Anthem Blue Cross recently sent a form letter to an unknown number of its 6.8 million members.

The letter was signed by Dr. Michael J. Belman, the health insurance company’s medical director for quality management.

Dr. Belman’s letter begins:

“We’re much more than just your health care plan. We’re also want to help you get and stay as healthy.” (Sic)

After his garbled second sentence, Dr. Belman starts a new paragraph, announcing — in boldface — that he has enclosed some “money-saving coupons” to help Anthem Blue Cross members “build and lead a healthy lifestyle.”

In the third paragraph, although Read more »

“Foreign relations, to a great extent, has a lot of male testosterone involved,” U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said April 4 in San Francisco.

The comment by the senior senator from California came during an answer to a question about tensions In North Korea at the University of California at Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies annual Salon Gala dinner. 

North Korea worried her more than Iran, at leas t at the moment, Feinstein said.

 “Iran doesn’t have a missile that can hit the United States. North Korea does.”

Leaving the impoverished country with its massive military force in “isolation” only fuels Read more »

March 21 is National California Strawberry Day.

Not National Strawberry Day – that’s February 27.

Nor is it National Strawberry Shortcake Day. That’s June 14.

National Strawberry Picking Day looms closer on the horizon. It’s May 20.

July 7 is National Strawberry Sundae Day.

The nation celebrates strawberry parfait on June 25.

January 15 is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day. It’s shoehorned between National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day on the 14th and Fig Newton Day on the 16th.

March 21 is no day of celebration for the hard-working California strawberry industry. March 21 is a day-long symposium in Irvine on “drosophila management for strawberries,” sponsored by Read more »