Omission

You've heard about the "Wheat Belly" diet, right? Well, technically, it doesn't exist. Dr. William Davis points out that the word "diet" does not appear on either the cover of his bestselling "Wheat Belly" book published in 2011 or on the follow-up, "Wheat Belly Cookbook," which was published last month and already tops bestseller lists. And that omission is intentional, Davis said. "Wheat Belly" is about stripping your plate of a substance that contributes to heart disease, causes joint pain, inflammation, foggy thinking, bloating and much more, Davis said.

SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Interior Department violated federal law by failing to conduct an environmental review before ordering a Northern California oyster farmer to shutter his operation, attorneys for the farmer told a federal appeals court panel here Tuesday. In a case that has become a cause celebre across the political spectrum, oysterman Kevin Lunny had been ordered to close the farm late last year when his lease to operate within Point Reyes National Seashore expired. Closing Lunny's Drakes Bay Oyster Co. would make way for the first marine wilderness area on the West Coast at Drakes Estero, an environmentally sensitive area home to a large population of harbor seals.

The Hall truthas a morality play Roger Clemens has a lot more to worry about than the Hall of Fame these days, what with his recent perjury indictment and all. But if the Rocket is found guilty of lying about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, it could make the balloting for the Hall class of 2013 a watershed moment in baseball history. Voters have made their disgust of the steroid era apparent in the case of Mark McGwire , who broke the season-single home run record and retired with 583 homers, then fifth on the all-time list.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition issued an open letter Tuesday to the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expressing their unhappiness that the late "Real Women Have Curves" actress Lupe Ontiveros was not included in the telecast's "In Memoriam" segment. Ontiveros died in July. She was 69. The letter explains that Ontiveros was not a member of the academy, which was the reason for her omission, but it adds that the actress, sponsored by actors Miguel Sandoval and Edward James Olmos, was denied membership in the organization when she applied.  IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Oscars 2013:   Winner list   |   Red carpet   |   Highlights "It is astonishing that an actress of Ontiveros' caliber and experience was denied membership to the Academy," said the letter.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition issued an open letter Tuesday to the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expressing their unhappiness that the late "Real Women Have Curves" actress Lupe Ontiveros was not included in the telecast's "In Memoriam" segment. Ontiveros died in July. She was 69. The letter explains that Ontiveros was not a member of the academy, which was the reason for her omission, but it adds that the actress, sponsored by actors Miguel Sandoval and Edward James Olmos, was denied membership in the organization when she applied.  IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Oscars 2013:   Winner list   |   Red carpet   |   Highlights "It is astonishing that an actress of Ontiveros' caliber and experience was denied membership to the Academy," said the letter.

When I heard about the death of former Sen. George McGovern, I had a fleeting thought that President Obama might invoke him at Monday's foreign policy debate -- perhaps as part of an argument that Mitt Romney would be too willing to take the nation into war.  I had second thoughts when I saw the White House's statement of condolence, which has angered some of my liberal friends for the conspicuous absence of any reference to McGovern's 1972 campaign against...

I find a notable omission in Iacocca's article. He states: "The Japanese didn't get rich just through hard work; they got rich through open access to our market while we allowed them to shut us out of theirs." No where does Iacocca mention the superior quality of their products such as automobiles. PAUL BERG Los Angeles

Jonathan Taylor draws an interesting parallel between the critics' awards and other awards shows leading up to the Academy Awards, and the political primaries leading up to the final election ("The Iowa of the Oscars," Jan. 12). But there has been a sad omission. Nowhere on his hypothetical ballot is the name Robin Williams to be found. Those who saw his supporting work in "Insomnia" and especially his brilliantly dark and truthful lead performance in "One Hour Photo" know that he had a banner year.

In Scott Chernoff's important revelation of Robert Hilburn's computer spreadsheet system (Letters, Nov. 17), one of the critic's hardest-working superlatives was missing. The word, as all Hilburn readers know, is "accessible." Chernoff's omission no doubt was inadvertent. He should be commended for giving us the Hilburn-o-Matic. Chernoff is really, really brilliant with sugar on top. DOUG HOSNER Palm Desert

Bravo, McDonnell, for acknowledging some of Hollywood's "D-Girls." We writers spend much of our time with them and they are a great source of support. Two reservations, however: I don't quite understand why you made this a female thing, as there are many men filling these jobs. Also, the omission of Leslie Benziger (Lobell-Bergman at Universal), one of the most inspired, challenging creative people in town. CHARLES BOHL Hollywood

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Thursday that he and other police officials erred when they opted not to tell the public that a man shot by police had been handcuffed at the time. "We should have included it," he said in an interview. "We got it wrong. " The mea culpa came after a Times report was published on the shooting and the department's decision not to include the detail of the handcuffs in a news release. LAPD was wrong to omit shooting details, chief says In the incident, officers were in the process of frisking and handcuffing several men they had stopped for questioning, when one of them bolted.

When I heard about the death of former Sen. George McGovern, I had a fleeting thought that President Obama might invoke him at Monday's foreign policy debate -- perhaps as part of an argument that Mitt Romney would be too willing to take the nation into war.  I had second thoughts when I saw the White House's statement of condolence, which has angered some of my liberal friends for the conspicuous absence of any reference to McGovern's 1972 campaign against...

At the outset, let it be noted that this book is for the faithful, those who bleed blue, who stay at the game until the last out (whatever the inning) and who don't think the day is complete at home until Uncle Vinny signs off with a cheery "good-night everybody. " "Dodgers From Coast to Coast: The Official Visual History of the Dodgers" is not an all-encompassing history, however, and the tone is far from objective. It has some wonderful bits of history and some glaring omissions.

A year ago, soon after the Tunisian uprising, I demonstrated my powers of prediction in a column about the democracy movement in the Arab world. The revolution in Tunisia, I wrote, "arose from local circumstances that don't foretell what will happen anywhere else. " Three weeks later, Egypt's Hosni Mubarak fell, and the Arab Spring was in full bloom. This brings me to the subject of today's column: A confession of my year's errors and omissions (along with a mention of one or two things I got right)

Republicans announced their six appointees to the congressional "super committee" on deficit reduction, the bipartisan panel that experts give at most a 50-50 chance of agreeing on substantial budget reforms. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday appointed Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, a conservative leader, as co-chairman. He also named Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton, also from Michigan, who is chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and a former budget officer in the Reagan administration.

At a time when many other American performers have been banned from China, Bob Dylan was allowed to play Wednesday night in Beijing, but with a program that omitted Dylan's most famous ballads of dissent. Conspicuously absent from the program at the Workers' Gymnasium were "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Blowin' in the Wind. " Dylan's set list had to be sanctioned beforehand by the Ministry of Culture, which in its formal invitation decreed that he would have to "conduct the performance strictly according to the approved program.

How does Winnie Holzman not make the roll call of "thirtysomething" writers ["Eightiessomething," Aug. 23]? She not only wrote several of their most memorable episodes but went on to create "My So-Called Life" and write the book for "Wicked." Melissa, Hope, Nancy, Ellyn, Michael, Elliot and Gary would have a lot to say about such an omission. Sylvia Green Burbank

The TV movie "Overexposed" (ABC, Oct. 11) was so good that it kept me up past my bedtime, but there was one major omission. Ann (Marcy Walker) was a bright, intelligent woman, yet when she began her love affair, there was no reference between the couple about safe sex. It is almost unethical for any television production made in 1992, as this was, to not mention such an important issue during certain scenes. All that was needed was a line or two about the subject, and it would have sent such an important message across to our society.

The Hall truthas a morality play Roger Clemens has a lot more to worry about than the Hall of Fame these days, what with his recent perjury indictment and all. But if the Rocket is found guilty of lying about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, it could make the balloting for the Hall class of 2013 a watershed moment in baseball history. Voters have made their disgust of the steroid era apparent in the case of Mark McGwire , who broke the season-single home run record and retired with 583 homers, then fifth on the all-time list.

After a 13-year career with the Angels in which he set a franchise record for home runs, Tim Salmon on July 13 will attend his first All-Star game in Angel Stadium. The former right fielder will also take part in several events leading up to the game. "I finally made it . . . as a slow-pitch softball player," joked Salmon, who will be among the ex-players participating in Sunday night's All-Star Legends & Celebrity softball game. "I think I had a better chance as a baseball player.