Take a look around your home. Almost every product you see—from the simplest grocery item to the most sophisticated device—took hundreds, if not thousands, of steps to get there. It required numerous resources, activities, and people to get from an idea to its end state. From raw materials and creation, to marketing, sales, and transportation—there’s a flow to the...

　　Neo-Babylonian empire, ancient Middle Eastern empire with its capital at Babylon. It dominated much of Southwest Asia from shortly after its founding in 626 bce until the defeat of its final king by the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 539 bce. Memory of this empire was preserved through the centuries by the biblical accounts of the deeds of one...

　　Robert D. Bullard (born December 21, 1946, Elba, Alabama, U.S.) is an American sociologist and environmental activist, often referred to as the father of environmental justice. 　　Early life and education Bullard was born and raised in Elba, Alabama, a small town in the southeastern region of the state. His father was an electrician and a plumber, though he was unable...

　　 　　When investors look to yield-bearing assets in the alternative debt universe, it’s usually to pursue higher yields compared with traditional debt and fixed-income securities, and to achieve a deeper level of diversification beyond conventional stocks and bonds. 　　One alternative investment that’s grown considerably over the last few decades is private credit, a subset of the private debt market. The...

　　 　　A power of attorney (POA) doesn’t refer to a lawyer. Rather, a POA is a legal document that you (the principal) can use to delegate your wishes to a trusted agent who can act on your behalf in legal, financial, or health care matters. 　　This delegation of power is typically used when you’re incapacitated, perhaps because of an illness...

　　Waterloo Battlefield, location, 3 miles (5 km) south of Waterloo, Belgium, where, on June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo took place, marking Napoleon’s final defeat. In this battle, the British duke of Wellington’s 68,000 allied forces, including British, Dutch, Belgian, and German troops, and some 45,000 Prussians led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, overcame a 72,000-strong French army in...

　　 　　FrauenkircheThe Frauenkirche, Dresden, Germany.(more)Frauenkirche, Lutheran church in Dresden, Germany, that has long been the symbolic heart of the city. It showed the beauty and power of Dresden and its dedication to Lutheranism, then later recalled the horrors of World War II, and now stands for the city’s resilience and the reconciliation between former enemies. 　　Dresden’s city council commissioned the...

　　 　　There sure is a lot of air in this bag of chips. A “fun size” candy bar was a lot more fun when we were kids. That new “easier-to-hold” sports drink bottle is the same height, but thinner in the middle. And why is Fluffy suddenly doing her “I’m hungry” meow two hours after dinner? 　　It’s not your imagination—it’s...

　　Temple Mount, site of the Temple of Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Romans on the 9th/10th of Av in 70 ce (see Tisha be-Av). It consists of a raised platform that, since the 7th century, has been home to the Islamic holy sites of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. The lower section of the compound’s Western...

　　 　　If you have debt, it’s easy for your obligations to become unmanageable. You may be feeling stressed—that’s relatable!—but you may be able to find some relief through credit counseling. A credit counselor can provide you with crucial support and education throughout your debt repayment journey. 　　If you’re ready to tackle your debt head-on and carry out a repayment plan,...

　　 　　RafahView over Rafah, a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip, August 8, 2022.(more) 　　 　　Gaza StripRafah, city along the border of the Gaza Strip and Egypt that, for most of the 20th and into the 21st century, has been bisected with an eastern half in the Gaza area and a western half in Egypt. It includes the only...

　　In 1803, having just overpowered their captors on a small slave vessel off the coast of a small island in Georgia, a group of Igbo people chose death over a life of enslavement and defiantly waded into the cool coastal waters and drowned. One of the largest mass suicides of enslaved West Africans in the history of chattel slavery, the...