Opinion

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. — White asparagus, long a European delicacy, has lately become popular also in America. Home gardeners can easily grow these so-called blanched or gourmet whites as well as the better-known green and purplish spears. -more-

California called off all power alerts Thursday for the first time in nearly six weeks, thanks to the availability of more imported electricity and the return to service of power plants that had been down for repairs. -more-

The stock market’s plunge has left many small investors so intimidated they are likely to miss out on the beginning of the next upturn and the chance to recoup their losses. -more-

SAN FRANCISCO — A body was found in the wheel well of a US Airways jet at San Francisco International Airport, but authorities were not immediately sure how the man died or whether he was a stowaway. -more-

NEW YORK — Could those deteriorating consumer confidence figures be a measure also of how spoiled Americans have become after a decade of plentiful credit, easy payments, lots of jobs and rising stocks? -more-

A computer science professor at Cal has created a computer program that takes the geometric wood sculptures of Missouri artist Brent Collins a step further. -more-