The Dark Side

"And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on like a madman." — The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

It was as if he were two people. Most of the time, Xavia Jones was a mellow, caring father to his daughter, Catherine. He was an ex-con determined to self-improve, a CNN junkie who studied after work at the Miami Beach Convention Center to earn union certification.

But more and more often, something terrible was taking hold of the lanky Opa-locka native whose skin was inked with Imm... full story >>

Oak Cliff's Chango Botanica Believes Its Folk Remedies Are Good For What Ails You. But What's Ailing The Botanica May Have No Cure.

Most of us live in a world ruled by science and mathematics, a world without magic or spirits, where things that can't be seen, known or explained don't exist. For many, the act of lighting a candle or burning incense paired with saying a few lines from some ancient prayer does little more than provide a warm, peaceful glow. So the idea that taking a ritual bath or drinking herbal tea can ward off the evil spirits making you sick may seem, well, foreign. But scattered throughout Dallas and much of the Southwest are retail establishments known as botánicas (translated, plant stores) t... full story >>

Mile Hi-Ennial: Colorado explains itself to the world

A Day in the Right to Life

My instructions finally came in the mail on an early winter morning when no one else was in the house. That was good. The papers said I shouldn't share this information with anyone.

I looked over everything, and when I felt that I had a handle on what had to be done, I walked upstairs to the master bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Here was the bulk of the problem, at least in my house. According to the list I was holding, almost every product on my shelves was helping women get abortions.

I'd just have to suffer through my hangovers because the Tylenol Extra Strengt... full story >>

Is excited delirium killing coked-up, stun-gunned Miamians?

"And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on like a madman." — The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

It was as if he were two people. Most of the time, Xavia Jones was a mellow, caring father to his daughter, Catherine. He was an ex-con determined to self-improve, a CNN junkie who studied after work at the Miami Beach Convention Center to earn union certification.

But more and more often, something terrible was taking hold of the lanky Opa-locka native whose skin was inked with "Im... full story >>

Welcome to Mi Pueblito: The Small-Town, Family-Farm Lifestyle That We Cherish Is Being Preserved Thanks to Mexican Immigrants

It took him a week, several bus rides, and one coyote-led walk across the border to reach Wapato. Just two months later, he was deported, after a traffic stop brought his illegal status to light.

So he made the illicit journey again. Soon enough, he ... full story >>

Facial Profiling

The science of biometrics is exactly what it sounds like — measurement of the living body, including quantification of such physical characteristics as fingerprints, eyes, and voice. But in recent years it has come to be associated most immediately by laypersons with one particular type of biometric analysis: facial recognition.

In the years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, techniques for precisely identifying strangers by their most public and easily recorded attributes — their faces — seemed to hold great promise as a means for improving national se... full story >>

Ronnie's Kids

On a hot Tuesday night in Jackson Heights, in a storefront next to a Rent-a-Center on Roosevelt Avenue, a meeting room fills rapidly. Over the din of the elevated 7 train, the large hall buzzes with Spanish dialects from various Latin American countries.

The space is the Queens home of Make the Road New York, an advocacy group that fights on behalf of immigrants. It's standing-room-only for a dozen of the 60 people there; the room is humming by the time Segrereo Mendez arrives. Quite a few of the people there know the 61-year-old native Honduran, a longtime worker in the garment indu... full story >>

Twin Cities Thinkers

Four decades ago, an eclectic group of community leaders—CEOs, nonprofit directors, clergymen, educators, and bureaucrats—gathered for an invite-only, weeklong retreat at Itasca State Park. All the big family names were there—the Daytons, the Pillsburys, the Bemises. Eighty of the Twin Cities' most prominent citizens were all in the same room, listening to the same message.

Each morning, a world-class speaker took on a topic that would become relevant to the state of Minnesota in subsequent years. The speakers touched on urban schools, government, city life, and co... full story >>