Priya Abraham | After a vote called "comparatively peaceful," America's 5th-largest oil supplier still perilously sits on a Christian/Muslim divide

Edward E. Plowman | Ripples are crashing into other states from Vermont, where a law in 2000 established a "civil-union" category that is essentially marriage for same-sex partners, complete with spousal rights.

Bob Jones | Concerned less with cheerful giving and more with precision, imams enforce the zakat with the zeal of tax collectors-but the largesse provides much-needed relief to suffering Iraqis

The looting in Iraq illustrates the moral and political crisis that plagues the Islamic world