All Society
FocusBen Johnson to Lance Armstrong: A chronology of doping scandalAthletes accused of using banned substances threaten the integrity of sports ranging from track and field to baseball and cycling. Will the NFL be next? Here is a look at key moments in the evolution of sports doping.
- Test your love IQ: Who said these romantic things?
Are you ready for Valentine's Day? Well then test your love IQ! See how well you do matching these 19 quotes on love with who said (or sang) them.
Boy Scouts delay decision on gay membership, citing 'complexity'First there was the backlash to the Boy Scouts of America membership policy that prohibited openly gay scouts or troop leaders. Then came the backlash to the backlash, from conservative groups. Now the Boy Scouts have called a timeout.
Immigration reform: Which states would feel it most? California, for one.If immigration reform is implemented, and newly documented workers start paying taxes, the money flowing into state coffers will increase, as will the demands on state social services.
FocusBehind the falling US birthrate: too much student debt to afford kids?The record-low birthrate in the US is showing no signs of bouncing back, even with the economy on the mend. Evidence is growing that huge student debt may be deterring people from starting families.
Would change on gays allow Boy Scouts to recapture role in society?The Boy Scouts has signaled it may remove a ban on gays that caused a rift within the movement. This could help improve both Boy Scout enrollment and fundraising.
- Heroin: Small cities, even rural towns face growing problems
For many communities, the extent of heroin addiction comes as a shock. Yet efforts to confront it, including town-hall meetings and support groups, are slowly gaining ground.
Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax: What deceit lurks in Internet's depthsBeing pulled into a fake Internet romance is more common than you’d think. The Manti Te'o dead girlfriend hoax, where ‘the love of his life’ who died of cancer was a fake, shows how 'catfish' prey on trust.
'Lincoln' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' up for Oscars: Does Hollywood set US agenda?Hollywood has long looked to political crises for dramatic inspiration. What is different, these Academy Award nominees show, is how much people in government are paying attention.
- N.Y. newspaper's map of local gun owners: A cheat sheet for burglars?
Gun owners whose names and addresses were published on a 'gun map' in a New York newspaper are angry. But a county official suggests that the map shows burglars which homes to avoid.
'Fiscal cliff' no more? Americans vote to banish the term, at least.'Fiscal cliff,' 'spoiler alert,' and 'boneless wings' all made a list of overused terms and phrases that is compiled annually by Lake Superior State University.
Polls show movement toward stricter gun control – with major caveatsA new USA Today/Gallup poll taken shortly after the Sandy Hook massacre shows 58 percent of respondents saying they now favor stricter gun laws, up from 43 percent in October 2011.
Chicago registers its 500th homicide of 2012 – the highest number since 2008Public-housing and school policies, gang activity, access to guns, and budget cuts for social programs have all been cited as factors in Chicago’s homicide rate.
Peter Parker death (gasp!) roils Spider-Man fans. Why they're taking it hard.Peter Parker death in the current 'Amazing Spider-Man' issue caught readers and fans off guard – and will probably deliver a sales kick for publisher Marvel Comics.
Russia's proposed ban on US adoptions: What would it mean for orphans?Children's rights advocates say there's nothing wrong with efforts to reduce international adoption – if those efforts are focused on strengthening families and encouraging domestic adoption. Russia, however, has a long way to go to find domestic families for its orphans.
Gun owner map ricochet: Blogger publishes journalists' personal dataA newspaper published names and addresses of thousands of legal handgun owners, generating widespread criticism. In retaliation, a blogger mapped the names and addresses of the journalists.
Gun control: Is David Gregory’s on-air stunt proof of media bias?Washington police are investigating ‘Meet the Press’ host David Gregory for holding up a rifle clip on air. Gun control opponents see the incident as proof the media are biased against them.
Sharp criticism after New York newspaper publishes names of local gun ownersThe Journal News in White Plains, N.Y., used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain information on registered handgun owners in the area. Many owners and other critics are outraged that criminals now know where the guns are – and aren't.
Cover StoryWho's filling America's church pewsIn Puritan New England, Protestant and Catholic churches are declining while evangelical and Pentecostal groups are rising. Why the nation's most secular region may hint at the future of religion.
Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right?The NRA says the problem with mass shootings like the recent one at the Sandy Hook grade school in Connecticut is not too many unregulated guns but violent video games. But most academic and government research does not support the gun lobby's charge.
