middle america

J.C. Penney is betting on iconic domestic diva Martha Stewart to help reinvent the staid department store concept, and in turn, how America shops. Their partnership is the first bold move from new CEO Ron Johnson -- but can it work?

Style watchers have their eye on Fashion Week, under way in the Big Apple -- and so does J.C. Penney. The jcp design groupe is bringing legitimate fashion cred to the retailer, with trendy looks that rival higher-end chains. Follow their new camel cape from conception to consumer with us and you'll get the message they're sending: This is not your mother's J.C. Penney.

In America, authorities often seem to view drug problems in a vacuum: recognizing the effects of addiction, but all too rarely considering the causes of consumption. Officially, the implication is that drug use is self-creating and self-perpetuating, instead of the result of larger processes and...