The government-funded -- but independent -- U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, made up of 16 physicians and public-health experts, did what it was supposed to, and indeed should be done routinely under any health-care-reform plan, a periodic examination and re-evaluation of current medical practice.

WASHINGTON - "Don't you say anything bad about Sarah Palin," admonished one of my sisters. "We love her. Be nice to her."

"What is this infatuation about Sarah Palin all about?!" said another sibling. "I can't understand it. She has no real solutions. All she does is criticize and look hot."

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A reported child abduction that turned out to be a hoax this week apparently started with two young boys mimicking the plot of a crime-related television program and ended with misdemeanor charges, a police spokesman said.

CREEDMOOR, N.C, - After a 14-month hunt that sent searchers trudging through pastures and peering into open wells, sheriff's deputies found the skeletal remains of Kelly Morris inside a 900-acre tract where dogs chase coyotes and foxes for sport.

A would-be robber -- wearing clown makeup and carrying a purse -- tried to hold up a Riverside credit union this week but left empty handed.

"I guess they didn't take the clown seriously," said police Sgt. Skip Showalter.

The brief one-man circus performed at 5:11 p.m. Wednesday at Altura Credit Union along the 3400 block of Fourteenth Street.

Volumes have been written about the job interview.

Pre-interview research and preparation.

Proper interview dress.

Promptness -- arrival time.

Body language and interview protocol.

Answers to questions and questions to ask.

Thank you notes and follow through.

Plenty of lenders offer jumbo mortgages now, although the requirements are stricter than they used to be.

Jumbo mortgages are home loans that are bigger than normal. They exceed the "conforming limit" -- the maximum loan amount that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will buy.