The Press-Enterprise

As the economy starts to pick up some energy, workers who have not found new job opportunities for two years or longer might now be seeing light at the end of a long tunnel.

But what would be encouraging to employees could cause a different kind of headache for their bosses. If a fresh crop of job prospects does come along, it could signal a round of departures by critical workers.

Some analysts who watch employment trends say that if the economy continues to improve, many employers could face a serious "brain drain" issue.

Among the challenges in Derek Fisher's life these days is finding a balance between making shots and calling them.

The veteran Los Angeles Lakers point guard is also the president of the National Basketball Players Association, a position assuming much greater visibility this year, with the collective bargaining between the union and NBA up for renewal.

The challenge in playing and serving as president, Fisher said, is "in the form of making sure I'm managing my days effectively -- and doing the things I need to do so I'm not overwhelmed in my free time. Because free time is extremely important to balance during the season because the season is so long."

New research showing that the average teenager sends and receives 3,339 cell phone texts a month -- more than 100 per day -- doesn't surprise many American parents. These include some people whose text-centric cell phone bills total 300 pages and are delivered in a box.

But it isn't just teens who are communicating via the abbreviated word. A Nielsen Co. survey released last month found that adults ages 45 to 54 texted much more and talked less in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2009. The information was gleaned from the cell phone bills of 60,000 users of varying ages and a survey of 3,000 teens. Likewise, a Pew Research Center study found that 72 percent of adults sent or received text messages in May this year, compared with 65 percent in September 2009.

Parents used to worry about razorblades in their children's trick-or-treat candy, but these days registered sex offenders handing out Halloween treats are the ultimate bogeymen.

SAN DIEGO -- John Lindsey was easy to spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse Monday.