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Subtitle: Their history informs fantastical myths and legends, while American tales tend to focus on moral realism. Article: If Harry Potter and Huckleberry Finn were each to represent British versus American children’s literature, a curious dynamic would emerge: In a literary duel for the hearts and minds of children, one is a wizard-in-training at a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands, while the other is a barefoot boy drifting down the Mississippi, beset by con artists, slave hunters, and thieves. One defeats evil with a wand, the other takes to a raft to right a social wrong. Both orphans took...

If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, yea, return unto Me; And if thou wilt put away thy detestable things out of My sight, and wilt not waver; and wilt swear: 'As the LORD liveth' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; Then shall the nations bless themselves by Him, and in Him shall they glory. Jeremiah 4:1-2

After publication of a recent investigation about Clayton Homes, Berkshire Hathaway's mobile-home subsidiary, Clayton put out a lengthy news release defending its practices and denying some of the investigation's key findings, including that Clayton targets minority customers and charges them higher borrowing rates. In the weeks before publication, Berkshire Hathaway and Clayton Homes declined to talk to reporters or to answer questions provided in writing. Clayton did not respond to a request to comment for this story. The Mobile-Home Trap Billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett controls a mobile-home empire that promises low-income borrowers affordable houses. But all too often, it traps...

Some spectator video shows the Greek freighter Olga M bang its way through the old Evripos Bridge in Chalcis, Greece. According to reports, neither the bridge or vessel sustained significant damage in the incident, although after watching the video I find that hard to believe.

Multiple people have been reported injured after an explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, Turkish media reported Tuesday. Private NTV television said the explosion in the Sultanahmet neighborhood was close to a park that is home to a landmark obelisk. The state-run Anadolu Agency says several police and medics were sent to the area. Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion. Sultanahmet is Istanbul's main sight-seeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque.

If there was any crime committed in the making of Sean Penn's Rolling Stone interview with Mexican druglord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman - and rest assured, federal authorities are inquiring - it's the murder by slow, excruciating torture of the reader's patience. Before ever reaching Penn's Q&A with the cartel chief-cum-international fugitive, one must endure 9,000 words - yes, Nine Thousand - of Penn's sanctimonious, self-indulgent, violently purple, and generally grammatically dubious prose. Example: >>>I'd offered myself to experiences beyond my control in numerous countries of war, terror, corruption and disaster. Places where what can go wrong will go wrong,...

Two members of the order of Catholic nuns waging a court battle against President Obama’s signature health-care reform law will attend his final State of the Union address Tuesday as guests of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis). The Little Sisters of Poor are challenging the health law’s requirement that group insurance plans offer contraceptive coverage at no additional cost.

Explanation: What's California doing in space? Drifting through the Orion Arm of the spiral Milky Way Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of California on the west coast of the United States. Our own Sun also lies within the Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,500 light-years from the California Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. On the featured image, the most prominent glow of the California Nebula is the red light characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons, stripped away (ionized) by energetic starlight. The...

The strengthening U.S. dollar could send oil plunging to $20 per barrel. That's the view of analysts at Morgan Stanley. In a report published Monday, they say a 5% increase in the value of the dollar against a basket of currencies could push oil down by between 10% and 25% -- which would mean prices falling by as much as $8 per barrel. Crude oil prices are already trading at around $31, near their lowest levels in 12 years. Prices tumbled over 6% on Monday, and are 16% down so far this year. Oil has dropped more than 65% since...

The Israeli embassy in Britain sent a letter of complaint to a Muslim Labour MP after she claimed that no Israeli children had been killed by rock-throwing Palestinians, The Jewish Chronicle reported Monday. During a parliamentary debate on child detainees and prisoners in Palestinian Authority-controlled territories, the MP Naz Shah claimed it was “absolutely unacceptable” to arrest children. She then claimed the Israeli government had provided no evidence of Israeli children being killed or injured by Palestinian minors protesting in Judea and Samaria. “The fact is that the disproportionality of someone throwing a stone or a rock and being detained...

Vice President Biden heaped praise on Hillary Clinton's chief opponent in the Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), for his "deep and real" focus on income inequality. Biden said Clinton has come up with some "thoughtful" solutions to the issue, but that people might question her authenticity on the wage and income gaps because she has only begun speaking about it recently. "I think that Bernie is speaking to a yearning that is deep and real. And he has credibility on that," Biden said Monday in an interview with CNN. Asked about the fact Hillary has spoken about the...

Police have confirmed there are multiple stabbing victims early Monday evening from an attack at the Goodwill store in Tillman's Corner. Witnesses tell FOX10 News three people were stabbed - all men and employees of Goodwill. We're told their injuries include wounds to the back, neck and side. James Reymundo and his family were among several customers inside the store at the time of the stabbing. "We came down here to pick me up some more work pants and this guy come through the back door. By the time he made it inside he had already stabbed one employee. And...

Ever since the EU restricted sales of traditional incandescent light bulbs, homeowners have complained about the shortcomings of their energy-efficient replacements. The clinical white beam of LEDs and frustrating time-delay of 'green' lighting has left many hankering after the instant, bright warm glow of traditional filament bulbs. But now scientists in the US believe they have come up with a solution which could see a reprieve for incandescent bulbs. Researchers at MIT have shown that by surrounding the filament with a special crystal structure in the glass they can bounce back the energy which is usually lost in heat, while...

Hillary Clinton is responding to last week's bombshell by scrupulously adhering to her scandal playbook: Downplay, deflect, deny. An email released late last week appeared to show then-Secretary Clinton instructing a subordinate to transmit classified materials through non-secure means in 2011. When a secure fax system failed to work properly, an impatient Clinton requested that the materials she needed be turned "into non paper w no identifying heading and [sent] nonsecure." The State Department reacted to this apparently incriminating exchange by calling into question whether the information was ever actually sent (which isn't exactly exculpatory for Hillary), and suggesting that...

The US Supreme Court rejected on Monday an appeal from a pro-Israel group seeking to place ads on the Boston-area mass transit system, AP reports. The ads are sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), also known as Stop Islamization of American, and they describe the Israel-Palestinian conflict as a war between the "civilized man and the savage." The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) initially rejected the AFDI ads, asserting they could be construed as "demeaning or disparaging" to Palestinian Arabs and Muslims. ...

If bison had 9 lives, Sparky has used up eight of them. This lucky bison is a resident at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa and managed to survive being struck by lightning in 2013. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Interior, Sparky's prognosis wasn't good and they weren't sure he would survive. "But he proved us wrong!"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced growing pressure to harden her line on refugees on Monday as the first extensive police report on New Year's Eve violence in Cologne documented rampant sexual assaults on women by gangs of young migrant men. Cologne police said at least 11 foreigners, including Pakistanis, Guineans and Syrians, had been injured on Sunday evening in attacks by hooligans bent on revenge for the assaults in the western city. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere condemned those attacks and warned against a broader backlash against refugees following the events in Cologne, which have deepened scepticism towards Merkel's policy...

"Yogi Berra said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” But here goes. Barring a major political earthquake, Ted Cruz will be the GOP nominee later this year." ... "In summary, Trump is maxed out and will decline as his voters are sobered up by thoughts of a November disaster. Cruz can pick up voters from every other camp, as people focus more and more on the candidates and the realistic alternatives. Cruz is more electable in November, has better organization, and will attract both opposition and establishment GOP voters. He has momentum, and his victory in Iowa...

Crimson Tide tight end O.J. Howard had 208 yards receiving and two touchdowns while Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry scored three times. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson passed for 405 yards with four touchdown throws and rushed for another 73 yards in the Tigers' first loss of the season. Receiver Hunter Renfrow caught seven passes for 88 yards, two of those were touchdown receptions in the first quarter.

I'm old enough to remember the hand wringing. The GOP must reach out to libertarians, they said. Young people are too libertarian for the GOP, was the claim. When we at RedState banned Ron Paul supporters, we were told we were part of the problem, keeping the GOP from ever winning again, because Paul was reaching an 'untapped strain' of voter. Well, here we are in 2016, and Ted Cruz has heard the complaints. He is winning over libertarians, seeking to expand the base to win the nomination and the election. For Ted Cruz to win over Steve Hoffman, a...