AUSTIN, TEXAS: "Richard From Texas" Vogt Dead At 62.

AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN/    Richard Vogt, 62, an authentic Austin character and a friend for two decades died in his sleep Thursday from an apparent heart attack. A retired carpenter, he is best known for his prominent role in Elizabeth Gilbert's three million best seller "Eat Pray Love," where he is portrayed as a homespun wisdom spouting guru known as "Richard from Texas." He had also appeared with Gilbert on the popular "Oprah Winfrey Show." A film version of Gilbert's book is currently underway starring Julia Roberts with an actor portraying Richard. We had lunch the day before he departed for what was to be the last visit to his beloved ashram in India. I kidded him again about the slow progress of his own book as we both devoured the Whole Foods' fresh organic kale salad, kissed with sweet raspeberry dressing and pine nuts that he so relished. His passing is another reminder that life is in session and the clock is ticking on us all. This is not a dress rehearsal. Adios, Tchau, Ciao and Namaste, my old friend!

The downside of Acai...the new "superfruit."

The Brasilian fruit, Acai, has become the new "superfood"...and anti-oxidant rich fruit flavor of the month.

Remember pomegranates?

They are so yesterday!

Now it's acai's turn in the limelight.

Just this morning, I deleted two spams for acai trials from my Yahoo mail.
One for"wellness" and the other for a free trial.

Actually, deleting only two acai spams...is a light day over at Yahoo mail.

None, so far today, from my Google mail.

Thank you, Google!

The growing popularity of acai has been fanned by a recent feature on the wildly popular "Oprah Winfrey Show" where acai's use as an alleged weight loss aid was reportedly touted...and its "superfood" anti-oxidant rich quality was extolled.

But this new notoriety comes with a steep price for Brasilian natives who depend on acai for protein and nutrition.

In the past decade, as Bloomberg reports, the wholesale price of acai in Brasil has jumped SIXTY-FOLD...and the food, once a daily necessity for many, is now considered a luxury.

Read Bloomberg.com's report :http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ai8WCgSJrhmY