How birth control became a 2012 issue

(Associated Press)

Using birth control has been settled social behavior, but now gender warfare is erupting anew in spheres where political agitation thrives.

On Faith

WASHINGTON -   Alejandra Dove (L) and Ana Liza D. Gabest (R) pray during an Ash Wednesday mass led by Cardinal Donald Wuerl (NP)  in Washington, DC on March 8, 2011.   Several masses were held today at the Cathedra of St. Matthew the Apostle.  The Cardinal announced the Catholic Churches launch of an initiative to invite catholics back to confession.  ( Photo by Linda Davidson/ The Washington Post) ( Photo by Linda Davidson/ The Washington Post)

Lent in a time of a Catholic culture war

It seems Ash Wednesday came early this year. See these Christians: how they love to fight each other.

Fox News host Glenn Beck speaks during the National Rifle Association's 139th annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina in this May 15, 2010 file photo. The controversial 47-year-old radio and television host “intends to transition off of his daily program,” called “Glenn Beck,” later this year, Fox News and Beck's production company, Mercury Radio Arts, said in a joint statement on April 6, 2011. REUTERS/Chris Keane/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT)

Glenn Beck: Why we are all Catholics now

This battle over birth control coverage harkens back to America’s founding: If you can’t serve God as you choose, you are not free.

(RNS1-FEB28) A man receives ashes on Ash Wednesday at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York in 2010. Christians are finding alternative ways to observe the 40-day period of fasting and abstience that begins on Ash Wednesday. For use with RNS-ALTERNATE-LENT, transmitted Feb. 28, 2011. RNS photo by Gregory A. Shemitz.

What are you giving up for Lent?

Many people give up a vice during Lent as an attempt to get closer to God.

Evangelist Billy Graham, center, is joined by North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, left, and Graham's son Franklin Graham during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new headquarters for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte, N.C., Oct. 29, 2002.

Franklin Graham questions Obama’s Christian beliefs

The son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, on “Morning Joe” Tuesday, also praised Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum.

Higher Education

Harvard Asian-American discrimination probe ends

An Indian-American student has withdrawn his complaint alleging Harvard and Princeton rejected him over racial-ethnic bias.

Liberal learning: Only for the elite?

Guest writer says that all college students, not just the privileged, should learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

College admissions: How diversity factors in

With the Supreme Court agreeing to consider the role of affirmative action in college admissions, the executive director of admissions at CalTech discusses the role diversity plays in admissions.

Health & Science

Climate scientist admits duping skeptics

Climate change around the world: A look at the biggest climate change stories of our generation, from the Gulf oil spill, Cancun climate talks, and flooding in Pakistan.

A prominent climate scientist acknowledged that he had obtained internal documents from a climate skeptic group under a fake identity.

Avian flu reports won’t be published

House sparrows perch on a bush in Ahmedabad on January 27, 2012. House sparrows can be found across its native Europe and Asia, and can be also found as an introduced species in Australia, Africa and the American continents making it the most widely distributed wild bird.  AFP PHOTO / Sam PANTHAKY (Photo credit should read SAM PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images)

Officials agreed to keep the mutation research secret until risks are assessed.

Nuclear power entrepreneurs push thorium as a fuel

(FILES) - A file picture taken on August 29, 2011 shows the four reactors of the Bugey's nuclear plant in Saint-Vulbas, 35 Kms east of Lyon, central eastern France. In a report released on January 31, 2012, the Court of Accounts estimated investments already made in the French nuclear power sector at 228 billion euros. AFP PHOTO / JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT (Photo credit should read JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT/AFP/Getty Images)

Some nuclear power entrepreneurs say that it could reduce waste, produce more power and reduce threat of weapons proliferation.

National Education

Teacher: ‘Tis a shame (that education has become so political)

A Wisconsin teacher writes: “In Governor Scott Walker’s Wisconsin, teaching has been relegated from professional status to political fodder.”

College admissions: How diversity factors in

With the Supreme Court agreeing to consider the role of affirmative action in college admissions, the executive director of admissions at CalTech discusses the role diversity plays in admissions.

Santorum’s children went to a cyber charter school

Rick Santorum, who has said he would homeschool his children in the White House if he becomes president, sent five of his kids for a time to a cyber charter school.

Innovations

(FILES)The Google logo is seen at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California in this September 2, 2011 file photo. Google and other online advertisers bypassed the privacy settings of an Apple web browser on iPhones and computers in order to survey millions of users, the Wall Street Journal reported February 17, 2012. The Journal said the companies used a special code that tricks Apple's Safari software into letting them monitor the browsing habits of many users. Safari -- the most widely used browser on mobile devices and the default browser on iPhones and Mac laptops -- is designed to block such tracking by default, the Journal said. AFP PHOTO/KIMIHIRO HOSHINO (Photo credit should read KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/Getty Images)

Getting the Internet we deserve

Google is the latest company to be accused of having its hand in the user privacy cookie jar. What does it say about the state of our privacy online?

Law enforcement officers photograph a window at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, as seen from the South Lawn. A bullet hit an exterior window of the White House and was stopped by ballistic glass, the Secret Service said. An additional round of ammunition was found on the White House exterior. The bullets were found Tuesday morning. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Win the Web to win the White House?

A panel discussion Friday brought together reporters, a campaign operative and a social media expert to discuss the battle for the Internet during the 2012 election.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 12: Nikolas Schiller, of DC protests taxation withouth representation by wearing a costume in the hearing. The House Committee on Oversight and Government D.C. subcommittee heard testimony from Mayor Vincent Gray and Council Chairman Kwame Brown on the District's Fiscal Year 2012 budget.  In addition Dr. Natwar Gandhi,Chief Financial Officer, District of Columbia, Mr. Matt Fabian, Managing Director, Municipal Market Advisors, and Dr. Alice M. Rivlin, the Brookings Institution; former Chair of the Control Board testified on a separate panel.  (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

America’s dissidents are its power

COLUMN | Rewarding contrarians is quintessentially American, and it’s what keeps the country ahead of others in its ability to innovate.

Joshua Lu, of Boston, hands his resume to a representative of Accretive Health as a company Operations Lead Andi Goldberg, of Boston, right, looks right, at a job fair, in Boston, Thursday, April 7, 2011.(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A new model for career counseling

OPINION | Career counselors can help people get ahead in their hunt for a job. But does the current model work?

On Leadership

New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) drives against Toronto Raptors guard Anthony Carter during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

How Jeremy Lin went unnoticed

When Lin hit the three-pointer before the buzzer, you could almost hear the collective sound of NBA coaches smacking their foreheads.

broken heart

A love note to the workaholic

OPINION | Pressure to achieve on the job may cost us the social vulnerability that is key to romance.

MENLO PARK, CA - DECEMBER 2: Pattie Sellers, editor at large at Fortune Magazine, poses for a portrait on Friday, December 2, 2011 in Menlo Park, California. Pattie started the Most Powerful Women Summit, which happens each October, and many high ranking businesswomen attend. (Photo by Tony Avelar/For the Washington Post)

The Rolodex that redefined power

You’ve probably never heard of Pattie Sellers. But Warren Buffett has. And so have Sheryl Sandberg, Oprah Winfrey and Indra Nooyi.

Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, at the company's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters.

Mr. Schmidt goes to Washington

Google’s chairman and former CEO reflects on his first time testifying before Congress, and what Washington does and doesn’t understand about Silicon Valley.

National Blogs & Columns

Vivek Wadhwa

America’s dissidents are its power

COLUMN | Rewarding contrarians is quintessentially American, and it’s what keeps the country ahead of others in its ability to innovate.

Read Full Article

Vivek Wadhwa

In the Loop

Forbes to Santorum: Stop talking about Satan

Publisher Steve Forbes, during a phone interview, reflects on the GOP candidates.

Read Full Article

Joe Davidson

Advancing benefits for same-sex partners of federal workers

The Obama administration is preparing to finalize regulations that would advance benefits for the same-sex partners of federal employees.

Read Full Article

The Federal Eye by Ed O'Keefe

Darrell Issa on year one as chairman

The California Republican has held hundreds of hearings and made hundreds of requests for information from the White House and agencies.

Read Full Article

Ed O'Keefe

The Checkup by Jennifer Huget and Rob Stein

Alcohol in movies can nudge teens toward drinking

Want to keep your teen from becoming a drinker? Keep an eye on what movies she’s watching — and the clothes she’s wearing, too.

Read Full Article

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GOP Presidential candidate Rick Santorum said on Wednesday that President Obama has nobody to blame but himself for the energy problems the United States is facing. (Feb. 22)
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Lindsay Lohan was back in a Los Angeles courtroom for a progress report hearing. The judge monitoring Lohan's probation in a pair of misdemeanor cases says the actress is doing well and "in the home stretch." She's due back in court next month. (Feb. 22)
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As gas prices continue to increase, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that President Obama is fully aware of the impact that high gas prices have on average Americans. (Feb. 21)
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Military apologizes for Koran burning (2:04)

A top general in Afghanistan says the burning of Koran was completely inadvertent and a task force has been created to investigate the matter. (Feb. 22)
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CBS Sports network announcer James Bates fell during a live telecast after the stool he was sitting on broke. (Feb. 22)
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U.S. mine boss charged With fraud (0:54)

The superintendent of the West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Government. The 2010 West Virginia mine blast was the worst U.S. Mining disaster in four decades. (Feb. 22)
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Adele, Coldplay among winners at the Brit Awards (2:41)

Adele caps a rollercoaster year of Grammy Awards triumph and medical woes with a double win at the U.K.'s Brit music awards. Other winners include Coldplay, Rihanna, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. (Feb. 22)
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Tribute paid one year after N.Z. quake killed 185 (1:48)

In various ceremonies, New Zealanders and others who lost relatives paid tribute to the 185 people who died in a devastating earthquake in Christchurch a year ago. (Feb. 22)
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Federal regulators have approved new suppliers for two crucial cancer drugs, easing critical shortages that had been ratcheting up fears that patients, particularly children with leukemia, would miss lifesaving treatments.(Feb. 21)
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A U.S. man angry that his girlfriend was trying to break up with him struck her with his car and repeatedly backed over her body, prosecutors said Tuesday in charging him with murder. (Feb. 21)
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Two Western journalists killed in Syria (0:34)

The French government confirms that French photojournalist Remy Ochlik and American Marie Colvin were killed in Syria. The two were covering the fighting in Homs. (Feb. 22)
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U.S. investigators concluded Tuesday that the deadliest prison fire in a century was accidental, and may have been caused by a lit match, cigarette or some other open flame. (Feb. 22)
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

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Santa’s Big Brown helper

You’ve got to be moving at double time or better if you’re driving Cyber Friday for UPS.

Critics target cost of Guard troops on border

President Obama’s decision last year to send 1,200 National Guard troops to U.S.-Mexico border may have been smart politics, but a growing number of skeptics say the deployment is an expensive and inefficient mission.

The Occupy movement’s art

As the online gallery at occuprint.org reveals, the Occupy movement has more than a few skilled graphic designers in its informal ranks.

Wizards’ Wall eager to play

After learning firsthand during the lockout about the business of basketball, John Wall is ready to get back on the court and have some fun.

Gathering meteorites and congressional foes

For the 35th year, the U.S. is gathering space rocks from the wind-hammered icefields of Antarctica, a program attacked as wasteful by Sens. John McCain and Tom Coburn.

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Service members who have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom.

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News and views from the Washington Post about the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

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Writers break down what you think you know about gas prices, the suburbs, Lincoln and more.

The Age of 9/11

How old were you? Reflections presented as a multimedia report broken down by age.