Iran Launches Some GOP Debate Rhetoric To Flights Of Fancy

If the U.S. continues to be the Great Satan in eyes of many Iranian officials, capable of inspiring over-the-top rhetoric in Teheran, Iran appears to have a similar affect on many U.S. politicians, propelling some to flights of excess. Take Tuesday evening’s national-security debate, for instance. During a discussion of the national-security threat represented by [...]

Before There Was Katniss, There Was Killashandra: Remembering Anne McCaffrey

News of Anne McCaffrey’s death from a stroke rocketed through my online communities last night. Twitter, Facebook and blogs filled up with tributes and reminiscences. The online memorials seemed very fitting for a writer who inspired some of the very first online fiction discussions — and whose influence on genre fandom (and literature) is incalculable. [...]

Report: Bahrain Used Excessive Force On Protesters

In the Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain, a special commission accused the government of using excessive force against protesters during an anti-government uprising earlier this year. The report released Wednesday was unusual in that it was requested by the government itself. But questions remain over what the government will do with the findings. The commission [...]

Defense Workers Lobby To Prevent Automatic Cuts

The supercommittee’s failure puts in motion automatic budget cuts for the Pentagon of $600 billion — a process called sequestration. On Monday, even before the supercommittee flamed out, defense workers in York, Pa., rallied to protect the Pentagon budget and perhaps their own jobs. The local congressman, Republican Todd Platts, spoke to the workers and [...]

Gingrich’s Remarks On Immigration Surprises Many

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is getting lots of attention for his remarks about immigration in Wednesday night’s debate. Gingrich has been moving up in the polls and last night he broke with his fellow candidates by saying that some illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U.S. Though his statements were in [...]

Where Turkey Is The Guest, Not The Entree

Most people think of turkeys as the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal. But at one farm, the turkeys are the guests. At the 26th annual Feeding of the Turkeys ceremony in Watkins Glen, in upstate New York, a line of turkeys come walking out the door of the barn. They stroll towards long low tables [...]

Boom Town, U.S.A.

In the small-town of Elko, ambition looks like high-heel suede booties on the floor of the auto shop at the local high school. Brandi and Kaylee look like the Olsen twins. And they’re the best auto-shop students at Elko High. The girls have a plan. Everyday out the school window, they see trucks heading up [...]

How To Avoid A Thanksgiving Trip To The ER

Take it from emergency room doctors, Thanksgiving can be dangerous. I learned the hard way that plumbers’ busiest day comes on Black Friday, when pipes are groaning from too many flushes from Thanksgiving guests and too much garbage shoved down the kitchen sink. How about hospitals? Yep, the emergency room can be a pretty busy [...]

‘Hugo:’ A Dazzling 3-D Display Of Movie Magic

In Hugo, Martin Scorsese has hired himself a bunch of A-plus-list artists and techies, and together they’ve crafted a deluxe, gargantuan train-set of a movie in which the director and his 3-D camera can whisk and whizz and zig and zag and show off all his expensive toys — and wax lyrical on the magic [...]

Heritage Turkeys: To Save Them, We Must Eat Them

A decade ago there were fewer than 100 Narragansett turkeys being raised on a few hobby farms. The gamy-tasting meat has a flavor that most Americans have never tasted. “They’re delicious,” says Slow Food USA’s Josh Viertel. “And they’re at risk of being gone forever.” Why? the vast majority of grocery-store turkeys are the big-breasted [...]