I've been playing with game-to-life analogies lately. This will be the last one for the time being. The card game Solitaire involves a shuffled, face-down deck of cards. The object is to organize the cards into their respective heart, club, spade or diamond suit. If the player can do this, he wins. If he stumbles and quits, he loses. ...more

March 13, 2010

Before two weeks ago, I had never heard of applets and cotlets. Apparently, I was the only one in the Western hemisphere not exposed to these pure fruit puree candies coated in powdered sugar. Maria Vega of Tampa, who requested recipes for them, opened a floodgate among readers. ...more

February 21, 2010

What happens when a devastating earthquake levels large portions of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere? The United States gets handed a big problem when it already has plenty of trouble of its own. ...more

January 20, 2010

The world has had practice in dealing with the aftermath of destruction. From the tsunami in Indonesia to Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf coast, Mother Nature has proven that she can bring the blows of wrath crashing down upon the diminutive accomplishments that mark a society. It is only after the storm has passed that one can truly understand the meaning of ownership, or lack thereof. ...more

January 19, 2010

President Barack Obama said today that "one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history" is moving toward Haiti as he continued to mobilize the U.S. response to the island's devastating earthquake. ...more

January 14, 2010

The feel of poverty was everywhere, on the naked land picked free of plants and trees by a starving population, in the water used for both drinking water and sewage, and in the soil people ate for food. ...more

February 7, 2009

Not since President Richard Nixon went to China has an intractable foreign-policy issue been so ripe for resolution as current U.S. relations with Cuba are today. ...more

January 15, 2009

Apparel maker Hanesbrands Inc. said Wednesday that it will close nine plants across five countries and cut about 12 percent of its work force as it restructures its operations in order to cut costs. ...more

September 25, 2008

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Four tropical storms have wiped out most of Haiti's food crops and damaged irrigation systems and pumping stations, raising the specter of acute hunger for millions in the impoverished country. ...more

September 20, 2008

Russia's plan to deploy ships and warplanes to the Caribbean for joint military exercises with Venezuela is allowing President Hugo Chavez to capitalize on tensions between Moscow and the United States and showcase a growing military alliance. ...more

September 9, 2008