(The Boston Globe)The “pursuit of happiness’’ has been something Americans have valued ever since the Founding Fathers inserted it into the Declaration of Independence. Yet some psychologists now question whether happiness is, indeed, a worthwhile goal, since new findings suggest the pursuit could actually make us more unhappy. Read:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New single-family home sales rose unexpectedly in April to notch their second straight month of gains and prices increased, offering some hope for the stagnant housing market. The Commerce Department said sales increased 7.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted 323,000 unit annual rate, the highest level since […]
(CNN) — The devastating tornado that killed more than 100 people in Missouri this week puts the United States on track for a record-breaking year — despite improved forecasting, warning systems and public awareness, weather experts say. By 8 a.m. Tuesday, the death toll in Joplin had reached 117, making […]
The regular misconception is that Islamic clothes for women are based on ‘old-fashioned’ principles. The truth is that Islamic outfits, whilst being necessarily ‘modest, ‘ does not need to sacrifice elegance, dignity and trend. While common approaches to such clothing may have actually added to this perception, there are a […]
The mass this Sunday, May 22, at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in West Palm Beach, Fla., will be offered on behalf of five people. Only one of them is a recently deceased head of a global terrorist network. Parishioner Henry Borga requested the Mass intention on behalf of one […]
A quiet reformation that may have profound effects on Roman Catholic discipline concerning divorce and remarriage is gaining ground among U.S. Catholics. It is being led by theologians, canon lawyers and even concerned bishops. The latest arguments for change include a sharp criticism of Roman Catholic annulment procedures by the […]
“….Although sales have picked up a bit in the last few weeks, banks and other lenders remain overwhelmed by the wave of foreclosures. In Atlanta, lenders are repossessing eight homes for each distressed home they sell, according to March data from RealtyTrac. In Minneapolis, they are bringing in at least six […]
Many of the comments below are covering how the story is developing over days. Joplin, Missouri (CNN) — A tornado that chewed through a densely populated area of Joplin, Missouri killed at least 89 people as it tore apart homes and businesses, ripped into a high school and caused severe […]
by Peter Beinard President Obama’s parameters for a new round of Mideast peace talks were designed to head off U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state based strictly on 1967 borders—which would be catastrophic for Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu’s immediate rejection of the plan suggests he has no grasp of the real […]
Filmmaker Terrence Malick’s latest, “The Tree of Life,” has been alternately described as a “tone poem” delving into issues about faith, family and forgiveness and a “coming of age story about the universe,” so it’s understandable that Monday’s Cannes press event got a little heavy. The movie tells the story […]
I have been thinking a lot about America’s economy and American jobs lately, and have an essay on the subject in this week’s TIME Magazine and a long post on the Global Public Square. I also spoke with Eliot Spitzer about jobs on In the Arena. Here’s the transcript of […]
SANAA, Yemen – Yemen’s embattled president on Sunday resisted intense U.S. and Arab pressure and stalled at signing a deal calling for him to step down in 30 days, as his regime brought armed supporters into the streets demanding he stay. Hundreds of militiamen trapped the American and other ambassadors […]
(CNN) — The American, British and European Union ambassadors to Yemen are trapped in an embassy surrounded by gunmen angry about efforts by Arab mediators to ease President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power, the American envoy told CNN. U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein said the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, […]
This article was adapted from “Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon,” by Gretchen Morgenson, a business reporter and columnist for The New York Times, and Joshua Rosner, a managing director at the independent research consultant Graham Fisher. The book is to be published on […]
BERLIN – GERMANY is helping mediate secret, direct talks between the United States and the Afghan Taleban, with meetings taking place on German soil, Spiegel magazine reported on Sunday. Germany’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Michael Steiner is moderating the talks, the latest round of which took place on […]
by Michael Tomasky Bibi Netanyahu could have reacted any number of ways to Barack Obama’s mention of the “1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps.” Let’s say, actually, four ways—embrace, circumspection, suspicion, tantrum. That he chose the last—saying immediately after the Obama speech that he “expects” to hear Obama in essence […]
Being young and Jewish and realizing what Israel’s occupation is really like, contrary to what we may have been taught in our religious schools or high school trips to the holy land, can be a lonely journey. It can be compared to a “coming out” experience, where sharing your perceptions […]
Washington (CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday firmly rejected President Barack Obama’s call for an approximate return to the borders that existed before the 1967 Middle East war, telling the U.S. leader that such a move is impossible in light of current security concerns and demographic realities. […]
A Gallup poll released Friday showed that 53 percent of Americans believe that same-sex marriage should be recognized by law with the same rights as traditional marriages. The results were based on Gallup’s three-day Values and Beliefs poll in May, which it has tracked every year since 2004 (the first […]
by Peter Stone. George W. Bush said after bin Laden’s killing that he wanted to stay out of the public eye. But Peter H. Stone of the Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News says 43’s becoming a high-profile figure on the buck-raking circuit. When George W. Bush declined President Obama’s […]