USA Today

What's the difference between Seattle and Salt Lake City? There are many differences, of course, but here's one you might not know. In Seattle, there are nearly 45% more dogs than children. In Salt Lake City, there are nearly 19% more kids than dogs.

This curious fact might at first seem trivial, but it reflects a much broader and little-noticed demographic trend that has deep implications for the future of global culture and politics. It's not that people in a… more

Michael Newdow, a California atheist, has gained plenty of notoriety over the past few years. He got a case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court contending that children in general--his daughter in particular--must not recite the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance in school. Why not? Because he believes the words, which were added in 1954, violate the separation of church and state.

You may have thought Newdow had gone away. After all, the high court… more

When you absolutely, positively, have to get something done right away--you call in the military.

By their very nature, men and women in uniform are oriented toward getting things done. They are trained to complete their mission, or die trying. And as Hurricane Katrina made clear, the rest of the government doesn't hold to such a high standard.

Thus we see the difference between the hapless ex-FEMA chief, Michael Brown, and the men who stepped in to do his job for… more

A lawyer friend of mine cruised through law school at the end of the millennium. He racked up about $30,000 in student loans each year. Oh, yeah -- and he bought a lot of books and CDs. The student loans came due in December, and now he and his new wife are living in her parents' basement. Luckily, he gets along with his in-laws. But still, that wasn't the plan when he took out all those loans.

My friend isn't… more

From President Bush on down, our leaders are finally getting serious about the risks of bioterrorism. But in all of their proposals -- for early detection, for stockpiling vaccines, for upgrading hospitals -- they continue to ignore one of the weakest links in our homeland defense: the armies of Americans without health insurance.

Health experts say the early detection of illness is one of the best ways to counteract bioterrorism. But how can we do that when nearly 40… more

In a few weeks, when the world champion New York Yankees open their home season, will they take the field at Trump Stadium? Time Warner Park? Maybe AT&T Arena?

Chances are the park will still be called Yankee Stadium. But it won't be that way for long. Quietly, and with strikingly little protest, the Yankees have announced that they are planning to sell the "naming rights" to their… more