Blog Posts by Sarah B. Weir, Yahoo! blogger

Chef Bun Lai, Miya Sushi

As people along the East Coast are freaking out about this summer's upcoming plague of cicadas, one resourceful Connecticut chef's motto is, "If you can't beat them, eat them."

Yahoo News: East Coast About to Be Overrun by Billions of Cicadas

For Bun Lai, a 2013 James Beard Award nominee and owner of Miya Sushi in New Haven, eating bugs isn't a gross-out or a gimmick. He's committed to using sustainable foods, and his menu includes ingredients such as foraged wild mushrooms and soup made from seaweed he hand harvests. His sushi contains "trash fish," species that are perfectly tasty and edible but not commercially popular and, therefore, are not over fished. He also supplies the restaurant from his own hundred-acre shellfish bed.

More on Yahoo: How to Emotionally Survive the 2012 Cicada Swarmageddon

"I've been dreaming about putting cicadas on the menu for a long time," Lai tells Yahoo! Shine. "There are billions that are going to [emerge] and they are going to be dying anyway. It's

Read More »from Chef Puts Cicadas on Menu (Yes, That's a Bug in Your Soup)

Angelina Jolie, 2013

On April 4, Angelina Jolie spoke eloquently about Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl targeted by the Taliban who became the face of the fight against the repression of young women around the world. Jolie's skin was bone-pale and tight across her face, her elbows and knees made hard angles under the baggy silk floor-length robe she wore. Little did anyone in the crowd at the 2013 Women in the World Summit know that the actress was in the midst of a grueling three month medical procedure including a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery to lower her breast and ovarian cancer risk. We bloggers were more interested in coming up with a snarky comment to share with our friends about her strange fashion choice and gaunt appearance.

Their notorious W Magazine cover, 2004

Since Jolie and Brad Pitt allegedly began their romance on the Set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in 2004 when he was still married to Jennifer Aniston, their relationship has been under intense and often mean-spirited scrutiny. While the pair

Read More »from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt: A Romance Evolved

Why do people always look so happy riding bicycles? Is it because of the wind in their hair? The fact that biking cuts down on air pollution? Maybe it's just because riding a bike makes anyone feel like a kid again. Cities across the country are installing bike lanes and finding that not only does bicycling positively impact public health, it also spurs economic growth along the routes. If you haven't been on a bike for a while, now is the time hop on. May 13-17 is National Bike Week. Still feeling wobbly? Here's some inspiration.
-Sarah B. Weir, Yahoo Shine

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Pete Jess Rodriguez, Santa Fe PD

While the Internet provides a wealth of information just one click away, sometimes it's better to dial good old "911."

Yahoo! News: Pregnant Mom Arrested for Two-Year-Old Daughter's Murder

On Wednesday, at 1:47 AM, police in Santa Fe, Texas received a call from the Mainland Center Hospital that a 14-year-old boy had been admitted with a gunshot injury to his thigh. A surveillance video in the boy's home revealed he had received the wound more than seven hours earlier, according to a statement provided to Yahoo! Shine by Captain Wayne Kessler, of the Santa Fe Police Department. Why the delay? His mother (who has not been identified) was searching WebMD.

More On Yahoo: Bail Set at $8 Million for Kidnap Suspect

The video also revealed the identity of the shooter. Police have arrested 24-year-old Pete Jesse Rodriguez and charged him with Injury to a Child with Intent to Commit Serious Bodily Injury. The video shows Rodriguez, who lives at the same residence, pointing a gun at the teen

Read More »from Mom Web Searches Gunshot Wound, Delays Bringing Son to Hospital

"Mullet" gowns are trendy, platform stilettoes are in, but the real breakout item for prom 2013 is the corsage. Once a slightly dowdy accessory, now clever DIY'ers (and some florists) are using rhinestones, feathers, LED lights, and found objects to make one-of-kind pieces that are modern and sassy-and cheap. Prom costs are soaring and shoppers can expect to spend a bare minimum of $25 on a store-bought corsage. If you want to make your own, the always-hip Rookie Mag has an easy tutorial. Here are our favorites from Instagram.

Read More »from The Corsage: Prom’s Hottest Accessory

Best baby names for successWhat's in a name? Lots and lots of "Benjamins," ($100 dollar bills, that is). Unless your name happens to be Benjamin, in which case, some research suggests, you had better stick with Ben.

More on Yahoo: 10 Illegal Baby Names

The Ladders, an online job-matching site, recently crunched the numbers in its database of over 6 million career professionals to determine the top names for corporate executives as well as the names of the highest earners. They found that people with first names longer than five letters lose out on about $3,600 in salary every year—and that's per letter. So, for little Alexander that means potentially missing out on more than $500,000 over the course of a 40-year career.

More in Yahoo: 12 Totally Ridiculous Resume Mistakes

They also compared people who went by their nicknames versus full names (Steve and Stephen or Debbie and Deborah, for instance). For only 1 name out of 24 pairings—Larry versus Lawrence—did the longer name, on average, earn more.

Before you

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Jennifer Wayland (photo: Austin Dubinsky)Jennifer Wayland, 15, who attends Parkway Central High in Chesterfield, Missouri, quietly existed in a lonely well of low-self-esteem, shame about her body, and as she puts it, the feeling that she "took up too much space." Then she found the courage to tell her mom and so began the tough road back to regaining control of her health and self-confidence.

VIDEO: 5-Year-Old Boy Genius Headed For Mensa

The ninth grader earned a prestigious award for the compelling essay she wrote on her struggle with body image and disordered eating. On May 1, Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, presented Wayland with the grand prize in the 'Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers' essay contest, sponsored by Major League Baseball and Scholastic. The other grand prize-winner was Luke Lunday, a fifth grader who has cerebral palsy and shared his determination to ride a bicycle on his own. The contest received more than 18,000 submissions.

More on Yahoo: Odd Ability May Predict Healthy

Read More »from Young Essay Winner Shares Her Battle with Body Image

Ireland and Jerry Nugent

On Thursday, the parents of Ireland Nugent, a Florida toddler whose legs were cut off in a tragic lawnmower accident, received some good news. She had her last surgical procedure and is cleared to leave the hospital over the weekend. "She did great today," Nicole, the toddler's mom, tells Yahoo! Shine. "It looks like we're going home."

VIDEO: Teen Cheerleader Battles Back After Tragic Accident

Nicole has been staying with her two-year-old daughter 24 hours a day since she was rushed to Tampa Bay General Hospital (about a 30 minutes from their home in Palm Harbor) on April 11. Dad, Jerry, has been shuttling back and forth between the hospital and home because the family has six other children to care for. Ireland is their youngest.

More On Yahoo: Boston Marathon Survivor Calls Her Amputation 'Best Case Scenerio'

According to the family's pastor and official spokesperson, Dennis Reid, Ireland was playing on the family's screened-in porch under the supervision of her mother. She sneaked out

Read More »from Toddler's Incredible Recovery From Lawnmower Accident That Almost Took Her Life