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Stereograph image of courtship, circa 1885-1909 Library of Congress hide caption

itoggle caption Library of Congress

The Strange Dating Games Of 1914

by Linton Weeks

November 5, 2014 • Courting-and-sparking practices in America have been very weird for a very long time.

Winner of masquerade contest at a Halloween party in 1939 in Missouri. Arthur Rothstein/Library of Congress hide caption

itoggle caption Arthur Rothstein/Library of Congress

Halloween For Adults: A Scary History

by Linton Weeks

October 29, 2014 • Fright Night is not just for kids anymore. Never really was.

Evelyn FitzGerald, 2 months old, is in a Princess Leia — of Star Wars renown — costume made from recycled clothes by her mother Shenandoah Brettell of El Segundo, Calif. "I made the wig out of yarn and the belt out of felt," says Shenandoah, who listens to NPR member station KPCC. Shenandoah Brettell hide caption

itoggle caption Shenandoah Brettell

Halloween High Jinks For Fun And Nonprofits

by Linton Weeks

October 24, 2014 • Many Americans are not scared to reuse old clothes for new Halloween costumes.

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Girl Scouts model contemporary uniforms. From Girl Scouts of the USA website hide caption

itoggle caption From Girl Scouts of the USA website

Girl Scouts Look For A Way Out Of The Woods

by Linton Weeks

October 23, 2014 • More than 100 years old, the organization offers young American girls the chance to succeed. So why is membership falling?

A yarmulke produced from a 3-D printer. Craig Kaplan hide caption

itoggle caption Craig Kaplan

The Yarmulke Comes To 3-D Printing

by Lauren Katz

October 21, 2014 • Using math and imagination, a college professor creates a new kind of kippah.

Pretend to be a pineapple. Jeff Mindell hide caption

itoggle caption Jeff Mindell

America's Boo-It-Yourself Halloween Spirit

by Linton Weeks

October 18, 2014 • You've heard of recycling and upcycling, now there's boocycling — making first-rate costumes from second-hand stuff.

American flag painted on a cracked wall.

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What Is Really Tearing America Apart

by Linton Weeks

October 15, 2014 • While the nation focuses on healing race and gender issues, we encourage political divisiveness.

Some rain, no pain: Person with umbrella seen through a rainspeckled windshield.

Carlos Caetano/istockphoto.com

Wrong! 3 Recent Reports That May Surprise You

by Linton Weeks

October 9, 2014 • So maybe we don't know everything about health and wealth and sexuality.

Necessary steps: A mourner dressed in period clothes for the Corcoran's mock funeral. Photo by Caroline Lacey hide caption

itoggle caption Photo by Caroline Lacey

Broken Art: The Closing Of A Washington Museum

by Linton Weeks

October 4, 2014 • A photojournalism student at the Corcoran College of Art + Design responds to a museum's demise the only way she knows how — creatively.

Sonoma Retreat by Aidlin Darling Marion Brenner/Courtesy of ASLA hide caption

itoggle caption Marion Brenner/Courtesy of ASLA

The Outhouse — And Other Rooms — Get A 21st Century Makeover

by Linton Weeks

October 2, 2014 • Some people are spending more time in their backyard — in living rooms, entertainment centers, even bathrooms.

Photo illustration of a green billboard on a Rising Sun background.

istockphoto.com

Should You Do The Do-Over If There's A Chance For A Second Chance?

by Tanya Ballard Brown

September 29, 2014 • As world-class violinist Joshua Bell plans a second Washington, D.C., Metro performance, we reflect on the rare opportunity to try something again.

iStockphoto

Show-And-Tell: Show Us Your Angry Face

by Linton Weeks

September 26, 2014 • You know the look. Researchers say it's the same all over the world.

Supporters of Hillary Clinton wait as pro-Clinton volunteers hand out posters and bumper stickers at George Washington University in Washington on June 13. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images