The one place where high-speed rail would work If you travel by public transportation in the Northeast Corridor Washington, D.C., New York, Boston for the first time in decades the chances are you will go by train rather than plane.
Journalisms old order is passing WASHINGTON It has been a tough couple of years for journalism, particularly for us old guys. Aside from the continuing travails of the nation's newspapers, the "business," as we liked to call it, has lost some of its leading lights, and the stru..
Like water for climate MALMO Everyone knows that you should drink eight glasses of water a day. After all, this is the advice of a multitude of health writers, not to mention authorities like Britains National Health Service. Healthy living now means carrying wat..
California legislature poor at handling scandals Given its record on other issues, such as the deficit-ridden budget, it's not surprising that the California legislature doesn't handle scandal very well.
Astronomers find most massive star generator yet Maybe we're overstating it, but it seems that the more we learn about the universe and we are learning a lot it seems the less we know.
Saving Medicare the Ryan way The Democrats want to scare the elderly to death about Paul Ryan's Medicare proposals even though they won't affect anyone over 54, and here's what they're not telling anyone. Their own legislative mishaps include billions in cuts that start eating..
Africas last famine WASHINGTON Last year, the international community recognized one of the worst humanitarian tragedies of recent times unfolding in the Horn of Africa, and moved in to ameliorate the widespread famine there. Now, poor rains, crop shortages, and co..
Massachusetts health bill too hopeful BOSTON Massachusetts lawmakers boast that their newly enacted health-care-cost control plan will be a national model. But it is based more on hope than practicality.
Yellowstone inspires wonder and renewal GARDINER, Mont. Most people have at least one place that allows them to feel their very best, a place that awakens their senses and connects them to whatever they accept as being divine or spiritual.
Obama Doctrines first term ASPEN Public-opinion polls in the United States indicate a close presidential election in November. While President Barack Obama outpolls the Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, on foreign policy, slow economic growth and high unemployment is..
Giving young illegal immigrants a break Based on early returns, the Obama administration's plan to grant residency and work permits to illegal immigrants brought here as youngsters is a success.
Romney-Ryan seem right as extreme team Mitt Romney, the Republican chameleon soon to be nominated as his party's candidate for president, has taken another fateful step in camouflaging his formerly moderate image.
How long for low rates? CAMBRIDGE How long can todays record-low, major-currency interest rates persist? Ten-year interest rates in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany have all been hovering around the once unthinkable 1.5 percent mark. In Japan, the 1..
Paul Ryan gives Romney the right stuff Mitt Romney, who does not seem the gambling type, took, for him, an uncharacteristic political risk in choosing Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.
Europes crisis of tongues ROME When history repeats itself, it is rarely gentle. Today, as in the era of colonialism, tens of thousands of ambitious young people from Europes periphery are escaping the old continent in search of better opportunities in America, Africa,..
Where have all the kids gone? On the way home from work these days, I notice that there are rarely children playing in the fields. As a foreigner in Seoul, I ponder that young people face challenges such as language barriers that can make it harder for them to make friends.
Why retailers love back-to-school days Just under 80 million students, kindergarten through grad school, are heading back to the classroom. Some of them surely worry whether their education will get them a job and whether they'll be able to pay for that education.
