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The birth of a baby is a joyous occasion, and an increasingly rare one in Portugal, where the birthrate has dropped 14 percent since the economic crisis began. The poorest state in Western Europe faces a demographic time bomb as its population ages, the workforce shrinks and youth are unemployed or going abroad.

The Trillium Community Health Plan in Oregon gave 50 schools money to integrate the Good Behavior Game. It keeps kids plugged in and learning, and hopefully less likely later to pick up a dangerous habit like smoking.

In many prisons and jails across the U.S., a bland, brownish lump is served to inmates who misbehave. Law enforcement officials say it's not that bad, and it's a very effective deterrent. But the practice is starting to fade as more prisoners argue that the loaf is cruel and unusual punishment.

Order cod in a restaurant on Cape Cod, and you might assume you're buying local. But the fish that gave the Cape its name are now so depleted that restaurants are serving cod imported from Iceland. Some activists think it's time America developed a taste for the less popular fish still present in the waters off the Cape.

A growing number of educators and parents say they're worried about the tests being developed and tied to new, more rigorous standards in reading and math. The test results will be used to gauge students' progress and also evaluate teachers, rate schools and rank states.

A Harvard economist finds there are psychological connections between the bad financial planning of many poor people and the poor time management of busy professionals. In both cases, he finds the experience of scarcity causes biases in the mind that exacerbate problems.

If little Lorraine Begazo turns out like many big sisters, she'll lord it over her brother Brandon that she's the older one. And she was born the year before he was. The twins were born 2 minutes apart — one on New Year's Eve and the other on New Year's Day.

Parts of the Northeast and New England are expected to be hit the hardest today and Friday. More than a foot of snow may fall on Boston. The wind chill may plunge to 40 degrees below zero in the Adirondacks. Flight delays and cancellations are piling up along with the snow.

But the fact that 339,000 applications were filed — the fewest in a month — is a hopeful sign. Meanwhile, the most-anticipated news about the labor market each month, on the unemployment rate and job growth, won't be released until Jan. 10.

The talks in Ethiopia will focus on a cease-fire, as well as political prisoners and the 2015 presidential elections. But the fighting in the world's newest country continued even as delegates gathered.