-- A company uses an AI system to streamline its hiring process, but the system favors certain demographic groups over others.

-- A hospital employs AI to diagnose patients but might miss rare conditions or produce false positives.

-- A bank uses AI to determine loan eligibility, but the system starts denying loans based on certain data ...Read more

There’s nothing better than being lost in a book and letting a story overtake you. Some fiction is life-changing and permanently alters your worldview. Other books bring you to tears and consume your thoughts for the subsequent days or weeks. If you’re a reader who seeks out the kinds of books that will have a long-lasting impact on you, ...Read more

Navigating the world as the parent of a child with a unique or difficult-to-pronounce name can be a constant source of frustration.

When I named my daughter Chiara, I never considered that people would struggle with its pronunciation. Her name, which means “light” or “clear” in Italian and is deeply rooted in our family’s heritage, is...Read more

We have smoke detectors that warn of fire, dashboard icons that warn of low fuel and dying batteries, and health hazard warnings are printed on every pack of cigarettes.

In 2024 we were given a clear and resounding warning for cell phones. It came in the form of a thick book titled “The Anxious Generation” (How the Great Rewiring of ...Read more

Set against the backdrop of the early 20th century and World War I, "Crossroads of Empire" captures the essence of a world in turmoil. Author Michael Cooper’s diligence and attention to detail bring this period to life, from the smoky trenches of the Western Front to the political maneuvering in Europe.

The protagonist, Evan Sinclair, a 16-...Read more

All people who are pulled from the water after drowning should receive CPR with rescue breaths and chest compressions, according to updated guidance from the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The guidelines were published in the journals Circulation and Pediatrics. The article in Pediatrics focuses on literature...Read more

You’ve no doubt heard of the infamous Judas Iscariot — and his well-known betrayal — but you’ve never seen him in this light before. In the first of Martin Davey’s exciting The Black Museum series, Judas is, well … miraculously, the hero.

"Judas the Hero" follows Detective Inspector Judas Iscariot through the dark underbelly of ...Read more

I haphazardly closed up the little house this year. I hurriedly swept the floors, took out the trash, checked the windows, pulled the Dutch door shut and whispered, “Thanks for the memories.”

Not long after, a fierce night wind pushed the door open. Blowing snow drifted in and nestled in the corners.

Tiny hand-shaped footprints ...Read more

As we round the corner to Christmas, I feel compelled to say something to women across the land:

It’s OK.

It’s OK that you didn’t get the same amount of presents for each child.

It’s OK that you shopped for yourself. Not once or twice, but often.

It’s OK that you didn’t meet your Christmas budget while negotiating a trillion-...Read more

The kitchen becomes my primary place of residence the week before Thanksgiving and continues straight on through New Year's Day. I should probably file a change-of-address card with the post office.

The kitchen counter is littered with crumpled dish towels, soiled hot pads and towering stacks of dirty cookie sheets and mixing bowls. Pots ...Read more

Last fall, 46-year-old lawyer Priti Langer took a trip to Baltimore with a group of fellow women to see singing greats Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks perform.

The outing was a 50th birthday celebration for a friend and neighbor in Langer's Fairfax, Virginia neighborhood. When Langer rolled her suitcase into the hotel, she felt a flutter in her ...Read more

Award-winning author Bill VanPatten tends to capture all those acts and emotions in his characters, drawing heavily on gay themes and Latino heritage in and around the small, fictitious town of Mañana, situated in California, which he describes as “a patchwork quilt of cities and small towns, urban areas and vast agricultural lands, foggy ...Read more

The holiday season is meant to be a carefree celebration, bringing people together to enjoy each other’s company and traditions. As it overlaps with the end of the year, people hope to leave the daily stress of normal life behind and enjoy time with the ones they love.

This goal becomes complicated, however, when the desire to have a perfect ...Read more

Feeling the elf-haustion? Does coming up with new adventures for your nighttime Santa spy have you stressed out? Holly (or Buddy or Snowflake) doesn’t need elaborate setups or expensive props to keep the wonder alive.

Here’s how to reclaim the joy while saving your sanity.

Keep it simple, Santa

“The elf just has to move, no need to ...Read more

We have officially entered the "Hard to Buy For" season of life. I am reminded of this every time someone asks me what we'd like for Christmas. No one has said we are hard to buy for in so many words. It's more the looks -- the eye rolls, the raised eyebrows, the barely suppressed expressions of shock and horror.

"We like those little books of ...Read more

It is a grey November morning when an American foreigner in the Peace Corps makes his way through Ukraine aboard a cramped bus. Here, in an unfamiliar land, he hopes he can start fresh and leave his Army days and the war behind him, but he has yet to reconcile with a past he is trying to forget.

Inspired by author Caleb Shawn Sully’s own ...Read more

Dr. Zerelda Esquer Garrigos was in medical school when she became fascinated by a 1926 book about the discovery of microbes.

"I was captivated by the idea that there are countless 'worlds' within our own – microorganisms that coexist with us, often without our awareness, yet some can cause disease," she said about Paul de Kruif's scientific ...Read more

“What the heck is going on in Leonardo’s message!”

In a masterful work with particular appeal for amateur sleuths, historians and art aficionados, author D. Allen Henry has crafted a thoughtful novel, "Killing Genius: The Mysterious Last Days of Leonardo da Vinci," based around the premise that Leonardo da Vinci’s death was a murder.

...Read more

I had an identity crisis yesterday. It was the fourth one this week. Online accounts keep questioning if it's really me.

I have the same thought a lot of mornings when I look in the mirror.

The bank insisted I confirm my identity before I could access our account -- all because I made one teeny tiny typo entering the passcode. Flustered and in...Read more

It’s a hard subject to talk about, especially for someone suffering from it. “Many of us have been labeled or even seen ourselves as freaks, weirdos, oddballs, eccentrics and outcasts. So it’s no surprise that many of us attempt to keep our illness hidden to the extent we can.”

That’s what makes Victoria Maiden’s intimate, heartfelt...Read more