2005... While the film world takes its annual creative summer nap, TV fills in the gap with a terrific crop of buzz-worthy movies, all airing this month. The best of the bunch is director Fred Schepisi's adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel...

Chow, Bella!(TREAT)(327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home)(cookbook)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Mario Batali is so passionate--so molto--that even the acknowledgments in his new cookbook can't contain themselves. Among those he thanks are James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, and David Chase (all from The Sopranos), "for making Sunday...

Field notes.(GOOD POINT)
May 1, 2005... "Compassion isn't simply opening a spigot and coating everything in a treacly, all-purpose goo. It requires a gut hunch that whatever I do unto others, I do unto myself. It calls for appreciating not only what comforts us but what pierces...

Beloved--the true story becomes an opera.(MUSIC)(Margaret Garner)(Opera Review)
May 1, 2005... IT SOUNDS LIKE THE STUFF OF myth: An enslaved woman kills her own daughter and attempts to slay the rest of her children to save them from being sold into slavery. But in 1856, an African-American woman named Margaret Garner did just that when...

Thoughts from a good neighbor.(GOOD POINT)(Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way)(book)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... TV icon Mister Rogers gave us a road map for childhood with his simple, lucid lessons. Now, with the posthumously published Life's Journeys According to Mister Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way (Hyperion), out this month, we learn that...

Rescuing the world's girls, part 4: "we don't have to play sex before marriage"; A charismatic 17-year-old named Puseletso Takane is one of the stars of a UNICEF program aimed at saving at least some of the children in an African country so AIDS-ridden that skinned knees at school are handled with kid gloves. But who will save her? Charlayne Hunter-Gault has the story.(special report)
May 1, 2005... EVEN WITHOUT THE SASSY RED HAND-ME-DOWN DRESS AND her towering height, 17-year-old Puseletso Takane would stand out. At Katlehong Primary School in Lesotho's village of Thaba Tseka, she's a star student. Just watching her skip around the school...

Something to think about.(self awareness and change)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Wherever you're going, you have to start where you are. Even momentous changes begin with self-awareness. Find some quiet time and consider the following: 1 If you're dissatisfied with your life, it's natural to feel that everything needs...

Pure passion for chocolate.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... INDULGE IN THE PASSION OF LINDT EXCELLENCE! Created by Lindt's Swiss Master Chocolatiers, Lindt Excellence is perfection in chocolate. Made with only the best ingredients, Lindt Excelience is richer, thinner and more refined than any other...

The O list.
May 1, 2005... "A few things I think are just great."--OPRAH Ring Around the Glasses "Get a jump on your morning with fresh orange juice sipped from a retro striped tumbler." ($7 to $8 each, Soleil de Provence; 510-528-4611) [ILLUSTRATION...

Safety matters. When it comes to safety, Chevy surrounds you.(Chevrolet)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... In today's "gotta be everywhere" world, we know you're always on the go, often with your most precious cargo buckled in with you. That's why every Chevy[TM] is equipped with a comprehensive array of safety and security features that give you...

First impressions; Call it the Blink syndrome (after the best-selling book): this is the age of gut reactions and snap judgments, when your appearance has to reach out and touch someone, fast. With the help of fashion coach Susan Sommers, five women learn the power of the right instant message.(fashion)(what to wear when)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Meeting His Parents Think self-assured and nurturing (only the best for their darling boy). Give jeans the sleek treatment with updated classics--a shorter trench, a brighter bag. Blue is a "calming color that makes people feel...

Please touch: a chic python bag and fiber-rich rope belt can update your summer instantly. They've got natural charm and organic texture.(KEY PIECE)(snakeskin fashion items )(rope fashion items)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... COME SLITHER Why is snakeskin so alluringly, disturbingly sexy? Its sinuous, seducing image, partly--the Garden of Eden thing. Then there's the African connection: Exotic textures have hitched a ride on fashion's current safari trip, and...

Say goodbye to dull, lifeless skin.(TimeWise[R] Microdermabrasion Set)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... Sometimes Mother Nature can use a little help with helping you put your best face forward. Every day skin cells die and new ones come to the surface, but as we age this process slows, making skin look dull and lifeless. Now, at-home...

Look what we found! A cache of captivating scents to mix and match, the perfect instant hair fix, and more. Here's what O's beauty editors--Valerie Monroe and Jolene Edgar--fell in love with this month.(beauty)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... Too cute for words. That's what we think of GAP Scent Editions ($19.50 a bottle), the new library of perfume oil fragrances. Each of the 12 comes in a little canvas snap pouch inside a box cunningly lined with a playful pattern. As for the...

Ask Val: O's beauty director, Valerie Monroe, puts do-it-yourself peels to the acid test.(beauty)("at-home" facial)
May 1, 2005... Q: My complexion looks uneven and dull. Would an at-home peel help? A: I'd be the first to tell you that some things are best left to professionals, but in this case I'm happy to report--with a couple of important caveats--that giving...

Hair-free! From a soothing chamomile-infused wax to razors that moisturize and lasers programmed for your exact hair and skin type, there's lots of news on the hair-removal front. Jolene Edgar thinks it's time to review your options.(beauty report)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... I PEERED DOWN AT MY RIDICULOUS paper thong--on backward, on purpose--before closing my eyes tight. Then I gripped the table and waited for Nadia to begin waxing. "The wax has ingredients to calm," she said gently, spreading some over my skin....

5 best new health books.(body wise)(The Portion Teller: Smartsize Your Way to Permanent Weight Loss)(You: The Owner's Manual)(Five Good Minutes: 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm & Focused All Day Long)(Our Bodies, Ourselves: A New Edition for a New Era)(Against Depression)(Bibliography)
May 1, 2005... 1 The Portion Teller: Smartsize Your Way to Permanent Weight Loss, by Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A respected nutritionist and...

5 exercises to work your whole body in only 15 minutes: sports physiologist Mike Bracko, a spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine, prescribes these "exercise vitamins.".(body wise)
May 1, 2005... Lunges: With your feet hip-width apart, take a large step forward with your left foot. Plant the foot, then slowly bend the left knee to a 90-degree angle with your back knee lightly touching the ground. Push up with your front leg to return to...

I'll have what she's having: 5 women doctors let us peek into their medicine cabinets.(body wise)
May 1, 2005... Two in five people admit to nosing around in other people's bathroom cabinets. We were particularly curious about the stuff medical professionals keep on hand, so we asked five top female physicians what they keep in theirs. [ILLUSTRATION...

The way to eat: de-stressing without snacking ... cooking healthfully for a family of eight ... and foods that help unclog arteries. David L. Katz, MD, puts it all on the table.(body wise)
May 1, 2005... Q I'm trying to lose weight, but I can't afford to cook one meal for myself and another for my family. On a shoestring budget, how can I cook healthfully for eight people and still make it taste good? --LENA SLEDGE, MADISON, ALABAMA I...

Even weight experts get the munchies: how 20 specialists control their own diets (or don't). Sarah Wildman reports.(body wise)
May 1, 2005... THEY MAY HAVE THE SCIENTIFIC lowdown on the physical, emotional, and edible causes of weight gain, but we found that most obesity and nutrition experts struggle with--even obsess over--the same demons (think chocolate, Dr Pepper, exercise...

Viagra: is it good for you, too? It's the rocket in America's pocket, the little blue pill that brings a burst of happiness to men and ... wait, not so fast. What's it like to be a woman on the receiving end of Viagra, or Levitra? Is it exhilarating? Strange? Freaky? Exhausting? Emily Yoffe reports on women who run with the pharmaceutically enhanced wolves.(body wise)
May 1, 2005... THEY ALWAYS HAD A PASSIONate marriage. When it began, three decades ago, they made love every day--for years. Then, like all record-breaking athletes, they slowed down, but they still maintained a several-times-a-week sex life. When he turned...

Sprinkle, sprinkle, little star: whether you're jazzing up seafood, cha-chaing a chicken, or adding new zip to desserts, flavored sea salts will shake your world.(great food)
May 1, 2005... NO INGREDIENT IS MORE SALT of the earth than plain old salt. But add a pinch of this and that and you elevate the humble mineral, bringing out hidden flavors in food and transforming even the simplest dish into something extraordinary. Seasoned...

The plate update; Eating in a trance? Wake up the table: dishes in uncommon shapes will make the food at your house suddenly taste better.(comfort zone)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... BLACK AND WHITE isn't too severe if you set it against bold color and play around with shape and pattern. Ingeniously striped crystal--created by Austrian design pioneer Josef Hoffmann in 1912--still looks cutting-edge: 1, 2, & 3. Neue Galerie...

I love you just the way you were: you've lost weight. Or you're marrying the man of your dreams. Or you're studying Chinese and planning a trip to Beijing. Why is everybody in your life acting so weird? Martha Beck tells how to deal with the people who just can't let go of the old you.(advice, etc.)
May 1, 2005... IMAGINE THIS: YOU'RE PUTTING TOGETHER A NIFTY jigsaw puzzle--say, your favorite Elvis montage painting on black velvet--when one of the pieces suddenly morphs into an entirely different shape. Aside from the unnerving quantum-mechanical...

Summer tune-up.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... THE SEASON FOR DISCOVERY Your engine has been working hard all winter. Now's the time to relax, recharge, and get your mind and body in gear for a summer that will liberate your life. This summer, live the life you really want by taking...

Brain to brain: how to get anyone to agree with you; Hey, everyone's entitled to their opinion. But if you want to bring someone around to yours, Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner has a strategy.(advice, etc.)(Interview)
May 1, 2005... MANY'S THE TIME I'VE ARGUED PASSIONATELY ABOUT art, politics, cultural phenomena, and, while we're at it, the proper way to hang a roll of toilet paper--and more often than not, my point never penetrates the other person's thick (in my opinion)...

It's never too late to have an okay childhood.(advice, etc.)
May 1, 2005... Your mother was absent, your father angry (or was it the other way around?). You think that's all behind you... but until you mourn the disappointments and losses of your childhood, chances are you'll continue to be controlled by those same...

Anywhere but there: ashamed of the neighborhood she grew up in, she spent a lifetime denying her roots. Then Maggie Paley summoned up the nerve to go home again.(family)
May 1, 2005... THIS IS A SIMPLE STORY: I GREW UP IN A PLACE--AND at a time and in a family--whose contradictions were not easy to explain, even to myself. In the interest of easy social success I chose, in later years, to speak of my childhood home as little...

A celebration of you.(special sweepstakesd)(directory of products, some free)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... It's O, The Oprah Magazine's fifth anniversary! In honor of this special occasion, we want to thank our loyal readers with some fabulous tips and finds from our advertisers. Read on to find out how to get free samples of products noted with a *...

A celebration of you sweepstakes.(competitions)
May 1, 2005... Give yourself a gift. Be one of the first 5,000 readers to fill in an entry form on www.omagazine.info/celebration and you will receive this tote bag filled with great samples of those products featured in this section with a * symbol. When you...

In search of Foo Foo: her daughters had a posse of invisible, snack-loving friends--and a tiny dog that wishes she'd seen before she ate him. A mother and writer learns about the power of imagination.(family)("Invisible Worlds", by Nora Okja Keller, in Because I Said So)(book)(Excerpt)
May 1, 2005... WHEN MY OLDER DAUGHTER WAS 3, SHE STARTED visiting the "invisible world." Slipping into a seam of air, she'd enter this imaginary country where she was proclaimed queen. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "There are so many children there, Mama,"...

Forever Andy.(reading room)(The Andy Warhol Show)(book )(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Pop Art provocateur of the 1960s and '70s Andy Warhol was a master of disguises (even his speaking voice was a work of artifice), an enigma to friends and enemies. Through essays and galvanizing images, The Andy Warhol Show (Skira), edited by...

Tigers in the night: a sprawling, stormy, magnificent novel of India untamed.(reading room)(The Hungry Tide)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... THE GREATEST NOVELS CAN BE more or less about nothing--merely life itself--but good ones tend to be about specifics: a character, a dilemma, a sequence of decisions and events that leads us toward tragedy or comedy. Amitav Ghosh's absorbing new...

See Jane write (really well): Fonda's vivid, unsparing memoir of celebrity and controversy.(reading room)(My Life So Far)(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... I don't want to die without knowing who I am," Jane Fonda states early on in My Life So Far (Random House), her long-awaited autobiography of a remarkably versatile life spent in and out of the public eye--not to mention popular favor. The...

David Sedaris presents ... a drop-dead-gorgeous anthology of his all-time favorite short stories.(reading room)(Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... DAVID SEDARIS BELIEVES THAT STORIES can save us, that a good one can take us out of ourselves and then stuff us back in, "outsized... and uneasy with the fit." He reads his favorites over and over, memorizing them; he once retyped a whole page...

Stats impossible! A determined debunker takes aim at some of our most cherished beliefs.(reading room)(Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything)(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Economist Steven D. Levitt loves the sound of tried-and-true assumptions crashing to the floor. In Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Morrow), which he wrote with journalist Stephen J. Dubner, Levitt deftly...

Sons and mothers: elegiac tales of love, family, deception, and loss.(reading room)(Mother of Sorrows)(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Desire laced with regret is the subject of Richard McCann's exquisitely written debut collection of interwoven stories, Mother of Sorrows (Pantheon). As a boy in 1950s suburbia, the narrator rifled through his mother's dresser drawers, "private...

The heart of a destroyer: why did they do it? A new book traces the path that took four ordinary men to the morning of September 11.(reading room)(Perfect Soldiers)(book)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... IN THE AFTERMATH OF SEPTEMBER 11, the faces of the 19 hijackers glowered at us from the front pages, as opaque and unreadable as the mug shots on a post office wall. Now, in his fascinating new book, Perfect Soldiers (HarperCollins), journalist...

Emotional fault lines: men and women pushed to the extreme--two provocative novellas.(reading room)(Her Body Knows: Two Novellas )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... The Israeli novelist David Grossman is a master of game playing, pushing his characters, his prose, his reader, to the limits of tolerance, then pulling back into a moment of sweetness and calm. In his latest book, Her Body Knows: Two Novellas...

People, places, and zings: Evelyn Hofer's quietly brilliant photos reveal the storm within the calm.(reading room)(Evelyn Hofer)(autobiography)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... YOU MAY KNOW EVELYN HOFER FOR HER ELEGANT PHOtographs in Mary McCarthy's 1959 book, The Stones of Florence--but chances are you don't. For more than half a century, she's been the least attention-grabbing photographer imaginable. In her...

Biblio: recommendations from our shelf to yours.(reading room)(The History of Love)(The Friend Who Got Away: Twenty Women's True-Life Tales of Friendships That Blew Up, Burned Out or Faded Away)(Lost in the Forest)(A Perfect Stranger: And Other Stories)(books)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... * A mysterious book, lost and found in translation. A lonely old man ransacking his memories as he pines for the woman he once loved. A teenage girl, desperate to know why she was named after someone who may or may not be real. Through a series...

Books that made a difference to Felicity Huffman: the Desperate Housewives star likes tea in bed with family sagas, a zippy mystery, a monk's meditations, and a child-rearing playbook.(reading room)(Open Mind, Open Heart)(Like Family)(Wild Swans)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... PEOPLE THINK MY LIFE MUST BE much different since Desperate Housewives went on the air. Actually, it's very much the same: I still drive to work, go to the farmers' market, and hang out at home. And I still have to read before I go to sleep....

Life lessons from Rembrandt: they were two strangers in a London gallery on a rainy afternoon. But the shabbily dressed old man across the room gave Roger Housden a transforming glimpse of his place in the world.(BOOK PREVIEW)(How Rembrandt Reveals Your Beautiful, Imperfect Self: Life Lessons from the Master)(book)(Excerpt)
May 1, 2005... HE WORE A SIMPLE CLOTH CAP, A BROWN ONE, PULLED BACK to the edge of a receding hairline, with loose, gray curls spilling out from both sides. His brow was wrinkled, his cheeks were flaccid; he looked in poor health. Or perhaps he was just...

High fives!(Fifth Anniversary Special)
May 1, 2005... Because O turns five this month, and because five is an all-around fabulous number (easy to multiply, rhymes with arrive and thrive, takes you from a paltry "few" to a "bunch"), we're kicking off our birthday celebration with a flurry of fives....

Set an example: we salute these companies for their contributions to the community.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... DaimlerChrysler's Women's Forum Drives Donations to Jackets for Jobs DaimlerChrysler's Women's Forum inspired donations of 1,100 articles of clothing to Jackets for Jobs, a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged women enter the workforce....

The Wellness Beverage Guide[TM]: health and hydration news.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... WELCOME [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There's a great deal of scientific and nutritional emphasis on the foods that we eat, but not nearly as much attention is given to what we drink. Many myths and misconceptions surround beverages and, in...

5 quotes to open your heart.(O to go)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Little bites of inspiration. Memorize now, mull over as needed. "Those who are willing to be vulnerable move among mysteries." --THEODORE ROETHKE "Every beginning, after all, is nothing but a sequel, and the book of events is always...

When bad medicine happens to good people: from the wrong diagnosis to the wrong prescription, medical errors kill as many as 100,000 people a year in this country - and injure thousands more. Until doctors break their code of silence, the cure is a long way off. Mary A. Fischer investigates.(HEALTH)
May 1, 2005... IN SEPTEMBER 2000. RICHARD FLAGG, A RUGged Vietnam vet, checked into Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus, New Jersey, to have a small benign tumor removed from his left lung. His surgery was the first on the schedule the morning after the Labor...

Oprah talks to Tina Turner.(The O Interview)(Interview)(Biography)
May 1, 2005... The triumphant queen of rock 'n' soul--that 1,000-watt voice! Those killer legs! That hard-earned don't-mess-with-me-ness!--lets her glorious mane down to talk about growing up in Nutbush, Tennessee, surviving Ike Turner's brutal physical...

Mother's Day gift guide: pamper mom for $100 or less!(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... Pampering Pajamas Mom deserves to be pampered, and sending her a PajamaGram gift is the perfect way to thank her for everything she does. She'll love it! The PajamaGram Company offers wonderful sleepware styles, each delivered in a...

Emotional makeovers: if you could change just one thing ...
May 1, 2005... What would it be? Would you be, say, more optimistic, less of a wallflower? More courageous, not so self-righteous? Less impulsive, a lot calmer? O asked ten women to pick one flaw that friends remark on, spouses complain about, or just drives...

The trees that bloom in the spring, tra-la.(Du Pont estate gardens)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SHADE AND GREEDY for their lumber, yet often we just walk on by... except in spring, when the explosive presence of blossoming trees is impossible to ignore. The crescendo starts with a dappling of cherry blossoms,...

Taste the love; 5 amazingly gifted and giving food professionals: they teach write cookbooks, run superb restaurants, and devote huge helpings of time, energy, and experience to making their slice of the world better. Here, they share their most inspired recipes.
May 1, 2005... HUNGRY? READY TO BE INSPIRED? THESE FIVE FOODIES WILL GET YOU JAZZED ABOUT WHAT'S ON your plate and how it got there. Yes, they can make your mouth water, but away from the stove each of them has put huge stores of imagination and energy...

Breathing space.(Dominican island of Cayo Levantado)(photograph)(Illustration)
May 1, 2005... Trace the graceful shadows of palms swaying over silky sand as you stroll down this beach on the Dominican island of Cayo Levantado. Feel the cool water of the Caribbean lapping at your feet, and savor the quiet that surrounds you. ...

World traveler.(fashion trends)(ethnic influences from hot climates)
May 1, 2005... Places that know the meaning of heat--Africa, India, Turkey, Mexico--also possess the secret of dressing for it. Go global with ethnic mixes that recall the hippie look of the late sixties: easy, worldly caftans; loose dresses in fascinating...

What's right with this picture? You see your complexion as washed-out, your eyes almost touching, your forehead the size of Ontario. Makeup legend Bobbi Brown sees velvety skin, a perfectly shaped mouth, and a great, strong chin. Are we talking about the same people here? A sharp-eyed beauty expert helps five women rethink their "flaws".
May 1, 2005... Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could see in yourself what others see? If instead of focusing on your imperfections--whatever you believe them to be--you were drawn to what's particularly, singularly, beautifully right about your looks? ...

The great suit pursuit: O is good at figures, so you don't have to be. Our body-smart shopping guide is designed to find the style that fits--and flatters--you best.(Fashion)
May 1, 2005... WATER WORLD 1. Boy shorts and a bright print make more of narrow hips, small bust. Baltex, $52. 2. Skinny turns sexy with curvy straps, a cool mesh panel. Gottex, $138. 3. Diagonal stripes downplay breasts; a band under the bust adds...

Lather round; This all-star cast of shampoos outshined the competition in every category: smoothing, strengthening, volumizing, moisturizing, and more.(Beauty)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... 1. The silicones, conditioners, and antistatic agents in Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Shampoo ($9) smooth ruffled cuticles and protect hair from heat, preparing it for a sleek, shiny blowout. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Try it once...

Taste the love: for heart, soul, and palate: a creamy cassoulet, saffron pasta with grilled scallops, a chocolate mousse that roars ... (for story, see page 350).(THE RECIPES)
May 1, 2005... Recipes make 6 servings unless otherwise noted. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dan Barber's Baby Greens with Asparagus and Pistachios Lemon oil: Zest of 1 lemon 1 cup canola oil 4 sprigs fresh lemon thyme or thyme 1 (2-inch)...

5 essential kitchen gadgets: selected by the Food Network's ALTON BROWN.(Home)(Product/Service Evaluation)
May 1, 2005... When O asked Alton Brown--self-styled gadgeteer, host of the Food Network's Good Eats, and author of Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen--to name five cooking tools he can't live without, he didn't hesitate. "I have a small kitchen," Brown...

Shop guide (all prices are approximate).
May 1, 2005... COVER/HERE WE GO P. 47 Narciso Rodriguez silk gown and tulle and sequin shrug, price upon request. Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue stores. Graff yellow-diamond ring and white marquise and...

Family fun: get the kids off the couch and get away.(family vacation destinations)(Advertisement)
May 1, 2005... Go! A little inspiration for a fun and easy family vacation FINALLY, YOU HAVE A LEGITIMATE EXCUSE TO ACT LIKE A KID AGAIN. Summer is almost here and soon the kids will be out of school and looking for something to do. You'll be looking...

What I know for sure.(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... FIVE YEARS FEELS LIKE A BLIP IN TIME. IT seems like only months ago that Ellen Levine, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping, and Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines, were sitting around a conference table in my office trying to convince...

The best of Oprah's what I know for sure.(Fifth anniversary)(selections from the past)(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... IT'S OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, AND WHAT we know for sure is that it's you, our readers, who inspire us to think about how we can all push the world into better shape, get stronger, eat healthier, shop smarter, stay connected to the people and...