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Was the Alarm Over Swine Flu Justified?

Like a patient suffering from a particularly tenacious case of, well, the flu, the H1N1 virus seemed to gain ground and lose it over the weekend, leaving health officials still cautious, but hopeful that the disease might be on the wane. The number of confirmed infections continues to rise, with the World Health Organization reporting 898 infections in 18 countries as of May 3, and the Centers for Disease Control tallying 226 confirmed cases in 30 states. The continuing spread led Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to predict on Sunday that the WHO might soon raise its pandemic alert level from phase 5 to the highest stage, phase 6, which would indicate that a full flu pandemic was underway

Schools, agencies seeing big increase in homeless families

Sheila Wash greets her son and daughter, 13-year-old Cecil and 9-year-old Sheliah, every day when their school buses arrive "home." They talk about the school day, their homework and even joke that Sheliah can’t remember what she ate for lunch.

In digital age, can movie piracy be stopped?

When the highly anticipated movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" opened Friday in theaters, many fans had already seen it. The online leak of a pirated, unfinished version of the 20th Century Fox film a month ago sent federal authorities springing into action and stoked a heated conversation within the entertainment industry about digital piracy. Piracy of upcoming films is not new, but the theft of “Wolverine” is especially troubling for an industry concerned with a stalled economy and the financial bottom line

Clinton warns of Iranian, Chinese gains in Latin America

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that Iran and China are making "quite disturbing" gains in Central and South America. In wide-ranging comments on the region, she also said the Obama administration will work to improve relations among even its harshest critics in the Western Hemisphere, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and is looking to the Castro brothers in Cuba for some reciprocal action in response to the president’s easing of travel and other restrictions

Pelosi to Republican voters: ‘Take back your party’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi marked President Barack Obama’s 100th day in office with some unsolicited advice for Republican voters, telling them to "take back" their party. The California Democrat offered her own analysis of the political environment for her political opponents, asserting Republicans across the country are more willing to work with Democrats than their leaders on Capitol Hill.

Vela given all-clear after swine flu scare

Arsenal’s Mexican striker Carlos Vela has been given the all-clear to join up with their squad for the Champions League semifinal against Manchester United after a swine flu scare. Vela had been visited by some Mexican friends last week and was told to stay away from training while he underwent urgent medical checks. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Press Association: “It looked to be a massive problem because we were asked to keep him at home and not get him to the training ground

Swine flu virus affecting Mexican football

The outbreak of swine flu, that has killed more than 150 people in Mexico, has also affected the football world with the semfinals and final of the CONCACAF section of the under-17 World Cup, scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday, having been cancelled — world governing body FIFA has confirmed on their official Web site. CONCACAF, the confederation that governs football in central and north America, has decided to follow the lead of the Mexican government in order to safeguard the health of players, fans and those involved in the staging of the competition

Forget Math. Women Lag in Becoming English Professors!

So much for the theory that maternity leave and childrearing are responsible for slowing women’s climb up the employment ladder. Despite increasing efforts to mint more female professors in recent years, a new report from the Modern Language Association of America shows that women take longer than men to get promoted from associate professor to full professor — regardless of whether they are married or have children.

The Portuguese Experiment: Did Legalizing Drugs Work?

Pop quiz: Which European country has the most liberal drug laws? Although its capital is notorious among stoners and college kids for marijuana haze–filled “coffee shops,” Holland has never actually legalized cannabis — the Dutch simply don’t enforce their laws against the shops. The correct answer is Portugal, which in 2001 became the first European country to officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine

Forgotten Franklin letters offer glimpse into U.S. history

An American professor doing research in London stumbled across a series of previously unknown letters written by, to, and about Benjamin Franklin, a stunning find that sheds new light on early U.S. history.