The Violence Against Women Act has protected crime victims and helped police and prosecutors take violent criminals off our streets for nearly 20 years. After it became law in 1994, it was reauthorized, with robust support from both parties, in 2000 and 2005.

COMMENTARY-Branson-End-War-On-Drugs

In 1925, H. L. Mencken wrote an impassioned plea: "Prohibition has not only failed in its promises but actually created additional serious and disturbing social problems throughout society. There is not less drunkenness in the Republic but more. There is not less crime, but more. ... The cost of government is not smaller, but vastly greater. Respect for law has not increased, but diminished." This week marks the 79th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in December 1933, but Mencken's plea could easily apply to today's global policy on drugs.

COMMENTARY-schwartz-un-entrepreneurs

There are up to 7 billion geniuses in this world -- are you one of them? How can we nurture the world's many talented people so they most effectively contribute to the world's economic health? Start by figuring out what they need to flourish and how to overcome the barriers that stand in their way.

COMMENTARY-Bennett-student-debt

A college degree was once synonymous with academic excellence and workforce readiness. Today, it seems synonymous with debt and underemployment.

COMMENTARY-Okail-Egypt-Morsy

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy is miscalculating the rage of his people.

US-Education---Opinion---Longer-school-days

Now that five states are planning to add 300 hours of class time in an effort to close the achievement gap and re-imagine the school day, I can only come to one conclusion: Something's got to give.

ENTERTAINMENT/TECH/SPORT

TECH-Facebook-Parents-Kids

As they move from their early teens to their late teens, kids no longer want to be pals with Mom and Dad. Teenage boys are much less likely than girls to initiate conversations with their parents. And moms baby their sons.

ENT-Brittany-Murphy-Final-Film

Brittany Murphy wrapped production on her final film before she died in December 2009, and it might soon be available for viewing.

ENT-55th-Grammy-Nominations

When the Grammy Nominations Concert wrapped up in Nashville on Wednesday, the night was likely still young for Fun. because the group had plenty to celebrate. The band joined The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean and Mumford & Sons as the lead nominees for the 55th Grammy Awards, with each earning six nods.

ENT-Dennis-Haysbert-Sin-City-Sequel

The "Sin City" sequel is working to bring "24's" Dennis Haysbert aboard as the lethal character Manute, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

SPORT-tiger-woods-mcilroy-rivals-golf

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso -- this year has witnessed the evolution of some classic rivalries that bode for an intriguing 2013 sporting calendar.

SPORT-Diego-Mendieta-indonesia-football

Diego Mendieta was a man who needed help. There he lay, helpless. Alone. Dying. There were no news stories. There was no #prayforMendieta hashtag, not even a line on the internet. With the world oblivious to his plight, the Paraguayan, thousands of miles from home, passed away at the age of 32 in an Indonesian hospital on Tuesday. Mendieta was a footballer who formerly played for Persis Solo, a club based 90 minutes' flight from the capital Jakarta.

TECH-apple-made-in-US-cook

Apple will begin manufacturing a computer in the United States next year, says CEO Tim Cook, marking a shift in perhaps the most-criticized element of the company's beloved gadget empire.

TECH-imac-disc-drive

Could the phrase "burn a disc" soon be interred in the digital graveyard, resting peacefully alongside "You've got mail!" and the chirping, buzzing hum of a dial-up modem? Some technology analysts, along with some of the most influential computer makers in the world, say yes. Optical disc drives take up precious space in our ever-shrinking gadgets, and the ability to stream music or movies on demand has made CDs and DVDs less essential.

FEA-What-Does-Local-Food-Mean

The term "local" is used frequently in conversations centered on the American food system. Is it 50 miles from your home or 500? Must the food be purchased directly from the farmer? Can the food be sourced by a retailer and sold under a "local" label for stronger buying power?

T+L-christmas-lights

Blame it on my childhood. During the 1970's in suburban Worcester, Massachusetts, it was long my mother's ambition to grace our brick Colonial with hush-inducing purity. She thought that by putting a single candle in each of the windows at Christmas, our house would be the envy of the neighborhood--- a magical locus of holiday coziness and kinship, the visual equivalent of nutmeg.