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The Syrian President’s Speech: Surprise! There’s No Surprise

It’s not as if President Bashar al-Assad didn’t have time to go through a few revisions of his much anticipated, much delayed speech before he finally delivered it to Syria’s pliant parliamentarians on Wednesday. It fell well short of the expectations of many, but the MPs gushed over their 45-year-old leader, rising to their feet several times to cheer and chant “with our souls and with our blood we will sacrifice for you Bashar!” and “God, Syria, Bashar — only!” At least a dozen stood to shout their support during his speech, or spout sycophantic poetry — though some of the TV shots seemed to have been set up to capture these ostensibly spontaneous events before they happened.

I Can’t Take It with Me

I have never felt the need to make a will.

Suze Orman on ‘Money Class,’ Death of the American Dream

Personal-finance guru Suze Orman is famous for her no-holds-barred advice. And in her latest book, The Money Class , she urges recession-battered Americans to be just as honest with themselves.

At Vienna Nuclear-Fuel Talks, Iran Snubs France, Sarkozy

It should come as no surprise that Iran wants to shunt France out of a deal to enrich its nuclear fuel abroad. Dividing its enemies and isolating the more hawkish among them has been a hallmark of Tehran’s diplomacy, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy routinely plays the tough cop with Iran, threatening and goading its leaders and urging U.S.

India’s Floods Reveal Climate Change Specter

Indian farmers had been praying for rain after the weakest monsoon season in 40 years had left their crops stricken by drought. But when the rains finally came, forceful and incessant at six times their normal levels, they left behind the worst floods southern India had seen in more than a century

Movie Review of ‘Paranormal Activity’, a Horror Film Phenomenon

Oh, sweet Jesus, that nice couple Kate and Micah are about to go to sleep again! But they already suspect that their house is haunted.

Serena sent crashing by Russian Petrova

World number one-elect Serena Williams has crashed out of the China Open, beaten in three sets by Russian Nadia Petrova just two days after reclaiming the top position. Second seed Williams battled back several times but was unable to overcome the 13th seed, who reached the quarterfinals 6-4 3-6 7-6 in Beijing

Film shows how newspaper family ‘invented’ Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Times’ headquarters aptly sits where the U.S.

Ex-prosecutor admits he lied about Polanski case

A retired prosecutor whose comments in a 2008 HBO documentary threatened to derail a 31-year-old sex case against film director Roman Polanski now says he lied. David Wells told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday that he “buttered up” his role in the Polanski case for the documentary crew.

Columnist William Safire dies at 79

William Safire, a onetime speechwriter for President Nixon who became a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times, has died at age 79, the newspaper announced Sunday. Safire joined the Times as a columnist in 1973.