In 11th grade, Allante Rhodes spent 50 minutes a day in a Microsoft Word class at Anacostia Senior High School in Washington. He was determined to go to college, and he figured that knowing Word was a prerequisite. But on a good day, only six of the school's 14 computers worked. He never knew which ones until he sat down and searched for a flicker of life on the screen. "It was like Russian roulette," says Rhodes, a tall young ...

By In 1998, it looked as though the movie world was about to knock Michelle Rodriguez out of the ring. The would-be actress was living with her mother in Jersey City, N.J., and laboring as an extra in movies like Summer of Sam; the thankless, anonymous work was wearing her out. Then she saw an ad in Back Stage for a Latina actress to portray a boxer in a new film. Rodriguez didn't box and had ...

In May 2010, Barack Obama invited a small group of presidential historians to the White House for a working supper in the Family Dining Room. It was the second time he'd had the group in since taking office, and as he sat down across the table from his wife Michelle, the President pressed his guests for lessons from his predecessors. But as the conversation progressed, it became clear to several in the room that Obama seemed less ...

Once upon a time royals and elites had to don elaborate disguises to mingle with their people. Now they have Twitter. Bruni's site, in a typically tongue-in-cheek style that has been criticized by some as pretentious, writes: "Three weeks after NATO, the Sarkozy couple's visit to Spain is once more an opportunity to compare the styles of First Ladies. As with Michelle Obama, it is a beauty contest between Princess Letizia, a former star journalist, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, ex-top model. ...

Seeing lightness and color are the simplest sensations the brain has. And yet even at this most basic level we never see the light that falls onto our eyes (called the retinal image) or even the real-world source of that image. Bruni's site, in a typically tongue-in-cheek style that has been criticized by some as pretentious, writes: "Three weeks after NATO, the Sarkozy couple's visit to Spain is once more an opportunity to compare the styles of First Ladies. As ...

Supporters of Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics were shocked Friday by news that the city was the first of four finalists to be eliminated from consideration. The news from the International Olympic Committee came mere hours after President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama delivered personal appeals to the selection committee, praising the virtues of their hometown. "I'm totally stunned. I thought we had a great opportunity," NBA great Michael Jordan told CNN. Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls ...

U.S. President Barack Obama urged the International Olympic Committee on Friday to pick his hometown of Chicago as the host of the 2016 Games, saying the city represents the American dream as well as the Olympic spirit. Obama's address to the 106 IOC members gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, was the highlight of the Chicago bid committee's final presentation before the vote to choose the host city. "Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us ...

After flying through the night for seven hours aboard Air Force One, nobody would blame President Obama for being at least slightly groggy when he arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a quick four hours to make the final pitch for Chicago to host the 2016 Olympics. Maybe that explains why the president seemed to snag the silver medal while first lady Michelle Obama, who's been in Copenhagen a couple of days, clearly took the gold with an emotional speech focused ...

President Obama urged the International Olympic Committee on Friday to pick his hometown of Chicago as the host of the 2016 Games, saying the city represents the American dream as well as the Olympic spirit. Obama's address to the 106 IOC members gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, was the highlight of the Chicago bid committee's final presentation before the vote to choose the host city. "Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us different, just as we ...

A commander of an al Qaeda-linked terror group was killed in Pakistan by a suspected U.S. drone strike, Pakistani military officials said Friday. Obama's address to the 106 IOC members gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, was the highlight of the Chicago bid committee's final presentation before the vote to choose the host city. "Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us different, just as we celebrate what we have in common," Obama said. He pointed out that ...