The “N-word” has become so emotionally charged that its casual use can end a career, as radio shrink Laura Schlessinger discovered the hard way last year. But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to excise it from classic literature for fear of offending modern sensibilities.Alan Gribben, an English professor at Auburn University, is working with NewSouth Books in Alabama to publish a joint edition

Naoto Kan, Japan’s prime minister, likes to cast himself as an ‘Action Man’ bent on churning out new policies to tackle the country’s problems. And to his credit, one cannot say that Kan has done nothing since taking office in June. He has dealt with a crusty China over disputed islands, repaired ties with Washington, and dispatched a key political rival. Thus, it is not surprising that Kan has st

On Christmas day, China’s central bank raised interest rates for the second time in 2010 to check rising consumer prices and the heated real estate market. It would not be surprising to see the central bank lift the rates again in the near future. The move has left me wondering whether allowing interest rates to play their due role in the economy through liberalization, as opposed to raising them

Exactly one year ago on Jan. 12, 2010, a great earthquake hit Haiti located on the center of the emerald green Caribbean Sea. In less than a minute, 200,000 people died, more than 100,000 were missing and 1.5 million became homeless at one time. The National Palace and almost all government buildings collapsed. Thirty high-ranking U.N. officials including Hedi Annabi, special representative to the

The new speaker of the House, Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, isn’t the most brilliant statesman ever to hold the job (Newt Gingrich beats him on that count), the most groundbreaking (that was Nancy Pelosi) or the most charismatic (speakers rarely score high on that scale).But he is among the most modest, an attribute rare among politicians ― and one that should come in handy in the rough-and-tumble

LOS ANGELES ― “Moon Over Manifest,” Clare Vanderpool’s story of a girl in Depression-era Kansas who investigates a hidden past, was awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal on Monday as the American Library Association presented its top honors to books for children and young adults at a ceremony in San Diego. The book, for 9-to-12-year-olds, is the debut from Kansas-based author Vanderpool.The top aw

Korean director Bong Joon-ho has been selected as one of the five jury members at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Utah from Jan. 20 to Jan. 30.Bong will be judging a total of 58 films in competition in four categories.The Sundance Film Festival is the biggest independent film gathering in the U.S. Founded by American actor and Utah resident Robert Redford in 1981, the festival established itsel

   WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The brain undergoes changes in adolescence that suppress fearful experiences learned in childhood, said a study released Monday that could explain why teenagers act so brashly at times.   Scientists studied the fear responses of mice for clues about how adolescents would react to situations that resembled prior experiences that involved pairing of electric shocks and tonal n

A polar bear swim to raise money for the Asian Community School in Busan will take place Saturday at Haeundae Beach from 2-5 p.m. Participants should meet at the Wolfhound Irish Pub in Haeundae. They may leave their belongings at the bar before taking a dip in the ocean. Donations of 10,000 won are recommended, and will be collected at the pub. All proceeds from the event will go toward supplies f