Rachel Kaufman, freelance writer

Interrogator of gargoyle lovers, frog fondlers, and the eternal optimists saving the news industry

Top Stories

RoboCup 2010: Could Robot versus Human Be Far Behind?

By Rachel • Jun 22nd, 2010 • Category: Science, Tech, Top Stories

As the World Cup races forward in South Africa a different kind of soccer tournament recently kicked off in Asia. And whereas debates in Cape Town and Johannesburg may center on the Jabulani ball’s aerodynamics or the vuvuzela’s “unique” sound, in Singapore coaches are more likely to worry whether their favorite player has blown a fuse.



Shanghai’s European Suburbs

By Rachel • Jun 10th, 2010 • Category: Places, Top Stories

A decade ago, as Shanghai’s population approached 18 million and housing prices skyrocketed, the city decided to act. City planners developed an initiative called “One City, Nine Towns”—satellite suburbs would be built on farmland outside Shanghai to house one million people by 2020.



Common Weed Killer Makes Male Frogs Lay Eggs

By Rachel • Mar 1st, 2010 • Category: Science, Top Stories

The so-called pregnant man has company: One of the most common weed killers in the United States can make male frogs lay eggs, a new study says.

Atrazine, widely used to kill pests on U.S. croplands, is an endocrine disruptor—a substance that interferes with animals’ reproductive systems.



Marine Machines Made in Nature’s Image

By Rachel • Oct 26th, 2009 • Category: Science, Top Stories

If it looks like a fish and swims like a fish, it could be a robot–such as the University of Bath’s Gymnobot, inspired by an Amazonian knifefish.

Researchers worldwide are developing robots that look and act like aquatic creatures. That’s because biomimetic gadgets–bots that take inspiration from nature–are often more efficient than their clunkier counterparts.



How To Not Screw Up Your Taxes

By Rachel • May 27th, 2009 • Category: Finance, Top Stories

My name is Rachel Kaufman, and I don’t understand taxes.

I thought I was doing everything right until tax season. That’s when my tax prep software told me I owed thousands of dollars for my small – by all standards – writing business. Thousands I … didn’t exactly have. Sure, I’d been saving some money to pay the IRS, and I thought it’d be enough, but there I was, scrambling to find a hefty chunk of extra cash. About $2,000 extra.



Just Prove Him Wrong

By Rachel • Feb 11th, 2009 • Category: Getting Ahead, People, Top Stories

HEY, DUMMY. Get over here and stop ruining your life.

Larry Winget, the Pitbull of Personal Development and star of A&E’s short-lived reality show, “Big Spender,” says in his new book that you – yes, you – are an idiot.



Online Book Swaps: ‘Tis Better to Give and Receive

By Rachel • Dec 14th, 2008 • Category: Life, Top Stories

It’s like getting a present,” Christa Cothrel says a little gleefully. The Arlington resident and self-described bibliophile has been getting books in the mail for four years — free.

Joan Wendland of Sterling hasn’t bought a book in 18 months, yet her bookshelves are full. She has sci-fi and fantasy, mysteries, nonfiction, audio books and one incredible Jasper Fforde novel autographed by the author. “He doesn’t come through the States often,” Wendland, 44, says, “and when he does, there’s a huge line.”



Schooled: Inside D.C.’s oldest and only independent learning center

By Rachel • Sep 10th, 2008 • Category: Getting Ahead, People, Top Stories

BLACKJACK DEALING. Resume writing. Improve your life. Make more money. Become more attractive. Turn that great invention idea into reality. Heck, is that Sudoku puzzle too hard for you? There’s a class for that, too. Washington’s source for educational seminars both serious and off-the-wall is First Class Inc., that business whose brochures are usually nestled [...]



Shack to the Future

By Rachel • Jul 31st, 2008 • Category: Food, More, Top Stories

“Is there somewhere around here I can get a quick lunch, like a half-smoke, maybe?” The question catches the man pushing his Fayette Street door open for fresh air off-guard. “Sure, there’s a Five Guys two blocks that way.” Are you kidding me? You live three blocks from the greatest, oldest, stubbornest carryout in all [...]



Feathers at Your Nest: Spotting Wild Birds

By Rachel • Jun 27th, 2008 • Category: Condo Living, Environment, Top Stories

MARY PFAFFKO was on her way back from the gym, walking down Connecticut Avenue, and there it was. A wood thrush, common in the East but rarely seen outside deeply wooded areas. But there it was, right on the street. The only problem was that it was dead. In her role as president of the [...]