Miss California says a Web site has posted racy photos of her in an attempt to belittle her Christianity. ...more

May 5, 2009

Kay Hooper tells a terrifying story in "Blood Sins" about the power of a charismatic cult leader called Rev. Samuel. Samuel has gathered his flock behind a fortified compound in the mountains in a small town named Grace. At least two women who lived in Grace have been found murdered in a way scientists can't explain. The Rev. Samuel is a known psychopath who possesses strange powers. Unable to approach him in an ordinary manner, the FBI enlists Tessa Gray to pretend to be a wealthy, grieving widow, seeking solace. The want her to infiltrate the compound and use her own psychic power to gain information. Tessa finds her powers are no match for the Rev. Samuel but Tessa has the courage to face this monster in hopes of rescuing children who are being held in the compound. One of the residents of "One Fifth Avenue" by Candace Bushnell describes the aging building as "being clean, authoritative and implying -- class and money and prestige." Not just anyone can live there. You have to be rich and or famous and to be accepted. You have to meet the approval of the older residents who also establish all the rules. The residents are described as being so greedy and filled with envy they will do anything to destroy each other or anyone who doesn't conform to their expectations. The media is also very involved in the story reporting the gossip about who's sleeping with whom and when and where. Seemingly happy marriages are exposed as bursting at the seams as passion leads to blatant adultery. The desire for money, recognition and even notoriety drives the residents to make rash decisions and uncomfortable liaisons. The surprise ending doesn't really solve problems but will at least lead to some changes in the drama at One Fifth Avenue. ...more

April 1, 2009

A St. Petersburg Times photographer is suing R&B singers Chris Brown and Rihanna for $1 million, saying their bodyguards attacked him as he was taking pictures of the entertainers outside a club earlier this year. ...more

December 3, 2008

A St. Petersburg Times photographer is suing R&B singers Chris Brown and Rihanna for $1 million, saying their bodyguards attacked him as he was taking pictures of the entertainers outside a club earlier this year. ...more

December 2, 2008

In preparation for a class I'll be teaching, I polled enrollees to get a feel for their experience level. One lady responded, "I hope I am not too inexperienced for your class." ...more

November 30, 2008

As the Republican convention nears its conclusion, we in the news media, having finally grown weary of the endless speculation and gossip about Sarah Palin, are turning our attention, at long last, to additional speculation and gossip about Sarah Palin. ...more

September 5, 2008

As all good things must come to an end my favorite store, Albertsons, is next. Even as the employees know their days are numbered, they still greet everyone with a smile. ...more

August 29, 2008

"Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter," by The Waiter (Ecco, William Morris, $25) ...more

August 3, 2008

Regarding "Kids Having Kids Is Now So Normal" (Commentary, June 29): Teenaged parents in the United States are hardly a phenomenon. Until very recently, it was common for teenagers and young adults to have children. They were not called "kids having kids." They were simply "youth." ...more

July 5, 2008

Just as interesting as new technology are the years following its introduction and finally seeing how we use it. Sometimes it's exciting, and sometimes it's little depressing. The Internet is both. Never in the history of humankind have people had the ability to communicate so quickly and access more information. It's nearly impossible to find bad in that – except we have. It's true that information is only a mouse click away, but the quality of information is the real question. Too many people gravitate to places on the Internet telling them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. So that makes a lot of us believe we're intelligent on issues when, in fact, we've just bought into someone else's point of view and call it fact. Political websites are the worst. Someone with a flair for writing can spew garbage about any candidate and get a lot of people believing it. Our country is all about free speech, and there's nothing wrong with stating opinions. In fact, it's healthy. The problem occurs when people are mentally lazy and don't check out the facts. ...more

February 19, 2008