Arnold Dingfelder Horshack is back in the classroom. ...more

October 18, 2009

Twitter, the Web site that asks what everybody's doing, says it wants to be doing a TV series. ...more

May 26, 2009

The brother-in-law of actress Katie Holmes was found dead in a home in Sarasota at age 48, officials say. ...more

April 16, 2009

To avoid Alzheimer's disease, exercise the brain with thinking games such as chess and the board game Axis and Allies. As shown via brain scans, certain poisons such as dye are very bad for the brain cells. Alzheimer's disease is mainly caused by the death of brain cells slowly as we age, but faster if we ingest certain poisons such as artificial coloring or taste. The worst of all is dye, as in artificial color. Dye kills brain cells as was indicated in a TV show on the brain. Why our uncaring government has not passed a law prohibiting artificial color in processed foods and meat or red cherries used in ice cream and drinks, I can only guess. Dye in foods is big business although the only reason for using it is looks; a completely stupid reason. ...more

March 27, 2009

"American Idol" aficionados can soon emulate Kelly Clarkson and others who used the TV show as a path to stardom at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista. ...more

December 30, 2008

"American Idol" aficionados can emulate Kelly Clarkson and others who used the TV show as a path to stardom with the opening Feb. 12 of an attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista. ...more

December 29, 2008

I was thinking about the effect of bias in thinking and decision making. It came up in the context of some people indicating they could not vote for Obama for president because he was black, no matter what; a predictable and unfortunate attitude with some in the American South. But it started me thinking about bias in general, where and how much weight it is given in all kinds of thinking, in the process of decision making. Firstly, I was concerned with whether it becomes a factor in evaluation, whether it is included, inappropriately, in a list of concerns which lead to a decision. That would be bad enough but what if it serves as a filter, to block the receipt of otherwise relevant information never let into the process of weighing facts and making choices on a rational basis? I was watching a TV show, book reviewing, and I decided I didn't like the necktie worn by the lecturer. It was a skimpy, pale, stripy bow tie, an utterly silly looking thing and as I looked at it, the words of the lecturer seemed to fade. Was this merely an absurd fashion bias on my part or perhaps my questioning why anyone would wear such a tie and whether the choice of wearing such a tie reflected on the quality of the judgment-making ability of the wearer, and shouldn't I take that into consideration in weighing, or even accepting the quality of his opinion, downgrade his believability or even reject everything he has to say out of hand because of his flawed judgment in necktie selection? ...more

August 11, 2008

Regarding "Where's St. Michael When You Really Need Him?" by Garrison Keillor (Other Views, Feb. 1) and "Pam's Book Club" by Karen Haymon Long (Baylife, Feb. 4): ...more

February 14, 2008

Diets weren't the only craze on the bestsellers list in 1978. ...more

December 28, 2007

Who is on strike? The nearly 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America on the East and West coasts. The group includes writers of movies and TV shows, including soap operas, sitcoms, prime-time dramas and late-night talk shows. ...more

November 6, 2007