Since the revolution in 1959 Cuba has been many things to many people, but the collapse of the Soviet Union meant few have seen the island state as a vision of the future. As worries about "peak oil" grow in developed nations, the communist republic is proving to be an increasingly popular example of how to cope when the spigots run dry, for the simple reason: they've already been there. With the loss of supplies from oil-rich Russia ...

Whether entrenched in business meetings or stuck on a layover, you may find yourself in Chicago with limited time to spare. But this vibrant city has so much to offer that it's worth using every free moment to see something new. Here are some of the things I managed slip in on a recent business trip to Chicago. Museum: The famous Art Institute of Chicago (111 S. Michigan Ave.) has enough rooms of artwork to keep a person exploring ...

New research suggests that crabs not only suffer pain but that they retain a memory of it. The study, which was carried out by Professor Bob Elwood and Mirjam Appel from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University, Belfast, looked at the reactions of hermit crabs to small electric shocks. It was published in the journal "Animal Behaviour." Professor Elwood, whose previous work showed that prawns endure pain, said his research highlighted the need to investigate the ...

But after chewing the fruit and rubbing the pulp against the tongue, the berry, known by a promising name -- "miracle fruit" or Synsepalum dulcificum -- releases a sweetening potency that alters the taste buds. For about 15 to 30 minutes, everything sour is sweet. Lemons lose their zing and taste like candy. Oranges become sickeningly sweet. Hot sauce that usually burns the tongue tastes like honey barbecue sauce that scorches as it trickles down the ...

Every surgery poses risk, as doctors will inform you, but in most cases it's a necessary one. The benefits of going under the knife frequently outweigh the risks of infection or complications, or the dangers associated with anesthesia. But balancing the benefits and risks is more difficult when the patients are babies, the most fragile population. Now a new study from the Mayo Clinic, published March 24 in the journal Anesthesiology, finds a link between exposure to anesthesia during surgery ...

Every day, unemployed men gather under the elevated 7 train in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry. At around 9:30 each night, relief comes in the form of Jorge Munoz's white pickup truck, filled with hot food, coffee and hot chocolate. The men eagerly accept containers of chicken and rice from Munoz, devouring the food on the spot. Quiet gratitude radiates from the crowd. For many, this is their only hot meal ...

Want to know where the presidential produce comes from? Take a walk past the White House. The answer may be planted right in front of you. First lady Michelle Obama helped break ground on a new White House organic "kitchen garden" Friday. It will be the first working garden at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a so-called "victory garden" at the height of World War II. This time, however, the enemy is obesity. The first family is hoping ...

Last fall, soon after congress decided it would spend $700 billion to shore up the nation's flailing financial system, about 100 shareholders of Reunion Bank of Florida gathered for a party. Over crab fondue and London broil, they toasted the start of their spanking new bank. It had been decades since a locally grown bank had opened in Tavares, an old citrus hub about an hour by car from Orlando. "We had folks drive from 45 miles away," recalls Reunion ...

Bangladeshi authorities found seven bodies in the charred remains of a massive shopping complex that caught fire Friday afternoon. Along with the seven deaths, 15 people were injured, said Mahabubor Rahman, deputy commissioner of police. Rescuers were searching for more trapped shoppers Saturday. Authorities were also trying to determine what caused the blaze. Though the fire had been extinguished, it was unclear how many people remained inside the 22-story complex. "A lot of (people) could be (trapped) there," ...

At least eight people have died from eating tainted peanut products in recent months, and the Food and Drug Administration has absorbed much of the blame. It is the latest in a series of black eyes for the FDA over unsafe foods, dangerous medicines such as Vioxx and allegedly cozy ties with the pharmaceutical industry it regulates. President Obama has promised an overhaul of the $2 billion agency, and he believes he's found the woman to do it. Within days ...