Inclusion

Times are tough enough for Californians; they're even tougher for Californians' teeth. "One-quarter of all adults and 28% of children in California have untreated dental caries [cavities]," says Len Finocchio, a senior program officer at the California Healthcare Foundation, a health advocacy group. "Our research tells us that many people in California have been avoiding routine care that might have cost about $100 for a checkup and cleaning, and then find themselves in the emergency room, where they get only an antibiotic, a bill that can average over $600 and instructions to see a dentist."

Landon Donovan and Juergen Klinsmann are not the best of friends. Which can be a problem given that Donovan is arguably the best soccer player in the history of the U.S. national team, the team Klinsmann now coaches. Part of what separates the two is approach. Donovan believes there is life outside soccer, while Klinsmann believes life is soccer. And that helps explain why Donovan hasn't played for Klinsmann in more than 10 months. But here's why Donovan, 31, may not start for Klinsmann's national team going forward: The U.S. is getting along just fine without him. Yes, Donovan, the national team's all-time leader in goals and assists, was named to the U.S.' provisional B team roster for next month's Gold Cup tournament.

A new fight is brewing over health insurance companies letting millions of Americans renew their current coverage for another year - and thereby avoid changes under the federal healthcare law. That may offer a short-term benefit for certain consumers and shield some of those individual policyholders from potentially steep rate increases. But critics say this maneuver could undermine government efforts to remake the insurance market next year and keep premiums affordable overall. At issue is a little-known loophole in President Obama's landmark legislation that enables health insurers to extend existing policies for nearly all of 2014.

All-inclusive vacation giant Club Med wants you to be happy, or so it says in a new Happiness Sale that launched Thursday. The sale is good for stays through fall at its 50-plus locations worldwide, including premium resorts in Guilin, China , and Belek, Turkey .  The deal: Club Med shows prices starting as low as $749 per person for a seven-night stay, but that's based on staying at its Sandpiper Bay resort in Florida. Still, there are savings to be had from the online check I did of several locations around the globe.

By the numbers it just doesn't seem right. Nearly 65% of American women are overweight, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and of those, more than 35% are obese. Yet most designer collections end at size 10. And on hundreds of high-fashion runways at international fashion weeks this month and last, ultra-slim models were wearing trendsetting designs that will never be manufactured in sizes to fit most American women. In a time when retailers are struggling to turn a profit, the disconnect between fashion and reality is a puzzle.

DNA evidence was undeniably the key to the arrest and charging of Lonnie David Franklin Jr., believed to be the Grim Sleeper responsible for a string of slayings in Los Angeles between 1985 and 2007. Many will cite this use of DNA evidence in a high-profile serial murder case as one more reason to increase reliance on this important investigative tool. But in fact it's precisely at a moment like this when an investigative triumph can blind us to the dangers of expanding genetic surveillance.

If you like the hassle-free nature of all-inclusive vacations and also are a fan of Hilton Hotels & Resorts, you'll love the newest addition to Puerto Vallarta's Hotel Zone - Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort, the chain's first all-inclusive property in Mexico .  The hotel, which has a beachfront location, features 259 rooms and suites and offers guests dining options that include French, Brazilian churrascaria and an international buffet....

Three have been fired and 10 have quit. Nine have been promoted. Two have killed suspects while on duty. And one stands accused of falsifying evidence in a murder case. For most of the 44 Los Angeles Police Department officers labeled "problem officers" in the landmark 1991 Christopher Commission report, the past four years have been tumultuous. The commission said its intention was to illustrate, not define, what it called "the problem of excessive force in the LAPD."

Thank you, Kenny Smith, for being the voice of reason in the Jason Collins-Chris Broussard imbroglio. For those keeping score at home, NBA pro Collins this week became the first active player in one of the major U.S. professional team sports to come out as gay . The reaction from many , in the sports world and in the world of politics, was supportive and positive . But not from everyone. Basketball analyst and former New York Times writer Broussard, speaking on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" show, said: "I'm a Christian.