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December 5, 2012 It's a tombstone like no other. A rough, clumpy hunk of granite, carried across Europe on a sea of ice, dumped in a valley, shipped across the Atlantic, lugged to Massachusetts — all to honor a restless man.

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December 5, 2012 Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and Mariah Carey perform a stripped-down holiday standard.

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December 5, 2012 Now that House Republicans have responded with a counteroffer to President Obama's proposal for avoiding the "fiscal cliff," the two sides seem even further apart. Signe Wilkinson argues that the GOP offer doesn't go far enough, while Lisa Benson thinks the president wants way too much.

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December 5, 2012 Lois Duncan's 1979 novel, Daughters of Eve, takes revenge to a whole new level. Author Mary Stewart Atwell explains why this classic novel is still relevant. Do you have a favorite story of revenge that goes too far? Tell us in the comments.

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December 4, 2012 There are two paths forward and only one of them embraces the reality of science, its methods and its ethics.

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December 4, 2012 "The President" is a 3,200-year-old giant sequoia that clocks in at 247 feet tall and counting. And contrary to most living things we can think of, giant sequoias grow faster later in life than earlier in life.

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December 4, 2012 After the U.N. voted to give Palestinians "observer state status," Israel announced plans to expand settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Patrick Chappatte doesn't see the U.N. recognition as helpful to the peace process, while Emad Hajjaj has the same opinion of Israel's building plans.

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December 3, 2012 Commentator Tania Lombrozo takes on fiction and the question of whether it can change the world with some whimsical reflections on Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior, a novel about climate change.

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December 3, 2012 Philip Roth recently announced that he had written his last novel. Author Matthew Specktor explains why Sabbath's Theater, released in 1995, is not only Roth's most disgusting novel but also his best. Do you have a favorite book that breaks all the rules? Tell us in the comments.

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December 3, 2012 Which should come first, ending the "Bush" tax cuts for the wealthy or cutting spending? R.J. Matson and Steve Kelley try to find comedy in the manners of avoiding the fiscal cliff.

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December 3, 2012 Two gubernatorial contests — in New Jersey and Virginia — plus mayoral races in New York and Los Angeles head up the 2013 election calendar. Plus: Time to get rid of the Iowa straw poll? And who will succeed Jesse Jackson Jr.?

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December 2, 2012 Senate Democrats are considering altering filibuster rules to make it harder for Republicans to impede legislation. Jeff Danziger does not have high regard for how Republicans have used the parliamentary maneuver, while R.J. Matson wonders if the Democrats are really willing to make a change.

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December 1, 2012 The satirical news source announced that its Sexiest Man Alive for 2012 is Kim Jong Un, North Korea's supreme leader. In some parts of the world, there may be little room to argue.

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December 1, 2012 This week's Powerball jackpot captivated the nation. Gary Varvel saw a better chance of winning the half-billion dollar prize than avoiding the fiscal cliff, while Clay Bennett acknowledged the harsh reality that only two lucky ticket-buyers can ignore.

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