Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
World Sep 22, 2013
Vetting firms 'rush' through security clearances
by Jia Lynn Yang
When Ileana Privetera started working for the contractor USIS, the firm that vetted National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis, it sounded like the perfect job. A mother, she would have flexible hours for her family, and she ...
Crime Sep 22, 2013
Shooter's erratic, violent behavior overlooked
Aaron Alexis’ erratic and violent behavior was ignored, overlooked or dismissed for nine years by police, the military, the Department of Veterans Affairs and his employer, creating a series of missed opportunities that might have stopped the Washington Navy Yard gunman, according to records ...
Crime | Focus Sep 22, 2013
Alexis was atypical Buddhist
by Michelle Boorstein and Elizabeth Tenety
Aaron Alexis had a gold Buddha in his room, a regular meditation practice and a gun with him “at all times,” according to a friend. At one point, he aspired to be a monk. He wound up a killer. Of the many details that ...
Crime Sep 19, 2013
Capitol Police were ordered to leave Navy Yard
U.S. Capitol Police officials are reviewing reports that tactical team members were ordered to leave the scene after they responded to Monday’s shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. A Capitol Police officer said he thinks officers could have made a quick entry into the ...
Crime Sep 18, 2013
Federal gun laws failed to block Washington Navy Yard shooter
The gunman who killed 12 people before being shot dead by police at the Washington Navy Yard had a history of violent outbursts, was at least twice accused of firing guns in anger and was in the early stages of treatment for serious mental ...
Review Sep 7, 2013
Amusing graphic novel about bipolar disorder
by Rachel Cooke
Until she was 30, Ellen Forney, an award-winning Seattle-based artist, took her slightly unusual personality for granted. Her obsession with exercise, her impulsive sexuality, her bouts of ecstasy: she considered these things, however uncomfortable, a major part of who she was. After all, aren’t ...
Crime Aug 25, 2013
Mental health courts seek to treat, rather than jail
by Stephanie Mccrummen
The charge was stealing a tow truck. The defendant was a baby-faced 27-year-old in shorts and a Chicago Bulls jersey. His hair was slightly matted, wrists cuffed in front, hands clutching a brown paper bag, demeanor slackened by anti-psychotic medications. “Why don’t we take ...