Easy Access

The Eureka Freedom Tent ($454.99) was designed to allow easy access for wheelchairs. Its high, wide, zipper-free front door leads into a spacious vestibule/sitting area, and an interior door with pull handles leads into a sleeping area. Combo side-entry doors/windows in the sleeping area allow a person to be transferred to a cot. They're also great for any camper with bulky gear. The tent has a self-supporting aluminum frame, mosquito netting and a polyester rainfly. At 17 pounds, it’s obviously for car camping.

California consumers don't have easy access to prices for medical care, according to a national report card that gave the state a letter grade of D for its dismal showing. Overall, 36 states received grades of D or F in the report issued Monday by two nonprofit healthcare groups that analyzed government efforts to make pricing information widely available to consumers. This issue has taken on added importance in recent years as patients shoulder a growing share of healthcare costs from higher deductibles and other insurance changes.

The act of sending letters to all my high school friends at the touch of a button--and joining rec.music.Dylan (for Bob Dylan fans)--transformed me into a cyber addict. Nightly, I trekked to the computer lab, where I found a long line of students with fingers itching to play keyboard. My mind was set on chatting with my on-line boyfriend, R2D2. The internet is becoming America's latest addiction, especially on college campuses, which frequently offer free e-mail accounts and easy access.

Re "Not a good fit?," Jan. 10 On the same day a study showed Americans are the least healthy among citizens of wealthy countries, there is a front-page article about residents of Santa Monica complaining that too many people are exercising on public land at Palisades Park. That's more than a little ironic. Lack of physical activity is one of the main drivers of poor health in this country, and you would think everyone would be in favor of more people exercising. This is just an example of the unexpected challenges faced when trying to help people be healthier.

I felt as if I had my own private hacienda overlooking the historic grounds of the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa, along the Santa Cruz River and Anza Trail in Arizona. If you want peaceful luxury, this is it. A real plus is the easy access to the Southwestern art shops of Tubac. Doubles from $114 midweek, depending on the season. Tubac Resort & Spa, 1 Avenue de Otero Road, Tubac, Ariz.; (520) 398-2211, http://www.tubacgolfresort.com/. D. Kay Renick Ventura

A statewide survey of nearly 2,000 stores by the Department of Health Services found that more than half were willing to sell cigarettes to underage teen-agers without asking for proof of age, underscoring the need for tough new legislation, the agency's director said Wednesday.

Mortars, submachine guns and other modern military weapons can be "readily obtained" by Colombian drug traffickers from Eastern European manufacturers, a self-styled British mercenary told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday. The mercenary, David Tomkins, said that the late Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, a notorious Colombian narcotics trafficker, once received 50 tons of military equipment shipped by a Warsaw Pact nation and routed through Panama.

When Al Daniel of Baraboo, Wis., rides his 18-wheeler on the interstates, he obeys the speed limit, parks only in well-lighted rest areas, and packs a Louisville Slugger under his seat. He is cautious but angry, especially after listening to some mean chatter on his CB the last few days as truckers and motorists react to a string of high-profile murders on or near America's interstates.

A dramatic increase in thefts this year from Camarillo homes, businesses and cars has prompted concern among merchants and City Council members in the quiet bedroom community. By the end of November, the number of reported felony burglaries and thefts had surpassed the 1990 year-end total by 50%, Ventura County Sheriff's Deputy Glenn Sander said. Last year, there were 640 such cases, compared to 960 as of last month, he said.

Leti, 16, borrowed a semiautomatic pistol from her brother with the idea of silencing a group of teasing classmates. Jimmy, 17, picked out a snub-nosed equalizer from a flood of weapons hitting the street after last year's riots. Chris, 16, discovered a ready supply of handguns in the glove compartments of cars he broke into. "Guns are easy to get," Chris boasted.

I felt as if I had my own private hacienda overlooking the historic grounds of the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa, along the Santa Cruz River and Anza Trail in Arizona. If you want peaceful luxury, this is it. A real plus is the easy access to the Southwestern art shops of Tubac. Doubles from $114 midweek, depending on the season. Tubac Resort & Spa, 1 Avenue de Otero Road, Tubac, Ariz.; (520) 398-2211, http://www.tubacgolfresort.com/. D. Kay Renick Ventura

If Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle Fire turns out to be the blockbuster that many are predicting it will be, it won't be because of design or hardware features. If Fire ignites consumers, it will be because it sells for $199, wears the trusted Amazon Kindle brand name and serves as a direct and easy-to-use pipeline to Amazon's online store, a massive offering of e-books, music, movies, TV shows and apps matched only by Apple. But although Fire's content offering is top-notch, the hardware is as plain as you can get. The 7-inch screen on the Fire is bright and clear, and its 1024-by-600-pixel resolution provides ample room for reading books or watching TV shows and movies.

By the time Richard Ready became chief resident of neurosurgery at a prominent Chicago-area hospital, prescription drugs kept him going. Stimulants to stay alert through his daily rounds. Heavy pain relievers to numb his emotions after his mother's death. A powerful sedative to calm his nerves. In the second year of his residency, Ready became a regular user of a type of Tylenol mixed with codeine. He'd steal them by the dozens and carry them inside a little plastic bag in the pocket of his lab coat.

The Eureka Freedom Tent ($454.99) was designed to allow easy access for wheelchairs. Its high, wide, zipper-free front door leads into a spacious vestibule/sitting area, and an interior door with pull handles leads into a sleeping area. Combo side-entry doors/windows in the sleeping area allow a person to be transferred to a cot. They're also great for any camper with bulky gear. The tent has a self-supporting aluminum frame, mosquito netting and a polyester rainfly. At 17 pounds, it’s obviously for car camping.

  Maserati's latest is a bit of a gigolo — so schooled in the art of seduction that it will make you want to pay, no matter the cost. It smells good. It looks good. Drivers: Queue Blondie soundtrack here. New for 2010, it's called the GranTurismo Convertible. The third model in the Maserati tridentate, the $140,000 canvas-topped beauty rounds out a rarefied lineup that began with the Quattroporte sedan while Maserati was owned by Ferrari and continued with the GranTurismo coupe after the Italian manufacturer became an independent entity within the Fiat Group.

The online gambling industry is waging a campaign in Congress to legalize Internet betting, arguing that it is here to stay and can be regulated and taxed. But opponents are raising moral objections. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), head of the House Financial Services Committee, is leading the fight for gamblers.

"My mommy is dead. My mommy is dead." Those simple but devastating words kept falling from the lips of 3-year-old Nicole Kerbrat last Friday at the end of the funeral Mass for her mother, Tina, the first Los Angeles Police Department woman officer killed in the line of duty. Following a long tradition, the police officers present for the Mass passed by Tina's coffin in the center aisle of the church.

A defense attorney implored jurors Thursday to reject the idea that the Menendez brothers were motivated by financial gain when they gunned down their parents. Discriminating against the wealthy is as unfair as discriminating against the poor, said attorney Jill Lansing, who represents Lyle Menendez. "To decide this case, because someone was born into a rich family, by a different standard of justice is to violate not only your oath but the tradition of this country," she said.

Dave Eisenberg had just witnessed baseball history -- his Dodgers became the fifth team ever to win a game without getting a hit. There was only one problem for Eisenberg, aside from the Dodgers' hitting woes. "I didn't keep score," said Eisenberg, a six-year season-ticket holder. "But I really wish I had. The game was unbelievable." After the improbable 1-0 Dodgers' win over the Angels on June 28, Eisenberg changed his ways, and began keeping score. When history was nearly made again on Monday -- as Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda took a perfect game into the eighth inning -- Eisenberg was ready.

By the 1950s, the politicians and planners of Southern California had made their bet: Freeways would solve the awful traffic gripping city streets. Now, Los Angeles officials are taking a different tack. With the Santa Monica Freeway congested, they're looking at increasing the capacity of Olympic and Pico boulevards to ease traffic on the Westside. Life has a way of coming full circle, eh? As is the case with most traffic plans, this one has caused a huge stink. Businesses and residents have complained that it would affect the livability of their neighborhood.