Top headlines:
40,000 told to flee Wash. state floods: A major north-south interstate in Washington state was cut off and 40,000 people were urged to leave their homes as snowmelt and rain swelled rivers and caused mudslides and avalanches. ›16:40
Noriega fights extradition to France: Whether Manuel Noriega's story ends in prison or freedom, at home or abroad, depends on how courts in three countries on two continents decide to punish him for his drug-running past. ›23:41 7 Jan, Wed
Nine eliminations on 'The Biggest Loser': The season 7 premiere of The Biggest Loser had a lot of milestones the heaviest team to compete on the show, the heaviest man and the heaviest woman, as well as the oldest contestants. The format also changed: With the exception of two couples, every team had to send a member home. ›14:01 7 Jan, Wed
Microsoft's Ballmer: Windows 7 is nearly final: Microsoft Corp.'s next version of the Windows operating system is almost ready for prime time. ›04:22
Hirsh: Democracy's Strange Bedfellows: The champions of democracy often share an overly romantic view of how quickly it can flower in hostile soil. ›16:56 11 Oct, Thu
Is it still taboo to talk about money?: Before the financial crisis hit home for most Americans, money talks were possibly more taboo than conversations about sex. But that era might be over. Hilary Black, editor of the anthology "The Secret Currency of Love," discusses the breaking of an old taboo. ›15:46
Small retailers struggle in tough season: Like a lot of small retailers, Henry Burton depends heavily on the holiday season to ring up sales, and, like a lot of retailers, this past holiday season proved especially challenging. ›16:10
Top dog and cat names of 2008: Move over, Fido and Fluffy. There's a new batch of pet names in town: "people" names! See which monikers were paws-down most popular and most unusual, too (Fetch, Meatwad!). ›17:17 7 Jan, Wed
African men jailed for 8 years over gay sex: Nine men, including a prominent activist, have been convicted of homosexual acts and sentenced to eight years in prison, their lawyer and a gay rights group said Thursday. ›16:08
Drugmakers aim to polish image with ad blitz: The pharmaceutical industry, confronting sluggish growth, low prestige and the prospect of more-aggressive government oversight, is moving on several fronts to burnish its image. ›11:09
Gellman: A Letter to a Bigot: What I want to say to a person of prejudice. ›22:12 12 Oct, Fri
'Mercenary is a Slanderous Term': The founder of Blackwater defends himselfand his company. ›03:32 13 Oct, Sat
Oprah adds Holocaust story disclaimer: Oprah has yet to comment on the debunked story of a Holocaust survivor who claimed to have met his future wife in a Nazi concentration camp. But a brief disclaimer on the story she featured prominently on her show has been added to her Web site. ›19:44 6 Jan, Tue
Mississippi now has highest teen birth rate: Mississippi now has the nation's highest teen birth rate, displacing Texas and New Mexico for that lamentable title, according to a new federal report. ›13:30 7 Jan, Wed
Q&A: Policing School Shootings: A disturbed 14-year-old wounds four before killing himself in Clevelandjust another spasm of violence in another bloody year for Americas schools. How to spot trouble before it opens fireand the ongoing debate over blame for a cycle that just wont stop. ›23:25 11 Oct, Thu
Books Q&A: The Real Charles Schulz: 'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz emerges as insecure and an emotionally distant father and husband in a new biography and documentary. ›22:32 9 Oct, Tue
4 Day Diet: Tame temptations, lose weight: In his latest book, "The 4 Day Diet," Dr. Ian K. Smith, best known as the diet expert on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club," has designed a diet that is done in four-day modules. In this excerpt, he writes about how to face your food desires and win. ›16:58 7 Jan, Wed
Ansen on Lars and the Real Girl: Its not smutty, its not snide, its not creepybut what is it? ›16:02 12 Oct, Fri
U.S. admiral to head anti-pirate patrols: A U.S. Navy commander will lead a new international force to battle pirates off the coast of Somalia, officials said Thursday. ›12:02
Partners in love, but not in business: How dangerous is financial imbalance in a relationship? Dr. Gail Saltz advises a man whose fiancee has excluded him from investing in her startup, leaving him to handle all the household expenses. ›22:43 7 Jan, Wed
Gross: Banks Claim the Credit Crisis is Over. It's Not.: Banks insist their credit problems are over. Why on earth do investors believe them? ›21:31 9 Oct, Tue
Interview: Susan Faludi on 9/11 Myths: In her new book, Susan Faludi examines the cultural impact of the 9/11 terror attacks. What she says about their effect on U.S. politics, feminism and the differences between American and European approaches to history. ›17:08 8 Oct, Mon
Sony rolls out world's lightest 8-inch laptop: Japan's Sony Corp plans to launch the world's lightest 8-inch notebook PC, taking aim squarely at a rapidly growing market for ultra-portable personal computers. ›01:38
Princess Mia and Meg Cabot are moving on: With a regal air kiss for Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldi, it's time for girl fans of the smash-selling "Princess Diaries" to bid adieu. But author Meg Cabot isn't going anywhere. ›15:01 6 Jan, Tue
