Another view: Did you hear the one about Obama?
I believe comedic change is possible. Since The New Yorker dropped a bum joke on its most recent cover, comedians have appeared on every news outlet to whine about how hard it is to make fun of Barack Obama. Really? They have an arsenal of jokes to use against a 71-year-old ex-POW cancer survivor and Obama is too touchy a subject?

Commenary: The lesser-known hostages
The streets were lined with the townspeople of Risaralda. Lampposts, trees and fences were adorned with colorful decorations. A caravan led by six horses was followed by cars and motorbikes. There was anticipation in the air, the smell of traditional Colombian cuisine and champagne corks ready to pop.

Commentary: Religious squabbles generate much heat, little light
People act oddly during times of political uncertainty. Even so, I've been surprised lately to find myself agreeing with the perennially aggrieved William A. Donohue. For the uninitiated, Donohue serves as president, CEO and chief controversialist of "The Catholic League," a laymen's organization devoted to the dubious premise that bias against Roman Catholics is "more virulent and more pervasive than ever before in American history."

COLUMNS

Ag at large: Mummy nuts sustain pistachio, almond pest
A recent agricultural research project with pistachios paid more attention to the nuts that fell to the ground during harvest than to those that were collected and sent to market. The reason for the odd focus is the navel orangeworm (NOW), a persistent pest of several California tree crops, but especially nuts. The insect likes to lay its eggs in the winter or early spring in pistachios and almonds that remain in orchards after harvest.