The year's first day of Wall Street trading matches the year-end result 73 percent of the time (in the last 15 years). Russia's long holiday (through Jan. 11) costs 700 billion roubles, but the damage to livers and minds is much worse. Op: The right
Two militants are killed, and the U.S. Embassy in Yemen will reopen; Obama halts transfer of Yemeni detainees until the dust settles. Slideshow: Life in Yemen. Yemen has abundant weapons and men experienced in guerrilla warfare who resent U.S. policies. Harlem wasn't gentrified; black residents have
Congressional report clears Acorn, but says that Acorn's enemies may have broken state laws. January 6, 2010, could well become a national day of mourning for Democrats. 2010 will see many newspapers attempting to convince readers to ante up for online content. Op: Newspaper writing suffers from too
Despite idiot politicians, scientists are back to using spy-satellite pictures to study ice imagery. Move over, master of the ditch, it's time to celebrate the Flying Dutchman. Multiple murderers, including a multiple murderer, enjoy Wii. Slideshow: Fifteen pictures from 10 years at war. Five reasons to place
In November, Switzerland voted to ban new minarets; in protest, a shoe chain owner affixes one atop his warehouse. Op: As bases close and American units leave Iraq...the Iraqi government seems to have sabotaged that achievement. Morocco uses kissing to control crime. Taiwanese pleasure dens cater to fetish and
Bernanke wants stronger regulation to prevent excessive speculation, which could fuel a new economic crisis. The Mediterranean Sea was plagued by blobs. Harper's Yearly Review. Why women writers aren't as celebrated as men may have more to do with relevance than gender. Sarah Hepola almost joins
Beautiful pictures of 2010 being welcomed into being. Maira Kalman's final Happiness blog entry focusses on George Washington. Effigy of Obama taken down in Jimmy Carter's hometown. Recent Taliban bomber "found the flesh in our unmanned air force, seduced it, and slaughtered it." Mongolia
Help St. Jude Hospital ensure children receive the cancer treatment they need, regardless of a family's ability to pay. C.A.R.E. needs your help raising $2.5 million to invest in women and girls. Fight breast cancer by turning your holidays "passionately pink." Cancer
Retailers struggling to recover from last weekend's commerce-interrupting storms, though optimism remains. Tinsel sales this year are up 40 percent. Bookmobiles fall victim to recession. U.N. wants Camara and other Guinean leaders to stand trial for the recent stadium massacre. Yuletide reading: People everywhere are still
Indiana's Muscatatuck Urban Training Center mimics an Afghan village to train civilians for a surge. Korean army develops pedal-powered airplane. Massive Philippine volcano ready to blow, 45,000 evacuated. These students tended to be overachiever types motivated primarily by salary rather than some lifelong ambition. The reason
