The U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday more than $2.5 billion in losses for the first three months of this year. The financial woes of the agency are adding up despite cutting 130,000 jobs over the past three years. USPS officials said the agency soon would be forced to default on loan payments due the federal government unless Congress approves proposed changes to mail service and retirement benefits for postal workers. The culprit, of course, is email. Just from January to… Read more

A pilot for a Delta Airlines connection carrier had two prominent Muslim leaders removed from a flight last week because he felt they were making the other passengers uncomfortable. Coincidentally, the imams were on their way to a conference about Islamaphobia in North Carolina. Masudur Rahman and Mohamed Zaghloul, both dressed in traditional Islamic clothing, had already passed multiple security checks before boarding the plane. The pilot taxied the plane to the runway but then returned to the gate. The… Read more

White House officials said they are discussing whether or not to release a death photo of Osama bin Laden. In addition to several hard drives, computers, DVDs and flash drives seized from the Pakistani compound where he was killed,  a White House official said they have received three sets of photos that include pictures taken of Bin Laden’s body. One is described as, “…the most recognizable with a clear picture of his face.  The picture is gruesome because he has… Read more

After a near decade long manhunt, American special forces located and killed the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network and mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden. While President Obama addressed the nation Sunday night, crowds of people gathered outside the White House, at Ground Zero and at city centers around the country.  Media outlets, eager to report reactions to the announcement, streamed live video of the masses resounding with celebratory patriotic cheers and college game fight songs. Other… Read more

For women, deciding what size clothes to take into the fitting room can be a confusing and frustrating experience. Other than jeans, most women’s clothing is not measured in inches.  The average women’s clothing store offers sizes ranging from 0 to 14.  Sizes in stores offering clothes for plus-sized women generally run from 14 to 28. But, unlike shoes, there is no standard sizing system agreed upon by retailers and many stores have added to the confusion by practicing something… Read more

In the name of convenience and saving cash, a connection to the food we eat was lost somewhere along the way. Finding that again is proving to be crucial to our wellbeing. One of my very first memories revolves around the revolutionary culinary invention of the TV dinner. Around 3 years old, I remember sitting down on the couch, at my very own TV tray table, and being so excited to peel back the aluminum foil on my fresh-out-of-the-oven TV… Read more

A recent article in Time magazine argues that despite the initial sting, being rejected by an elite school could actually be more beneficial than getting accepted. Economists Alan Kruger and Stacy Dale released a study last month finding that students who were rejected by Ivy League schools make the same amount of money as those who graduate from prestigious institutions. Kruger told the New York Times, “Even applying to a school, even if you get rejected, says a lot about… Read more

Even though many of today’s reality stars may never even have taken the Scholastic Aptitude Test, they have become one of the subjects of it. Last Saturday, some students writing the SAT were given an essay prompt that asked them to analyze the relevance, legitimacy and potentially harmful effects of reality television. Part of the prompt said, “These shows depict ordinary people competing in everything from singing and dancing to losing weight, or just living their everyday lives…Most people believe… Read more

In earthquake and tsunami-ravaged Japan, thousands of people are dead, even more unaccounted for and who knows the billions of dollars in damage. The race for limited resources has begun with people struggling to find food, clean water, shelter and power. In times of disaster or crisis, a common reaction of the people is looting. An Associated Press article from Sept. 1, 2005, quoted then-New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin as saying that in the first few days following Hurricane Katrina,… Read more