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Evolution of the NFL: 16 ways the game has changed

Forty-seven years after the first Super Bowl was played in Los Angeles before a less-than-capacity crowd, let’s look back at some of the ways the NFL has changed.

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Decoder Wire 'This Town': D.C. awaits book's tales of big shots and ultimate insiders

'This Town' – scheduled for release next week – skewers the inappropriately chummy, often insufferable incestuousness that is Washington today. Stay tuned for who is targeted.
Backchannels From Bali to Boston, terrorists chase the same goal: infamy

Fueled by a fringe brand of Islam, the Boston bombers may have been motivated by the same desire that drove bombers in Indonesia a decade ago to go down in history as vigilantes.
Whom does Obama read? Ezra Klein, Taylor Branch, Bill Simmons.

President Obama escapes his White House bubble by reading widely on the web, sometimes late at night, following links like the rest of us, says senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer.
Culture Cafe Carrie Fisher says she'll return for a new 'Star Wars' movie

Carrie Fisher recently said she could confirm her return as Princess Leia Organa for a new 'Star Wars' movie. Will Carrie Fisher come back for the entire new trilogy or only one movie?
Focus Drugs in sports: Who is winning the doping war?

As scientists close the gap on doping detection, athletes bent on cheating can still game the system. Stricter enforcement from league authorities is critical to redeeming sports scandalized by doping – cycling, baseball, and potentially the NFL.
Decoder Wire The State of the Union is ... boring?

Tens of millions of Americans are expected to tune in to President Obama's State of the Union address. The dirty little secret surrounding these events is that, for all the anticipation and coverage, they are usually snoozers.
Focus State of the Union: Obama's ambitious second-term agenda (+video)

Prospects are mixed for President Obama's second-term agenda, from immigration to climate change to economic recovery. Both Obama and the Republicans are walking a tricky political line.
The Monitor's View Obama's hidden nonplan to arm rebels in Syria

News that Obama vetoed a plan by his senior security staff to arm Syrian rebels reveals the extent of his humanitarian impulse. But he must also protect the new UN doctrine of a 'responsibility to protect' by being more open about his Syrian strategy.
What comes now for the NFL after a tumultuous season?

The NFL is still coming to grips with the dangers of professional football — a brutal sport that makes the league tremendously wealthy.
Obama skeet shooting: NRA says it's a ploy to confiscate guns

That photo of President Obama firing a shotgun continues to generate comment and controversy just as he’s about to leave Washington to promote his ideas about improving gun safety.
Politicians and guns: Why it's important that Obama shoots skeet

The White House has released a photo of President Obama firing a shotgun. In the US today, it seems important that politicians – especially men – know their way around guns. Why is that?
Decoder Wire Amid gun control debate, does 'skeet-gate' matter?

Obama's comment about going skeet shooting 'all the time' at Camp David raised eyebrows and sent many reporters on a hunt for evidence. Does the president's personal experience with guns matter to the gun control debate?
Evolution of the NFL: 16 ways the game has changed

Forty-seven years after the first Super Bowl was played in Los Angeles before a less-than-capacity crowd, let’s look back at some of the ways the NFL has changed.
Obama: Compromise or 'political conquest'?

In a magazine interview, President Obama says Democrats are more willing to compromise than Republicans. But Rep. Paul Ryan, a leader among young Republicans, says Obama wants 'to fight us every step of the way politically.”
The Fun Stuff: And Other Essays

Twenty-three essays showcase preeminent literary critic James Wood as a hungry, happy bookworm.
Dude, could pot smokers decide the election – for Mitt Romney?

A marijuana legalization measure on the Colorado ballot – promoted by Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson – could be very important in this close presidential race.
Romney tax returns: What’s missing in his report?

Pundits, political partisans, and amateur CPA’s are poring over the numbers in Mitt Romney’s tax returns. What’s missing, tax experts say, are the details of Romney’s retirement account from Bain Capital, including investments in offshore accounts in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.
Decoder Wire Mitt Romney fact check: Is he actually against redistribution? (+video)

Mitt Romney is treating 'redistribution' like a dirty word. But while he might like it less than Democrats do, Romney clearly believes in redistribution, too.
Keep Calm Good Reads: Israel's Iran debate, Scalia's 'originalism,' and blasphemy in Pakistan

This week's long-form good reads include the fire and fear driving Israelis' debate about a strike on Iran, a judicial debate with a surprisingly high profile, and the pernicious use of Pakistan law.
Loverly

Any Broadway fan will find Dominic McHugh's story of the life and times of 'My Fair Lady' a fascinating read.
The Eighteen-Day Running Mate

With the Paul Ryan announcement, writer Joshua M. Glasser's book is timely as well as impeccably researched.
Backchannels From the people who brought you the Iraq war...

... a call for US military intervention in Syria that's straight out of the neocon playbook. What could go wrong?
Verbal Energy The double life of commas

The use of commas, unlike that of other marks of punctuation, is governed by both rules and conventions.
Colorado shooting: A rare glimpse into Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith

Some are urging Mitt Romney to be more open about his Mormon faith as a way of humanizing a man who can seem stiff. In his comments about the Colorado shooting rampage, Romney may have taken a step in that direction.
The Candidate

Popkin's book will fascinate campaign junkies with its capsule histories of past presidential runs.