Society and Culture

To call someone a Neanderthal is to liken one to the heavy browed, ape-like troglodytes we see in history books or movies, but were they more…

Kazuo Ueda toiled quietly in southern Japan for two decades in a quest both impressive and quixotic: compiling the world's first Yiddish-Japanese dictionary. It's the first time the Jewish language has been translated into a non-European language other than Hebrew.

Rachel Veitch can't drive her beloved 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente any more because of her eyesight. Her "Chariot" has been with her nearly five decades and for more miles than a trip to the moon and back. She never considered trading in the car she loves.

After prevailing in a grueling Lego build-off by replicating a Picasso sculpture, 23-year-old Andrew Johnson of Illinois is the newest — and youngest — person to earn the title master model builder. Which means he'll get paid to build things with Legos.

They complain a bit more than everyone else, and they often share their negative views and feelings when face to face with friends and acquaintances. Researchers wondered whether those behavior patterns would hold true online.

Enoteca Maria, an Italian restaurant on Staten Island, has no head chef. Instead, the owner brings in Italian grandmas to cook up the regional dishes they learned from their parents and grandparents.

Can hair stylists display a barber pole outside their businesses? Many barbers say not if a barber doesn't work there and argue it should be against the law. Minnesota could soon join 10 other states that have already banned the practice.

The program will be an unofficial competitor at the 35th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in New York this week. Its creator says it solves clues in much the way humans do. But the program isn't without its flaws. One weakness: pun-filled puzzles.

One hundred years ago Juliette Gordon Low gathered together a group of girls to take them out of their isolated home environments and introduce them to community service and the open air. A few things have changed since then for today's girls.

This spring, Les and Scott GrantSmith will mark their 25th wedding anniversary. The couple raised two daughters along the way. But 15 years ago, they hit a crisis that nearly broke the family apart. They solved it by embracing a unique approach — and each other.