In the tangled story of the teenage knuckleheads of Jena, La., stupid gestures led to macho bluster, which in turn escalated to fistfights and beatings. A sad tale old as time. What made it a national incident was the prosecutor's decision to charge only the black students with major felonies. Thousands of protesters marched on the little town and by year's end, the youths were out of jail. But where, you might ask, were Jena's parents?
His final year as Russia's President has been his most successful yet. At home, he secured his political future. Abroad, he expanded his outsizeif not always benigninfluence on global affairs