Vitamin A Supplements Save Kids’ Lives, Researchers Say

It’s not often that health experts say the evidence on something is so good that it would be wrong to keep studying it. But that’s exactly what a group of researchers who’ve reviewed 43 trials on vitamin A supplementation for young children in developing countries contend. Their review showed that vitamin A supplements reduced child [...]

‘Scarface’: Over-The-Top, But Ahead Of Its Time

Back in school, I was always amused to read about classics that were dismissed when they first came out — you know, how Moby Dick wrecked Herman Melville’s literary career or how The Wizard of Oz was considered a disappointment when it was first released. I naturally assumed that, had I been around back then, [...]

Pop Culture Happy Hour: ‘Apes’ Spoilers, Insomnia Cures, And Owl Noises

This week, we kicked things off with a chat about Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, the trailer of which we were unimpressed by a few weeks ago. For some reason, our conversation was more spoilery than we usually are about movies, but since they didn’t call it Rise Or Possibly Fall Of The [...]

Carolinas Begin To Feel Hurricane Irene’s Wrath

Hurricane Irene churned toward the Mid-Atlantic region Friday, its outer bands lashing the coasts of the Carolinas as it tracks north on a path that could affect 65 million people and cause billions of dollars in damage this weekend. A swath of Eastern Seaboard was under a hurricane warning Friday, stretching from North Carolina up [...]

Powered-Down Entertainment: Staying Busy When The Lights Are Out

So. How does your weather look? Those of us on and near the East coast are anticipating a tough weekend encounter with Hurricane Irene. For some, it’s genuinely frightening, for others, it’s potentially a very big headache, and for still others, it’s just going to be inconvenient and plan-disrupting. Most of this is nowhere near [...]

Two Slackers, A Roadtrip And An Alien

This interview was originally broadcast on March 17, 2011. Paul is now available on DVD. Two English slackers road-trip across the U.S. with a vertically challenged alien in the new sci-fi comedy Paul — a project from director Greg Mottola , the indie-film hotshot behind Superbad and Adventureland. Mottola says he jumped at the challenge [...]

Bernanke Offers No New Measures To Boost Economy

Chairman Ben Bernanke is proposing no new steps by the Federal Reserve to boost the U.S. economy while hinting that Congress may need to act to stimulate hiring and growth. Bernanke said Friday that while record-low interest rates will promote growth over time, the weak economy requires further help in the short run. He is [...]

No Signs Of New Steps In Fed Chief Bernanke’s Address

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke offered no silver bullet to help the struggling economy today. But he says the central bank still has weapons at its disposal that it can tap if necessary. In a much anticipated speech in Jackson Hole, Wyo., Bernanke said the Fed “will continue to assess the economic outlook in light [...]

It’s All Relative: The Space-Time-Vacation Continuum

Yes, it was Albert Einstein who unified space and time together into a single, coherent whole. As a physicist I can say that was a pretty impressive feat, but as parent — slogging across interstate whatever on the last weekend of the summer — I have to ask: What’s the big deal? Anyone stuck in [...]

Texas Drought Takes Its Toll On Wildlife

The unfolding calamity that is the Texas drought has thrown nature out of balance. Many of the wild things that live in this state are suffering. Sections of major rivers — like the Brazos, the Guadalupe, the Blanco, Llano and Pedernales — have dried up. In many places, there aren’t even mud holes anymore. “The [...]