History
Professor: Civil War Death Toll May Be Really Off
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Kevin Hill, a San Diego landscape designer, was doing well financially before the downturn. Now, he says he feels "lost."
On The Economic Ladder, Rungs Move Further Apart
()Many Americans have long believed that the United States is a land of opportunity, where anyone who works hard can climb the economic ladder. But evidence from recent decades indicates that, for many Americans, that dream of economic mobility falls short.
Asia
China, Philippines Face Off Over Remote Islands()
May 29, 2012 It began as a dispute over a fishing boat. But the confrontation in the South China Sea points to growing Chinese assertiveness in the region, and some see it as a test of U.S. resolve, as well.
PG-13: Risky Reads
'I Am The Cheese': A Nightmarish Nail-Biter()
May 29, 2012 Something about Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese, made author Ben Marcus worry. It was the first time he had encountered an unreliable narrator — and he found it disconcerting. Do you have a favorite narrator who doesn't quite tell the truth? Tell us who in the comments.
National Security
Watching Big Brother: Privacy Board Delayed()
May 29, 2012 An oversight board designed to protect privacy rights by making sure the government doesn't overstep its bounds has been authorized for years. But politics seems to be getting in the way of launching the panel.
Shots - Health Blog
Small Change In Reading To Preschoolers Can Help Disadvantaged Kids Catch Up()
May 29, 2012 Researchers say that changing what 4-year-olds see and think about when a book is being read can improve kids' reading skills later on. The key: Focus their attention on the words instead of the pictures.
The Two-Way
A 'Macabre' Process: Nominating Terrorists To Nation's 'Kill List' ()
May 29, 2012 The administration has created a "strange, secret trial in a way," by which it determines which suspected terrorists get marked for death, The New York Times' Scott Shane reports.
Planet Money
Who Decides Whether This 26-Year-Old Woman Gets A Lung Transplant?()
May 29, 2012 Ashley Dias needs lungs. So do lots of other patients. Scarcity is a problem with organ transplants, and, unlike other scarce resources, organs can't be bought or sold. Here's how doctors decide who gets to be at the top of the waiting list.
It's All Politics
Fueled By Outside Money, Ad Blitz Hasn't Stopped For Weary Iowans()
May 29, 2012 It's not even summer yet, and the dust from the primaries has barely settled. But in battleground states, things seem especially intense already this election season. The big change this year is the rise of outside advocacy groups, which are paying for most of what seem like nonstop TV ads.
