‘Pacific Standard,’ March/April 2016

The bright young minds working to build a better future; how a solider haunted by war plotted his own demise; and the end of solitary confinement.

FEATURES

The Youngest Casualties in the War on Obesity
School-based nutrition and BMI screenings are meant to improve the health of students, but emerging evidence shows that, not only aren’t they helping, they also appear to be triggering deadly eating disorders in children. Now, a small group of activists is taking on the system—and making a difference.
By Carrie Arnold

The Disappearing Soldier
The story of the Australian serviceman with PTSD who flew halfway around the world to die alone on the side of a mountain.
By Kathryn Joyce

Thirty Under 30
The top young thinkers in economics, education, political science, and more.
By Avital Andrews & Natalya Savka

PROSPECTOR

The Last of the California Quail
Why San Francisco, a city known for its innovative thinking and environmental leadership, has been unable to save its official bird.
By Jimmy Tobias

Justice, Interrupted
Some Colombian paramilitary leaders accused of brutal human rights violations will not face justice—or their victims’ families—until they’ve served sentences for American drug charges.
By Murray Carpenter

The Coyote Whisperer
As more and more coyotes move into San Francisco’s urban core, one woman is bent on teaching the city how to peacefully co-exist with the animals.
By Shelby Carpenter

The Long Road to Equality
Long-haul truck driving is thriving in the United States, and remains one of the surest ways into the middle class, but minorities say discrimination is rampant.
By Rick Rojas

ESSAYS

What Motivates Extreme Self-Sacrifice?
New work in the field of anthropology says violent extremism isn’t really motivated by religion—but by fusion with the group.
By Harvey Whitehouse

The Worst of the Worst
How will California wean itself from solitary confinement?
By Jessica Pishko

BOOK REVIEWS

Pobre México
The millions of Mexicans who have evaded the legal immigration system work dangerous and dirty jobs for a fraction of American wages—and that’s a national disgrace. But the end of cheap, vulnerable immigrant labor is near.
By Jakub Wrzesniewski

The Function of—and Need for—Institutional Review Boards
The system may be flawed, but dismantling it altogether is certainly not the answer.
By Iain Brassington

Heavy Metals
A new book tracks our dependence on rare elements—and the environmental costs of a revolution in global mining.
By Tim Heffernan

SHELF HELP

DEPARTMENTS

Research Spotlight: Mary Paglieri
Human-animal conflict consultant
By Kate Wheeling

There’s a Name for That: Euphemism Treadmill
By Michael Fitzgerald

Research Gone Wild: Moral Fervor
By Pacific Standard Staff

Quick Study: Force the Vote, Lift the Left?
By Tom Jacobs

Subculture: Prison Girlfriends and Wives
By Julie Morse

In the Picture: Feeling It
By Pacific Standard Staff

Quick Study: Stacked Deck
By Tom Jacobs

Five Studies: How to Talk Constructively About Mental Illness
By Rachel Nuwer

Life in the Data: Are My Emotions Making Me Sick?
By Manjula Martin

ETC.

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