Lemondrop

When it comes to doing what's best for us, on a scale of 1-10 we're usually about a 2. But with the addition of reasonably priced, reasonably healthy snack bars to our grocery list, we're relishing the opportunity to add a few grams of fiber to our diets (not to mention give our Snickers-bar-eating co-workers smug smirks). Within the pseudo-healthy whole grain bar aisle, there seem to be two types of bars: the crunchy, earthy kind (i.e. Nature Valley) and the soft, chewy kind (i.e. NutriGrain). Which is best?

Nature Valley Oats 'n' Honey bar	NutriGrain Strawberry bar
	.
Appearance: A solid jumble of granola, oats and nuts packed into a crunchy bar.	Appearance: Wheat-colored chewy bar, topped with oats and packed with gooey, berry-red filling.
Stats: $2.49 for 12 bars, 180 cals, 0 g fat each	Stats: $2.79 for 8 bars, 130 cals, 3 g fat each
Taste: Sweet, nutty and crisp. The oats give the bar a hint of chewy texture while the honey adds a slight sweetness. The granola's still crunchier than our sensitive molars would prefer.	Taste: The texture is soft and slightly crumbly, while the filling tastes great. The strawberry and bread combo reminds us, pleasantly, of jam on toast.
Downside: A crispity, crunchity mess. Do not eat near keyboard or over carpets.	Downside: So sweet and chewy, it goes down almost as fast as our blood sugar goes up. And we're still hungry (burp).

Our pick: The NutriGrain bar. The texture and taste are just right with the berry-flavored snack. Nature Valley wasn't bad, but it's no match for the NG.

Sure, Obama's Cabinet picks are important, but we really want to know what kind of pup he'll pick for First Dog.

On last night's Daily Show, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper hosted the first in a series of Puppedential Debates. Cooper vigorously questioned the six canine candidates on their cuteness and hypo-allergenicness (first daughter Malia is allergic to doggies). Butts were sniffed and bellies were scratched.

Which candidate came out on top? Was it Princess? Rags? Mr. Skittles? You decide.

Sure, going to church will get you closer to God ... but did you know it may also help you resist flirting with the hot bartender, polishing off a package of doughnuts or giving the finger to the driver who cut you off in traffic?

A new survey from the University of Miami looks at eight decades of research linking religious belief and self-control. Researchers around the world have found that being religious is almost like a natural drug -- it's connected to doing better in school, living longer, having more satisfying marriages and being happier.

Click here to learn more about the link.

You probably give better advice than most paid advice columnists, right? Well, our friend John is ready to take you up on that. Leave a comment with your advice.

John's question: "I have two kids who I love dearly, and I'm separated from my wife. More often than not, ladies seem to bail when this comes up in conversation. Should I wait longer to drop this bomb in hopes that they'll dig me more and feel more committed to me? Or should I bring it up early on so we don't waste our time?"

Ladies, let's help him out. Should John fess up about his parental status straightaway, or take some time before he breaks the news?

About our Charity Case: John (pictured here with his four-year-old daughter) works as a handyman. He lives in upstate N.Y. and loves hitting up swimming holes and picking berries in the summer. His favorite kinds of dogs are mutts.

Writing about music, even in the supposedly equal blogosphere, has long been thought of as a boys' club. But there are awesome ladies out there typing away about music, and it's about time we shined a light on them.

Three Imaginary Girls: These funky-cool ladies out of Seattle have the most popular/beautiful/updated/organized blog about indie pop and rock music by women anywhere (that we've seen). What started in 2002 as a place for three friends to chat about their concert-going experiences has turned into a home for album reviews, interviews, commentary and even love advice.

Rock Star Life Lessons: Carla Lynne Hall is a professional musician, music industry professional, teacher and writer (for Vibe magazine) known in inner music circles as the "DIY Diva." She doesn't really write about specific bands but instead uses her blog to dish about the industry, give tips to struggling musicians, interview music lovers and generally rant and rave about her favorite topics.

The OCMD: Julie (pictured here) has a problem: "Obsessive Compulsive Music Disorder." Not life-threatening, mind you, and it makes for a great blog. She lives in the music-friendly town of San Francisco, loves and writes about (mostly) indie rock and electronica and has a three-year-old boy. Her funny blog ("music is my crack") is broken up into categories like Mixtapes, Discoveries, Shows and Trendspotting. Bookmark it now, and mark our words that you'll be addicted within days.

Tell us: Did we leave any awesome ladies out? What types of blogs do you enjoy? Tell us in the comments.

Lindsay Lohan is still enjoying her sapphic relationship with Sam Ronson, no matter what the "gossip websites" say, according to LiLo's MySpace blog. Whew, now we'll finally be able to sleep again. (via Perez Hilton)

Amy Winehouse rebounds better than any substance abuser, err, woman we know. She was seen frolicking with a rugby player Josh Bowman. (via Dlisted)

Kate Hudson's mom taught her the importance of a sex-filled marriage while she was preggers. Wow, and we can't even get our moms to stop spelling p-e-n-i-s. (via PopSugar)

John Travolta's son Jett died of a seizure, not a head injury as was previously thought. Jett reportedly suffered from seizures throughout his life. (via LA Times)

Jennifer Love Hewitt has called off her engagement to actor Ross McCall. The couple apparently broke up over the holidays after dating for over 2 years. A Christmas break-up? Talk about brutal. (via PopEater)

Sarah Jessica, Kim Cattrall and the rest of the Sex posse will be back for a sequel to the "Sex and the City" movie. Eventually, that is. Patricia Field, the stylist for the show and movie, revealed that the movie is "in the really early process." (via MTV)

Most of us have at least a few "friends" who we've never met in real life -- the one who friended us after seeing the comment we left on a mutual friend's photo; the daughter of our mom's co-worker who e-mailed us for career advice ages ago and who still sometimes forwards "Arrested Development" links.

Turns out this type of friendship is becoming more common. A new TNS Global survey of over 27,000 people found that folks are increasingly connecting with others online for platonic purposes.

Participants from China said that of all their relationships, about 80 percent are with online-only friends (people they've never met), while U.K. respondents said about 25 percent of their friends are online-only. Americans are on the low end of the spectrum, saying that online-only acquaintances make up 20 percent of their pals.

What's more surprising is that 61 percent have met their Web friends face-to-face. A whopping 76 percent of Germans have admitted to crossing over from cyberspace to the real world. France, Sweden, Denmark and Norway round out the top five populations most likely to meet their buddies in real life. (56 percent of Americans have met someone they first met online.)

Click here to read how people befriend their online friends -- and why others don't trust them.

Ah, the price of beauty. The creams, lotions, tonics. The lengthy series of injections. Um ... wait, what?

It seems that women in the U.K. have turned to black market hormones to give themselves that kissed-by-the-sun, distinctly un-British, tanned look. All you have to do is take a syringe (shudder), fill it with the unregulated drug you bought off the Internet (cringe!) and inject it into your body for at least 10 days (GAH!).

The drug, Melanotan, works by mimicking the hormone that causes skin darkening and facilitates tanning. It was originally created for a skin cancer trial based on the idea that women with naturally darker skin are less prone to the disease.

Click here to read more.