Opinion: AI — judge, jury, and executioner
“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” — Comic strip character, Pogo If you are planning to watch the 2026 movie, Mercy, don’t read this column. The movie is slightly futuristic, and it is a reminder that the future is now. It features two key starring roles: Chris Pratt who plays LAPD detective […]
Book Talk: Scottoline, ‘One Perfect Lie’
When I try to narrow the field to my favorite currently-writing authors, the list changes every couple of months. But one name that stands out year after year is Lisa Scottoline. Among other interests, like the newspaper column that she writes with her daughter, she has published dozens of crime/thrillers from contemporary to historical. Her […]
Opinion: A grayer United States
We may be familiar with a general outline of the history of the human species on our planet. Most of us agree with the current theory of evolution, though others challenge the science. Whatever the case, forensic examination of the bones of our distant ancestors reveals that, on average, they did not live long lives. […]
Book Talk: ‘Two’ by Lisa Jackson
To say that Lisa Jackson is a prolific writer is an understatement. She has 15 million books in print in nine languages. She has published 75 novels and is a “New York Times Bestselling Author.” So, I picked up a copy of “Left to Die” (2008, 496 pages in paperback format). This book, the first […]
Opinion: Women computer pioneers
As Women’s History Month comes to an end, I’d like to recognize two women who were developing the modern computer long before most Americans even knew about the electronic device. Their contributions, one in the mid-19th century and the other a hundred years later in the mid-20th century, introduced novel ways of solving problems. Although […]
Book Talk: Freida McFadden, ‘Ward D’
Amy Brenner is a second-year medical student whose ultimate goals in terms of specialization are not clear, except that she knows that she does not want to be a psychiatrist.Eight years ago, when she was 16, her best friend Jade Carpenter had been confined to a mental hospital, and Amy visited her.It was an experience […]
Opinion: ‘Pushing up daisies’
“Pushing up daisies” may no longer be just a colloquial expression about being dead. It now appears that some of us may, indeed, be pushing up daisies, and vegetables, and palm trees… someday. In Madera County? Well, right next door in Friant. It’s already happening, according to Your Central Valley. This becomes possible because of […]
Book Talk: Cavanagh, ‘Twisted’
“Twisted” (2019, 337 pages in paperback format) is a bit of a departure from Steve Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn series, except… Everything about Twisted is “except,” beginning with the title pages. Pages? Yes, the first title page reads, “Twisted” by Steve Cavanagh.The second title page reads, “Twisted” by J.T. LeBeau. The story begins with Paul Cooper […]
Opinion: Don’t nobody talk good no more?
It’s been part of the American ethos that we talk informally, but we write in “formal English.” I don’t know who introduced that rule or why it exists. Perhaps it’s a “vestigial remnant” from a time when only the elite had any formal education. But it seems to me that it is a self-defeating custom. […]
Book Talk: Harlan Coben, ‘Fool Me Once’
Harlan Coben currently has 80 million books in print, circulating in at least 40 countries.His novels are perennial best sellers, topping the New York Times lists.He has won numerous awards for his fiction, some of his books have been the basis for television series in France, and he is the creator of the British crime/drama […]