Still No Deal, As Rival Debt Plans Are Crafted By Congressional Leaders

With eight days left until the Aug. 2 deadline set by the Treasury, Washington has yet to reach a compromise on increasing the debt ceiling. If a compromise isn’t reached by Aug. 2, the United States could for the first time in history default on its debt. After House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) walked out [...]

Appreciating The Awkward Absurdity Of Adolescence

I was first made aware of Bruce Robinson at a party in 1987 when I was introduced to him by a friend. He wasn’t at the party. Why would he be? It was one of those teen affairs where everyone gets drunk on affordable alcohol, then swiftly disappears into various rooms for sexual experimentation. This [...]

Crash Raises Concern Over China’s Bullet Train Plans

The bullet train crash that killed dozens of people in China this weekend has underscored doubts about the safety of the country’s rapidly-expanding high speed rail network. One train rammed into the back of another that had stalled after being hit by lightning Saturday in China’s deadliest rail accident since 2008. Six carriages derailed and [...]

Republicans Make Gains With Latino Candidates

With the 2012 sweepstakes for Hispanic votes under way, President Obama and the Democrats tout a decided advantage. But as more Latino Republicans run for state and local offices — and win — they could persuade Hispanic voters to reconsider their party loyalty. For many years, the overwhelming majority of Latinos in elected office have [...]

A Rubber Twist On Treating Tennis Elbow Pain

Larry Holzman — avid mountain-biker, skier and guitarist in a band — plays hard. And he didn’t want to give it all up due to a “spot of pain” in his elbow. “This wasn’t a traumatic injury,” explains Holzman. It came on gradually and escalated from annoying to excruciating over the course of a couple [...]

One Woman’s Struggle To Shed Weight, And Shame

Part of an ongoing series on obesity in America. In her 37 years, Kara Curtis has seen every dress size from 26 to 6. Looking through old photos, in her slimmer days, you see a young girl standing tall and pretty in her tiara as high school prom queen, and strong and lean in team [...]

Obama Steps Up Campaign To Win Over Latino Voters

Virtually any time President Obama has opened his mouth in public this month, it has been to talk about the debt ceiling. On Monday, he shifts his focus — at least for an hour — to address the National Council of La Raza, the largest Hispanic advocacy group in the country. It’s the latest effort [...]

Florida Fossil Hunter Gets Credit For Big Find

It’s one of the most significant pieces of prehistoric art ever found in North America — a carving of a mammoth or mastodon on a piece of fossilized bone dating back to the Ice Age. An amateur fossil hunter found it several years ago in Vero Beach, Florida. Now, after three years of study, a [...]

Suspect In Norway Attacks Wants Open Hearing

The man who confessed to the twin attacks that killed 93 people in Norway will be arraigned in court Monday and has requested an open hearing for his first appearance so that he can explain his massacre to the public. But prosecutors have asked that the court be closed to the public and media. They’ve [...]

A Writer Argues For An ‘Islam Without Extremes’

Soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President George Bush argued that terrorists were perverting the Muslim religion. The president said, “Islam is peace.” But that viewpoint is often drowned out today. Extremists claim that they represent Islam. And many Americans have come to question the entire faith, seeing it as violent or oppressive. [...]