TAMPA The sheer numbers don't tell the full story of Tampa Bay's protection racket. ...more

December 11, 2008

There was a time not so long ago when none of this would have mattered, at least on this side of the pond. ...more

July 21, 2008

As the annual summer tour for the nation's television critics moves into its second week, I pause to ponder how our attention spans are being shortened by the Internet. ...more

July 16, 2008

"Phantom Prey," by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, $26.95) ...more

May 25, 2008

Last Monday we drove past the Kenilworth Lodge road sign. The message for the day read something like, "Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day. Just toss it all on the floor!" Back home, feeling comfortable at our messy desks, we checked it out on our computers. Sure enough, the second Monday in January is National Clean Off Your Desk Day. It has been since 1982 when Ann Chase Moeller, daughter of the Chases (of Chase Annual Event Calendar fame), wrote it into their record book. According to Organizing Resources, "Desktop management is critically important to our well being - physically, mentally and psychologically." They say, "It is extremely difficult to concentrate on a particular task when bombarded with myriad piles of paper. The only papers that should be on your desk are the ones you are referring to at that particular moment. The only miscellaneous objects should be ones you use all the time, except for a few special mementos and a living plant." ...more

January 18, 2008

A record number of fatal traffic incidents and a double-digit spike in shooting deaths led to one of the deadliest years for law enforcement officers in more than a decade, according to two Washington groups. ...more

December 27, 2007

SEBRING — Tanglewood actor Howard Johnson expects to hear booing when he steps on stage in the role of "Fleetwood Dashaway" in a local production of "He Done Her Wrong." But don't expect Johnson to recoil in horror or become dismayed. He plays the villain as one of six actors in the Tanglewood Actors' Guild who will perform in the one act Anita Bell play on Dec. 5, 6 and 7 at the multi-purpose room at the 1,250-home development. Hand-held signs will urge the audience to react and give Johnson — the mustached villain — feedback. "I love being a bad guy," said Johnson. "I love the attention of being on stage. I will be very pleased to get the boos and hisses." Director Ray Fulmer referred to the play as an "old comedy melodrama." ...more

November 24, 2007

Authorities have seized dozens of animals and charged 18 men from four states with releasing trapped foxes, coyotes and bobcats into fenced enclosures to be chased down by dogs. ...more

November 14, 2007

Authorities seized dozens of animals and charged 18 men from four states in what they described Monday as a new twist on the sport of fox hunting: releasing trapped animals into fenced pens so they can be chased down by dogs. ...more

November 13, 2007

"Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram" (Harmony Books, $19.95) ...more

November 4, 2007