“Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead” is Phil Lesh’s 2005 autobiographical exploration of himself and his decades of playing bass with what is arguably the 20th century’s hardest-working rock band. He especially digs into the Dead’s formative years — the drugs (the band attended Ken Kesey’s [...]

I finally had the opportunity to edit photos from my family trip in May to five national parks in southern Utah: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef. In case you can’t tell from the amount of photos selected, Zion was the favorite. But really, the whole region is one [...]

Nafeh Kurdi remembers the images of splattered red after the bombs fell. “It was very hard for me to see the blood on the floor,” the 20-year-old from Syria said. Amid the gruesome fighting in Syria, the strike had hit Kurdi’s university in Damascus, the country’s capital. It, plus his [...]

A crowd of likely a half million or more gathered in and around the National Mall Saturday to celebrate womanhood and to stand in opposition to the newly inaugurated president, Donald Trump. The gathering comprised of majority women, so many of them donning pink “pussy hats” that a sea of the [...]

I spent a few adventurous yet relaxing days in the Smoky Mountains for a Christmas vacation with family. The scenes were quite memorable: the damage from the intense fires that killed 14 and damaged or destroyed 2,400-plus buildings, but also the spectacular wildlife, including a mama bear and her two [...]

Click photos to enlarge. Species are in alphabetical order and have an IUCN classification of “Least Concern” unless noted. Species and subspecies are identified by two- and three-word scientific names, respectively. All photos are by Michael Stone and are available for anyone wanting to use them for educational purposes. [...]