The Enduring Popularity Of Sherlock Holmes

It’s been more than a century since Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print and captivated a generation of readers. Arthur Conan Doyle’s methodical sleuth has been stirring imaginations ever since — even now, the Holmes canon continues to grow. The House of Silk — published this fall — is the first new Sherlock Holmes mystery [...]

Hell-Raising Heroines: Three Ladies With Spitfire

In this age of bland romantic comedy leads, when the feminine ideal seems to mix two parts sweetly smiling Jennifer Aniston with three parts saucer-eyed Rapunzel, nothing can bring more satisfaction than the anti-heroine. She’s a female, short in temper and long in neurotic tics, whose life is defined by her worst choices. If she’s [...]

Angels Send Message Of Peace To Juarez, Mexico

In the violent border city of Juarez, Mexico, young evangelical Christians are dressing up as “Messenger Angels” to bear silent witness against murder and corruption, to the dismay of the police. On a recent Saturday morning in the barrio called New Land, at the ragged edge of Juarez, the angels get ready to go to [...]

U.S. Treads Cautiously With North Korean Transition

The changing of the guard in North Korea poses clear risks for the United States. Kim Jong Il’s son, Kim Jong Un, is the likely successor. But he’s still in his 20s and has had little time to prepare to take over the country. Analysts say that because he’s weak, he won’t be in any [...]

To Party Like Rock Stars, They Suggest Buying Their Booze

The year 2011, it seems, was a good one for celebrity booze. The famous fellows who launched their own labels this year weren’t your run-of-the-mill rappers touting trendy liquors or champagnes, though. (I’m looking at you, Diddy.) Instead, this year, several aging rockers, a professional athlete, and an actor decided the time had come to [...]

North Korea’s Likely Leader: Young And Untested

North Korea has yet to formally name its new leader and it may take a while before it does. But there’s a clear favorite. Kim Jong Un was anointed back in 2009 to succeed his father Kim Jong Il, the country’s longtime leader, whose death was announced on Monday. If Kim does follow his father [...]

The View From Inside North Korea

Frozen. Paranoid. Stark. Controlled. These are the kinds of adjectives used by journalists to describe the highly centralized communist state of North Korea. Since the establishment of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948, the North Korean government has maintained a tight grip on all communications with the outside world. We only see what [...]

Second Neti-Pot Death From Amoeba Prompts Tap-Water Warning

Washing noses with neti pots or squeeze bottles has become increasingly popular as a home remedy for colds, allergies and sinus trouble. But it’s not such a great remedy if it kills you. Now that two people have died from infection with brain-eating amoebas after using neti pots, doctors are warning: do not put tap [...]

Panhandle Under Blizzard Warning

People in the panhandle are getting ready for an early winter storm with a blizzard warning issued by the National Weather Service.

Why Are We More Hungry In The Winter?

If you feel hungrier as winter draws near, you’re not alone. Even though most of us spend our days in climate-controlled offices and homes, our appetites seem to change when the days grow shorter. Some researchers say it’s our primitive impulses promting us to stockpile calories for the winter ahead. “We are driven by things [...]