SEPTEMBER CALENDAR : Fluttering into fall

STORY AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY RON WOLFE

September’s many motorcycles hit the road knees to the bees in the breeze in a scatter of elephants, chickens and Klingons. 1 Labor Day, National Potato Month. - Thursday, August 28, 2008

THE TV COLUMN : 90210, return to sender; self-styled watchdog growls

MICHAEL STOREY

It is with profound and heartwrenching sadness that I feel I must report that The CW’s highly anticipated freshman drama, 90210, is an unmitigated bomb. - Thursday, August 28, 2008

Toughest Jobs rivals rack up bone breaks, bruises with zeal

BY ROGER CATLIN THE HARTFORD (CONN.) COURANT

Once it’s time to go home from a hard day at the office, more and more TV viewers are tuning into shows about much more difficult jobs. - Thursday, August 28, 2008

TELL ME ABOUT IT : One question begets a swarm

CAROLYN HAX

DEAR CAROLYN: Bad history is interfering with a friendship. A casual female friend whom I miss invites my new wife and me to her parties. The problem is that she may still be good friends with a person with whom I had a relationship (before marriage) that ended with extremely ill feelings. I have avoided this person ever since and don’t speak to her when I run into her. I don’t want to attend my friend’s party if this person might be present, but I hesitate to be candid. My wife also acts somewhat hostile to my friend because of that person. Should I be candid, should I speak with my wife, and how do I stay friends? Am I doomed? - Thursday, August 28, 2008

Check your knowledge

1. In his earlier years, was Alexander Graham Bell a teacher of the blind, retarded or deaf? 2. Which sculptor’s most famous work is the Statue of Liberty ? 3. Where is the headquarters state of J.C. Penney and Co.? 4. Is it true or false that an electric eel can produce more than 500 volts? 5. The dromedary camel has how many humps? 6. What country in South America is named for its geographical location? 7. What does “stenosis ” mean? 8. “Headshrinker” is slang for... 9. The name Phyllis is of Greek origin and has what meaning? 10.What is measured by a protractor? Answers 1. The deaf 2. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi 3. Plano, Texas 4. True 5. One hump 6. Ecuador, which means equator in Spanish 7. A narrowing or constriction of a passage 8. Psychiatrist 9. Green bough 10. Angles - Thursday, August 28, 2008

DRESSING ROOM : Beauty school helps students imagine a better life

HELAINE WILLIAMS

John Paul DeJoria, chief executive officer of John Paul Mitchell Systems, visited our state Aug. 13 for the grand opening of Imagine, a Paul Mitchell Partner School. Among the latest manifestations of a new concept in beauty schools, Imagine is at 4201 E. McCain Blvd. (at the south end of the strip with Jason’s Deli). - Thursday, August 28, 2008

Fake restaurant’s award gives Wine Spectator bad aftertaste

BY JERRY HIRSCH LOS ANGELES TIMES

Milan, Italy’s Osteria L’Intrepido restaurant won Wine Spectator magazine’s award of excellence this year despite a wine list that features a 1993 Amarone Classico Gioe S. Sofia, which the magazine once likened to “paint thinner and nail varnish.” Even worse: Osteria L’Intrepido doesn’t exist. - Thursday, August 28, 2008

CRITICAL MASS : For guitarists, nothing can beat the old solid-bodies

PHILIP MARTIN

One of the realities of the modern world is that technology improves. The computer you’ll be able to buy six months from now will be faster, more powerful and cheaper than the one you just bought. However nostalgic you might be for the cars of your youth, today’s machines are more reliable and safer. If you are playing golf with a 5-year-old driver, you’re likely handicapping yourself. - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

It takes two villages

BY ELLIS WIDNER

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — Kay Oursler lives in two villages. - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

WHAT’S IN A DAME : Shape-over show may be model of stupidity

JENNIFER CHRISTMAN

I never thought it would happen. - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

THE TV COLUMN : ’69 moon landing a hoax? MythBusters on the case

MICHAEL STOREY

For ancient couch potatoes like me, Watch Mr. Wizard is a warm and fuzzy memory from childhood. - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

TELL ME ABOUT IT : Child’s diet worrying fiancee

CAROLYN HAX

DEAR CAROLYN: I am about to marry a man with a wonderful, smart, kind 13-yearold daughter. She is a strict vegan because her mother became one in the last year. Although it’s presented to her as a “choice” by her mother, it’s not much of one. The mother doesn’t allow any nonvegan foods. - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Check your knowledge

1. What is the United States national motto? 2. Companies listed on stock exchanges have ticker symbols — letters — for their shares. Does each listing have the same number of letters ? 3. What singer had a hit recording of “Candy Man” in the early 1970s? 4. One who is “felicitous” has what ability? 5. What is a grubstake ? 6. The first chief justice of the United States was John Jay, who served from 1789-95. Name his successor. 7. How many yards equal one perch? 8. Hong Kong is at the mouth of what river? 9. In a story by Washington Irving, how long did Rip Van Winkle sleep? Answers 1. “In God We Trust.” It appears on coins and currency. 2. No. Some have only one letter, but most are two or more letters. 3. Sammy Davis Jr. 4.The ability to express himself in an appropriate way 5. Money or supplies provided in advance for an enterprise 6. John Rutledge, who had been an associate justice since the beginning of the court. 7. 5 1 /2 yards 8. Canton River 9. 20 years - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Gentle on the ear

BY WERNER TRIESCHMANN

It’s 10 minutes past 7 a.m. in Malibu, Calif. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

SPIN CYCLE : Monopoly more PC, less f-u-n

JENNIFER CHRISTMAN

A group of American children sit down to play the new “global” and “green” Monopoly game introduced by Hasbro last week. Cities included in the Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition are the result of a worldwide vote in which 5.6 million people cast ballots. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

A new facet for jeweler Stanley

BY KYLE BRAZZEL

A photograph that a teenage Loyd Stanley snapped from the sidelines of a North Little Rock High School football game earned him three college-scholarship offers, but it would be a career built on restoring the passage of time, not freezing it, that would make him an Arkansas institution. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

MUSIC : Hey, look — it’s Dylan again

BY JACK W. HILL

Bob Dylan — probably without any awareness of it — has set himself apart from such other popular music icons as Neil Young, Tom Petty and Pink Floyd. Throw in Madonna while you’re at it, although some have doubts about her “rock” credentials. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

LET’S TALK : Old photos sometimes fade, but not the memories

HELAINE WILLIAMS

When my former marriage ended, I ended up with the wedding photos. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

Aquarium hosts Titanic treasures

BY DORIE TURNER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA — The bright room looks like any nondescript warehouse packed with boxes and dusty shelves, but inside this plain brick building is nearly $200 million worth of treasures from the world’s most famous shipwreck. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

THE TV COLUMN : Fishburne’s DNA a CSI match

MICHAEL STOREY

Last month at the TV critics confab in Beverly Hills, the early buzz on CBS day was that beloved William Petersen would be leaving CSI after 10 episodes this fall. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

TELL ME ABOUT IT : Have to ask? He’s not ‘the one’

CAROLYN HAX

DEAR CAROLYN: How do I know if someone is “the one” ? I’ve been with him five years, and the answer isn’t coming to me. My family and friends don’t think he’s right for me, but he’s great in so many ways. Marriage is obviously a huge step in life, and it’s important to me not to make any missteps. It would be great news if there was a “The One” checklist. — Seattle DEAR READER: (1) If you’re asking me, he’s not it. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

Friedman serious about laughs

BY ALEXANDER REMINGTON THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — “The only thing Jews and cowboys have in common is we both like to wear our hats indoors,” says the rarely bareheaded Kinky Friedman, a novelist, magazine columnist, humorist, cigar maker, animal lover, Texas gubernatorial candidate and occasional touring country singer. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

Little Feat to play at Clinton Center

Little Feat is headed for Little Rock, and tickets are now on sale. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

Where some see mesquite debris, he sees snakes

BY ELDA SILVA SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

SAN ANTONIO — Jose Luis Rivera-Barrera was 8 or 9 years old when he encountered a rattlesnake in the pasture behind his home on the King Ranch in south Texas. - Sunday, August 24, 2008

My wriggly roommates

BY KATE SCHUMAN FOR THE DEMOCRAT GAZETTE

My first attempt at keeping a small indoor compost heap turned into a smelly, fruit-fly-infested mess. But with the addition of helpful worms, my new compost bin is full of vegetable peelings, strawberry tops, coffee grounds, egg shells and tea bags that are quickly turning into a rich soil without the smell or the flies. - Saturday, August 23, 2008

Ask the expert

My computer, which I’ve had for about three years, is starting to act up. Should I fix it? Or just replace it? If your computer is still under warranty, you should see about getting it repaired. If not, here are some guidelines to determine if it’s worth repairing or ought to be replaced from Donna Tapellini, author of the Tech Check column in the September issue of ShopSmart ($4.99), published by Consumer Reports: Don’t fix a computer that’s more than 4 years old. It’s not worth sinking any more money into a system that old. - Saturday, August 23, 2008

In the garden

JANET CARSON

Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at P.O. Box 391, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or e-mail her at jcarson@arkansason line.com QA friend gave me a moon plant. Its flowers are absolutely beautiful and very aromatic. I would love to plant some more around my house and I’ve been told that they can be started by seeds. I have enclosed a picture of the plant in bloom. After the flower blooms and drops off there is a spiny round ball that I’m assuming is a seed. Can you tell me how to get them to grow next year? - Saturday, August 23, 2008

Personal space

— Tracy M. Rogers

Lolly Greenwood Where I live: I live in North Fayetteville in a late 1960s home. I’ve lived there forever. It’s a nice residential neighborhood off Rolling Hills Drive. We have gone through different periods where we thought we would want to move and we’ve always come back home. We’ve done a lot of renovations and spent a lot of time in the yard. - Saturday, August 23, 2008

Tools & toys

— Marcia Schnedler

Evo Companion Cart Flattop Grill What’s to love: Designed to be a versatile social and dining focal point. - Saturday, August 23, 2008

OTUS THE HEAD CAT : Croatian’s Skinny Fries to join sculpture at Federal Building

Dear Otus, Your recent column on all the theft of public statuary got me to thinking about how the scrap metal dealer didn’t recognize the Henry Moore statue Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge as art and melted it down. - Saturday, August 23, 2008