Profound sadness, both personal and professional, prompts me to write concerning the passing of Eddie Basha (on Tuesday, March 26), a community leader, a philanthropist, a champion of education and a great man. Not only has Chandler lost one of its best but all of Arizona has lost a man dedicated to making where he lived a better place.

So, despite my best efforts to resist self-improvement (I bought a self-help book on how to avoid it), I finally had to bite the bullet one day and address my weight when I realized that: a) I was 53 years old; b) my knees were making funny popping noises when I walked up stairs; and c) me in a bathing suit currently violates six zoning ordinances.

In Netflix’s bid for a flagship original drama of its own — a “Sopranos” to its HBO — the subscription streaming service is presenting a high-class adaptation of a British political thriller offered up all at once, with its first season immediately ready for TV-viewing gluttony.

She’s young, tall-model-slender, beautiful and with a song bird voice. I’ll call her Annie. And, today she sits in jail, serving a lengthy term for her history with drugs. Like so many others, her road to trouble started with alcohol.

Microsoft is making the claim that you can’t trust Google anymore because they only show search results for those that are willing to pay. Is this true?

Well, the Republican Victory Fund is at it again, attacking Dr. Janie Hydrick with lies disguised as facts. They sent out a third flier calling Hydrick a “Union Boss,” even though she is just a member of the Arizona Education Association. They also repeated all of their other lies from the previous fliers. It just goes to show their disdain for the voters, treating them like gullible idiots. This time, they even pretended to back up their opinions with citations; of course, the citations were not connected in any way to their purported “facts.”

Well, the Republican Victory Fund is at it again, attacking Dr. Janie Hydrick with lies disguised as facts. They sent out a third flier calling Hydrick a “Union Boss,” even though she is just a member of the Arizona Education Association. They also repeated all of their other lies from the previous fliers. It just goes to show their disdain for the voters, treating them like gullible idiots. This time, they even pretended to back up their opinions with citations; of course, the citations were not connected in any way to their purported “facts.”

The Republican Victory Fund (read Steve Pierce, AZ Realtors, and Western Growers) has spent a lot of money to attack Dr. Janie Hydrick, candidate for state senate from Legislative District 18, with three mailers that are completely devoid of facts. All three have the same basic text, and what is her great crime? Why, she’s a member (not the leader) of the Arizona Education Association, much the way your lawyer would be a member of the American Bar Association, or your doctor, the American Medical Association. Every statement on the fliers, except the spelling of Hydrick’s name, is unverified, (and unverifiable, since they’re innuendo, not facts).

Q: I upgraded my iPhone 4S to iOS 6 and heard about all the problems with the new Maps app that Apple switched to; is there a way to get Google Maps back on my phone or something else that’s more reliable? — Samuel

Q: I heard you guys talking on your radio show about some tool that used red, green and yellow dots to alert you of dangerous websites when you are searching. I was in my car and couldn’t write it down, so could you tell me what it was called? — Gina

The Ahwatukee/South Tempe/Chandler Multiple Sclerosis Self-Help Group begins its group meetings Sept. 17.At no cost, participants can attend the meetings at Ahwatukee CHW Urgent Care every third Monday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon.

Avoid summer brain drain at Mathnasium, where they offer a good, solid review of previous material and previewing upcoming concepts. Parents can choose from two different membership options in the summer. Summer only membership, called the Summer Pass, is available in 12, 18, or 24 scheduled visits. With this option, you pick the days you want your student to attend, making it easier to plan around summer vacations. The regular Mathnasium membership is always available in summer.

New York - It’s not my place to defend TV-watching.

President Obama has done us all a great favor by putting out a detailed budget proposal. He has laid down an important marker over which the next campaign will be fought.

Detroit  • Auto sales are growing so fast that Detroit can barely keep up.

When the Chandler Ostrich Festival first began 24 years ago, its founders didn’t just look to their fair-feathered friends for inspiration.

Lori Price knows battling an eating disorder can be an isolating and traumatic experience.

Lori Price knows battling an eating disorder can be an isolating and traumatic experience.

First of all, women have always been a victim of the male sex drive. That's the first reason society should pay for my birth control.

By now, the majority of New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside and if remembered at all, they are recalled in sentences like, "What was I thinking? Every time I organize my office, I cannot find anything for weeks!" So how about a few things that are easy to do and will make a difference in your computer life?

In a world full of big-box home improvement chains, it's nice to see places like Plaza Hardware thriving in our community.

I looked in the mirror.

I looked in the mirror.

A Nov. 9 deadly crash on Interstate 10 - that shut down the freeway and stopped traffic on Chandler Boulevard - has shown how dependant Ahwatukee Foothills is on the I-10, and the need for more options if an emergency were to occur.

Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” is considered a classic film seen by many people around the holidays. The 1954 Technicolor movie musical follows two World War II buddies, portrayed by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, who date sisters and team up to save a failing Vermont inn. The film featured a number of songs, including the famous title tune.