What’s the most forbidden topic in America? asked Timothy Egan. It’s not sex or religion. It’s gun violence. We are “the most armed society in the world,” with more than 300 million guns in private hands, and 9,146 gun homicides in 2009—a rate nearly 20 times higher than that of other supposedly civilized countries. “But don’t bring that up.” Sports […]
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Baluchistan, Pakistan A massive earthquake in Pakistan’s province of Baluchistan killed hundreds of people and created a new island off the coast. The magnitude-7.7 tremor flattened entire mud-brick villages. Troops deployed to fight an insurgency of separatist Baluchis were on hand to help rescue people, but the affected area is so huge that it will take days to reach some […]
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■ Kim Kardashian underwent special toe liposuction so that she could fit into a stylish pair of stilettos for her recent wedding to rapper Kanye West, said Look (U.K.).The reality star spent $5,000 on an operation in which podiatrists “use tiny instruments to remove a small amount of fat— typically from the big toes,” said cosmetic surgeon Wendy Lewis. The […]
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Kindergartner’s ABCs Help Save Dad’s Life A New Jersey kindergartner is being credited for saving his father’s life — and it’s because he knows the alphabet. Five-year-old Nathaniel Darcy Jr., who attends Newark’s North Star Public School, was on his way home from buying new school shoes when his father got violently ill behind the wheel of their car. Nathaniel’s […]
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Scientists have made an astronomical declaration, stating that there is likely ten times the amount of galaxies in our universe than originally expected. The previous amount was believed to be about 200 billion, but now it is believed to be much more. According to astronomers from the University of Nottingham, we are just beginning to learn exactly how vast our […]
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Have we raised “a generation of cheaters?” asked Robert Kolker in New York magazine. That’s the question people are asking after a series of major cheating scandals involving some of the nation’s top schools and colleges. New York City’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School this month suspended 12 students, and threatened to suspend 50 more, for allegedly sharing test answers via […]
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I am increasingly convinced that has everything to do with the nature of the space in which people encounter on another, and whether those space bring out peoples divisions or commonalities within cultures. If you are thinking to yourself “We should get more Christians to invite Jews and Muslims to their birthday parties and make them bring their own hot […]
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New Horizons has found a more distant world out beyond Pluto about 1 billion miles away from the sun on its travels through the Kuiper Belt. This new world may be an icy relic left over from the formation of the planet Pluto. Right now, NASA is calling it 2014 MU69 and will eventually give a proper name. 2014 MU69 […]
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Residents of rich countries are more likely to be affected by depression than those who live in poorer nations. That’s the startling conclusion World Health Organization researchers reached when they interviewed nearly 90,000 people in 18 countries about their mental health. France and the U.S. were the most depressed; 21 percent of French people and more than 19 percent […]
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Karachi, Pakistan Nuclear plants at risk: Pakistani activists are seeking to block the construction of two nuclear power plants in an earthquake-prone, coastal area that is vulnerable to tsunamis. The Chinese are building the two reactors—using an experimental design—less than 20 miles from the sprawling city of Karachi, where 20 million people would be at risk should a reactor meltdown […]
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