In their fascinating book, Freakonomics, economists Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner point out that one of the first acts of parental power comes in the naming of a child. Many believe the name carries great significance. The case of the Lane brothers may argue differently.

Back in 1958, a baby boy was born into the Lane family. Robert—the father—chose to name the boy Winner. How could ...

So you think you've had a bad day? It may take former NBA star and current Phoenix TV commentator Edward Arnett Johnson a long time to get over the worst day of his life. Johnson, 6' 8" tall and 47 years old, has a history of strong character and community service, working with children and giving motivational speeches after his NBA career ended.

But another former NBA star—6 '2," 51-year-old ...

For most of the nation, Halloween is a time of kids, costumes, and candy. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case for Detroit, Michigan, and its surrounding suburbs. For the past several years, Detroit's annual three-day festival, called Devil's Night, has been dominated by destructive behavior. Citizens have thrown rocks and bottles at police cars, vandalized property, and burned items ranging from ...

Getting a novel published is an extremely difficult affair, especially if you are an unknown author. One freelance writer named Chuck Ross decided to test this maxim in an unusual way. Ross took a novel by Jerzy Kosinski, titled Steps, which had won the National Book Award six years before. Ross retyped the first 21 pages of Steps and sent them out to four publishers, using the name Erik Demos as ...

Marilee Jones, dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), recently resigned after admitting the résumé she submitted 28 years ago for an entry level position in the admissions department was filled with lies. As far as the school knew, Ms. Jones had attended and graduated Albany Medical College, Union College, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—three well-respected ...

What’s in a name? For many, a name is closely linked with identity and worth. That may explain why the oldest independent boarding school in the United States believes it’s time for a change.

“The Governor Dummer Academy” was named after the governor of the Massachusetts Territory in 1720. The name has since been the source of mockery, such as, “Students who come in, come out ‘Dummer.’”

The image-conscious ...

In a game between the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos on December 10, 2006, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson took his position the same way he had done hundreds of times before during the season. But this particular play was different. After receiving the ball and sprinting around two defenders for a seven-yard gain, Tomlinson found himself in the end zone for his NFL record-breaking ...

Cry, The Beloved Country, set in 1946 South Africa, tells the story of a black minister who must deal with his son's unintentional murder of a white man during a home burglary. The murdered white man is the son of James Jarvis (Richard Harris), a wealthy and racist South African farmer.

In this scene, James Jarvis visits an all-black athletic club that was founded, financed, and run by his recently-murdered ...

Seven-year-old first baseman Tanner Munsey never thought he'd end up in Sports Illustrated, but he did. While playing T-Ball in Wellington, Florida, Tanner fielded a ground ball and tried to tag a runner going from first to second base.

The umpire, Laura Benson, called the runner out, but young Tanner immediately ran to her side and said, "Ma'am, I didn't tag the runner." Umpire Benson reversed herself ...

The laws of etiquette proclaim that we should not speak ill of the dead—especially the recently deceased. There is one place, however, where this offense is being committed with regularity: online obituary guestbooks.

Legacy.com is a company that provides online obituary services for more than 300 newspapers in the United States and processes more than 18,000 notes daily. Not all of those messages ...