While I'm definitely a peace-loving gal, I can't deny the influence that war and weaponry have had on home decor as of late. From gun vases to bullet planters, it seems as if product designers have a different definition of homeland security than our national leaders. While this may be a commentary on our society's obsession with weapons, I'm still not necessarily willing to stock my home with Read more

War: An Iraqi Freedom vet makes the case for lifting embargo on flag-draped coffins coming back from war. — Huffington Post Taxes: Kansas is the latest state to suspend tax refunds. — Donklephant Obama's Elf: Check out a fun 19-second animated pun featuring the president's reluctant elf. — Boing Boing Cheney: Dick Cheney (unsuccessfully) lobbied President Bush to pardon Scooter Libby in Read more

Theoretically enough water exists for everyone on the planet, yet all too often it is in the wrong place at the wrong time and in the wrong amounts. And there is no shortage of humanitarian crises when this happens. Half the world's population lives in countries where water is scarce. Lack of it and ineffective sanitation are largely blamed for the death of 11 million children under age five; the Read more

Almost 250 thefts of nuclear or radioactive material were reported last year. The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency explained this week: “The possibility of terrorists obtaining nuclear or other radioactive material remains a grave threat. Equally troubling is the fact that much of this material is not subsequently recovered.” Experts say health consequences of a dirty bomb are Read more

Warships from 10 countries are joining together to take on some of the world's most dangerous, and successful, pirates. (Can you say "arrrrrrrr" in 10 languages?) Not even the presence of US military vessels is enough to prevent these hijackers from seizing commerce ships, grabbing booting, and demanding ransoms. Since 250 international ships use the pirate-infested waters to move goods each Read more