Each of us has our own way of celebrating July 4. Retired Marine Jamie Summerlin will pay homage to our country resting up for the final leg of his 100-day jog across America. Since setting off from Coos Bay, Oregon, Summerlin has run over 3,300 miles to raise money and awareness for a number of veteran organizations close to his heart. Summerlin fell in love with running… Read More >>

If I had to pick the best books about cops being published these days, I wouldn’t hesitate to name Joseph Wambaugh’s “Hollywood Station” series. I recommend you put the latest in the series, Harbor Nocturne, near the top of your summer reading list. Joseph Wambaugh knows of what he writes. His father was a police officer, and Wambaugh himself worked his way up… Read More >>

Just as I was stressing about how I was too busy to write this blog post during a short holiday workweek, I came across this terrific essay about “the busy trap” on the New York Time’s Opinionator blog. Author Tim Kreider’s revelations about the problematic rise of a “we’re-too-busy” culture rings so true, especially among these lazy days of summer. Here, one takeaway… Read More >>

If you're headed to the movies this Fourth of July, it's likely you'll see The Amazing Spider-Man, a reboot of the recent trilogy directed by Sam Raimi that's expected to rake in over $125 million this holiday weekend.

Haven't we had enough of the superhero origin story lately? (See: Batman Begins, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Daredevil, Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, X-Men, Green Lantern, Ghost Rider, and, well, the first Raimi-helmed Spider-Man). I'll gladly see Amazing, but as a big-time comic book fan, I… Read More >>

If you are like me, then maybe you too had a moment about a week ago at your local supermarket, when you paused with your hand on a package of chicken thighs. "You know," you might have said to yourself, "I think it's too hot to turn on the oven now, until September." And then you might have had a tiny moment of panic, like, okay... now what do we eat?… Read More >>

Fancy camera tricks—busted! If you've ever been disappointed entering a not-so-majestic hotel room after falling for it on the property's web site, then do we have a slideshow for you. Oyster.com pulled together a hilarious and surprising photo collection that proves a picture really does say a thousand (misleading) words. Exhibit A: the model with surfboard ... in the Jacuzzi! See the…Photo:… Read More >>

Two hundred thirty-six. That's how many years of freedom we've enjoyed since our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Shortly after adding his signature to the famous document, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail that the day, "ought to be [celebrated] with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells… Read More >>

In its most significant decision since Bush v. Gore in 2000, the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA), handing President Obama and the Democrats a major victory. The 5-4 ruling, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. joining the majority and writing the landmark opinion, preserved the central achievement of the Obama presidency but only… Read More >>

It used to be, the hardcover came out, then about a year later the paperback would, as regular as clockwork, end of story. Nowadays, the hardcover comes out, and the no-cover electronic edition probably comes out at the same time, along with the audiobook, and the poor forgotten paperback is like a little lost puppy that just sort of pops up out of nowhere… Read More >>

The Most Surprising Story to Go Viral This Week: The Atlantic magazine's "Why Women Still Can't Have It All," by former State Department official Anne-Marie Slaughter. Since the article went up on theatlantic.com a week ago, more than 775,000 people have read it, making it the most popular magazine story online for a five-day period, according to Omniture, an online research firm. The story also… Read More >>