A new sport chess boxing combines two sports that literally have nothing in common. But for some competitors it is a chance to hone survival skills and keep a mental edge when dealing with every day life.

Though northern beaches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes have long had summer surfing scenes, a growing number of surfers are braving the cold in winter, when waves turn to ice and freezing temperatures abound.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in six states with more on the way. As gay marriage becomes increasingly common, many couples are having trouble deciding what family name to adopt after the wedding.

A flurry of skin-scanning, smartphone apps has emerged where people can now snap photos of their skin moles for analysis — and let an app decide the danger. They inhabit a new realm where phones become tools to analyze skin and they’ve made inroads to consumers. Still, not all dermatologists embrace them.

In the United States, Muslim women have struggled to find clothes that satisfy both religion and fashion in American stores. It is often difficult to buy outfits that cover the legs, arms and chest, or tops that are long enough to cover the buttocks. More religious Muslims who wear traditional clothing, are often limited to a handful of Islamic stores that usually don’t carry a wide selection.
Recognizing this need, some Muslim women are opening shops that cater to their peers. These boutiques and online stores sell traditional and modern clothing that is both modest and chic.

Florida has a knack for swinging presidential elections, but this year, the decisive voting block may be a group of 635,000 Jews fixed along Interstate 4. Signs persist that the traditionally Democratic voter bloc may be growing weary of President Barack Obama, and within this concentrated community, the smallest shift in support can determine the entire general race.

With 78 million baby boomers inching toward their golden years, more and more are opting to seek out a simpler, cheaper and more adventurous way of living for retirement: going off the grid to lead a rustic homestead life.

Critics have long disagreed over playwright Wendy Wasserstein’s legacy. Today, new audiences across the country are getting to decide whether her plays will endure, and why.

Many cosmetology students are leaving behind four-year degrees and stable career paths to attend beauty school, hoping to find both satisfaction and financial stability in a fledgling economy. And for these students, beauty school is not simply a chance to enter a recession-proof field. Most of them are also driven by an unfulfilled passion for the cosmetology craft.

Increasingly, second generation South Asian immigrants are looking to their parents to help them find a spouse. They just want to have time to date their prospective partners for a while before making the final decision. Not too long ago, muddled by the clashing cultures in which they had been brought up, many children of South Asian immigrants were averse to allowing their parents a say in their love life.