An estimated 11 million undocumented residents in the United States live in daily fear of deportation. This fear permeates nearly every aspect of their lives. President Barack Obama’s executive actions…
Anti-government messages on Mexico City streets: “Phony government that shoots at students.”
Tomas Bravo/Reuters
Most murders in the United States are well hidden. Popular tourist cities like Chicago, New Orleans and Washington D.C. have homicide rates substantially higher than the national average. At times they…
Movie theaters have seen declining box office revenues over the past two years.
Michael Gabler/Wikimedia Commons
If Dumber and Dumber To, Interstellar and Big Hero 6 didn’t get you to the movies last week, you weren’t alone: just before Thanksgiving, Box Office Mojo put year-to-date gross receipts at almost $9 billion…
Young Steller sea lions in Prince William Sound, Alaska. NMFS Permit 14336.
Markus Horning
A decade ago, we set out to unravel deep ocean crime scenes we weren’t even sure existed. The crime? Endangered Steller sea lions were rapidly disappearing in parts of Alaska. Their numbers dropped by…
We need to rethink care for the elderly.
Image of hands via Lighthunter/Shutterstock
By 2030, the last of the Baby Boomer generation will have turned 65 years old, putting the population of “senior boomers” in the United States at approximately 71 million. Currently, only about 7,000 certified…
Consumers always hope to get the best deal when they make their travel and holiday plans. But so do the airlines.
Shutterstock
How airlines price tickets is a source of many myths and urban legends. These include tips about the best day of the week to buy a ticket, last-minute discounts offered by the airlines, and the conspiracy…
They have family values too
Charles Mostoller/Reuters
Not so long ago, I sat across the table from Teresa, age 25, in a migrant shelter right across the border from Nogales Arizona, her tired face glimmered through the veil of tears as she described her experience…
What difference will President Obama’s executive order make for this family?
Sandy Huffaker/Reuters
Editor’s note: On November 20, President Obama announced a plan - through an executive order - to protect millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation if they meet certain criteria. His move has…
Slow, lazy, stupid? It’s time to update your impression of the crocodilians. These animals are up to amazing things that we’re only beginning to observe and recognize.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and slugger Giancarlo Stanton are all smiles as Stanton signs his $325 million deal.
USA Today Sports/Reuters
In baseball history, nine players have signed guaranteed contracts worth over $200 million. Five of those contracts have been for ten years. Two of the five belong to Alex Rodriguez; the others include…
Islamic dietary law requires that certain methods be used when preparing meat, such as that a Muslim be the one butchering the animal.
Reuters
For many Muslims, adherence to Islamic dietary laws, known as halal, is an intrinsic part of their everyday lives. Even those who are relatively lax with other rituals of the faith tend to adhere to halal…
Not everyone can pay out of pocket.
Stock image of counseling session via Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock
Last week, a patient contacted me to find a psychiatrist because his anxiety was beginning to get out of control. He wanted to see someone who could do therapy and prescribe medications if he needed them…
Detroit has emerged from bankruptcy, but the process has been sharply criticized, which could impair its success.
Reuters
Earlier this month, we learned that the biggest municipal bankruptcy in history would also be among the swiftest. The emergency manager for Detroit filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 2013 without a…
Lynda Carter as Diana Prince in the New Original Wonder Woman. Her bullet-deflecting bracelets are made from an impervious metal: feminum.
Retrogasm/Flickr
In the epilogue to Jill Lepore’s new book, The Secret History of Wonder Woman, we learn about Wonder Woman’s importance to the American feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Lepore briefly notes Wonder…
Faced with uncertainty and unpredictability, your brain’s on its way to anxiety.
Woman image via www.shutterstock.com.
Modern life can feel defined by low-level anxiety swirling through society. Continual reports about terrorism and war. A struggle to stay on top of family finances and hold onto jobs. An onslaught of news…
Is the Obama presidency over? This has been the burning question on the lips of many Washington DC pundits and beltway insiders in the wake of devastating Democratic midterm election losses. According…
Some US bridges are currently living out their twilight years.
Bob Jagendorf
There are about 600,000 bridges in the United States, and about one in four is classified as functionally obsolete or structurally deficient. This doesn’t mean they’re in danger of imminent collapse; they…
Curbing teen pregnancy rates will take more than just access to contraception.
Image of pregnant women via Coffeemill/www.shutterstock.com
Teen pregnancy is a public health problem in the United States. According to 2010 estimates, girls aged 15-19 years accounted for 614,000 pregnancies in the US. An additional 11,000 pregnancies were recorded…
Literary awards can have a profound impact on sales – and, in the future, which books get published and promoted.
QQ Li/Flickr
There’s a lot of attention right now on diversity in children’s books – or, more accurately, the lack of it. It’s not a new problem. White people have been talking about this issue since Nancy Larrick…
Alex Rodriguez is back on the Yankees’ roster following his one-year suspension for using banned performance enhancing drugs.
Reuters
Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees’ erstwhile third baseman, has had an interesting career in more ways than one. His use of steroids has resulted in a sullied reputation and a one-year suspension without…
Hundreds of ISIS militants are rumored to be disillusioned.
Handout/Reuters
“Feet first”. That’s how one terrorist leader told recruits was the only way out. It makes sense. Allowing members to just walk away wouldn’t be good for the group’s image. And yet – at the same time as…
In October 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed and introduced far-reaching changes to immigration policy in the US. At the time, Representative Philip Burton said in Congress: Just as…
Drummer Nick Mason and guitarist David Gilmour dug into recording sessions from 1994’s The Division Bell to mine material for their professed last album: The Endless River
anyonlinyr/Flickr
For a band that once sang “Every year is getting shorter / Never seem to find the time” – which followed an explosion of alarm clocks – Pink Floyd’s songs always seemed to take their time. During the band’s…
Ello has become the fastest-growing social network mainly because of its promise to keep itself free of advertising.
Ello
Ello is enjoying its moment of fame – in part thanks to its use of the latest fad in corporate legal structures. The eight-month-old social network is still in beta, and has nothing like the brand recognition…
When all your appliances are internet-enabled, whose hands are holding the remote control?
Hands image via www.shutterstock.com.
An ever-increasing number of our consumer electronics is internet-connected. We’re living at the dawn of the age of the Internet of Things. Appliances ranging from light switches and door locks, to cars…