Bypass

Thank you for publishing "Somis Bypass Would Reroute a Problem" (April 4) by John Kerkhoff. As a Somis resident, I see his proposed bypass as a neat and creative solution to a nasty problem: what to do with transportation infrastructure when urban sprawl starts to impact important and extremely productive agricultural land. I can only hope that Caltrans and Ventura County government leaders will give Mr. Kerkhoff's ideas the thoughtful study they deserve. I was also interested to note a letter from Debra Tash appearing opposite Mr. Kerkhoff's article.

I don't know whether to be angry with Dr. Plested for giving readers such terrible advice, or sad because a fellow physician shows such an abysmal lack of knowledge concerning the role environmental toxins play in the genesis of cancer, birth defects, and a wide array of other major health problems. True, Dr. Plested is correct when he advises readers to avoid smoking and engage in some form of exercise, there is no denying that. He is, however, ill-informed when it comes to giving nutritional advice.

The human appetite is a fickle thing. It may come on strong if you walk by a hot dog stand but disappear if you spend too much time thinking about the ingredients. Comfort eaters may feel ravenous at the end of a bad day. And people who are bored with what they're eating may feel full (or at least fed up) after just a few bites. At a time when so many people are struggling with their weight, appetite has become a hot topic. Researchers work to understand its ebb and flow, and dieters look for ways to dial it back.

If you are a woman who loves to wear fragrance but only if it's not too floral or girly, maybe it's time to expand your choices. This year, why not try a men's scent? Odd? Not at all. Much, if not most, fragrance is unisex. It's mainly the packaging, marketing and strength of the fragrance that categorize it as "male" or "female" and determine in which part of the department store the bottle is sold. "I think it's really quite outmoded to talk in terms of male and female fragrance anyhow," says Mandy Aftel, owner and perfumer of Aftelier Perfumes, an artisinal perfumery in Berkeley.

WASHINGTON - Three years ago, the Obama administration brought criminal charges under the Espionage Act against Thomas Drake, an Air Force veteran and intelligence expert at the National Security Agency in Maryland. He was not accused of aiding the enemy or of revealing national secrets. He had, however, helped a Baltimore Sun reporter reveal a billion-dollar boondoggle at the NSA - a computerized data-scanning system that never worked as planned. The case against Drake collapsed on the eve of his trial when it was revealed that the information was not classified.

Long before it opened, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" had racked up plaudits for its groundbreaking depiction of the inner life of a black, overweight, ghetto-dwelling teenage girl. But since its release, a story-outside-the-story has developed that's equally fresh and complicated: black people's reaction to the movie and what it means. FOR THE RECORD: 'Precious': An article last Sunday about reaction to the movie "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" referred to the comments of a blogger named Tiffany on the website Racialicious.

These days, some surgeons have four arms and are made of metal and plastic. Use of a robotic assistant called the Da Vinci Surgical System has quadrupled in the last four years, and the machine now helps with incisions and sutures in 2,000 hospitals around the world. Da Vinci is a multi-purpose robot - the only one of its kind - that can scrub in on heart bypass and valve repair operations, hysterectomies, prostate removal surgeries and other procedures. The Da Vinci robot is not actually performing operations; it only mirrors the movements of the surgeon's hands on two joystick-like controllers.

For those who want to spend more time than money in Las Vegas, here are 21 things to do for less than $21, all aimed at keeping the bottom line low and the fun factor high. 1. Springs Preserve. Forsake the fake pyramid and fake Statue of Liberty for a power walk through the real Vegas: 110 acres of pre-Bugsy Siegel desert. There are miles of cactus-filled trails, botanic gardens and a museum that pays tribute to the city's Mojave Desert roots. Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.

Irony is the main entrée in the news this week: An unofficial spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas died of a heart attack Monday. John Alleman, 52, who scoffed at healthy heart warnings by waving in customers outside the downtown eatery while dressed as a hospital patient, is the second unpaid mascot to die in two years. Alleman was taken off life support after suffering an attack last week while waiting at a bus stop in front of the diner. Though never on the payroll, Alleman came to the restaurant daily and encouraged passing tourists to try calorie-heavy offerings such as extra-fat milkshakes, Flatliner Fries cooked in lard and a Quadruple Bypass Burger that contains 9,982 calories.