Why A New York Cheese Buyer Hangs On The Euro’s Fate

Among the chilly aisles at Murray’s Cheese Shop in Manhattan, the entire continent of Europe is represented. Something like 60 percent of the cheese in Murray’s comes from the continent, according to Aaron Foster, a cheese buyer at the store. For all the talk about how the European debt crisis is effecting the global economy, [...]

For Debt Committee, No Final Hour Deal Apparent

Monday is the last day the congressional supercommittee can reach a deficit reduction deal and still make its Wednesday deadline. The legislation has to be publicly available for 48 hours before a vote and the clock is ticking, but instead of announcing an agreement, it is widely expected the committee will admit it has failed. [...]

What’s To Love And Loathe About Chocolate Milk?

Chocolate milk has an interesting rap these days. Endurance athletes increasingly love it as a recovery drink. And who’s loathing it? Schools — advocates for school food reform, to be more specific. They argue it’s got too much added sugar and too many calories. So how to explain the love? Well, a few, small exercise [...]

Can Electric Cars Help Automakers Reach 55 MPG?

First in a three-part series Under rules announced by the White House this summer, cars will have to get an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 — nearly twice what the current average is. Reaching that goal will take not only feats of engineering but also changing how Americans think about their cars [...]

Suspect In New York City Bomb Plots Arrested

An “al-Qaida sympathizer” who plotted to bomb police and post offices in New York City as well as U.S. troops returning home has been arrested on numerous terrorism-related charges, city officials said Sunday. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced at a news conference the Saturday arrest of Jose Pimentel of Manhattan, “a 27-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer” who the [...]

For Retirees, Selling Pensions A Risky Bet

In today’s tough economy, many people are doing whatever they can to make it through one more mortgage payment or survive other financial hardships that have reached their doorstep. For some retirees, that means selling their pensions for a lump-sum payment. “They don’t have a lot of other avenues to go to,” says Leslie Scism [...]

Prospects For Supercommittee Debt Deal Look Dim

Time is short for the congressional supercommittee to find $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions, but the prospects of a deal are dim. Several committee members hit the airwaves to say why the panel is on the verge of failure. Democrats insist the problem is Republicans’ steadfast unwillingness to raise taxes on the wealthy. While Republicans, [...]

Bill Maher Lays Down The (Mostly Silly) Law

Comedian Bill Maher wraps up every installment of his TV show, Real Time, with a segment called “New Rules.” That’s where he takes potshots at whatever’s bothering him — from wrappers on ice cream cones, to red light cameras, to more serious subjects like war and economic ruin. His new book, The New New Rules: [...]

In Baltimore, Mapping The World Of Addiction

In East Baltimore, not far from rows of abandoned homes and empty warehouses, there’s a space-age high rise housing an unusual methadone clinic. “People come here and participate in studies, and in return they get treatment,” Dr. Kenzie Preston tells Laura Sullivan, host of weekends on All Things Considered. The lab is part of the [...]

Song Contest Aims To Spur Frank Talk About Teen Drug Abuse

Research that found a third of popular songs contain drug references, led to headlines like, “Study: Music Has Drug References, Pope Is Catholic” a few years back. Drugs and music. The two just seem to go together. Often, though, in a more tragic way than artists would like to let on. Compare Amy Winehouse’s defiant [...]