Watch and wait
Election night could provide a quick White House winner, or a flood of mail-in ballots and social division could delay results for weeks
Voices
Marvin Olasky
Out of darkness
We Northern Hemisphere folks are now in the darkest month of the year-but in the last third of December the tide turns, naturally and supernaturally. Because of Jesus, "people dwelling in darkness...
Mailbag
Short-sighted I am still waiting to hear a good reason for why the Republicans lost their majorities in the House and Senate ("Election issue: Iraq and terrorism," Nov. 11). A third of evan...
Joel Belz
Over there
Dear Colin: It was good to bump into you at church yesterday morning. I'm glad you got home for Thanksgiving break, and I know your Mom and Dad were excited to have all six of you there to celebra...
Andrée Seu Peterson
A reason for the season
"Minister and not manipulate." That is the sum of many Scriptures. Twenty-three years ago (mothers can date everything by the ages of their children) I received, in exchange for babysitting...
Notebook
Sports
Hall of infamy
Baseball writers have a prickly decision ahead of them: For the first time, well-known players from baseball's steroids era will be on the Hall of Fame ballot. Released Nov. 27, the ballot contain...
Money
Deal breakers
Some of the biggest losers in the Nov. 7 election may be poor people in countries like Colombia and Peru. The reason: Those countries are next in line for free-trade agreements with the United Sta...
Culture
Movies & TV
Consider this one
They can't all be as funny as Waiting for Guffman. That said, while Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy's new film, For Your Consideration, doesn't measure up to their previous work, it's a simple, ...
Movies & TV
Minds and crimes
Unlike standard crime dramas, the CBS hit Criminal Minds (Wednesdays, 9 p.m., ET) focuses on the criminal, not the crime itself. The show delves into the "why" behind criminals' behavior, but igno...
Notable CDs
Bestselling CDs
Style: Carols, secular standards, modern folk, and one McLachlan original for solo female voice and magically simple settings. Worldview: Despite the nonspecific album title, half of the so...
Movies & TV
California dreamin'
Those hoping to gain some insight on Robert F. Kennedy's political career, what he might have brought to the presidency, and the events leading up to his assassination will have to wait for a Hist...
Dispatches
The Buzz Sidebar
Helping wounded warriors
Buying a Christmas gift for brothers-in-law or great aunts can be a frustrating experience. You don't know what they want, and they are not likely to remember for more than a moment what you give....
Quick Takes
Quick Takes
Fired on ice City officials in Boise, Idaho, weren't amused by a late-night fast-food run by temporary city employees. The pair, who worked at a public ice skating rink, heisted a pair of Z...
Quotables
Quotables
"The last time I checked, the first six letters of Christmas still spell out Christ." Paul Braoudakis, spokesman for the Barrington, Ill.-based Willow Creek Association, on Chicago official...
The Buzz
The Buzz
Iraq A four-day curfew in Baghdad to curb unprecedented violence ended Nov. 27, three days before President Bush arrived in Jordan to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. After a...