Sound Advice

Good communications are essential in warfare. But before the age of modern electronics, generals had to rely on runners and, more often, their own ears to tell them what was going on. Too often, their ears would betray them. Unusual weather conditions, intervening sound barriers and other factors often prevented crucial information from reaching them. At least seven battles in the Civil War were lost because crucial information did not reach commanders in time.

It happens with almost every new performing arts center. The management hires an acoustician with an "innovative" theory. Fund-raisers promote the person's ideas. A community's expectations soar. So it goes as the Orange County Performing Arts Center prepares to open Sept. 29. With a touch of Madison Avenue, a fund-raising newsletter for the center has promised a "rich palette of exciting listening experiences" and "exceptional acoustics throughout the theater."

While nearly half of Californians with medical insurance have little or no choice over their health care product, being informed about what insurance options you do have is integral to making the right choice. "The biggest choice of plans is with the biggest employers," says Tom Sher. An insurance broker, Sher participates in various health industry advisory councils, consults for many government agencies and runs Sher Co. Insurance Services in San Rafael.

If you want to comment on the dietary guidelines report or read the comments others have submitted, you can do that here: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DietaryGuidelines.htm. In the meantime, here's what the experts we contacted had to say: MARGO WOOTAN Director of nutrition policy Center for Science in the Public Interest (Washington, D.C.) The dietary guidelines provide sound advice for the majority of Americans. Basic nutrition advice hasn't changed much over the 30 years that the dietary guidelines for Americans has been published.

As I learned in the fourth grade when my first crush told me oh-so eloquently to "Get lost, creepo!," not everything you go after in life will work out as planned. Now, at the ripe, old age of 28, nothing has reminded me of that schoolyard lesson more than when I recently pitched my first show to a TV network. After working in TV and film for the past seven years, from an intern to a production assistant to the writers' office, I decided to move from New York to Los Angeles. I'd been out here eight months when, during a meeting, I ran an off-the-cuff show idea by development executives.

The gig: President of Dick Clark Productions. Orly Adelson oversees the production and distribution of the company's TV shows, including "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," the Golden Globes, the American Music Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, "So You Think You Can Dance?" and " Shaq vs." The company has about 50 employees. "Primarily, my job is to resolve problems. . . . If there is no problem, then nobody needs me. That's the idea of hiring good people." Coming to Hollywood: After serving as a lieutenant in the Israeli army, then earning degrees in sociology and musicology from Hebrew University and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, "I met a man who was an American in the [entertainment]

Was it Superman's, Spider-Man's or Socrates' uncle who said, "With great power comes great responsibility?" Regardless, it would have proved sound advice for the suddenly telekinetic teens at the center of the raw, electrical charge of "Chronicle. " Thankfully, it's wisdom the filmmakers took to heart. This mind-and-fork-bending sci-fi saga comes from the freaky imaginations of director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis, who've packed their feature debut with smartness. Don't let its DIY sensibility fool you: "Chronicle" is ultimately telling a meta-story, built around the age-old conundrum - if you had superpowers that would let you do just about anything, would you do good or evil?

Regarding "Creating a Community Website Is No LOL Matter," Feb. 3: Thanks for being the voice of reason and giving sound advice about this issue. Monitoring such a website turns the monitor into Big Brother. As a manager of several associations for the last several years, I believe avoiding a legal nightmare far outweighs the benefits of having such a website. Jim Osburn San Diego

A niece and three nephews of entertainer Liberace failed Friday to gain a share of his multimillion-dollar estate, with an attorney calling the four an embarrassment to the famed pianist. Liberace died at his Palm Springs home Feb. 4 of a disease authorities said was caused by AIDS.