Boeing's glitchy "virtual fence" may go the way of the Spruce Goose, the Stanley Steamer and Sony's Betamax: All were technological innovations that worked well on paper and less well in the real world. After much hemming and hawing, the Department of Homeland Security this week finally approved Boeing's $20 million assemblage of towers, cameras, radar and computers strung out over 28 miles of Arizona's border with Mexico. But the department said it has no ... [full story]

The style and wit of William F. Buckley Jr. will be sorely missed in U.S. politics. The founder of modern American conservatism, Buckley also was a novelist, columnist, editor, television talk show host, trans-ocean sailor, Central Intelligence Agency operative, Army officer and half-serious candidate for public office. Buckley died Wednesday at age 82. National Review, the magazine he founded in 1955, grew into conservatism's intellectual center and later translated to political success with election of ... [full story]

One could have hoped that "Shrek," with its moralizing switcheroo ending, imposed at least a generation-long hold on the ugly-princess-with-a-curse template. But that would have been a squandering of hope, which, come to think of it, doesn't do you any good when you're born, as the poor little rich girl Penelope (Christina Ricci) was, with the snout of a pig. Because it seems the snout-curse will be lifted only when she is accepted by one ... [full story]

Former UAW President Douglas A. Fraser, who died Saturday at 91, was a tough negotiator who sought the best deal for his members. But he also knew that unless the companies where his members worked stayed in business, the best labor contract didn't mean anything. Fraser played a key role in Chrysler's survival in the late 1970s, when the company won $1.5 billion in loan guarantees from the federal government, which helped it stay afloat. ... [full story]

The men in the Alexandria Police Band are way, way out of their element. Having arrived in Israel to play at the opening of an Arab cultural center, they've taken a bus in exactly the wrong direction and now find themselves stranded outside a small desert town.   'THE BAND'S VISIT' - Fresh from Egypt, the Alexandria Police Band finds itself stranded in Isreal's Negev desert in the comedy 'The Band's Visit.' CNS Photo courtesy of ... [full story]

Two-thirds of Cuba's 11.4 million people were born after Fidel Castro came to power nearly five decades ago. Having known no ruler other than Castro, they will have to wait yet a while longer before getting a leader by any other name. To no one's surprise, the ailing dictator's younger brother, 76-year-old Raul, has been named his successor as president. For the foreseeable future, then, Cuba will remain the personal domain of the Castros. Even ... [full story]

Despite all the best intentions, all the necessary knowledge and tools and a ton of money, some things are just very hard to do. Like ridding the world of polio. In the 53 years since Dr. Jonas Salk announced the development of a safe and effective killed-virus injectable vaccine, followed six years later by Dr. Albert Sabin's live-virus oral vaccine, the disease has essentially been eradicated in the United States. There have been no new ... [full story]

The 2008 season for the Central District of the Oregon High School Equestrian Teams (OHSET) has begun, and the top three winners of each event for the recent OHSET meet have been announced.  The Redmond, Dalles/Wahtonka Union and Dufur High School teams excelled, taking home first-place team honors in the large, medium, and small team divisions. According to Kathy Russell, Central District media representative, the next meet will be held March 28-30 at the Deschutes ... [full story]

Planning a nice family vacation this summer to one of the country's 390 gorgeous national parks? Great. But be warned: You may soon have to worry about park visitors legally packing loaded guns at the ready. Nearly half the U.S. Senate - eight Democrats and 39 Republicans, including GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain - signed on to a December letter urging Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to eliminate the decades-old requirement that rifles, shotguns or other ... [full story]

Anaheim, CA - Boyd Coddington, the creative visionary who took hot rodding to an art form and custom wheels to a new level dies at 63. Coddington who was a long-time diabetic died from complications that were brought on from a recent surgery. It was Coddingtons’ ever forward-looking view at the design and art of the hot rod and his unconditional desire to create the finest quality cars that became the “Boyd Look”. “It is ... [full story]