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How the No. 2 pencil became a uniquely American school supply staple

For generations of Americans, a sharpened No. 2 pencil has represented childhood and coming of age. Still a fixture of back-to-school shopping lists, it outlines a child's first letters, erases their mistakes and lets them doodle in the margins when they daydream. For decades, sweaty hands ...

‘Finding Emily’ is the British rom-com we’ve been waiting for

Late August can be a depressing time at the movie theater, but there's a gem to be found in the British romantic comedy "Finding Emily," which opens in theaters Friday. Here, finally, is a smart, funny and sweet story about young love that moviegoing audiences deserve. Yes, the setup is ...

Celeste Ng novel studies a rather dysfunctional family

Dateless family portraits painted in shiny, wet oils. Tense, posed family photos — bodies frozen in a porcelain perfection — taken with bright smiles after a terse bark from dad. If you take each person and fold them forward like they were made of nothing but flimsy paper — a ...

Cyclospora outbreak reaches 3 more states

WASHINGTON — Parasitic illness cases linked to recalled iceberg lettuce have now been confirmed in 20 states, federal health officials said Thursday, expanding the scope of the largest outbreak of its kind in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration said government scientists have now ...