When clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach reached an impasse in talks with management over job security last week, they took what has become something of a rare step: They went on strike. Once a mainstay of the labor arsenal, strikes have largely fallen off since the early 1980s. So

Enlarge Spencer Platt/Getty Images Abandoned and flooded cars sit in the heavily damaged Rockaway neighborhood in Queens, on Nov. 2, 2012 in New York. It’s estimated that it could cost auto insurers $800 million to deal with all of the claims from the storm. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Abandoned and flooded cars sit in the heavily

There’s an event held every year in Washington known as the Saban Forum — named for Haim Saban, the Israeli-American media mogul who funds it. It’s a night of elbow-rubbing between D.C. and Middle East political leadership, though foreign dignitaries are mostly Israeli. At this year’s forum, held last week, Hillary Clinton was the keynote

Enlarge David Goldman/AP Judy Smith, of Dalton, Ga., looks over paperwork as she files for unemployment benefits in August after being laid off from a catering job. More than 2 million people who get extended benefits may lose them if Congress doesn’t act soon. David Goldman/AP Judy Smith, of Dalton, Ga., looks over paperwork as

Enlarge image Indian leftist activists rally in front of a Best Price store, owned by Wal-Mart and its Indian partner, Bharti, in Hyderabad in November. The rally was organized to protest foreign direct investment in India’s retail sector. Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images Indian leftist activists rally in front of a Best Price store, owned by Wal-Mart

Enlarge image The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the accidental release of chlorine gas at a Tyson Food plant could have been prevented with better communication. April L Brown/AP The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the accidental release of chlorine gas at a Tyson Food plant could have been prevented with

Enlarge Wade Payne/Invision/AP Nate Ruess of Fun performs at the Grammy Nominations Concert Live! at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. Wade Payne/Invision/AP Nate Ruess of Fun performs at the Grammy Nominations Concert Live! at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. The Grammy Awards celebrated the diversity

John McAfee, with a woman described as his girlfriend, on the way into the Supreme Court in Guatemala City on Tuesday. Johan Ordonez /AFP/Getty Images Wanted for questioning in Belize about the murder of a neighbor, anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee is sitting in a Guatemalan jail — and blogging about the experience. “I am

Enlarge image In an experiment, people who saw a picture of a big bowl of soup before eating lunch were less hungry a few hours later than those who saw a smaller bowl, regardless of how much they ate at the meal. stuart burford photography/iStockphoto.com In an experiment, people who saw a picture of a

Some top-tier business schools are offering more than just finance and marketing these days: Duke, UCLA, MIT and Stanford are all teaching improv. Professors say these techniques help students increase collaboration, creativity and risk taking. In an improvisational leadership class at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, instructor Daena Giardella coaches a scene where a hospital

Enlarge image Dairy farmer Bob Andrews feeds heifers in the same barn his grandfather used. He says today “the harder you work, the further you get behind.” David Sommerstein/NCPR Dairy farmer Bob Andrews feeds heifers in the same barn his grandfather used. He says today “the harder you work, the further you get behind.” David

Enlarge image Work can start again: This ship, loaded with containers, was sitting beneath idle cranes Tuesday at the Port of Los Angeles. Robyn Beck /AFP/Getty Images Work can start again: This ship, loaded with containers, was sitting beneath idle cranes Tuesday at the Port of Los Angeles. Robyn Beck /AFP/Getty Images A week-old strike