Neighborly message

A San Mateo, California woman faces fines and possibly jail time for painting what she says are messages from God all over her house. The messages, which include government conspiracies, come to Estrella Benavides through a statue at her church and through the Bible, she says.

The city council, however, doesn't care what they say or where they came from; they just want them gone. The council ruled that the writings violate city codes regulating the size of signs. She says, in turn, that the sign code violates her First Amendment rights. The neighbors just want the unwanted attention and passersby gone.

See a new clip featuring Benavides, her house, and her car.

Child pose?

Depending on whom you ask, teaching yoga in school is either part of the solution to our nation's academic woes or a gross violation of the separation of church and state. Christian fundamentalists (who generally argue for prayer in school) argue that yoga, with it's Hindu roots, conflicts with Christian teachings. Still, a number of schools around the country are teaching breathing, meditation, and stretching practices and are finding they have better scores on both mental and physical tests and less discipline problems, the Associate Press reports.

There is a compromise though: workouts that strip yoga of its religious overtones. "Yoga Ed" is used at 100 schools across the country, turning "meditation" into "time in." "PowerMoves Kids" (brought to you by the creator of "PraiseMoves: The Christian Alternative to Yoga") connects poses with famous quotes about virtues like honesty. This picture is from Yoga Child, a company that does yoga in Philadelphia school.

Still, some say that watered-down yoga leads people to mysticism and eastern religions. But having seen a 4-year-old do "downward doggie" (it was quite cute!), I'd have to agree with Baron Baptiste, a yoga studio owner and parent, quoted in the AP story: "We adults need to be reminded to lighten up, breathe in the joy, and have some fun."