Actual ‘Arrested Development’ News Arrives As Netflix Plans New Episodes

Look, it didn’t make me happy to be the big downer telling you to withhold your happiness in early October when another news cycle started chattering about new Arrested Development episodes and possibly a new movie. I just don’t want you to get hurt, you know? We’ve all known disappointment. We’ll all know it again. [...]

Thanks, Pixar, From All The Girls With Band-Aids On Their Knees

Dear Pixar, It’s been almost two and a half years since I wrote to you and asked quite sincerely that you consider a movie about a girl who isn’t a princess. We needn’t relive the whole thing. Now, you’ve released the first full trailer for your March 2012 film Brave — back then, known as [...]

Debates — More Than Money Or Retail Campaigning — May Decide GOP Nominee

What do Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney all have in common? Well yes, aside from Pawlenty, they’re all seeking the Republican nomination for president. But it’s more than that. All of them have seen their chances for the nomination dramatically affected by their performance in the debates. [...]

The Wrong Crowd: A Tale Of Teens Behaving Badly

Meg Wolitzer is the author of a book for young readers, The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. In reality, I may be a middle-aged woman with two nearly grown sons, but in my heart I am a teenage girl who has found herself pregnant, and doesn’t know what to do. For if you came of age, [...]

Shortage Of ADHD Drugs Has Parents, Doctors Scrambling

When it’s time to renew her son’s prescriptions for medicine to treat his attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Roxanne Ryan prepares for another wild goose chase. The Philadelphia mother says she typically has to call around to 10 to 15 different pharmacies to find where the prescriptions can be filled. And when 10-year-old Sergey doesn’t get his medication, [...]

Santorum: Early Political Work Influences Him Still

Seventh in a series Presidential candidate Rick Santorum consistently polls near the bottom of the Republican pack. But he appears undeterred in his bid for the White House. Santorum’s work life in his 20s provides some insight into why he perseveres despite long odds. The former senator from Pennsylvania is best known for his conservative [...]

For Muppeteers, It Isn’t Easy Being Invisible

Sound Stage 28 at Universal Studios in Burbank, Calif., looks like any other Hollywood set — littered with wires, crew members everywhere. We pick our way through cables and cameras and stuff that would make Oscar the Grouch’s trashcan look tidy. But then we head up — up a flight of wooden stairs that leads [...]

Boston’s Leaky Gas Lines May Be Tough On The Trees

A scientist in Boston has been driving around the city measuring leaks in the gas mains. He’s found a lot, and he wants the public to know where they are. Gas leaks aren’t uncommon, and gas companies spend a lot of time tracking them down and repairing them. But the scientific team says they’re surprised [...]

In India, Spreading A Green Gospel Among Pilgrims

The Golden Temple at Amritsar, India, doesn’t look like an environmental pressure point. The gold-sheathed building gleams serenely as a jewel box in the midst of a broad reflecting pond. Music serenades pilgrims as they cross a causeway to reach the shrine. Devout Sikhs from all over India and the world come to Amritsar by [...]

Small Businesses Feel Crunch Of Italy’s Debt Woes

Enrico Frare isn’t a well known name in Italian business. The 36-year-old runs E-group, a small clothing company in the commercial region around Treviso that makes winter sportswear. But last month, Frare did something that attracted a lot of attention. He bought a full-page ad in Milan’s main newspaper appearing in what might politely be [...]