12:57am

Mon June 17, 2013
Crime In The City

In Neville's Thrillers, Belfast's Violent Past Still Burns

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:13 am

At 41, with long black hair, Stuart Neville looks more like the rock guitarist he used to be than the author he is now. He lives in a small town with his family — not in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the city that plays a central role in his thrillers, but just outside it.

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12:56am

Mon June 17, 2013
Books News & Features

This Blumesday Celebrates Judy, Not Joyce

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:31 am

Credit Suzanne Plunkett / AP

Today is Blumesday. Not the Bloomsday where readers celebrate James Joyce's novel Ulysses — that was Sunday. Today's Blumesday is also a holiday for literature lovers, but of a different sort.

Blumesday creators Joanna Miller and Heather Larimer are writers, and they're pretty well-read. But they were never huge fans of Ulysses. "We sort of self-deprecatingly said, 'Well, the only way we could participate in Bloomsday was if it were Judy Blumesday.' And then the joke turned into, 'Wait, why aren't we doing this?' " Miller explains.

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12:56am

Mon June 17, 2013
U.S.

Visa Exchange Program Draws Scrutiny Under Immigration Bill

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:33 am

Landing a job at a summer camp or at an amusement park is a rite of passage for many young Americans. Those jobs also appeal to foreigners participating in a cultural exchange using J-1 visas. But with U.S. youth unemployment at 25 percent, Congress is now taking a close look at the J-1 visa exchange program.

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12:53am

Mon June 17, 2013
It's All Politics

Wisconsin's Walker Downplays Presidential Buzz

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 11:13 am

Credit Morry Gash / AP

A little more than a year ago, Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall election after an epic battle with unions that gave him folk-hero status with many conservatives. Some political observers now consider him a presidential contender.

But Walker is downplaying that talk, even as he takes steps that hint at national ambition.

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5:37pm

Sun June 16, 2013
The Two-Way

Obama To Name Top Lawyer As Guantanamo Closure Envoy

Washington lawyer Clifford Sloan is expected to be President Obama's pick to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, NPR has confirmed.

The Associated Press, which first reported the news, said Sloan will reopen the Office of Guantanamo Closure, which was shut in January. A formal announcement is expected Monday.

Sloan is a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP law firm. His bio on the firm's website says:

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3:40pm

Sun June 16, 2013
National Security

Privacy Past And Present: A Saga Of American Ambivalence

Originally published on Sun June 16, 2013 4:17 pm

Credit Win McNamee / Getty Images

America's privacy concerns go back to the origins of the country itself.

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2:27pm

Sun June 16, 2013
Author Interviews

A Posthumous Tribute To Guns From A Sniper Shot To Death

Originally published on Sun June 16, 2013 4:17 pm

A killing on a Texas gun range in February captured the headlines. The victim was Chris Kyle, considered by many to be the most deadly sniper in American military history.

The man who admitted to killing him was a veteran as well — a young, disturbed man who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

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1:58pm

Sun June 16, 2013
Music Interviews

'Glee' Guy Matthew Morrison On His First Love: Broadway

Originally published on Sun June 16, 2013 4:22 pm

Credit Courtesy of the artist

Long before became known as Will Schuester — the lovable Spanish teacher and show choir director on TV's Glee — Matthew Morrison was dancing and singing, garnering Tony nods for his work on the Broadway stage.

Through it all, there was one song he always kept at the ready: "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady.

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1:54pm

Sun June 16, 2013
Author Interviews

Dr. Brazelton On Guiding Parents And Learning To Listen

Originally published on Sun June 16, 2013 4:17 pm

For the better part of the past century, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton has studied babies, helping change the way we think about and care for them — right from the time they take their first breaths.

The renowned pediatrician hosted the long-running TV show What Every Baby Knows, and has written more than 30 books about child development. Hospitals worldwide rely on his newborn assessment known as the Brazelton scale.

At age 95, he's still going strong.

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1:43pm

Sun June 16, 2013
Parallels

Iran's New President A Relative Moderate

Originally published on Mon June 17, 2013 1:52 pm

Credit Ebrahim Noroozi / AP

Calling it an era of wisdom and moderation, Iran's new president, Hasan Rowhani, vowed to integrate the country back into the international community and asked Western nations to adopt a more "respectful rhetoric" toward Iran.

His triumph Saturday with 18 million votes, slightly over half of the cast ballots, surprised many Iranians who had suspected that the leadership would repeat the controversial elections of 2009 that led to the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. By accepting Rowhani's victory, the regime may be taking a step to restore some of its lost legitimacy.

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