Pop Culture
5:29 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Alcoholidays in America: ¡Viva El Tequila Julep!

Credit Matt Slocum / AP
The infield at Churchill Downs can get pretty beer-soaked, as this scene from the 2011 Kentucky Derby proves. But this year, things could get even more crazy: The Derby falls on another of America's favorite "alcoholidays," Cinco de Mayo.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 9:20 pm

America is not a two-party country — it's a multiparty extravaganza.

We turn every possible pause from work into a party: New Year's Day, the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

And on Saturday, many Americans will play overtime by reveling in a pair of nationwide celebrations — Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. Establishments everywhere will be mashing up Mexico and the Bluegrass State.

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The Two-Way
4:48 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

5 Pa. Priests Ousted After Sex Abuse Inquiry

Credit Matt Rourke / AP
Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput listens during a news conference on Friday in Philadelphia.

Originally published on Fri May 11, 2012 11:39 am

The archbishop of Philadelphia announced that five priests were "not suitable for ministry." It was the Catholic Church's first action since it suspended 27 priests last year when a grand jury report accused church officials of ignoring allegations of sex abuse.

The AP reports that Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said three other priests would return to the ministry and that one priest died in the process of the investigation. Chaput did not immediately announce the fate of the 17 others investigated.

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The Picture Show
4:33 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

The Power Of Flower Photos

Originally published on Mon May 7, 2012 9:39 am

I can't remember exactly when I received the first flower email, but I do remember it was sometime in 2005.

At the time, I had no idea why my old friend Darryl Pitt had sent it, but I didn't think too much about it. A flower. OK. That's nice. But then the flowers continued to arrive day after day after day — and soon a modest digital bouquet turned into a meadow, and that meadow into a hillside of, as always, flowers.

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Sports
3:56 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

After 30 Years, Derby's Dirt Guru Hits Finish Line

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 5:04 pm

The surface on which Kentucky Derby horses will race Saturday is a special piece of real estate, built for high performance and safety. The track is generically described as dirt, but is actually a careful mixture of river sand, silt and clay.

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London 2012: The Summer Olympics
3:50 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

A Need For Speed: Inside Jamaica's Sprint Factory

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 9:09 pm

When it comes to sprinting, Jamaica reigns supreme.

At the Beijing Olympics in 2008, a Jamaican man — Usain Bolt — and a woman — Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — took home the golds in the 100-meter race, and at this summer's London games, they're hoping to do it again.

If you visit the Caribbean island nation, you'll hear a lot of explanations for why they're so good, but let's start with the obvious: In Jamaica, kids really like to run.

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The Two-Way
3:32 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

23 Dead, 9 Hanged From Bridge In Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 5:24 pm

It has been a bloody day for the Mexican border-town of Nuevo Laredo. It started at dawn when 9 bodies were found hanging from a bridge of a major thoroughfare that connects Nuevo Laredo to Monterrey.

And as the day went by, the mutilated bodies of 14 others were found across the city.

El Universal, one of Mexico's largest dailies, reports:

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National Security
3:22 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

At Sept. 11 Trial, Military Commissions Face Scrutiny

Credit Janet Hamlin / AP
In this photograph of a courtroom sketch, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, charged with orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks, attends a court hearing at Guantanamo in 2008. He's expected to appear in a military court Saturday.

Originally published on Fri May 4, 2012 5:04 pm

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks were supposed to be tried six years ago in a military tribunal created by the Bush administration.

But that system — which allowed hearsay evidence, among other things — faced questions about its fundamental fairness. When President Obama came into office, he put all the proceedings at Guantanamo on hold and asked that the commission system be revamped.

Since then, there has been an effort to make sure the trials at Guantanamo are credible, with both Congress and the Supreme Court weighing in.

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The Two-Way
3:07 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

'A Factor In A Much Larger Life': Debating Chen Guangcheng's Blindness

Credit Handout / Getty Images
Chen Guangcheng at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. This photo was released by the Embassy's press office.

Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 9:55 am

If you've been following the case of Chen Guangcheng, the activist looking to leave China for the U.S., there's one thing you probably know about him.

The fact that he's blind.

But is Chen's blindness central to his story – his political activism and the diplomatic dance he has set off?

"His blindness did not give him any particular bravery or insight," says Stephen Kuusisto, the author of two memoirs about being blind. "It is just a factor in a much larger life,"

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Economy
2:35 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

'Dejected': Some Unemployed Give Up The Hunt

The unemployment rate slipped a notch to 8.1 percent in April, but not because employers went on a hiring spree.

Instead, the jobless rate appeared to improve because fewer people were applying for positions. Last month, the civilian labor force shrank by 342,000 people.

Economists say many of those workforce dropouts were "discouraged" workers who moved to the sidelines after months, even years, of trying to nail down jobs.

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The Record
2:30 pm
Fri May 4, 2012

Adam Yauch, Co-Founder Of The Beastie Boys, Dies

Credit Ebet Roberts / Getty Images
Adam Yauch (left) with the Beastie Boys in 1987. The gruff-voiced rapper known as MCA died Friday after a battle with cancer.

Originally published on Sat May 5, 2012 11:29 am

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