The Fourth of July is a time to express patriotism, and all these activities embody love of our nation and the freedoms it bestows.  read more »

Which North Shore project would you bet on to have the longest delays and cost overruns before opening: Don Barden's Majestic Star Casino or Port Authority's light-rail extension?  read more »

Starting next month, mailboxes will be stuffed with government-issued checks that President George W. Bush wants us to spend to stimulate the economy. It would be better if we stimulated personal debt-reduction plans.  read more »

As film genres go, one of the weakest and most misunderstood by filmmakers is that of the "teenager coming of age" movie.  read more »

Two hundred thirty-one years ago, the founders of this nation signed a mission statement for the country they intended to liberate.  read more »

Figure skating in some ways is not unlike professional wrestling. Both are steeped in high drama, colorful artifice and outcomes that can be as incomprehensible as they are political.  read more »

"Wild Hogs" is a biker picture for males of a different era. It's not so much trying to be "Easy Rider" as it is "Wheezy Rider."  read more »

It has been said that a friend is someone who knows everything about you and likes you anyway. The new film "Notes on a Scandal" takes that adage and twists and mangles it into one of the most riveting psychological thrillers of this new year.  read more »