Employee benefits are constantly evolving, and the trend line isn’t great for most workers.
National
“The most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it's carried out.”
— Then-Senator Chuck Hagel, R-Neb, responding in January, 2007, to President George W. Bush’s plan to send a “surge” of 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq. Nonetheless, the troops went. Under the command of General David Petraeus, they would help reverse the chaos bordering on civil war then enveloping the country, following the U.S. invasion three years before. Hagel is among the top candidates to succeed Leon Panetta at the Pentagon.
The Lesson of the Boy in the Pink Ballet Flats
Amazingly enough, the big parenting story this week concerns a pair of pink zebra-patterned shoes.
Of Shipmates, On and Off the Water, Pens, and Holidays
I got my Christmas cards out early this year. I had some time after Thanksgiving to write short notes, and I mailed them the end of November. A little early, but I still think it is fun to send and receive, and heaven knows, the …
Red-Winged Greybirds Heading for Home…
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower steams across the Atlantic Ocean headed for its homeport in Norfolk, Va., Dec. 10, after supporting missions in Afghanistan.
OK in Iraq, But Wounded at Home
Army National Guard Major Selina Herndon recently did an interview with the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where she was asked how well her unit did once back home following a year-long deployment to Iraq …
Pakistan: Ally or Killer?
Sometimes, like blind men feeling the elephant, you can get a markedly different sense of a situation depending on who is speaking, Check out these two statements, made within hours of one another on opposite sides of the world …
P4: Pulling No Punches on Petraeus and Paula
Sarah Chayes served as a special adviser to then-Army General David Petraeus as he settled into his final Army assignment: running the war in Afghanistan. Over at Foreign Policy, she pens her recollection on how the relationship …
Childhood Obesity Rates Drop Slightly In Some Cities: What Are They Doing Right?
Finally, a little good news concerning the nation’s rising obesity rates: rates among children in some cities and states are starting to drop.
The War of 1812: Setting the Course for a Superpower
We think of the War of 1812 as one of the nation’s lesser wars (2,260 U.S. KIA), perhaps on par – in our collective memory, at least – with the Spanish-American (385) and Mexican-American (1,733) conflicts. But in this, the …
Paraphrased Quote on Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to Be Removed
The U.S. Department of the Interior has decided to eliminate the controversial paraphrased quotation engraved on the north side of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Election Set to Boost Japan’s Military — Honestly
TOKYO – A stronger military, a more assertive foreign policy and a bunch of new headaches for everybody – that’s what’s likely to come out of this weekend’s elections in Japan. Oh, and maybe a little more honesty about …
Guess Where Banks Are Sticking Their Fine Print Now?
When I lived in a studio apartment with no closets after college, I got really good at finding inventive ways to stash unsightly stuff like drain cleaner and dirty laundry out of sight.