Born In The USA? This Blanket Might Look Familiar

Part of an ongoing series on pregnancy and childbirth. It may be an unassuming piece of fabric, but it has woven itself prominently into American life. If you’ve seen a photo of a newborn baby recently, you’ve probably laid eyes on it. We’re talking about a white flannel blanket with pink and blue stripes that [...]

Summer Heat Puts Stress On New England Power Grid

Sweltering heat continued Friday, moving from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast and straining regional power grids. As temperatures head into near record-breaking territory, demand for power is also getting close to capacity, but authorities in New England say they don’t expect to top the record usage set in the summer of 2006. And [...]

Living Multiple Outcomes: Brit Marling Is A Hyphenate On ‘Another Earth’

The new film Another Earth stars Brit Marling as a woman who watches a duplicate planet hover beside ours as she struggles to escape from her own devastating past. But Marling doesn’t only star in (and, some say, steal) the film — she also co-wrote and co-produced it with director Mike Cahill. And she and [...]

The Taliban’s Likely Negotiator With The U.S.

After months of rumors, most observers in Kabul now believe that American officials have met with a Taliban envoy face to face. The most likely interlocutor is Tayyeb Agha, the head of the Taliban political committee and one of a handful of people in the world said to have direct contact with Mullah Omar, the [...]

Got Enhanced Meat? USDA Rule May Make It Easier To Tell

Ever had that roasted chicken or your favorite pork shoulder recipe turn out much saltier than you expected? You’re not alone. After years of getting consumer complaints about it, yesterday the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will soon release a rule that would make it clear — right on the label — that some [...]

States, Cities Reject Federal Deportation Program

Three states and two major cities say they have pulled out of a federal program aimed at deporting criminals who are in the U.S. illegally. And now Boston’s mayor has threatened to join them. Secure Communities was created to help federal authorities deport illegal immigrants who are hardened criminals. But some state and local officials [...]

Wrapped In Memories: Baby’s First Blanket

When we asked you for photos of your newborns swaddled in a familiar pink-and-blue-striped receiving blanket, we never imagined such an amazing response. We received nearly 2,000 photos featuring your precious little ones, most of them with that same iconic blanket. We had submissions from 45 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, plus D.C. and military [...]

Obama, Boehner Debt Talks Cause Congress’ Democrats To Hit Ceiling

The business day had barely begin Friday in the U.S. Capitol when Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, issued a caution to fellow Democrat President Obama and Republican Speaker John Boehner on their negotiations to reach a deal to raise the deficit ceiling. Reid said: We all know… there are talks going on between [...]

‘Captain America’: Nostalgic Fun, With Muscles

Unlike many other middle-aged moviegoers, I don’t groan at the prospect of every new comic-book-based movie. I grew up adoring stuff a lot tackier. The problem is that modern superhero movies cost $100-plus million and use up studio resources that could be better used for … almost anything. And they seem bogged down instead of [...]

Sleepovers, Memories And The Myth Of The American Teen Movie

Last summer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while surfing the web in the newsroom of The Michigan Daily, I discovered the existence of a little independent film called The Myth Of The American Sleepover. And it burned into my brain. Besides that amazing title (if one that sounds like it belongs on ABC Family), there was [...]