‘A Twitter Year’ In Review: 365 Days, 140 Characters

2011 was a year of big news, beginning with the Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords and ending with the sudden death of Kim Jong Il. Now, you could flip on the nightly news to find out what’s going on in the world. Or, you could do what author Kate Bussmann does: Boot up Twitter. [...]

The Changing Face Of America’s Chinatowns

The Chinese New Year begins on Jan. 23. On that day, people will celebrate the Year of the Dragon in Chinatowns across the country. The neighborhoods known as Chinatowns sprang up in the U.S. during the Gold Rush. But since then, they’ve seen gradual yet significant changes — not so noticeable to the average visitor, [...]

2011: An Extraordinary Year For Gay Rights

This year was an extraordinary one for many things — especially gay rights. In September, the end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy allowed gay, lesbian and bisexual people to serve openly. And just this month, two female sailors became the first to share the Navy tradition of a “first kiss.” This summer, [...]

Banana-Sam At Large: Monkey Stolen From S.F. Zoo

The reward for Banana-Sam is now up to $5,000. The squirrel monkey was abducted from his cage, officials say, and the San Francisco Zoo is beefing up security to keep an eye on the rest of their animals. The San Francisco Chronicle reports Banana-Sam was likely stolen late Thursday or early Friday by vandals who [...]

For Lab Mice, The Medical Advances Keep Coming

When scientists want to test new therapies for cancer or heart disease, they frequently turn to mice for help. For most mice, this isn’t the best thing that could happen to them. Being a research subject has definite disadvantages, at least for mice. But most people prefer a new therapy be tested in a rodent [...]

No Excuses: Robots Put You In Two Places At Once

Mike Fennelly isn’t easily surprised by cutting-edge technologies, but when he started as an IT guy at a Silicon Valley start-up called Evernote, he was caught off guard by a robot rolling around the office. “It was slightly disturbing for not really knowing what the robot was for at the beginning and then going, ‘Oh, [...]

2011 In Film: Is It Just Us, Or Is The World Ending?

This year has not been particularly kind to youth on the big screen. “Kids suck the life out of you,” John C. Reilly drunkenly opines to other terrible parents in Carnage But at the movies it’s increasingly the other way around: The world is sucking the life out of those who stand to inherit it. [...]

A Passionate Portrait Of An Artist And Her Muse

You’ve probably seen the paintings — women, often nude, always glamorous, the epitome of Jazz Age elegance in Paris in the 1920s, done with a particular cubist, finished fashion. The art deco painter is Tamara de Lempicka, and she’s the subject of a new novel by Ellis Avery. The Last Nude imagines a hidden affair [...]

Milliner’s Ode To Hats Topped With Timelessness

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown — perhaps that’s why the Queen often appears in such an impressive array of hats. Throughout history, the hat has signified a variety of things, from a crown to a team baseball cap. A dazzling traveling exhibition celebrates centuries of hats, but it really comes into its [...]

After A Year of Struggles, Obama Finds His Footing

Even as President Obama relaxes with his family in Hawaii over the holidays, he knows what’s on the horizon when he returns to work in Washington. He will start where he left off, facing new skirmishes with Congress over a push to extend a temporary cut in payroll taxes. That temporary extension was approved just [...]