As National Championship Battle Looms, Oregon Reflects on the 'Toilet Bowl'

Rain-Soaked Game in 1983 May Be Worst Ever; The Last Scoreless Tie in Major College Football Was a 'Joke'

By DARREN EVERSON And BEN COHEN

GLENDALE, Ariz.—Decades before the University of Oregon's football team reached this year's national-championship showdown, the Ducks played in a much less auspicious game: the Toilet Bowl.

Asian-Americans and Technology

PEW Internet Project


[SlideShow]

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?
By AMY CHUA

Wall Street Journal

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:

Five myths about why the South seceded

By James W. Loewen

Washington Post

One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War began, we're still fighting it - or at least fighting over its history. I've polled thousands of high school history teachers and spoken about the war to audiences across the country, and there is little agreement even on why the South seceded. Was it over slavery? States' rights? Tariffs and taxes?

Dynamic pricing: Internet retailers are treating us like foreign tourists in Egypt

More online merchants are launching 'dynamic pricing' schemes, which adjust prices based on perceived willingness to pay. But just as foreign tourists in Egypt grow tired of being overcharged based on looks, consumers may well object to being singled out based on their Web habits.
By Justin D. Martin

Christian Science Monitor

Cairo

Fewer things frustrate tourists in Egypt more than skin-dependent pricing. Have Irish freckles? Expect to pay double in a Cairo taxi. An Italian tan? The price of that basalt model of the Sphinx just shot up 200 percent. Have glowing blue eyes? Some restaurants suddenly have no menus and prices are delivered orally. I’ve been overcharged by more merchants in this country than I can tally in Excel.

Bye-Bye, PCs and Laptops

Smart phones and tablets will soon handle the majority of our personal computing needs.
By MIKE MALONE AND TOM HAYES

Wall Street Journal

Las Vegas

As inflection points go, the Consumer Electronics Show that kicked off yesterday couldn't be sending a clearer signal: The era of the personal computer is drawing to a close. For an industry gathering that once showcased each new generation of desktop and laptop, this year's show is buzzing with every imaginable flavor of tablet, smart phone and mobile appliance. Welcome to the age of mobile computing.

Navigating the Airfare Maze Online

By MICHELLE HIGGINS

New York Times

With online travel sites battling with some airlines, where does that leave travelers shopping for flights online? The simple answer is that they’re going to have to do more digging.

From Papyrus to Gutenberg to Kindle

Those who scorn e-readers should remember the Sumerians and their clay tablets.
By LIBBY MALIN STERNBERG

Wall Street Journal

Kindle, schmindle, say steadfast lovers of DTBs ("dead tree books"). These readers value books as objects, not just as a means of communicating a story. Perhaps some historical perspective can help them adjust to our new era, when electronic reading devices will be king.

Pesticides Threaten Ant-Eating Tradition in Brazil

By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO and MYRNA DOMIT

SILVEIRAS, Brazil — Jorge da Silva plucked a giant ant from the muddy ground, pulled off its wings, legs and mandible, and tossed it into his mouth like popcorn.

“Tastes like mint,” said Mr. da Silva, 58, with an audible crunch of his teeth.

11 Tricks to Cutting Travel Costs in 2011

By MICHELLE HIGGINS

New York Times

BARGAIN hunters will need to be craftier when booking a trip if they want to get the best prices this year. It’s no secret that airfares are up and added fees for everything from checked bags to exit-row seats are pushing the cost of flying higher. On top of that, hotel bargains are expected to be harder to come by as business travelers begin to return, diminishing the need for hotels to discount rooms in major cities.

Kaplan

January 4-10, 2011 Free eBooks

FCC: How to receive a broadcast TV station if it is dropped from your pay TV service

Federal Trade Commission (FCC)


Cable operators and other pay TV service providers, such as satellite operators, carry local television broadcast stations based on contracts with the stations. When these contracts end, the parties generally extend or renew these contracts. The process by which the contracts are negotiated is known as “retransmission consent.” In almost all cases, agreement is reached and stations continue to be carried without interruption. On some occasions, the pay TV service provider and the station fail to reach an agreement, and the pay TV service provider is required by law to stop carrying that station until an agreement is reached. These are private agreements, though federal law requires the parties to negotiate with each other in good faith.

How to Beat the Online Scammers

By JENNIFER WATERS

Wall Street Journal

Your pet's name is a fraudster's best friend.

You may think you're giving up precious little when you tell your Facebook friends that you're dressing your pooch, Puddles, in your favorite color, red, for brunch at Grandma's on Sunday. But you've actually just opened a Pandora's box of risks.

The information consumers willingly, and oftentimes unwittingly, unleash on social-media websites sets off a feeding frenzy among fraudsters looking to steal everything from your flat-screen TV to your identity.

With Air Force's new drone, 'we can see everything'

By Ellen Nakashima and Craig Whitlock

Washington Post

In ancient times, Gorgon was a mythical Greek creature whose unblinking eyes turned to stone those who beheld them. In modern times, Gorgon may be one of the military's most valuable new tools.

This winter, the Air Force is set to deploy to Afghanistan what it says is a revolutionary airborne surveillance system called Gorgon Stare, which will be able to transmit live video images of physical movement across an entire town.

Perfecting Animation, via Science

By PATRICIA COHEN

New York Times

Eitan Grinspun, the director of Columbia University’s Computer Graphics Group, doesn’t quite qualify as hairdresser to the stars. But if you want computer-generated hair (or fur) to look convincingly real when it is twisted, clumped, matted, coiled, soaked, dusty, wind swept, singed — or just about anything else a film director could possibly think to do to it — then Mr. Grinspun is the man to consult.

This Year, Change Your Mind

By OLIVER SACKS

New York Times

NEW Year’s resolutions often have to do with eating more healthfully, going to the gym more, giving up sweets, losing weight — all admirable goals aimed at improving one’s physical health. Most people, though, do not realize that they can strengthen their brains in a similar way.

Chop, Fry, Boil: Eating for One, or 6 Billion

By MARK BITTMAN

New York Times

“Revolutionary” diet books flood the market this time of year, promising a life changed permanently and for the better — yes, in just 10 to 30 days! — but, as everyone knows, the key to eating better begins with a diet of real food.

Equality, a True Soul Food

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

New York Times

John Steinbeck observed that “a sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.”

That insight, now confirmed by epidemiological studies, is worth bearing in mind at a time of such polarizing inequality that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans possess a greater collective net worth than the bottom 90 percent.

Computers That See You and Keep Watch Over You

By STEVE LOHR

New York Times

Hundreds of correctional officers from prisons across America descended last spring on a shuttered penitentiary in West Virginia for annual training exercises. [Interactive Graphic]

Facebook passes Google as most popular site on the Internet, two measures show

By Ylan Q. Mui and Peter Whoriskey

Washington Post

This may go down as the year that social networking trumped searching as America's favorite online pastime.

Coming soon: Parking rates that go up at busiest times

Seattle is about to embark on a new age of market-based pricing for parking, ultimately charging more on the busiest blocks at the busiest times, and less at times when there tend to be extra spaces available.
By Mike Lindblom
Seattle Times

Until now, Seattle drivers have known that, if they could wriggle their way to an open curb, parking fees would be relatively inexpensive and straightforward.

Days of Auld Lang What?

The origin of the New Year's anthem—and what it means to us.
By PEGGY NOONAN

You know exactly when you'll hear it, and you probably won't hear it again for a year. The big clock will hit 11:59:50, the countdown will begin—10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4—and the sounds will rise: the party horns, fireworks and shouts of "Happy New Year!"

Abandoned Horses Are Latest Toll of Drug Trade

By MARC LACEY

New York Times

PHOENIX — Found tottering alone in the desert with their ribs visible and their heads hung low, horses play a backbreaking, unappreciated role in the multibillion-dollar drug smuggling industry.

Beware the Exploding Champagne Cork

Expert gives safety tips; warns it can reach a speed of 50 mph and cause severe eye damage.
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

FRIDAY, Dec. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Be careful when opening the champagne bottle on New Year's Eve -- a popped cork can reach a speed of up to 50 miles per hour, warns an eye expert.

Primero Hay Que Aprender Español. Ranhou Zai Xue Zhongwen.

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

New York Times

A quiz: If a person who speaks three languages is trilingual, and one who speaks four languages is quadrilingual, what is someone called who speaks no foreign languages at all?

Answer: an American.

Prosperity Starts With a Pea

By JESSICA B. HARRIS

New York Times

AT year’s end, people around the world indulge in food rituals to ensure good luck in the days ahead. In Spain, grapes eaten as the clock turns midnight — one for each chime — foretell whether the year will be sweet or sour. In Austria, the New Year’s table is decorated with marzipan pigs to celebrate wealth, progress and prosperity. Germans savor carp and place a few fish scales in their wallets for luck. And for African-Americans and in the Southern United States, it’s all about black-eyed peas.

Working (Part-Time) in the 21st Century

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

New York Times

UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS — Remco Vermaire is ambitious and, at 37, the youngest partner in his law firm. His banker clients expect him on call constantly — except on Fridays, when he looks after his two children. [Slide Show]

New Look for Mecca: Gargantuan and Gaudy

By NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF

New York Times

JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — It is an architectural absurdity. Just south of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Muslim world’s holiest site, a kitsch rendition of London’s Big Ben is nearing completion. Called the Royal Mecca Clock Tower, it will be one of the tallest buildings in the world, the centerpiece of a complex that is housing a gargantuan shopping mall, an 800-room hotel and a prayer hall for several thousand people. Its muscular form, an unabashed knockoff of the original, blown up to a grotesque scale, will be decorated with Arabic inscriptions and topped by a crescent-shape spire in what feels like a cynical nod to Islam’s architectural past. To make room for it, the Saudi government bulldozed an 18th-century Ottoman fortress and the hill it stood on. [Slide Show]

For Some Travelers Stranded in Airports, Relief Is in 140 Characters

By KIM SEVERSON

New York Times

ATLANTA — Some travelers stranded by the great snowstorm of 2010 discovered a new lifeline for help. When all else fails, Twittermight be the best way to book a seat home.

Words of the Year 2010

Wall Street Journal

A data analysis of words printed in The Wall Street Journal reveals a trove of intriguing terms that starred in 2010 but could barely wriggle their way into 2009 coverage. Luge, robo-signer, Tamaulipas and jeggings registered spikes in usage.

A Pinpoint Beam Strays Invisibly, Harming Instead of Healing

By WALT BOGDANICH and KRISTINA REBELO

New York Times

The initial accident report offered few details, except to say that an unidentified hospital had administered radiation overdoses to three patients during identical medical procedures. [Interactive Graphic]

10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Technology

By SAM GROBART

New York Times

Your gadgets and computers, your software and sites — they are not working as well as they should. You need to make some tweaks.

But the tech industry has given you the impression that making adjustments is difficult and time-consuming. It is not.

Boredom Enthusiasts Discover the Pleasures of Understimulation

Envoy of Ennui Calls a Meeting; An Energy Bar for Everybody
By GAUTAM NAIK

Wall Street Journal

LONDON—"Brace yourself for five piping-hot minutes of inertia," said William Barrett. Then he began reciting the names of every single one of 415 colors listed in a paint catalog: damson dream, dauphin, dayroom yellow, dead salmon…and on and on and on.

Can Democrats rebuild? Yes – if they listen to Toby Keith

To win in 2012, Democrats must rebrand themselves. Country music lyrics could help.

By Patrick Cottrell
Christian Science Monitor

After the "shellacking" Dem­ocrats suffered in the midterm elections, many political consultants urged the party to revamp its communication strategy.

Amazon patents procedure to let recipients avoid undesirable gifts

By Michael S. Rosenwald

Washington Post

Undoubtedly, the Thread and Bobbin Sewing Kit that Aunt Mildred sent from Amazon.com for Christmas will never see a stitch. The Stallion Stable Music Boxmight have looked pretty on the computer screen, but under the tree's flickering lights, it is frightful. The polka-dot nightgown has never been a good idea, even with free shipping.

In Mexico, only one gun store but no dearth of violence

By William Booth

Washington Post

MEXICO CITY - In all of Mexico, there is only one gun store. The shop, known officially as the Directorate of Arms and Munitions Sales, is operated by the Mexican military. The clerks wear pressed green camouflage. They are soldiers.

The only gun store in Mexico is not very busy.

Ariz. roof contractor's dog climbs ladder

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

PHOENIX (KABC) -- A talented dog from Arizona is making a name for himself - he taught himself to climb a ladder.

More Consumers Are Letting Insurers Monitor Their Mileage

By ROY FURCHGOTT

New York Times

CAR insurance rates have always been based on risk, and risk has usually been measured by the number of miles driven. So drivers often underreport the miles they travel to keep their rates low — at the expense of other drivers.

Save Money by Weatherizing Your Home

By: Joanne | December 28, 2010 | Category: Money

GovGab: You U.S. Government Blog


A few years ago, we replaced half the windows in our house and we saved about $500 in heating oil that winter and got a tax credit. When you’re a homeowner it can be hard to find the money to make improvements to the weatherization of your home, but it really does pay off in the long run. Our house is about 100 years old, so there’s no end to our list of home improvement projects, but whenever anything is replaced, I make sure that I consider energy efficiency.

Some Israelis Question Benefits for Ultra-Religious

By ISABEL KERSHNER

New York Times

JERUSALEM — Chaim Amsellem was certainly not the first Israeli Parliament member to suggest that most ultra-Orthodox men should work rather than receive welfare subsidies for full-time Torah study. But when he did so last month, the nation took notice: He is a rabbi, ultra-Orthodox himself, whose outspokenness ignited a fresh, and fierce, debate about the rapid growth of the ultra-religious in Israel.

Bundle Up, It’s Global Warming

By JUDAH COHEN

New York Times

THE earth continues to get warmer, yet it’s feeling a lot colder outside. Over the past few weeks, subzero temperatures in Poland claimed 66 lives; snow arrived in Seattle well before the winter solstice, and fell heavily enough in Minneapolis to make the roof of the Metrodome collapse; and last week blizzards closed Europe’s busiest airports in London and Frankfurt for days, stranding holiday travelers. The snow and record cold have invaded the Eastern United States, with more bad weather predicted.

Portugal's drug policy pays off; US eyes lessons

These days, Casal Ventoso is an ordinary blue-collar community - mothers push baby strollers, men smoke outside cafes, buses chug up and down the cobbled main street.
By BARRY HATTON and MARTHA MENDOZA
(Associated Press)

Seattle Times

These days, Casal Ventoso is an ordinary blue-collar community - mothers push baby strollers, men smoke outside cafes, buses chug up and down the cobbled main street.

In a Tale That Wags Dog Owners, They Rent Flocks for Bored Collies

Compulsive Sheep Herders Need a 'Job' to Entertain Them; 'That'll Do'

By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS

Wall Street Journal

BATTLE GROUND, Wash.—Sue Foster knew what she needed to do when her border collie, Taff, was expelled from puppy school for herding the black Labs into a corner.

She rented some sheep. [Slide Show]

So Young and So Many Pills

More than 25% of Kids and Teens in the U.S. Take Prescriptions on a Regular Basis
By ANNA WILDE MATHEWS

Wall Street Journal

Gage Martindale, who is 8 years old, has been taking a blood-pressure drug since he was a toddler. "I want to be healthy, and I don't want things in my heart to go wrong," he says.

Making 2011 the Year of Great Relationships

By ELIZABETH BERNSTEIN

Wall Street Journal

Made any New Year's resolutions yet? Here's an idea: Focus on the state of your relationships instead of the state of your abs.

The Top Ten Trends for 2010

Nielson

December 22, 2010 - The Nielsen Company provides a complete understanding of what
consumers watch and buy. Throughout 2010, several popular media and consumer spending
trends emerged. This document highlights the trends across:

Hawaii’s Governor Takes On ‘Birthers’

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

New York Times

HONOLULU — Gov. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, who befriendedPresident Obama’s parents when they were university students here, has been in office for less than three weeks. But he is so incensed over “birthers” — the conspiracy theorists who assert that Mr. Obama was born in Kenya and was thus not eligible to become president — that he is seeking ways to change state policy to allow him to release additional proof that the president was born in Honolulu in 1961.

AbeBooks' Most Expensive Sales in 2010

Abebooks.com

It was a bumper year for rare bookselling on AbeBooks. Our top 10 list of the most expensive sales of 2010 includes nothing priced under $14,000. The top sale was a very rare Islamic manuscript, around 800 years old, for a whopping $45,000. The sale of the archives of Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, for almost $29,000, raised a lot of eyebrows in Italy. Fallici died in 2006 but is still remembered for her revealing interviews of major international figures.

Facebook vs Twitter: A Breakdown of 2010 Social Demographics

digitalsurgeons.com


[Infographic]

Dialysis Facility Tracker

By Robin Fields, Al Shaw, and Jennifer LaFleur

ProPublica

This site is for dialysis patients and others who want to learn about the quality of care at individual dialysis clinics. Among other things, you can learn how often patients treated at a facility have been hospitalized, report certain types of infections or are placed on the transplant list. The information is submitted by facilities and collected by contractors of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the federal agency that oversees most dialysis care.

Twas a Night in December

Elusive Saharan Cheetah Captured in Photos

By Jeanna Bryner

LiveScience

An elusive Saharan cheetah recently came into the spotlight in Niger, Africa, where a hidden camera snapped photos of the ghostly cat, whose pale coat and emaciated appearance distinguish it from other cheetahs.

Sweaters: Frightful Or Festive?

By RACHEL DODES

Wall Street Journal

O Christmas sweater, O Christmas sweater! Amid a surge in fashion nostalgia, the much-maligned Christmas knit is enjoying a moment of irony-infused popularity. [Slideshow: Sporting Christmas Cheer]

Happiness 101: Less tweeting, more meeting

Studies show that happiness is directly linked to conversations that are substantial, not superficial. Yet our communications are dominated by quick electronic exchanges. In a high-stress era like ours, we need to tap into our most valuable resource – each other. That's why I talk to strangers.
By Michael Serota

Christian Science Monitor

On my Metro ride to and from work each day, I watch as hundreds of faces filled with contemplation, frustration, and annoyance look past one another. Although it is mildly entertaining to see the lengths to which some will go to avoid making eye contact – or worse yet, engage in actual conversation – it is also sadly ironic. The human contact that these commuters take such pains to avoid might also reduce the emotional baggage they carry.

Christmas lights: Outdoor displays go higher and higher tech (video)

By Samantha Murphy
Christian Science Monitor

When Carson Williams of Mason, Ohio, posted a YouTube video of his lively computer-synchronized Christmas display on his front lawn a few years ago, the video went viral. Millions of online viewers watched Williams' multi-colored lights in the form of peace symbols, glowing stars and dancing trees, move in sequence to the song "Wizards in Winter" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Quirky Christmas traditions around the world

By Ariel Zirulnick

Christian Science Monitor

Christmas cheer is widespread in the days leading up to Dec. 24 and 25, but it manifests itself in many different ways, from predicting the future to trying not to choke on a hidden coin. Below are just a few of the many unusual Christmas traditions around the world.

Health Tip: Do You Have a Phobia?

Here's how to tell
By Diana Kohnle

MedlinePlus

(HealthDay News) -- While fear is a normal reaction to a perceived danger, a phobia may be diagnosed when a fear is exaggerated or irrational.

Going Platinum: What to Look for When Buying Platinum Jewelry

FTC Consumer Alert

Federal Trade Commission

Platinum ... the very word conjures up quality and luxury. When it comes to jewelry, platinum usually is mixed with similar metals or non-precious base metals. The value of a platinum piece of jewelry often depends on the percentage of platinum it contains: the higher the percentage of pure platinum, the higher the value. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, says that knowing how marketers describe platinum and what questions to ask can help you make an informed choice when you're shopping.

Can We Feel Good About Our Necks?

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS

New York Times

NECKS don’t lie. Sagging there betrays age like the rings on a tree, and now-common Botox and fillers in the face make neck imperfections stand out in stark relief. In her 2006 best-seller, “I Feel Bad About My Neck,” Nora Ephron, by then 65 and a resolved turtleneck wearer, raged against the injustice of having no remedy for her slackening throat skin, short of surgery.

A Holiday Card From Google

By KATHERINE ROSMAN
Wall Street Journal

For Micheal Lopez, creating this year's holiday card came down to the wire. The design took five artists about 250 hours. It will be opened by hundreds of millions of people. You're on the list.

Christmas movie trivia: Take the quiz

Christmas movie trivia: Take the quiz
Christian Science Monitor

For some, the holiday season isn't complete until the family has viewed "White Christmas" and sung along with the Irving Berlin classics. Or how about a little Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life?" How well do you know Scrooge, Charlie Brown, and the Grinch? Take our trivia quiz.

Google logo today: Decoding Google's holiday doodle

Google launched an interactive holiday doodle logo today with 17 portraits of scenes around the world. Can you decipher it?
By Alicia Pflaumer

Christian Science Monitor

Google rolled out their holiday greeting doodle Thursday morning. Seventeen individual interactive images replace the letters of the original Google logo.

In-store social workers help inner-city Target workers

The Target store in Compton, Calif., has something most Targets don't: Saundra Edwards. She's the store's social worker.
By Andrea Chang
(Los Angeles Times)

Seattle Times

LOS ANGELES — The Target store in Compton, Calif., has all the familiar features: aisles of discount merchandise, a full-service pharmacy and a small army of sales clerks and cashiers in bright red shirts.

It also has something most Targets don't: Saundra Edwards. She's the store's social worker.

Creative idea? Kickstarter connects artists with online funding.

Kickstarter.com points online patrons toward worthy projects they didn't know existed

By James Turner
Christian Science Monitor

Like many people, Aaron Dunn has a dream. Mr. Dunn wants to see all of the world's great classical music available free of charge, unencumbered by copyrights, for anyone to do with as they wish.

New Online-Date Detectives Can Unmask Mr. or Ms. Wrong

By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM

New York Times

Never mind whether your date is smart or good-looking. How do you know you aren’t flirting with a felon?

The Doctor's Dog Will See You Now

Therapists Use 'Canine Assistants' to Comfort, Cheer Patients; Duke Senses an Anxiety Disorder
By MELINDA BECK
Wall Street Journal


Walk into psychiatrist Drew Ramsey's office in Manhattan and you'll likely be greeted by Gus, a four-year-old shih tzu. After escorting you through the waiting room, he may hop onto the ottoman and go to sleep or sit beside you on the couch.

The Newest Way to Watch TV Isn’t on Your TV

Watch TV Shows & Movies online at Clicker

Gay Rights Political Donations Plummet Amid Contentious Congressional Session

By Lauren Heple

OpenSecretsBlog

Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Discrimination in the workplace and schools. Unequal benefits for same-sex partners. Marriage equality.

The years leading up to the 2010 midterm election have been an important stretch for gay rights advocates, but you wouldn't necessarily know it by gauging the amount of money invested this cycle by gay and lesbian rights groups and their donors.

2010 Census Data

Bureau of the Census


[Includes Maps and Interactive Graphics]

CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO THE 2010 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

General Accounting Office

The U.K’s 10 Most-liked TV Ads of 2010

December 21, 2010

NielsonWire.com

Aleksandr Orlov, the meerkat star of the Compare The Market ads, has held off stiff competition from Lewis Hamilton, Mr. T, Dannii Minogue and Lionel Messi to make the ad featuring his great-grandfather’s victory over a mongoose army the U.K.’s most-liked TV ad of the year. [Links to videos]

LouseBuster

[Some time ago I became aware of this product. It recently received FDA approval. See KSL article, PRWeb and Deseret News]

In This Journey, Every Sunday Is Moving Day

By NOAH ROSENBERG

Real estate stories, of claustrophobic kitchens, tyrannical landlords and rodent-size roaches, are a New York rite of passage. Stories of misery, unexpected good fortune or strange living arrangements — surely every New Yorker has one.

Send Your Parents a Tech Support Care Package

Google

Assembling the Global Baby

With an international network of surrogate mothers and egg and sperm donors, a new industry is emerging to produce children on the cheap and outside the reach of restrictive laws.

By TAMARA AUDI and ARLENE CHANG
Wall Street Journal

In a hospital room on the Greek island of Crete with views of a sapphire sea lapping at ancient fortress walls, a Bulgarian woman plans to deliver a baby whose biological mother is an anonymous European egg donor, whose father is Italian, and whose birth is being orchestrated from Los Angeles.