Washington

WASHINGTON - They returned home to a politically traumatized nation that treated them with indifference and scorn. Now, veterans' advocates fear the country will again miss an opportunity to recognize the toil and torment of the 3 million service members sent to fight the Vietnam War. The Pentagon's plans to celebrate the veterans - five years in the making - are sputtering. This Memorial Day is supposed to be the curtain-raiser for a series of gatherings to mark the 50th anniversary of the beginning of US involvement in the decade-plus war and to honor those who served.

Pavel Dzemianok / For the Boston Globe Washington Irving basketball coach, Len Brown, addressed about 40 of his former players at the 27th annual Washington Irving Middle School basketball reunion on Tuesday. By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent About 40 former players attended the 27th annual Washington Irving Middle School basketball reunion on Tuesday at the Roslindale school. The theme of the reunion, which is organized by the Warriors for Peace basketball alumni organization, was Support our Troops.

For decades, those with high cholesterol have been given a list of don'ts when it comes to their diet: Don't eat cholesterol-rich eggs; don't eat butter; don't eat red meat or regular ice cream. Well, now researchers have identified a list of do's for the diet that may work to lower cholesterol levels better than avoiding those don'ts. In a study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that eating cholesterol-lowering foods like nuts, soy protein, and certain fiber-rich items result in bigger drops in "bad" LDL cholesterol than avoiding...

By Justin A. Rice, Globe Correspondent The 27th annual Washington Irving Middle School basketball reunion will be Tuesday from 2:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Roslindale school. The theme of the reunion, which is organized by the Warriors for Peace basketball alumni organization, is "Support our Troops" "First of all, this month is Military Month and just the idea of honoring them," Washington Irving basketball coach Leonard Brown said when asked why this year's theme was chosen.

One in a series of occasional articles looking at the careers and records of the Massachusetts candidates for US Senate. WASHINGTON - Scott Brown's frustration and dismay boiled over one September night, in a rambling speech on the Senate floor. Suffering from what he said was a bout of pneumonia and sipping from a glass of water, the Massachusetts Republican launched into an unfiltered tirade, a diatribe against the Democrats in power, against his critics, against partisan squabbling, against gridlock.

Polls show that frustration with Washington has never been higher — and who could argue? Most Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. Most lawmakers openly concede that nothing will get done before the November elections. The leaders of both parties are already trading threats over the possibility of a national debt default next year. Barack Obama got elected by promising to change the tone in Washington, but clearly he's failed, as George W. Bush did before him. That should be a clue that the partisan animosity consuming the political...

Is fiction good for us? We spend huge chunks of our lives immersed in novels, films, TV shows, and other forms of fiction. Some see this as a positive thing, arguing that made-up stories cultivate our mental and moral development. But others have argued that fiction is mentally and ethically corrosive. It's an ancient question: Does fiction build the morality of individuals and societies, or does it break it down? This controversy has been flaring up — sometimes literally, in the form of book burnings — ever since Plato tried to ban fiction from his ideal republic.

Today is Thursday, May 24, the 145th day of 2012. There are 221 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 24, 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth as he flew aboard Aurora 7. On this date: In 1775, John Hancock was elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding Peyton Randolph. In 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the message "What hath God wrought" from Washington to Baltimore as he formally opened America's first telegraph line.

Tim Thomas was a big deal yesterday in his hometown of Flint, Mich., where the Bruins goalie had his day with the Stanley Cup. But in East Conway, N.H., Thomas is a really big deal.  Via the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce , we discovered the above photo of Thomas's image etched out into the corn field at Sherman Farm . Visitors to the farm are welcome to explore the maze beginning Sept....

Seattle police are scratching their heads about this one. A car prowler shattered a window of a parked Jeep, stole nothing and left behind a little something for the car's owner — a dozen tortillas scattered across the floor. The crime happened last week near the University of Washington. Bemused by the break-in, police were moved to pun, saying, "The Seattle Police Department would like to take this opportunity to remind car prowlers that you shouldn't break in to something that's nachos.

One in a series of occasional articles looking at the careers and records of the Massachusetts candidates for US Senate. WASHINGTON - Scott Brown's frustration and dismay boiled over one September night, in a rambling speech on the Senate floor. Suffering from what he said was a bout of pneumonia and sipping from a glass of water, the Massachusetts Republican launched into an unfiltered tirade, a diatribe against the Democrats in power, against his critics, against partisan squabbling, against gridlock.

Swept down one waterfall and about to plunge over a much larger one, a 13-year-old boy managed to climb onto a 1-foot-wide rock shelf in a gushing Washington state river — and then stayed there for eight and a half hours until rescuers finally saved him early Sunday, sheriff's officials said. The boy was out hiking with his father and his father's friend at about 5 p.m. Saturday, when he began wading in the river above Wallace Falls, at a popular state park near Gold Bar, 45 miles northeast of Seattle in the Cascade foothills.

Seattle police are scratching their heads about this one. A car prowler shattered a window of a parked Jeep, stole nothing and left behind a little something for the car's owner — a dozen tortillas scattered across the floor. The crime happened last week near the University of Washington. Bemused by the break-in, police were moved to pun, saying, "The Seattle Police Department would like to take this opportunity to remind car prowlers that you shouldn't break in to something that's nachos.

WASHINGTON - Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills were mixed in Monday's auction, with rates on six-month bills unchanged and rates on three-month bills rising to the highest level since February. The Treasury Department auctioned $30 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 0.095 percent, up from 0.090 percent last week. Another $27 billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 0.145 percent, unchanged from last week. The three-month rate was the highest since these bills averaged 0.115 percent on Feb. 27. The discount rates reflect that the bills sell...

For quite some time, Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee tried to persuade former player Dale Hunter to return to the team as its coach. This season, McPhee finally got his man — just not for very long. Hunter quit as Washington's coach on Monday after less than six months on the job, saying he wants to return to his family, his farm and the junior club he owns in Canada. "It was the right thing to do," Hunter said. He is the owner of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, and he was the coach until McPhee beckoned in late November after firing...

The first public cruise of the M/S Mount Washington is taking off on Mother's Day, kicking off the 140th season. Sunday's cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee includes a champagne brunch. The cruise season runs from May 20 through Oct. 29. Daily cruises depart from Weirs Beach and service the ports of Meredith, Wolfeboro, Center Harbor and Alton Bay. The present-day boat started her career on Lake Champlain in Vermont under the name "Chateauguay. "

Historic correspondence by President George Washington to a Jewish congregation in Rhode Island is the centerpiece of an exhibit in Philadelphia this summer. The National Museum of American Jewish History said Thursday the privately owned 337-word letter is arguably the most important document in American Jewish history. The museum says the letter was written by Washington to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, R.I., in August 1790. Washington's letter is addressed to "the children of the stock of Abraham.