Kevin Trudeau

He went to prison for fraud and was ordered by the U.S. government to stop touting health products on infomercials, but Kevin Trudeau's book "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" is a bestseller. Trudeau, who for years sold snoring remedies and memory enhancers through long-format commercials dressed up as talk shows, says he is a consumer advocate battling the "unholy alliance" of drug companies and government regulators. "It's all about money.

He went to prison for fraud and was ordered by the U.S. government to stop touting health products on infomercials, but Kevin Trudeau's book "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About" is a bestseller. Trudeau, who for years sold snoring remedies and memory enhancers through long-format commercials dressed up as talk shows, says he is a consumer advocate battling the "unholy alliance" of drug companies and government regulators. "It's all about money.

The voice seems inescapable. In the middle of the night, it haunts TV screens. At rush hour, it beckons from the radio dial: "I'm Dr. Greg Cynaumon." For nearly two years, Cynaumon and his diet pill infomercials have saturated the airwaves, proclaiming CortiSlim's ability to slash weight by controlling stress. To some, the pitches have become as obnoxious as Sit 'n Sleep's "You're killing me, Larry" spots.

The Minnesota Twins traded veteran pitcher Bert Blyleven to the California Angels today in a five-player deal. The Twins acquired right-handed pitcher Mike Cook, who spent parts of the last three seasons with the Angels, minor league pitcher Rob Wassenaar and minor league first baseman-outfielder Paul Sorento. The Twins also gave up minor league pitcher Kevin Trudeau. Blyleven, 37, was 10-17 with a 5.43 earned run average last season.

The ban: The court order Kevin Trudeau doesn't what you to know about. The judgment: Trudeau, who has made a fortune from health cures, weight-loss plans and other controversial regimens, has been banned from infomercials for three years. The Federal Trade Commission announced last week that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that Trudeau -- whose bestselling books typically have ". . . They Don't Want You to Know About" in their titles -- was in contempt of an earlier order that found he had made false claims about his weight-loss book.

A long-ago discredited fad diet has been getting increased attention lately, thanks to Web chatter and the claims of a bestselling author. The so-called HCG diet's recent popularity is a bit surprising -- and not just because research suggests it doesn't work. Other currently popular diets call for cutting back on fat and sugar, consuming whole grains and lean meats, and even indulging in red wine. The HCG diet, in contrast, calls for eating just 500 calories a day while taking daily injections of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)

Memory is the retention of information. It is closely associated with learning, which experts say is the ability to change behavior through the acquisition of new knowledge. Memory allows us to retain what we've learned. There are different types of memory. * Short-term memory is a temporary retention of information, while long-term memory can be permanent. Memory experts say new information can be converted into long-term memory through attention and repetition, a process called consolidation.

Knowledge is a blessing only if it's shared. Thus, getting into the holiday spirit of giving, the Answermaven has graciously agreed to respond to questions that you haven't asked but should have. DEAR ANSWERMAVEN: Frequently, we speak of "the networks" as if they were a monolith. However, don't they have distinct personalities? For example, which of the Big Three networks has the most violence-minded schedule? --TERRIFIED DEAR TERRIFIED: Compared to ABC and CBS, NBC is Mayhem Inc.

"Grizzly Mountain" marks the return of Dan Haggerty, star of the popular "Grizzly Adams" TV series and subsequent movies. While it's nice to have the burly, amiable portrayer of mountain men back after a near-fatal motorcycle accident, it's too bad "Grizzly Mountain" is such an amateurish effort. Actually, its premise has possibilities for a family entertainment.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Harry Potter and the 1 3 Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/ Scholastic: $29.99) A teenage Harry faces a new darkness in his latest adventures. 2 No Country for Old Men by 4 2 Cormac McCarthy (Knopf: $24.95) An aging Texas sheriff investigates murder, drug trafficking and the disappearance of a local hunter. 3 Until I Find You by John 2 4 Irving (Random House: $27.