October 2008
The Court(s) and the Election
In light of Justice David Souter's retirement plans and speculation that a female jurist will replace him, we're revisiting this October 2008 story that details the effect women judges can have on a panel.
The VA Brush-Off
The Department of Veterans Affairs routinely delays disability claims by wounded soldiers for months and years, often shunting them into homelessness. But there's a simple way for the government to get disabled veterans the help they deserve. It can trust them.
Review of PBS Documentary "Soldiers of Conscience"
Soldiers of Conscience, a PBS documentary, examines the ethics and emotional cost of killing on the battlefield.
PAC Fights for Undocumented Immigrants
ImmigrationPAC hopes to leverage the Hispanic faith community and help elect federal candidates who support "an earned pathway" to citizenship for undocumented migrants.
News21 Stakes Its Claim in the Digital Age
At the end of the fossil fuel era, America's premier journalism schools have staked out their place in the Digital Age. It's called News21, and it provides what may be the best multimedia coverage of the election season.
How a Race About Race Could Be Less About Race
Inevitably, some voters will cast votes against Barack Obama because he is black. But research suggests he has options for reducing prejudiced voting in November.
College Students Again Poltically Aware
The surveys make it official: Today's collegians may not protest in the streets, but the networked generation is as anti-war and political as students in the '60s.
EPA: Climate Change Will Have Public-Health Implications
The EPA acknowledges, finally, that climate change will have public-health implications, increasing the incidence of heart disease, allergies, asthma, tropical diseases and ... kidney stones.
We Get Letters — The Future Is Not Plastics
Letters to the editor: Decompartmentalizing right whales, vinclozolin, bisphenol A, krill and a few other things.
Book Review — "The Private Abuse of Public Interest"
Two professors explain why small government, loose regulations and an over-reliance on markets eventually cost taxpayers.
Mother Nature's Sum
Scientists are working to put economic value on the natural world, hoping to create ecosystem-services markets that protect the environment. But are they really just putting out a contract on Mother Nature?
The Diaper Bank Helps Families in Need
Joanne Goldblum saw poor people reusing disposable diapers and had to do something. Her nonprofit, The Diaper Bank, now gives 150,000 diapers a month to people in need.
Innocent Until Reported Guilty
The simple prescription for reducing wrongful convictions: better journalism about crime and punishment.
Patients Lacking Evidence-Based Care from Physicians
How likely is it that you will receive treatment the medical literature says is best? Flip a coin. Evidence-based health care can improve those odds, save lives and cut health care costs dramatically.
Rethinking Government's Role in the Financial System
How do we protect the markets from their own overexuberance? By signaling that future failures won't get government bailouts.
The Cocktail Napkin — Do They Take Their Brollies With Them?
The Cocktail Napkin: A look at some current research that merits a raised eyebrow or a painful grin.