Air Security Regulations: Are Passengers Any Safer?

The slew of regulations TSA implemented following the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Flight 253 are set to expire today. Did they actually make passengers safer? Aviation experts are skeptical.

What should we call the decade that's about to end?

In the last issue of the year (and the decade), a look back at the failed attempts to name the '00s. Happy holidays!

The Top 10 Fails of 2009

Mental health break time: the top 10 fails of 2009.

Will Martha Coakley be MA's first female U.S. Senator?

Her victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary puts Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley a step closer to making history as the first female U.S. Senator from her state.

The 'Glee' Factor

Alas, Glee is going on hiatus after tonight. But plenty of fans have taken the singing offscreen. In the past few months, amateur vocal groups have seen enrollment spikes, with some singers saying the show inspired them to join.

The Top 10 Everything of 2009

Have gotten a little behind on posting, but I'm back today with the top 10 everything of 2009. Lists galore! Mine are the top 10 underreported stories, available here (for instance: African-American and Latino schoolchildren are more segregated now than they were at the time of MLK's death) and the top 10 t-shirt-worthy slogans (including Kanye's immortal "Imma let you finish"). Lots of other good top 10s, too: fashion faux pas, medical breakthroughs and apologies are some of my favorites.

A Brief History of Ticker-Tape Parades

The Yankees are taking their victory lap through the Canyon of Heroes for the ninth time this morning. Here's a brief history of ticker-tape parades.

Q&A: Pastor Joel Osteen

I interviewed Pastor Joel Osteen at our offices last week. He's just back from Africa and has a new book out; we talked about whether his message helped cause the financial crisis, why it resonates and how to find hope in dark times. Watch the video here.

Q&A: Augusten Burroughs

I interviewed Augusten Burroughs, whose new (hilarious, touching) book is out today. I only wish we'd had space to include the entire interview. Read it here.

The Best--And Worst--Places To Be A Journalist

The eighth annual Press Freedom Index is out today. The U.S. is doing better; Europe is doing worse. I rounded up the other highlights here.

2-Min. Bio: Accused spy Stewart Nozette

Before he was charged with attempted espionage, U.S. scientist Stewart Nozette had worked on the Star Wars missile defense program and helped discover water on the moon.

The State of the American Woman

Our cover package this week is a special report on the American woman. Today's women are more powerful, but less happy. There are some fascinating stats in the poll, available here. I caught up with three of the women we profiled in TIME's original, 1972 special issue on the American woman.

The Real Impact of America's Oil Crisis

Here's the write-up of my conversation with the very interesting Amanda Little, who has a new book out on the way oil saturates Americans' daily lives. She traveled from an offshore oilrig to a plastic surgeon's office to the Pentagon in search of the human side of the energy story, and her conclusions were more optimistic than one might expect.

How did Sarah Palin write her memoir so fast?

The former governor finished her 400-page memoir in just four months. My piece today explores how you write a book that fast.

Are Humans Actually Selfish?

On Sept. 25 I did a Q&A with a fascinating author, a primatologist who uses studies on empathy in animals to argue that humans aren't such selfish beasts after all. (My favorite part: turns out yawns really are contagious.)

A Brief History of Red Scares

In the Sept. 21 issue I wrote a brief history of Red scares, jumping off the controversy over President Obama's back-to-school speech.

Raymond Clark, Annie Le's alleged killer

Got a little behind in posting, but here's a bio I wrote Sept. 18 of Yale grad student Annie Le's alleged killer, who had a hearing in court today.

Why Can't Americans Wear White After Labor Day?

I've always wondered about the origin of the rule that we can't wear white after Labor Day--despite the fact that most people seem to break it. My piece today tries to answer the question.

A Brief History of Stockholm syndrome

Just back from vacation; I wrote a brief history of so-called Stockholm syndrome today. Whether the condition even exists is controversial, despite several decades worth of high-profile cases in which victims demonstrated some kind of compassion for or loyalty to their captors.

College ranking fever

The popular U.S. News & World Report college rankings were out yesterday. I did a Q&A with the man who makes them happen.

11-Year-Old Journalist Damon Weaver

I did a Q&A today with Damon Weaver, the 6th grader who interviewed Obama last week and has taken YouTube by storm. We talked about mangoes, blowing stuff up in science class, and Bo Obama, among other things.

The Real Doctor Behind 'House'

I did a Q&A today with Dr. Lisa Sanders, who is the technical adviser to the show House and has a fascinating new book out on diagnosis.

I Can Has Media Empire?

I wrote a profile in this week's magazine of Ben Huh, the blog guru who runs a series of spellbindingly silly websites including I Can Has Cheezburger? and FAIL Blog.

Environment: Why Some Like it Cold

I did a Q&A today with Bill Streever, the author of Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places, which is part history, part biology, part ode to the natural world. We talked about about polar exploration, how cold spurred the invention of the bicycle, and what it feels like to freeze to death. (Yeah, not so good.)

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

President Obama turns 48 today, but he's spending the day at the office. Here's a look back at how previous Presidents have celebrated their big days. (Harry Truman's present in 1945 was the German surrender on VE-Day. Score.)

2 Min. Bio: Sean Parnell, Alaska's New Governor

When Sarah Palin stepped down July 26, Sean Parnell took her place. He shares Palin's conservative views but is known to be less outspoken--a difference that some Alaska politicians say could be just what the state needs. Here's a short bio of Parnell, including a podcast.

A Brief History of China's One-Child Policy

After international media reports surfaced that China would encourage some Shanghai couples to have 2 children, we took a look back at 3 decades of the controversial one-child policy.

Open-Mike Night for Entrepreneurs

Aspiring poets and comedians have always been able to hone their ideas on stage--and now entrepreneurs can, too. (Here's the story from this week's mag.) We also shot a video of this Philly entrepreneurship open mic night, linked at left.

A Brief History of the Minimum Wage

Minimum wage earners will find 70 cents per hour extra starting today. The federal minimum wage started out as a bulwark against the Great Depression.

Can Community Colleges Save the U.S. Economy?

McKinsey estimates that if we had caught up to countries like Finland and Norway in educational achievement, the 2008 GDP would have been 16% higher. Community colleges may not be glamorous, but as I write in a piece in this week's mag, they educate half of American students--so they're a huge part of closing that gap. Update: Obama pushes for a historic boost to community college funding.

A Brief History of Affirmative Action

With the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Sonia Sotomayor's judgment in Ricci v. DiStefano putting discrimination law in the news, we took a look back at the history of affirmative action.

The Sad End of an American Icon

After Michael Jackson's death, we rushed out a special issue. Here's the piece I reported on.

Did the Beatles destroy rock 'n' roll?

This is a Q&A with the author of a new book on the history of American pop music, who looks past the most famous artists to those who were popular in their own time. We talked about the origins of rock 'n' roll's racial divide, the way technology is changing the way we listen, and the future of music.

Fixing Our Dangerous Roads

A new W.H.O. report makes the case for road repair as an economic boon.

Goodbye, Rabbit Ears

On the day we said goodbye to analog TV, a brief history of television.

A Brief History of Bankruptcy

With GM going belly-up, my piece in this week's issue looks back at bankruptcy over the years. (One of the Constitutional Convention delegates even went broke.)

Don't Know Much 'Bout Geography

In honor of the National Geographic Bee finals this week, a colleague and I put together a list of the top 10 geography blunders from people who could stand to brush up on their map skills.

Future of Work: We're Getting off the Ladder

Our cover package this week is on the future of work. My story focuses on how the standard career path is transforming from a ladder to a lattice. Update: Listen to a podcast about this story and others from the package here.

2 minute bio: Charlie Crist

With "Chain Gang Charlie" Crist jumping in the Florida Senate race, here are some quick hits about who he is and what he's facing in 2010.

Deci$ion$: How One College Snags So Many Students

May 1 was the big day for high school seniors to pick a college. One tiny Kentucky school is on track to potentially woo more than Harvard. The secret: free tuition.

A Spring-Break Legacy: Swine Flu Hits Colleges

With hordes of students just recently returned from spring break in Mexico, colleges are gearing up in case of a H1N1 flu outbreak.

Top 10 Political Defections

In honor of Arlen Specter's jump across the aisle, I put together a list of the top 10 political defections in history. Reagan, Hillary Clinton, and Teddy Roosevelt all make the list. (Not to mention Specter, who first switched parties back in 1965.)

Forget Math. Women Lag in Becoming English Profs!

A new report finds that having kids is not the reason that women lag behind men in getting promoted.

In Trying Times, Colleges Willing to Boost Financial Aid

Paying for school this year is a big challenge for many families. Luckily, many schools are willing to renegotiate a financial aid award before the May matriculation deadlines.

Virginia Tech, Remembered

Today marks two years since the tragedy at Virginia Tech. I spoke with the then-chair of the school's English department about her memories of the gunman and her thoughts on how we can prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

Pirates XXX: A Battle Over Porn at the University of MD

I wrote a piece for Time.com last week about a Maryland legislature's fight to stop a public porn screening at the U of Md. He wasn't successful.

The Financial Aid Game

A couple of weeks before Skidmore sent out their admissions decisions, I spent two days there going over applications for admission and financial aid with the staff. This piece from the April 6 issue is about the challenge they, like many other schools, are facing: facing greater financial need than ever, many worry they won't have enough aid dollars to attract a full freshman class.

Spring break in the recession

Revelers are soaking up less exotic rays this year, but few are skipping spring break altogether.

SAT in the recession: test prep prices drop

The SAT craziness hasn't abated in the recession, but test prep outfits are emphasizing low-cost options. And business is booming.

Job Forecast for College Seniors: Grimmer than Ever

There will be 22% fewer job openings for the class of '09 than there were for the class of '08. In a new report out today, 44% said they plan to hire fewer new grads, and another 22% said they won't hire any.