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(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University(THE CONVERSATION) Halloween is here, the night every year when children dress up in costumes and go “trick or treating.” On the surface, that activity appears to be a relatively benign one. What could be more innocent than cute youngsters collecting sweets?Halloween, however, is actually one of our only holidays based on extortion. When children

Standard & Poor's has taken a more pessimistic view of the state of Italy's finances

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Arash Javanbakht, Wayne State University and Linda Saab, Wayne State University(THE CONVERSATION) Fear may be as old as life on Earth. It is a fundamental, deeply wired reaction, evolved over the history of biology, to protect organisms against perceived threat to their integrity or existence. Fear may be as simple as a cringe of an antenna in a snail that is touched, or as complex

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Michael Nees, Lafayette College (THE CONVERSATION) Nontrivial numbers of Americans believe in the paranormal. These beliefs have spawned thousands of groups dedicated to investigating paranormal phenomena and a proliferation of ghost-hunting entries in the reality television market. Anecdotal evidence even suggests that ghost-hunting reality shows have increased public openness to

The Florida man in custody in connection with the package bombs sent to Democratic political figures is a fervent supporter of President Donald Trump with an extensive record of past arrests

Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo dominate Friday's practice sessions at the Mexican Grand Prix before Verstappen has brake problems.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit by an Oregon county that targeted the state over legalized marijuana

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has sacked the prime minister and replaced him with a former strongman

Stocks closed sharply lower on Wall Street Friday, plunging major indexes back into the red for the year

A Canadian lawyer has announced a reward for information about the death of drug-company billionaire Barry Sherman and his wife, Honey

The International Monetary Fund is increasing the loan amount granted to Argentina. The increase announced Friday brings the amount to $56.3 billion from $50 billion

Roger Federer was pushed hard to beat Gilles Simon 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-4 in the Swiss Indoors quarterfinals on Friday

The umbrella organization of Catholic religious orders in the U.S. is suggesting that its members consider voluntarily identifying priests accused of sexual abuse, opening up what could be a major new chapter in the church's abuse and cover-up saga.

An investigation into a wave of mail bombs targeting Democratic leaders and prominent critics of President Donald Trump has formed the backdrop of the final stretch of campaigning in the 2018 midterms. Still unclear: what role, if any, the cases will play

Shares of Tesla drop after report claims the company is subject of a wider FBI investigation

The U.N. envoy for Syria is urging Russia and world leaders to overcome the Damascus government's opposition to forming a committee which will draft a new constitution that is key to ending the country's civil war

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Frank T. McAndrew, Knox College(THE CONVERSATION) The Haunted House is a time-honored horror setting. All of us have shivered our way through spooky flicks such as The Haunting, The Amityville Horror, The Sentinel and Poltergeist.It’s not only at the movies that we pay good money to frighten ourselves to death: commercial haunted houses are an integral part of 21st-century Halloween

Another wave of selling rocked Wall Street, plunging major indexes back into the red for the year.

FANTASY PLAYS: Raiders, Rams offer attractive daily stacks

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Leo Braudy, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences(THE CONVERSATION) Fear continues to saturate our lives: fear of nuclear destruction, fear of climate change, fear of the subversive, and fear of foreigners. But a Rolling Stone article about our “age of fear” notes that most Americans are living “in the safest place at the safest time in